PSC German Medium Trucks (Part 1)

Last month, I built some Pegasus German Army Trucks, which led me to order a box of PSC German Medium Trucks to compare them to.

Each box contains six sprues with enough parts to create three of any two different German trucks or a Maultier.

The PSC box costs twice as much as the Pegasus box, but a video from the 20mm channel describes how additional trucks can be created from the left over parts of the kit to bring the value to parity.

In this post, I will describe how I assembled the Mercedes-Benz L3000 that is the equivalent of the Pegasus model.

The underside of the truck bed has four large blocks on it which don't seem to appear on the actual truck. The two rear blocks are necessary for proper positioning of the undercarriage, but I don't think the front blocks are necessary at all. In fact, I removed the block on the passenger side entirely, because it prevented me from adding the spare tire to the truck.

Some bent staples were glued onto the spare tire to simulate brackets, and some of the underside detail was cut away to create space for the tire.

The front axle is too long, and the ends need to be cut down so that the wheels do not protrude out past the fenders.

I like the consistency of the PSC plastic because it is easy to cut. I removed the head from the passenger side crew member to reposition it in a more natural pose.

I cut some pieces of acetate sheet to use as side windows, and glued them into some handy ledges on the inside of the door. UV resin was used to create the front windshield.

Comparing the two trucks, the first noticeable difference is the size of the wheels. I get the feeling that the smaller diameter wheels of the Pegasus truck (khaki top) is probably more accurate, but I didn't bother trying to verify this.

The PSC truck seems to look a lot taller than the Pegasus truck because of the height of the bonnet, but they're actually very similar in height. The radiator emblem and the hood ornament on the PSC truck are also nice touches.

The Pegasus truck has a tow hook which does not exist on the PSC truck.

Overall, I like the PSC truck because it is easy to assemble and windows were easier to install because of how it was engineered. I get the feeling the Pegasus truck is probably more accurate, even though it does not have some of the details of the PSC truck.

Pegasus German Army Trucks

I've had these Pegasus German Army Trucks sitting around in a half-built state for years because I wanted to add windshields to the cabs.

My original intent was to cut out some clear acetate pieces to use as windows, but I kept putting it off because trying to get the correct fit would have really tested my patience.

However, with the miracle of clear UV curing resin and a sunny day, I was able to finally finish building the trucks.

I tried two different types of tape to seal the windows for casting. The first type of tape is an unknown brand of lab tape that I used for casting agarose gels back in the day.

The problem with this type of tape is that it leaves sticky residue on the resin which can be hard to get off. I tried to use isopropanol to remove the adhesive, but it caused the resin to fog up.

I also tried painter's tape, but the results were even worse, and the tape residue seems impossible to remove from the resin.

Luckily if you mess up, it is easy enough just to apply pressure on the resin window, and eventually it will just pop out.

The driver looks like he comes from das Auenland, and probably scales out to 1/87 scale. 

A lot of companies seem to make tiny drivers for 1/72 vehicles, so I won't fault Pegasus in particular, but it just seems lazy on the part of the manufacturers to do this. I guess the driver looks okay inside the truck in any case.

I went with a basic gray color scheme just to get the models finished. 

Overall, the models were very easy to build, and seem to be quite sturdy. I still need to paint the canvas tilt and add some weathering, but all the assembly is complete (though I'm still thinking about adding some headlamps).

T-26 Quickbuilds

The Soviet T-26 was one of the most widely used tanks of the interwar period, and took part in many conflicts that are of particular interest to me.

Two quickbuild models which I have assembled are produced by Pegasus and Minairons.

The Pegasus kit is only 15 parts, and goes together pretty easily. The only real criticism I have with the kit is in regard to the track assembly.

The return rollers, appear as single cylinders, as opposed to being two joined wheels. The same applies to the rear idler.

The tracks have a little too much sag, and are on the crude, chunky side, but they still give the appearance of being proper tank tracks.

It has been mentioned that the tracks stick out a little too much on these models, but I only noticed that on the left front corner of my build (I had already painted the tank by that time, so it was too late to do anything to fix it).

The Minairons kit has 10 parts, and can be built as either the double turreted A version, or the single turret B version. The kit goes together without issue, but it seems less detailed and more toy-like when compared to the Pegasus kit.

The main gun of the Minairons kit does not reflect the appearance of the actual gun, but that was a minor issue I could overlook.

A larger issue was that I had to inscribe additional panel lines to define the second hatch on the turret. The second hatch seems to be present on the 1/100 models, so it's unclear why they would be missing on the 1/72 version.

The panel line needs more work to make both hatches match.

The tracks are simplified with a very shallow pattern. The return rollers are featureless cylinders that protrude directly out from the sides of the hull. The drive sprocket and return idler are similarly rendered.

I glued the track assemblies so that the bottom edge was not flush with the hull, since during test fitting it seemed that not doing so would make the tank sit lower than the Pegasus kit.

The Pegasus T-26 was given Finnish markings, while the Minairons T-26 was painted with Republican markings from the Spanish Civil War.

Here is a comparison of the quickbuild tanks with a diecast Altaya/Eaglemoss T-26.

This particular Eaglemoss kit is made with a metal hull, and has quite a bit of heft. It even has the triangle security screws underneath, so maybe it is from some old Altaya stock.

Soviet Naval Infantry

This is just a short post comparing Soviet Naval Infantry figures from Pegasus and Zvezda. Pictures of all the poses from both the Pegasus Russian Naval Infantry set (7270) and Zvezda Soviet Naval Infantry set (6146) can be found at PSR. I recently purchased these figures from Great Models Webstore, which is offering 40% off of most of their inventory prior to transitioning their remaining stock to a new owner.


The Zvezda figures (green) are nice, and the parts can be glued with liquid cement if desired. The bases are a lot better than the ones used for their earlier figures because they are not as thick. However, they're still relatively expensive even after the discount.

The Pegasus figures (blue) have been around for a long time, but I didn't buy them earlier because I didn't feel like dealing with all of the fiddly little parts. The figures almost all come with separate arms, but unlike their earlier kits, the arms are molded in a stiffer plastic that is more like what Zvezda is currently using for their figures. The rest of the body however, is made in the typical rubbery Pegasus plastic. I haven't tried assembling any of the figures yet, but I hope that the different type of plastic makes it easier to glue them together.

Late September Progress (Armor)

Here's where I'm at with several kits that I've started this year:

The Bulgarian Hetzer that I started back in May is almost done. I bought some 1/300 Soviet aircraft decals for the stars on the Hetzer, but they turned out to be too small. What I had to do was use some Archer U.S. stars, and then Soviet armor decals from a PST kit on top to get the red star with white outline for this model. I still need to spray with a flat coat, and weather, but this kit is 90% done.


I have posed the UM Hetzer alongside the Pegasus E-25 and the Fujimi Hetzer. The E-25 is huge compared to its smaller cousins.


For the FSV I started last month, I used Archer Fine Transfers to make the name (Bewitched), and I'll add some Milicast crewmembers. I'm still trying to find some black triangle decals or transfers though.
Next to the FSV is the Heller Somua S-35, which is in the process of being painted, and last in line is the Emhar A7V. I started the A7V about four years ago, and am finally 90% done with it. I only need to spray with a flat coat, and weather. I'm looking forward to do at least two more A7Vs, but will definitely work much faster on them this time.


Another view of the FSV, S-35, and A7V.