introduction

With the rise of armor, the parallel need for petrol/gasoline became pressing. Armored spearheads could slice through conventional troop concentrations, but the tanks often had to wait for their supply trains to catch up with them. At the end of WW 2, the Germans abandoned more tanks from lack of fuel than they lost in combat.

One solution was the invention of the "jerrycan," a name that points to its invention by Germany in the 1930s (the British referred to German soldiers as "Jerry" in the same way their troops carried the moniker "Tommy"). Officially known by the pedestrian name Wehrmachtskanister ("armed forces container"), the steel jerrycan held 20 liters of fuel. Unlike its American counterparts, the German jerrycan didn't require any funnels or special tools like wrenches. Unlike British "flimsies," whose nickname says it all, the jerrycan was study and held up under hard usage. Later models were intended to hold water, and were labeled accordingly.

Now Plus Model has released a set of resin jerrycans.

what you get

Inside a glassene envelope are 8 gray resin jerrycans.

the review

Jerrycans in 1/35th scale have been around a long time: so long the Tamiya styrene versions have several photo etch upgrade manufacturers who've added more-detailed spouts. Those upgrades REALLY pimp the overall look, but are not for the fainthearted or the anti-fiddly-bits crowd. Tasca's jerrycans are excellent and a big improvement over the Tamiya version, but expensive.

Plus Model's jerrycans are "one stop shopping," requiring nothing more than removing the pour plug, painting and then plopping into a diorama or AFV build. As the photos at right show, the details are good, if not excellent, and the price is hard to beat.

But the photos also show a total lack of stenciling on the side of the jerrycans. Since both water and fuel were stored in them, and color was not a factor, it was essential to label fuel cans Kraftstoff ("fuel") and Wasser. This sort of detailing in resin should be easy, and its absence means these cans will only work well stacked side-by-side where any letter is not showing.

conclusion

This set could've been a real winner if Plus Model had gone just a little further. As it is, the jerrycans are a good solution, but less than an excellent one.

Thanks to Plus Model for providing this review sample. Be sure to say you saw it reviewed on Armorama when ordering.