Military Model Scene

Title: LandCraft 11, Pakwagen Sdkfz 234/3 and 234/4
Author: Dennis Oliver
Publisher: Pen & Sword
ISBN: 978-1-39906-504-7

We have reached number 11 in the LandCraft series from Pen & Sword and it is another from author Dennis Oliver. A 64-page soft-cover book, covering these 8-wheel armoured cars in service with German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe units on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
The Introduction sets the background before getting into the detail of the units which were equipped with the Sdkfz 234/3 and 234/4. Just 2 variants of this later version of the 8-wheel armoured car (8-rad), featuring the short 75mm infantry support gun, and the longer barrelled 75mm Pak 40. There is also the inclusion of a conversion of the 234/3, where the gun was replaced with a 2cm Schwebelafette. These were complex machines, with 2 driving positions, so they could be driven in either direction, plus 8-wheel drive and 8-while steering. They were very quick and manoeuvrable reconnaissance vehicles but only built in quite small numbers in the final stages of the war. Less than 200 of these were built, hence the book includes all the units which operated these AFVs, on both Eastern and Western Fronts. After the unit details we get to the Camouflage and Marking sections, with 10 pages of first-class colour profiles, with plenty of good detail. Then the Model Showcase, with 3 first-class model builds, featuring 1/35 model builds, all using Dragon kits with some extra detailing. That leads neatly into the Model Products section, which outlines a good variety of available kits and accessory/detailing sets in a mix of scales, across 1/35 and 1/72 scales especially. For the last part of the book, it returns to the real thing, with Technical Details & Modifications before closing with a table of vehicle allocations plus the unit organisation charts. Throughout the book there are also plenty of archive images illustrating the text, and these provide even more detail references for modellers.
This is another really excellent addition to the LandCraft series, and we are told that there will be another one to cover the other variants of the Sdkfz 234. The use of these 8-wheel armoured cars has influenced many more modern designs which are in service with so many armed forces around the world today. Great value for modellers, and plenty in here to inspire more model building I think.
Thanks to Pen & Sword for the review copy.

Robin