Work in progress vol.3: German anti-tank and flak bunker

Subject: German Anti-tank and Flak bunker
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Italeri

Step 1: In this project i will add to the bunker a 20mm Flakvierling 38 anti-aircraft  gun from italeri kit number 7026. This set also has the 75mm PAK anti-tank gun. This is a nice model that, once built, will be placed inside the bunker with little to be seen. So i decided to use the much more simple and inexpensive PAK 40 that comes in italeri kit number 6096. Some research will be needed as these bunkers were often camouflaged and had a series of lines of defense around them. The diorama will be placed over a 20X25cm picture frame. Bellow are the pictures of the armament kits that will be used:

Step 2: Research can be very usefull for the quality of your model and diorama. There are lots of references for the german bunkers in World War II. I found lots of informations in George Foty´s Fortress Europe - Hitler´s atlantic wall, published by Ian Allan Publishing in 2002. The closest diagram of Italeri´s bunker is the type 677 german design. The 600 series of bunkers were created for the atlantic wall and were considered bombproof, with walls of 2m to 3.5m thick. The 677 model was to be used in flanking fire, so it was constructed with a lateral wing and wall that faced the enemy line of attack. Usually, it housed a 88mm or larger gun. In line with this, a had to replace the PAK40 with an 88mm anti-tank gun. The only one i could get was the 1/76 scale airfix kit. Since it will be placed inside the bunker, the small diference in scale won´t be a problem. Bellow you see a diagram of the 677 bunker. The photo shows a type677 bunker with AA guns on top of it. This bunker however was under new administration, as canadian troops were handling the guns!

Step 3: The photo of the model of the bunker shown up here illustrates how the model was built. Instead of using the old airfix 88mm AT gun, i got now the italeri kit number 7512 of the same gun but in 1/72 scale and with some figures in nice poses also in 1/72. Pictures of this kit are below now:

Engine walkaround vol.13: Packard V1650 Merlin

Subject: Packard V1650 Merlin
Location: Fantasy of flight museum, Florida, USA, 2013

Comments: The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engine, produced under licence in the United States by the Packard Motor Car Company. The engine was licensed in order to provide a 1,500 hp (1,100 kW; 1,500 PS)-class design at a time when U.S. engines of this rating were not considered ready for use even after years of development.

The first V-1650s, with a simple one-stage supercharger, were used in the P-40F Kittyhawk fighter. Later versions included a much more advanced two-stage supercharger for greatly improved performance at high altitudes. It found its most famous application in the North American P-51 Mustang fighter, where it vastly improved that aircraft's performance at altitude, transforming the Mustang into an outstanding fighter with the range and performance to escort heavy bombers over the European continent. By 1944, P-51B, P-51C and P-51D "Merlin" Mustangs were able to escort Allied heavy bombers in daylight all the way to Berlin and yet were still capable of combating German fighters attempting to intercept the bombers. By late 1944, the Allies had won air supremacy over the whole of Germany, and Germany's defeat in World War II began to appear inevitable.

Subject: Rolls-Royce PV12 Merlin

Location: Deutches Museum, Munich, Germany, 2012

Comments: The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre (1,650 cu in) capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey.

The PV-12 first ran in 1933 and, after several modifications, the first production variants were built in 1936. The first operational aircraft to enter service using the Merlin were the Fairey Battle, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. More Merlins were made for the four-engined Avro Lancaster heavy bomber than for any other aircraft; however, the engine is most closely associated with the Spitfire, starting with the Spitfire's maiden flight in 1936. A series of rapidly applied developments, brought about by wartime needs, markedly improved the engine's performance and durability.

Considered a British icon, the Merlin was one of the most successful aircraft engines of the World War II era, and many variants were built by Rolls-Royce in Derby, Crewe and Glasgow, as well as by Ford of Britain at their Trafford Park factory, near Manchester. The Packard V-1650 was a version of the Merlin built in the United States. Production ceased in 1950 after a total of almost 150,000 engines had been delivered, the later variants being used for airliners and military transport aircraft.



Boats vol.10: K19 Soviet submarine

Subject: K19 Hotel Class Soviet Submarine
Scale: 1/350
Manufacturer: Flagman Models
Comments: Injection molded kit, with 33 parts; waterslide decals.
                  This is my K19 sovietic submarine. If you like building cold war subjects, then submarines were the main subject. There were not too many early sovietic submarine designs available to model. Flagman Models, from Russia, has released a nice kit of a Hotel class boat. This were balistic missiles launching boats. The K19 became famous after a nuclear accident during one of it´s cruises. Hollywood made a movie about the events during this mission. The Hotel class submarines had a bad reputation amog soviet sailors, being called Hiroshima.
                  The kit however is very nice. Fit is above standart for limited run models. With only 33 parts, it is perfect for a weekend project. The decals perform well with some help of microscale decal softener. My model was finished with tamiya acrilics, sealed with future and humbrol matt coat.

Boats vol.9: LCM(3) Landing craft

Subject: LCM(3) Landing craft.

Scale: 1/35

Manufacturer: Italeri

Comments: Injection molded kit, out-of-the-box construction. Painted with Tamiya acrilics.

                  This is my Italeri LCM (3) kit. This is a fantastic kit. Fit is almost perfect and there is a lot of details. The huge size of the finished model make it a great center piece for a large scale boat collection.