Military Model Scene

Title: Staff Cars in Germany WW2 Vol 3
Author: Alan Ranger
Publisher: MMP Books
ISBN: 978-83-67227-19-3

Number 32 in the excellent Camera On series from MMP Books and author Alan Ranger. An 84-page soft-cover book.
This latest addition to this series of books focuses on the variety of Mercedes staff cars used by the German military during WW2. Some were relatively basic designs for military use, while others were actually high class civilian cars that were simply taken into military use, and gave many servicemen the opportunity to drive luxury cars which they would otherwise have been unable to enjoy. An introduction gives some good background on the history of Mercedes and the use of their cars by the military as well as the German government of the era. Then there are 10 different Mercedes variants, including various Kubel types, and ending with the big G4 6-wheeler. Only 57 were made yet the G4 is among the best known thanks to it being used by Hitler himself and it appearing in many photos and newsreels. There is even one picture showing an example having been converted to a recovery vehicle! All the photos have been collected by the author over the years and come from private collections he has acquired, so these are not well known 'official' photos. There are variants of the 170V, the 200, 230, 260, 320 and 540 plus more.
Thus is another super collection of rare photos, with lots of detail in colours, markings, fittings as well as plenty of diorama ideas for the modeller. I have no doubt that the many fans of the Mercedes brand will enjoy this just as much as military vehicle historians and modellers alike. There are a number of these types available in model form and you can also find some examples of them on display in collections such as the History on Wheels Museum at Eton Wick, here in the UK. Another marvellous collection that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Thanks to Casemate, the UK distributor for MMP Books, for the review copy.

Robin