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In his continuing series of photo walk arounds, Chris “Toadman” Hughes has concentrated this volume on the American M-47 Patton. The Italeri kit is still a great model but it is missing casting marks and texture. The M-47 has seen service around the globe in many conflicts such as Somalia, Indo-Pakistani wars, and even in Yugoslavia under Serb and Croatian armies.
Now, let’s get back to this CD. Inside there are 325 photos with one GIF file used as a background.
If you are using a Windows platform, the CD should start by itself to take you on a journey of the Patton tank. I prefer to look at the images in a graphics program so as to be able to manipulate them. For this, I right click on the CD drive and click on Explore. This opens a folder where I can then right click on a file, ‘open with’, and choose the graphics program. Using a graphics program will let me zoom in, change the gamma or increase the brightness of an image.
The photo quality is excellent with a good resolution at 300dpi and a nice size of 2240 x 1488 pixels. This translates into clear images when printed. The pictures on this CD were taken at the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) also known as Jacques Littlefield’s collection.
The Autoplay feature has the user come to a table of contents which allows one to view the acknowledgment page. Here, one can find a bibliography, reference sources, and mission statement. This CD was created with the modeler in mind…and it shows.
The CD is broken down into the following:
1. Introduction and acknowledgments
2. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 profiles table of contents
3. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 turret exterior table of contents
4. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 hull exterior table of contents
5. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 suspension table of contents
6. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 turret interior table of contents
7. 90-mm Gun Tank M47 driver's compartment table of contents
Each HTML page has simple but interesting captions which point out details as well as a navigation which allows one to go to the next page, the previous page, the sections table of contents, or the main table of contents. Certainly a well thought out plan.
Pulling out the Italeri kit, I was happy to see which details needed correcting by following the images on this CD. Note that three examples of the M-47 are used in the CD: Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, Portola Valley, CA, 1st Cavalry and 4th Infantry Division Museums at Ft. Hood, Texas, and the George S. Patton Memorial Museum at Chiriaco Summit, CA., USA.
All exterior details and the turret and driver’s interior details are covered. One should never forget that these are restorations and, as accurate as MVTF usually is, compare the photos to period photos to ensure authenticity.
Due to the possibility of degenerating CD-Rs, I would recommend to the modeler to copy the CD into a folder on their PC’s hard drive and be careful to label it clearly to avoid inadvertently sharing the images. These Photo CDs are very affordable and those wishing the images should buy their own to encourage Chris Hughes to continue. I personally have many photos of an un-restored M-47 Patton I took and even offered them to Chris for this CD. However, his photos are better in my opinion as they show the vehicle in a nearly as new condition.
This CD-Rom is one of many references which I am really happy to have acquired. At the asking price, it is certainly a bargain when one considers that the average ten dollar book only gives about a 125 photos at most. I highly recommend the Toadman Walk Arounds for any modeler whether on a budget or not! Get your copy by visiting: http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/
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