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This Wings & Wheels publication is the perfect companion to anyone building the old Tamiya kits. Inside the softcover, we find 112 pages full of in focus photos. Four hundred eighteen (418) color photos including those on the outer covers illustrate every detail of the vehicle variants. The subjects are the Sd.Kfz.7 along with the flak guns carried by the Sd.Kfz.7/1 and Sd.Kfz.7/2.
As with any museum exhibit, there are several details which are incorrect for the specific vehicle but most are pointed out in the text. A nice series of 208 photos of the Sd.Kfz.7 in detail during a restoration.
The book measures 9 by 9.5 inches in a landscape format with heavy card stock covers. The heavy pages have a semi matte finish which reproduces details well.
The first two pages of the book begin with a photo of four of the five subjects. The restoration photos are in sections of the tank which include:
29 pages of reconstruction
6 pages of hood details
A page on headlight details
A page on exterior cabin details
3 pages of engine details (while mounted, photos of it alone are in Reconstruction)
A page on the engine bulkhead details
A page on the front axle details
2 pages on the front wheel details
4 pages on the chassis details
The variants & guns include:
Sd.Kfz.7 KM m 11 Early, 7 photos, pp. 52 & 53
Sd.Kfz.7 Borgward HL m 11 Early, 28 photos, pp. 54-59
Sd.Kfz.7 KM m 11 Late, 51 photos, pp. 60-73
Sd.Kfz.7/1 KM m 11 Early, 52 photos and one map, pp. 74-91
Sd.Kfz.7/2 KM m 11 Early, 16 photos, pp. 92-97
37mm Flak 18/36/37, 54 photos, pp. 98-112
A simplified history of the vehicle is included in each chapter for every variant and a map is included of the museum where they are found.
Here are some notes about the sections:
It is interesting to see that the screened areas of the drop down sides on the /1 and /2 variants have a depth to them no replicated in any detail set. The Flakvierling has a number of detail photos included which is nice as the separate armament section does not.
Many of the details that would be easy to overlook are included and a model manufacturer should definitely use this book to add all the detail into a kit. I am certain aftermarket companies, such as PE producers, will find this book invaluable in helping them to create updates for the old Tamiya kits or perhaps a new one.
This book represents an excellent value for hard to find large format detail photos of the Sd.Kfz.7 series and is a great companion to the Nuts & Bolts book. The latter book provides very good drawings which illustrate the changes which is not prevalent in most scale plans.
More images can be found on Wings & Wheels web site.
http://www.wwpbooks.com/index.php?lang=en&page=showbook&book=27
The book is available from the North American exclusive distributor; 4+ Publications North America.
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