I don't know if this is or isn't off topic but here goes....Does anyone remember the issue of Military Modeller from about 1976-1978 that had a group of German soldiers standing around a burn barrel trying to keep warm?

I had all of the issues as a kid. I am buying old issues of MM on ebay and I can't remember which issue it was. Military modeler was one of the first military modeling magazines in the world. I always looked forward to getting my new issue every month. When I left Germany my ex gave all of my modeling stuff away....including all of my issues of Military Modeler.

I know it's a long shot but I'd appreciate any help you guys could give me. I'm just trying to relive a little bit of my youth.

I GUESS NOT.

Jeff, I vaguely remember the diorama you're talking about, but I can't for the life of me remember the issue it was in. I used to love that magazine, I cut a whole lot of lawns to be able to buy it when the drug store in town got it in; once I got in the Army I finally broke down and got a subscription because I was missing issues when we'd be out in the field.

Thanks for the reply. I got a subscription to the magazine when I was a civilian in Germany. I got the first few issues and then I believe the German Post Office stopped allowing it because there was a swastika visible on the first missing issue. I can't believe how many old issues are available on ebay. Thanks again for the reply.

Jeff

Jeff,,, I think I know how you feel. When I got back to the States after being stationed in Japan in the mid 70's (where I first discovered Tamiya armor models), I also found Military Modeler. To condense history, I probably have around a 100 issues stashed in a box I've been lugging around everywhere I've moved over the past 35 years, just so I can use for ideas/references. Not sure I'd have the one issue you're looking for, but I'll look thru my collection and post a follow-up message here if I find it.

I used to devour M.M. my dad would get them and I would read them 10 times each before the next issue came. I'd say M.M. and verlinden catalogs were a big inspiration at the time. I have 1 M.M. left it's on my "huge sell book/magazine post... Yeah those were the days. I probably rivaled German's WW2 wartime production. lol. Not as good quality builds back then but I sure pumped them out. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

I have about thirty or forty old ones, I will have a look for you.

Thank all of you guys for your posts and for looking at those old issues for me. It seems the older I get the more I want to reclaim a bit of my childhood. In the '70s I had a lot of time to build models...but not a lot of money or kits..so I would look at Military Modeler, the Squadron Shop Catalog, the Shep Paine diorama sheets and the Grenadier Shop catalog ( I still have one of these from '76) and dream about what I could build. Now I have a stash of kits and no time to build.

I still have a bunch of Tamiya catalogs from the '80s-2000s with all of the dioramas. My 4 year old grandson loves to look at them. He also wants to "help" Pappy build his models. That's a few years down the road.

Jeff

Hej "pappy"

You're not the only one enjoying those old issues of M.M. So do I, only I started in the late 80's.
I just love that old school modelling with plastic card, tin foil and copper wire and those oldies are a real treasure when it comes to that. Agreed, the level does not reach today's standards, but neither does/did my building.
Just browsing through them is relaxing.

Thanks for bringing this up...

Hi Ron,
I agree...it shows how far we've come in this hobby, but, it also takes me back to a much simpler time, in my life at least. I've really enjoyed hearing from all of you guys. It also shows that, regardless of nationality, we all have a great love of this hobby and everything, especially the great memories, that go with it.

Jeff

I'll take a look through mine as well. It will give me a reason to dig them out of the closet as I am thinking of selling them off. Don't really need them anymore.

I'll see if I can find it for you.

Randy

Thanks Randy,
If you want to sell them let me know what you want for them and maybe we can work something out.

Thanks again,
Jeff

Hey Jeff,

I have a ton also.
It may take awhile but I'll see what I can find.
Actually,thanks for the excuse to dig them up and go back through them.If I recall at some point they switched to another name and added not so military kits.Big disappointment.
Randy , I have like ,I said, a ton of old magazines.
I like to help out people on Armorama.You pay the shipping and their yours.

Tom

I remember Watch on the Rhine! The naked woman was Lady Godiva by Historex.

