Battle for the Danube - expansion of "Art of Tactic"

There are more photos of the new units in the expansion:

Armoured train:



River boat:



Unarmoured train:



Romanian unit:



Another photo of the whole expansion:

Italeri's "model set"'s and ISU 152 with russian infantry in winter uniform!

Last week, when I was making my daily walk I saw at the window of a hobby shop "new" sets of Italeri.

I should be causious with the definition "new", because what is "new" in our hobby in Turkey, could be 2 or 3 years old for Europe or USA.

There are some online-hobby shops, but I saw this kind of "model-sets" from Italeri for the first time in a shop.

It contents 48 infantry and 1 ISU 152, 6 acrylic paints, liquid cement adn 2 brushes.

It is called, "Model set needs only your talent".


There are a lot of different sets like,

american infantry with Sherman,

german elite troops with Kingtiger,

Valentine Mk I with british infantry,

Panther with german infantry and

ISU 152 with russian infantry, which I bought.

I have choosen this set, because of the soviet infantry with winter uniform, which I miss in my collection for "Stalingrad" - scenarios of Memoir 44 and the tank destroyer ISU-152 was also absend in my collection. (a little correction: It's not a tank destroyer, it's SPG. Thanks to "Wiking")


The ISU-152 is a fast-kit and to my surprise the set contents not only 1 piece, like it's written on the box, on the contrary, 2 pieces of that tank-destroyer!

IMHO a good set for beginners with a rare tank destroyer and a good infantry set.

Zvezda's "Art of Tactic" expansions-soviet and german paratroopers!

Another expansion sets for "Art of Tactic" boardgame series of Zvezda are 2 new paratroopers for Soviets and Germans.

In the catalog this time a picture of german paras:

and a photo for soviet paras:

Both in 1/72 scale!

There are 5 paratroopers-sets:

The oldest one from Airfix produced in 1976:

Marketed especially in France from Heller.

One from Esci produced in 1989:
Reproduced from Italeri.

In the same year from Revell:

In 2009 a new one was produced from Caesar:

And last year the newest from Italeri in tropical uniform:

All these set have 40+ figures and 10 - 15 poses. The new Zvezda concept contents not even 10 figures with maximum 4 different poses in each set.

What will be the reaction of collectors and painters to those "specialized" sets?

Wait and see! (and read the forums!)

Zvezda's "Art of Tactic" expansions-soviet and german recon teams!

In the 2011 catalog of Zvezda there are 2 recon team news.

There is a picture of the "Soviet reconnaissance team":

4 figures, with natural poses!

But the german recon team has only a drawing:

At the moment there are no more detailled information about the number of figures, price and so on.

But the fact that the scales of both sets are different, confuses me!

I think, that's a printing error.

As far as I know it, there are no special "recon team"-sets in this scale. This will be a great addition!

WW2 Russian infantry (winter uniform) - set from Italeri!

It's actually a infantry set from 2005, but I got the figures from the "Model-set", "ISU 152 w/ russian infantry".

The set has 48 figures with 16 different poses, made of medium plastic and has tan color.

The troops are wearing two types of uniform. The greatcoat was brought into service before war. The second one is a combination of a jacket with trousers.

More than half of the figures carry a submachine gun, one is firing a light machine gun,


another one is carrying an AT-gun and one using a mortar.


Especially the one on the mortar reminds me of the old Esci figures, but the rest are fine. Three of the kneeling figures are very similar.

The sculpting is very good till excellent. The poses are realistic and good good detailed. There is no flash.


I added a commandant is from Revell's "siberian riflemen"-set, because I can't imagine how such a firm like Italeri can produce a set without a commandant.

The man with a child in his arms is a samll gimmick as a resistance fighter from Caesar's "WW2 Partisan in Europe"-set.

Altogether a very good set!

8.8. cm Flak and soviet cavalry sets from Zvezda!

There will be a soviet cavalry set and a 8.8 mm. Flak set from Zvezda regarding a photo from Zvezda's 2011 catalog.


The sets will be part of the new WW2 boardgame concept "Art of Tactic'.

See:
href="http://worldin172scale.blogspot.com/search/label/the%20great%20patriotic%20war">

At the moment no more infos about the price and the number of figures in both sets!

Zvezda’s new website and a lot of new sets!

After the rumours about Zvezda's possible cancellation of their historic figures sets, a lot of figures from Zvezda are announced!

Here is the list: (from http://www.models2u.co.uk/" - website!)

Samurai period:

Ashigaru-yari

Ashigaru with Arquebus

Samurai-Naginata

Samurai Archers

Samurai-no-dati

Ninja

Mounted Samurai

Monks Archers

Monks with Yari & Naginata

Commander with Bodyguards

Samurai Commanders

WW2 period:

German Sturmpionere

German Fallschirmjager (Paratroopers)

German Reconnaissance Team

German Gebirgsjager

Soviet Anti-Tank Team

Soviet Reconnaissance Team

Soviet Paratroopers

Soviet Naval Infantry

Soviet Engineers

Soviet Cavalry

There are no further information about the number of figures or any photo, even drawings are missing.

