Osprey Modelling 18: Modelling the Marder Self-Propelled Gun

by Sam Dwyer

Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd, ISBN 1-84176-855-3, 80 pages.

Here’s a neat guide to modelling the Marders. After the usual introductory chapter with a bit of background to these SP anti-tank guns and some ideas on tools it begins with a Marder I on Lorraine chassis. The kit used is from Ironside but there are other kits, though most are hard to find. It’s upgraded with an AFV Club Pak 40 gun and Friuli tracks, plus AFV Club ammunition, and includes ideas on upgrading with etched brass floor plates as well as painting hints for those who’ve never tried washes and chips.

Next is a Marder II D from the Alan kit, again with substantial upgrades in the form of a gun from the Tamiya Marder III and Modelkasten tracks. Again, there are plenty of ideas on improving the basic kit, on painting worn winter whitewash and on weathering. The third build is the Tamiya Marder III itself, vastly improved with a CMK interior set, K58 resin gun and upper works, Aber details and trackguards, and of course Friuli tracks. This is a major job, and everything is clearly described. The finish here is for North Africa, worn sand over grey with more hints on how to get the right effects. Fourth is the Tamiya Marder III M, backdated to the earliest version with a TMD resin set and also using Aber details and trackguards plus in this case Modelkasten tracks. The emphasis here is on how to solder the etched parts, a very useful set of hints for those who’ve avoided this technique.

The final build is an Italeri Marder III H with Royal Model detail and interior sets, the gun from the Tamiya Marder III again and its wheels as well this time, and a Moskit exhaust. All the ideas from the earlier builds are brought together for this one, with the addition of notes on creating a small base with figures, a Schwimmwagen and a demolished T-34 (the MIG kit).

To end, there’s a useful list of all the available kits, conversions and accessories plus notes on reference material and on where to see surviving Marders. The whole book is going to be very useful to Marder builders and the painting and weathering ideas in it will be just as handy for other models.

Recommended.

John Prigent

More details from Osprey Publishing

Read an extract at Osprey Publishing