Introduction
Like many modellers I have bookshelves groaning under the weight of a wide selection of reference materials, which, whilst having many pictures, never quite offer the detail that I require. Likewise the internet after a great deal of searching can offer a selection of photos, often dark and grainy, with insufficient clarity.
However, I was offered the opportunity by Vinnie Branigan, to examine and review a copy of Toadman’s CD, detailing the A34 Comet in clear photographs, giving a complete visual record that will allow any modeller to produce an accurate rendition of this tank.
Photo Detail Cd#14 – The A34 Comet
The CD presented itself professionally in a slimline jewel case, with printed insert giving the title on the front and a table of contents on the inside. The actual product CD is fully printed and labelled.
I also found a small sheet giving precise instructions about viewing the presentation on a MAC.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Turret Exterior
- Hull Exterior
- Suspension
- Turret Interior
- Hull Interior
When placed in my PC running windows XP, the CD auto-started and opened into a very user friendly browser, which allowed me to easily navigate through each section. All of the pictures are high definition, logically grouped and allowed me to easily find my way through the sections. The detail that is shown is stunning; I honestly don’t think that there can be many parts of the vehicle that Chris has not photographed, which together will please the most ardent enthusiast of armoured vehicles. Each of the pictures is individually captioned and the excellent flow means that you can easily work your way through and find the individual pictures that you desire. Having spent a couple of hours exploring the CD, I cannot think of any area of any real relevance that he may have missed.
Chris explains in the introduction that the vehicle was photographed at the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation [MVTF], Portola Valley in California, during a number of visits during this year 2006.
I would suggest that if you are building the new Comet by Bronco, or even just have an interest in this tank, you would be recommended to consider this presentation.
In conclusion
This is the first time that I have ventured into the world of using a CD as reference material and am impressed at the quality of Toadman’s presentation. Using the disc is simplicity in itself; the material contained is superb and as a bonus takes up far less space than printed reference material.
You can buy Toadman’s Tank Pictures directly from his website: -
http://www.toadmanstankpictures.comThank you to Chris ‘Toadman’ Hughes for supplying the review sample