The price is 2.75 pound for each the set and this make me think, that there will be similarities in case of production method and end-product with the new WW2-series.

In each case, those will be small sets with less figures, like:

If those new products (in case of Samurai sets!) could reach the quality of their previous samurai sets?

Hopefully!

By the way Zvezda redesigned also their website:

http://zvezda.org.ru/?news=343&PHPSESSID=efcdf381753449ad48a2f4774799742b

If it's now better, worser, nothing chanced or for someone who thinks "I don"t care!", it depends on your personal taste!I

MO, it looks 'better organised".

Were the rumours just only "latrine rumours'?

I'll say, wait and see. There are only 2 weeks (and 2 days!) till "Nuernbeg Toy Fair".

No more rumours!

New photos from Zvezda's Soviet 122-mm Howitzer!

Today I got new photos from Zvezda's Soviet 122 mm. howitzer for our new member Paul!

Back side of the box:



What the box contents:



and the instruction:

Soviet 122-mm Howitzer from Zvezda!

Christmas is coming!

Not only one look to the windows of the shops, also a search in Internet confirms this reality!

Each day we get a new offer from some Producer!

Today it's again Zvezda, with a "fast-kit"-product for the boardgame "The great Patriotic War"!

Soviet 122-mm Howitzer in a 1/72 scale with 2 crew members:


No glue needed!

After the PST howitzer with 5 crew members this one is an other eyecatcher! (Thanks for the info from David O'Brien in the Strelets forum!)

Soviet DShK AA MG and Crew from ORION!

Fresh news at the weekend!

The plastic figure producer Orion from Ukraine brought a new WW2 set in a 1/72 scale to the market:

Soviet DShK AA MG and Crew:



The set contents 3 MG's and 15 figures (5 different poses).

The russian name is "Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny" and "Degtyaryov Shpagin" means "Large-Calibre".

It is a Soviet heavy anti-aircraft machine gun firing 12.7x108mm cartridges.

The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield.

It took its name from the weapons designers Vasily Degtyaryov, who designed the original weapon, and Georgi Shpagin, who improved the cartridge feed mechanism. It is sometimes nicknamed Dushka (lit. "Sweetie", "Dear"), from the abbreviation.

The back side of the box (Photos are from "Benno's figures forum):



The requirement for a heavy machine gun appeared in 1929. The first such gun, the Degtyaryov, Krupnokalibernyi (DK, Degtyaryov, Large calibre), was built in 1930 and this gun was produced in small quantities from 1933 to 1935.

The gun was fed from a drum magazine of only thirty rounds, and had a poor rate of fire. Shpagin developed a belt feed mechanism to fit to the DK giving rise, in 1938, to the adoption of the gun as the DShK 1938. This became the standard Soviet heavy machine gun in World War II.

The DShK 1938 was used in several roles. As an anti-aircraft weapon it was mounted on pintle and tripod mounts, and on a triple mount on the GAZ-AA truck. Late in the war, it was mounted on the cupolas of IS-2 tanks and ISU-152 self-propelled guns. As an infantry heavy support weapon it used a two-wheeled trolley, similar to that developed by Sokolov for the 1910 Maxim gun. It was also mounted in vehicle turrets, for example, in the T-40 light amphibious tank.

(All the information is from Wikipedia, thankfully!)

A closer look to the expansions of Zvezda!

I found photos on the Zvezda's forum from one of the expansion sets for the boardgame "The great patriotic war".

It's a T34/76 1940 version in 1/100 scale!



The box contents one info card of the model for the game, one instructions booklet and the model!



A closer llok to the instructions, which imho is the easiest one in the whole modelworld:

T 34/76 mod. 1940 for Zvezda's boardgame!

After the reinforcement for the germans, the russian side gets also his own armour.

T-34/76 (mod. 1940) box picture:



This fast kit has only 5 parts (Pz. III G has 9!) and is in 1/100 scale.



The price is 2,95 EUR.

The one with a basic paint work:



Hopefully ASAP I'll be able to buy one and report detailed.

And if someone has the possibility to compare with Flames of War models in the scale, please send an article!

The game begins!

The game is on the market; in Russia and was sold in ESSEN 2010!

The first picture:




and the first scenario pictures:




The price for the russian market is 1.600 rupley, approx. 52.- USD or 38.- EUR!

the first armour vehicles on both sides and Clearness in Scale guestion!

Today we have pictures of the first armour vehicles from both sides:

German armour in the basic game will be represented by Panzer II, actually a light and uneffective tank against soviet counterparts!

Box:

and the back side of the box:


A finished model without any paint work:



I expected, honestly a Panzer III, a medium german panzer, as the main unit at the beginning of the OP Barbarossa!

But when I saw the soviet armour counterpart:

T-26 box:

and box back:


A finished model without any paint work:


Both Panzer consists of 5 parts and have their unit cards!

By the way, due to the information on the back side of the box we know that the armoured (and unarmoured ones logically!) have the 1/100 scale!