Don’t ask me what the appeal with 48th scale kits is. I honestly
couldn’t tell you. It could be that they offer a reasonable looking
build at the end for less investment in time and money than their
35th scale counterparts. After embarking on this kit I came to the
conclusion that with the involvement of some aftermarket products,
these kits will produce an equal level of quality as any larger
scale kit can provide.
Incorporating the Aber etched set, WWII Productions tracks, a figure
from Squad 48’s German crew set, this model has worked in just about
everything that is available (or was available when the project got
underway). The Aber set is a fantastic bit of engineering and
enhances the kit immensely in a lot of areas, although it is an
involved set incorporating a lot of detail, and using it all will
mean a mindbending amount of work. If you read my review of the WWII
Productions tracks here earlier you will know how much I thought of
them already, and if not I will say it again, that they are one of
the best aftermarket sets I have ever used, and probably the best
set of tracks I have ever seen.
The sculpting of the Squad 48th German Tank Crew (Summer) [AOW48/05]
is second to none and although I have only used one of the crew
figures, they are all really quite good.
When working with etched parts this small I find it very important
to have a tool like the “Etch-Mate” to bend and form parts with as
there is too much room for error (read: parts flying all over the
room and disappearing forever) and it is a far safer bet to
manipulate them whilst held firmly in place.
The images here will give you an overview of what tools I used and
an impression of how they were used in the finishing the model. I
prefer enamels for painting model, and White Ensign Colourcoats in
particular, followed with a wash of artists oils, and CMK Stardust
weathering pigments to finish off.
For a far more detailed and in depth build article of this model
please pick up the next issue of Military Modelling ( Vol. 37 No.2)
Click the thumbnails below to view additional images:
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