AFV Modeller, Ltd

AFV Modeller 51 March/April 2010

Reviewed By  Mark Aldrich, IPMS# 39295

MSRP:$9.25 Website: www.afvmodeller.com AFV Modeller continues to publish the best armor model building relating magazines in the world. The annual cost of a subscription is currently running 70.00 pounds sterling. That converts over to $107.96 at today's exchange rate. That equates out to $17.96 an issue with $8.91 being used for shipping. That is a hefty price tag, even for a magazine related to nothing but treadhead related subjects. As with all previous issues, this one is excellent. The models shown and the builders involved are all superb. The photography is top notch and when you see the contents of these magazines, you know where the money is being spent. If you are new to AFV modeller, these magazines follow a standard plan that I have become accustomed to. Every issue usually has three or four models, a real life armored subject and the latest armor issue releases. It has been nine issues sense they started the "Sherman up close" series and it appears to still being going strong. This issue has a sneaky Sherman and made me wonder how many other Shermans may have been a wolf in sheep's clothing that I had seen over my years and just assumed it was a standard howitzer version. Issue 51 contains the following articles. King Tiger - Nice Vignette with Tamiya's 1/48 offering as the center piece. Panzer IV E - Dragon's initial offering before they corrected it. Dutch Armour on Exercise - 42 Tank Battalion training in Germany. Spahpanzer 2 Luchs A1 - Revell's kit heavily modified. Sherman Up Close - Nice walk-around photos of a M42B1. One Sixteenth Superking - Part Seven of the editor's Trumpeter build. Keeping Track - The latest and hottest armor kits currently available. Saumur Panther - Nice vignette of the conversion process with real pictures included. All the model articles are interesting with the 1/48 King Tiger really catching my eye. Saumur Panther display is another neat idea that creates a nice diorama without figures and is very interesting. This is another great issue and definitely would have been bought at the local hobby shop just for the pictures of the M42B1. I would like to thank AFV Modeller for the review sample and IPMS/USA for a place to post this review for others to see and read. If you are a tread head, like me, then this is a magazine for you. You can subscribe at www.afvmodeller.com.