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Unimodel Sherman Dozer

~ Colonel Mustard ~ Leave a comment

Unimodel make a large range of World War 2 plastic kits in 1/72 scale covering many nations and many different vehicles. Getting through Normandy bocage can be tricky and this Sherman Bulldozer is just the right tank for helping cut handy holes through the dense brush.

The kit is more complicated than other Sherman models, coming in over 150 parts including some tiny photo etched guards and lights. The tracks come in individual links around the sprocket wheels which take a little patience too. So its a challenging little tank but I think well worth the effort. Once the tank is built the dozer blade is constructed and just attaches to the bogey wheels. I did have to fiddle around with this bit and clamp it to get it in the right spot.

The hatch can be modelled open, which I did, and put in an AB commander from their British range. Although its an American tank, and all the decals confirm this, I didn’t think it would matter. The Brits may borrow him anyway. The kit comes with a 50 cal machine gun, but I used a 30 cal from a different kit that fitted better with my commander.

It was painted the usual olive drab, the fun bit was adding steel scratches to the front blade. Check him out in action below!

 

Hasegawa Humber Armoured Car 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ Leave a comment

While i was on the Hasegawa modelling wagon i dragged out these two Humber armoured cars i made a while back, and thought i should add them to my blog. Great value when you buy from Japan or China these guys were no more than USD 10 each delivered to Australia. Better than buying from the UK at close to the same in pounds…..

As usual with Hasegawa models they were easily put together and not too complicated to build. I didn’t like the metal axle rods and lack of suspension. You need to fix the metal rods so the wheels do not slide from side to side or rotate. I should have fixed these two to an MDF base to prevent any slippage and also as they are quite delicate. They come with some stowage items like a box or two and some rolled blankets/tarpaulins. The crew figure, which typical for Hasegawa, is awful. So i replaced him with a crew man from Battlefield Miniatures. I also added aerials so the forward recce team can radio into headquarters when they spot the enemy.

Choices for your British in plastic 1/72 scale Humber Armoured Cars is extremely limited, and in fact i think only RPM make an alternative version. I haven’t seen that model but can recommend these Hasegawa kits as an excellent addition to any British force.

Looking at these pictures i may go back and add some more mud/weathering/dirt to my vehicles as they look a bit clean!