North American T-6G Texan Walk Around Part VI

Photographs taken at the Tokorozawa Aviation Museum in Saitama, Japan by Jake Moon.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2021/04/25/north-american-at-6-snj-5-texan-walk-around/

Women Warriors Ukrainian Special Edition 2025

Col. Olga Kachura, rocket artillery battalion commander

Major Natalya Fedorovna Meklin HSU a Po-2 pilot of the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Regiment, the “Night Witches”. From Lubny, Ukraine, she was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union for completing 840 sorties.

Lt. Lyudmila Pavlichenko HSU from Kiev. She served as a sniper and was credited with 309 kills during the Great Patriotic War.

Italeri SM.79 Sparviero Build in 1/72 Scale Part II

With the decision reluctantly made to close up the Sparviero I ran into another problem – the kit only provides a piece to show the dorsal gun position with the covers in the stowed position. Another issue was fit of the parts left something to be desired, this was especially true of the clear parts.

After rummaging through the spares box I found that the underside of the cowl from an Airfix Spitfire matched the contour of the Sparviero fuselage, at least closely enough to start sanding into shape. The gaps around the windows were filled with superglue, and the gap at the upper bomb bay hatch was shimmed with Evergreen.

Fortunately, the wing to fuselage joint was a good fit, unfortunately the main cockpit transparency was not. This piece was problematic to get into position at all and kept falling into the fuselage.

This was becoming a frustrating build so I was happy just to get to everything together. The fabric effects are overdone but given everything else I will just have to live with that.

The Sparviero could carry two torpedoes on external racks. References say that this was only done to transport torpedoes between bases and not used operationally as the extra weight affected performance. Italeri provides both racks but only a single torpedo, I will leave off the starboard rack to match photos.

Here is a close-up of the ventral tub for the bomb-aimer and the ventral gun position. Fit was problematic here as well, and I didn’t like my odds of getting the underside windows to stay in place and look right so those will be replaced with Micro Krystal Klear at the end of the build.

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/26/italeri-sm-79-sparviero-build-in-1-72-scale-part-iii/

Picture of the Week 103

The last thing you want to see through a periscope! A unique view of the bow of the Battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) as she cuts through the Coral Sea, October 1986. (Photo credit SN Greg Maynor)

The Italian Semovente M41M da 90/53 Tank Destroyer Part III – Combat

There was debate concerning where best to deploy the unit, designated the 10° Raggruppamento Artiglieria Controcarro da 90/53 Semovente. Experience on the Russian Front was the impetus for the design, but there were also those who wanted to see the Semovente used in North Africa where the open terrain would also favor the long range and penetrating power of the 90mm/53 gun. In the end the unit was deployed to help defend Sicily in the fall of 1942.

The unit was re-organized into three Gruppo of eight Semovente each, the remaining six Semovente would be left behind at Nettuno for crew training. Each gun was provided with its own Carri Armati L6/40. In addition, each pair of guns was assigned a Carro Comando Semovente M.41, seen here, as well as a variety of trucks and liaison vehicles. This Carro Comando is marked with the Semovente silhouette of the CLXIII Gruppo. Note the shell cases in the foreground.

A Semovente crew in action. The gun has just fired, while the loaders bring another round forward from the Carri Armati. Another crewman is bringing the Breda into service. This is likely a training exercise but it does give some idea of how the gun would be employed.

This Semovente was knocked out by American troops, note the starboard track has been shed and the shell casing on the port fender. The gun has been camouflaged and the shield wears the clover insignia of CLXI Gruppo.

The same vehicle from the opposite side. A round has impacted the hull just aft of the engine compartment. The thin armor and open fighting position left the gun vulnerable to almost any anti-tank weapon. Its optimum employment was to take advantage of the strengths of the 90mm/53 and ambush its opponents from a concealed position if possible.

A CLXIII Gruppo M41M with the engine compartment door open. The weight of the gun placed a strain on the vehicle’s engine and suspension, breakdowns were common and the crews learned to drive slowly to reduce wear and tear on their mounts.

A G.I. examines the barrel of this Semovente, likely destroyed by its crew. This was the fate of many of these vehicles as breakdowns occurred with some frequency.

This Semovente has seen better days. It is missing its tracks and several hatch covers, as well as panels from its gun shield. This was the ultimate fate of most of the guns on Sicily.

This CLXIII Gruppo vehicle was captured intact by the Americans. The left side of the gun shield has been painted over in a dark color but the unit emblem has been preserved. A close examination reveals that the writing says, “To Commanding General – Aberdeen Proving Grounds – Aberdeen, Maryland – Captured Enemy Material”. This vehicle is preserved at the Fort Sill Field Artillery Museum in Oklahoma today, the last of her kind.

A pair of Semovente seen abandoned at the end of the Sicilian Campaign on a riverbank near Messina, along with other Italian vehicles. With no way to transport their vehicles to the mainland, any armor which survived combat in Sicily was abandoned as their crews were evacuated.

All twenty-four Semovente sent to Sicily were lost, but the six vehicles left behind at Nettuno were taken over by the Wehrmacht after the Italian Armistice. In German service they were known as Gepanzerte Selbstfahrlafette 90/53 801(i). They were assigned to the 26th Panzer Division but it does not appear that they were ever used in combat.

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/the-italian-semovente-m41m-da-90-53-tank-destroyer-part-i-factory-photos/

Hasegawa Macchi MC.202 Folgore in 1/72 Scale

A Macchi MC.202 Folgore of the 356° Squadriglia, 21° Gruppo operating from Autonomo, Russia, Fall 1942. Hasegawa kit from the Hobby 2000 boxing, Cartograph decals.

Construction here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/macchi-mc-202-folgore-comparison-build-hasegawa-and-italeri-kits-in-1-72-scale-part-i/

T-54/55 Book Review

T-54/55 Soviet Cold War Main Battle Tank

By Robert Jackson

TankCraft #16

Softcover, 64 pages

Published by Pen & Sword, 2019

Language: English

ISBN: 978-1526741400

Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.5 x 0.2 inches

The T-54/55 traces its design heritage back to the T-44, which itself was an attempt to refine the very successful T-34. Early versions first entered limited production in 1947, a number of design refinements were implemented with the definitive version, the T-54A, entering production in 1953. Since that time the T-54/55 has been continuously refined and improved, with many updated systems being retrofitted to existing models during overhauls. Counting the Chinese Type-59/69/79 series copies, the T-54/55 is the most-produced AFV design in history with some sources claiming over 100,000 having been built in total. Many countries have operated the type over the decades and it is still in front-line service to this day, over seven decades since its introduction.

This book is aimed at the modeling community, and while no book of its size could hope to provide a comprehensive overview of the T-54/55 and all its variants, it does provide a good summary from a modeling perspective. There are eight pages of four-view color profiles which give a sampling of camouflage schemes, followed by sixteen pages showcasing four completed 1/35 scale builds. A brief history of T-54/55 kits is also included, the rest of the book is devoted to the history of the tank along with a nice selection of photographs.

If you’re looking for modeling inspiration the TankCraft book series is a good place to start, providing a short technical history of the subject along with an overview of the kits available at the time of publication. The T-54/55 is a great modeling subject with a wide variety of configurations and camouflage schemes to choose from. It is still in front-line service to this day, most notably in the Russo-Ukraine conflict where it is utilized by both sides – incredible for a tank design more than seven decades old. Some TankCraft volumes are currently available on the overstock market at substantial discounts, pick some up while you can!