Who is Ray Mehlberger and why is he here? By this issue, you are probably asking these questions about your fearless armor editor.

I am 60 years old, married, have 5 grown kids. I am retired after 30 years of working at an aviation communications manufacturing firm, and have built models since I was in my teens. I have dozens of contest awards, both local and IPMS & AMPS. I build WWII armor in 1/35 mostly and also dabble in a few WWI kits too. My second love is aircraft models, in scales from 1/72 on up to BRAILE SCALE of 1/24th.

My philosophy about building models is that it should be fun, although through the years a little bit of AMS has set in (advanced modeler syndrome). I do like to embellish a bit, but only if it is a real improvement to a kit. I am not a rivet counter, nor do I worry too much about a millimeter or two that a kit may be off. If I go to a contest, I usually enter something but I don't go expecting to win. Mostly, it is for the give and take with other modelers and, of course, the vendor's room and the seminars. If I ding a trophy, great, but I am not a trophy hound.

Enough about me. Isn't this a great time to be modeling? All the great kits we have been seeing come out. Who would have believed a Maus or a Luchs etc. a few years back? As for what is on the horizon. Well here is what your armor editor has seen listings for or heard rumors of.

Tamiya has announced kit no. 35234, a M-20 version of the earlier M-8 Greyhound kit for release in March. They also announce kit no. 35235 which will be another version of the Steyr command car. This one looks the same as the first one from the windshield forward, but it has a curved windshield and a smaller passenger compartment that is more rounded. Just out is kit no. 35232, which is the British Centaur close support Mark IV cruiser tank MkVIII A27L. Also, I am sure that most of you have seen the kit no. 35230 appear at your shops of the U.S. 40 ton tank transporter Dragon Wagon.

For you guys that may like to go brum, brum, brum, around the floor with a tank, there is the 1/16 R.C. M4 Sherman with 105mm howitzer out in limited release.

DML announced another ex-Esci 1/9th scale kit: the kettenkrad with gebirgsjager figure. In 1/35th there will be a Sd.Kfz. 250/9, 250/1, 250/3, and a 250/11 with panzerbuche. Looks like they are going to try to get a lot of mileage out of the 250 molds! A kettenkrad, 5cm Pak 38, and a kubelwagen ambulance are also announced for this year. My poor wallet!

Ironside 1/35th announces a Marder I Pak 40 (on a French tractor chassis).

I will close for now by saying welcome aboard, hope you like the armor section, and if you have any comments or suggestions let me have them. This is your magazine and I will try to respond, time permitting.

RPM's Samochod Pancerny
By Ray Mehlberger

Building DML's Maus Supertank
By Evert Jan Foeth

CMK's 1/35 PzBefWg 35(t)
By Tony Edwards

Air Intelligence
1999 Modelers'
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