Another diorama I loved was Tamiya's Matlida running down an outhouse with a bare bottomed GI scurrying out for his life, a group of soldiers looking on. The caption was something like, "The Tommy tanker did not take kindly to the Yank's disparaging remarks about British armor".

Still another fun one was a jeep and trailer barreling through a muddy street (excellent wet mud splashing IIRC) full of jolly drunk GIs and German POWs, the terrified POWs bailing, and other Yanks standing by, one with his face in his hands. I vaguely recall that being 1/48 with Bandai kits.

There was yet another but I recall nothing about it other than a damaged building that was made block by block, with the blocks made of modeling clay. I remember that one because I cut up a zillion clay blocks and built a diorama with it.

The final one I recall after all these years was of a Napoleonic-era cavalryman putting the moves on a buxom lass at a well, his horse rearing in fear because mamma was charging out with an iron pot substituting for a mace. The text was something like, "He was asking the girl for a weather report (Ya' know - whether or not) when mother came to protect her daughter's virtue. Mom looks like she could take down the horse, too".

Great magazine, I recall I liked it better than Scale Modeler.

Thanks Tom and Frederick,

Tom: The magazine went to Scale Modeler / Military Modeler and it was a big disappointment. If you want to get rid of your magazines let me know how much you want.

Frederick: I remember those dioramas...I was always ashamed that I couldn't produce anything that nice. It is fun looking back on all of those old issues. I remember that they were putting posters of different soldiers in the issues in the late 70s.

I believe you may be looking for "Winter Retreat" by Jim McGeachy, Volume 3 No 5, May 1976. The dio depicts an Sdkfz 7 and troops in a winter scene with a demolished building and some figures huddled around the drum you mentioned. Does that sound right?
Cheers,
Mike

Sounds like Mike has it right. So after going thru my stash today, the oldest issue I have is from Oct. 1978. But it was time well spent and gave me a few ideas to try out using "an oldie" as inspiration. Sorry I couldn't help, Jeff, but most of my stash covers the 80's, with a handful of late 70's and early 90's.

Mike....YES....That's it! Thanks so much. I'll see if I can't find that one on e-bay.

Jack- thanks for looking. It's neat to look through the old stuff isn't it?

THANK YOU ALL for your replies. It was really fun taking this walk down memory lane.

Jeff

Wouldn't you know....May 1976 is about the only issue from that year not available on ebay. Oh well...at least I know what to look for in the future. Thanks everyone.

Jeff

I decided to get myself a "subscription" to MilMod again; buy one old magazine a month on evilbay!

The last issue of MM I bought on ebay was the July 1976 issue. It cost me $19.00. It was originally $2.00. It was worth every penny though. It's the one with Rommel's half-track and reviews of the "new" Italeri Elefant and "new" Peerless-Max softskins.

Good times!

Wow! Watch on the Rhine 2014! What's the chance of this? Check out Master Box's new release:

35157 – The South of Europe, 1944 – US and German Paratroopers

Armorama News: http://armorama.kitmaker.net/news/17123

I know this post is two years old.... I started it.
Just an update...I bought the May '76 issue (all issues from 1976 for that matter) and found the diorama I've been looking for all these years....boy was I disappointed. What I thought was a magnificent dio 40 years ago was actually kind of an amateurish effort. It did bring back some really good memories though. I had fun looking at all of those "new" product reviews and articles. My wife doesn't understand how I can pay $20.00 for eight 40 year old magazines.

She doesn't really understand this hobby...but she let's me do my thing...and that's all I can ask for.

Jeff

Jeff,

Having a wife who may not understand the hobby but lets you do your thing without complaining is a great thing. Mine is the same way, the lady is a saint - she puts up with me, doesn't complain about my hobby, AND she likes the Three Stooges; definitely a keeper!

What? No love for my April 1982 Better Dead Than Red with a M106 or my Dec 1982 Blitzkrieg 1984 with a Marder and T62? That one was on the cover! No, just kidding. They were awful. That was when MM would print anything sent in.