Introduction

Militärfahrzeug is a quarterly magazine from Tankograd Publishing. This review will take a look at the third magazine in the 2014 schedule of Militärfahrzeug, and there are some great features between the covers.

Review

In these austere times, when your Dollar, Pound or Euro doesn’t go as far as it did and you don’t have as many of them to begin with, what do you do when it comes to reference? If like me when confronted with a book or a model, chances are that the model wins out more often than not. This does mean that when looking for reference those publications that offer a selection of vehicles rather than a specific vehicle can have more appeal, and that is where a publication like Militärfahrzeug come in. First the bad news; this publication is printed in German only and so if you don’t read German this will make the text very hard going. With that out of the way the good news is that the publication is filled with great photographs of a good number of subjects of the same quality as all their other Tankograd Publishing releases.

In this issue of Militärfahrzeug there is a really nice selection covered, which are;
German Leopard 2A7

Swedish Archer 155mm FH77 BW L52

Wehrmacht Road Train Hospital

British Land Rover R WMIK

Tiger 1 Restoration

Canadian Iltis

NATO Cold Response 2014

U.S. Armour in Europe

Faun L908/54 VA

German Leopard 2A7
Perhaps the most popular modelling subject of recent times is the Leopard tank series, and this section provides a good 13 photograph walk around of the Leopard 2A7. Only 13 pictures you may think, but the images that have been included by Tankograd Publishing provide a good overall view of the vehicle.

Swedish Archer 155mm FH77 BW L52
The feature on the Swedish Archer 155mm FH77 BW L52 only has 8 photographs and 4 prints, however the images chosen do provide the modeller with some diorama setting possibilities. The prints provide the modeller with information on just how the auto-loader operates and how to accurately set up the gun, and answer some accuracy questions on the size of certain areas.

Wehrmacht Road Train Hospital
An aspect of World War Two I knew nothing of, is the MASH unit operated by the Wehrmacht. There are black and white photographs showing convoys of trucks each pulling 2 covered trailers. These pictures have caught my attention and planted ideas in my mind if suitable models can be located.

British Land Rover R WMIK
The Land Rover R WMIK is perhaps one of the favourite soft skinned vehicles with modern period models at this time. The variations of the WMIK put onto the market by HobbyBoss has allowed for some great models and for that matter scratch built into further examples. The 11 photograph spread in this edition of Militärfahrzeug from Tankograd Publishing provides great reference for one of the latest versions in use with the British Army.

Tiger 1 Restoration
The Munster Tiger 1 is reportedly a Frankenstein Tiger being made up of parts from several examples, and I have read reports that it is made up of about 90% original parts. This next section in Militärfahrzeug takes a look at the significant restoration of this Tiger 1 and provides some views that many will not have seen in modern pictures.

Canadian Iltis
The Iltis is a vehicle I know nothing about and I believe is the first time I have seen any pictures of it. The Iltis would appear to be the Canadian answer to the British Land Rover, and the photographs offered show the Ilitis performing many different and varied roles.

Conclusion

If your spending power has been affected and you want some reference covering a selection of subjects, then the Militärfahrzeug publication from Tankograd Publishing could be just what you are looking for. This issue has 56 pages packed with fantastic photographs showing firepower and military vehicles from World War 2 to the current day. The book being printed in German only does affect its benefit to none German speakers, but perhaps if enough issues start going further afield, this may be looked at.