Picture of the Week 102

A fine portrait of HMS Colossus seen at anchor at Scapa Flow, 1916. Her main armament was ten 12-inch (306mm) guns in five twin turrets. She was lead ship in a class of two, her sister being HMS Heracles. During the Battle of Jutland she engaged the German Battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz and was credited with four hits (some sources say five), in turn she was herself hit twice but damage was slight.

The Italian Semovente M41M da 90/53 Tank Destroyer Part II -Training

The Semovente M41Ms were organized into three groups and sent to Nettuno for training in August 1942. There the crews learned to operate their new mounts as the Italian high command debated where best to employ them.

Crewmembers pose for the photographer at Nettuno. Note the vehicle is still finished in overall Gray Green and the unpainted portion of the gun barrel. The radio antenna is folded to the side where it is stowed using a shepherd hook.

A vehicle commander seated in his position. Neither he nor the driver were provided with vision slots or periscopes and had to open their hatches to see out. In the background are a pair of Carri Armati L6/40 Trasporto Munizioni which were allocated one to each Semovente.

A Sevomente and its attending Carri Armati pass a group of Italian officers. The vehicles have received field-applied camouflage over the factory Gray Green. Note the canvas cover over the breach of the 90/53 gun and the Breda Model 1938 machine gun mounted to the carrier.

A column of Sevomente and Carri Armati on a roadway with their crews standing by for inspection.

A fully loaded Carri Armati L6/40 Trasporto Munizioni with a Breda mounted for self-defense.

A crewman poses with a 90mm High Explosive round at Nettuno. The projectile weighed 21.7 pounds (10.3 kg). The 90mm/53 had a muzzle velocity of 2,790 ft/sec (850 m/s) which compared quite favorably to contemporary guns.

A souvenir photo of Sevomente crewmen posing next to their vehicle, an excellent reference for uniform details! The vehicle has also gained an additional camouflage color.

Part III here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/the-italian-semovente-m41m-da-90-53-tank-destroyer-part-iii-combat/

Arma Hobby PZL P.7A in 1/72 Scale

This is the Arma Hobby PZL P.7A of the 123 Fighter Squadron at Kraków, 1935-36. The aircraft was piloted by the Squadron Commander, Captain Mieczysław Wiórkiewicz. He was credited with one Ju 87 destroyed and a Do 17 damaged during the invasion of Poland. He was one of the pilots who managed to evacuate to England where he served in various staff and liaison positions for the remainder of the war but did not add to his score.

Construction here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/arma-hobby-pzl-p-7a-build-in-1-72-scale/

Kriegsfischkutter Book Review

Kriegsfischkutter KFK

By Herwig Danner

Hardcover in dustjacket, 200 pages, ship list, bibliography

Published by Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn GmbH, August 2001

Language: German

ISBN-10: 3-8132-0729-3

ISBN-13: 978-3-8132-0729-3

Dimensions: 8.4 x 10.8 x 0.6 inches

During the Second World War the Kriegsmarine requisitioned smaller vessels of all types and impressed them into naval service as “Security Forces”. Captured naval vessels were used and suitable civilian vessels were requisitioned, others were new construction ships designed to be used as patrol vessels during the war and as fishing vessels after the war was over. They were organized into more than 120 separate Flotillas and operated anywhere the Kriegsmarine was active. The smallest of these ships were the Kriegsfischkutter (KFK), which broadly translates as “war fishing boat”. These small ships were armed and equipped to perform a variety of roles including minesweeping, anti-submarine warfare, patrol, and convoy escort. The KFK program was the largest German shipbuilding effort in terms of numbers during the war, 1,072 were ordered and 612 were built in 42 shipyards in 7 countries.

Despite the interest demonstrated by WWII history enthusiasts for all things German, the Kriegsmarine Security Forces remain obscure and very little has been written about them. In this book author Herwig Danner describes the design and construction of the KFK program as well as combat employment and flotilla organization. Fully a quarter of the book is devoted to a short basic history of each boat which includes construction, flotilla assignments, and ultimate fate when known. This list alone makes this work invaluable to researchers. Also included are several photographs, as well as maps and drawings. Of particular interest are drawings of the KFK-D, an enlarged version of the basic design with two engines and three weapons platforms, as well as conversions for civilian uses made after the war.

This book is rare on the used book market today, and largely unknown to English readers. Still, it is one of the very few works on the KFK. While I do have a very limited understanding of German I am no where near fluent enough to access the material in this book, as compelling as it may be. Fortunately, there are work arounds for both of these problems. My small-town local library punches far above its weight, I was able to secure a copy from them via inter-library loan. The Google Translate app allows the text to be converted to the language of your preference in real time right on your phone. Both tricks come in handy when the best reference on the topic is too expensive or in a language you cannot read.

This is intended as a history of the KFK and is invaluable as such. As a modeling reference, scale drawings in a gatefold format and color plates illustrating camouflage schemes would be welcome additions, as would larger reproductions of the photographic material. Having said that, this book is a great place to start when researching material for reproducing a Kriegsfischkutter in scale, highly recommended!

Douglas SBD Dauntless Walk Around Part XI

Photographs taken at the Lone Star Flight Museum, Houston, Texas by Don Gilman

Part I here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/sbd-5-dauntless-walk-around/

Women Warriors 349

RAF Sergeant Liz McConaghy in Chinook Helicopter

Womens Airforce Service Pilot WASP Betty Jane Bachman

Leading Seaman Aviation Support Aircraft Handler Gabriella Hayllar, HMAS Canberra

Royal Australian Navy with Sea King Helicopter

ww593c_DDG78 — **US Navy sentry, USS Porter (DDG 78**)

ww596_Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service_HMCS_ST HYACINTHE_Sept44 — Unidentified signallers of the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) at the signal training school at HMCS St Hyacinthe, located in St. Hyacinthe, Québec, September 1944. (dnd, library and archives canada, pa-150940)

Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren J. Singer, USO Sailor of the Year

US Army AH-64 pilot Capt. Leyla Zeinalpour

ww396 — British ATS unloading Winchester rifles from the USA

For more Women Warriors, click on the tag below:

Arma Hobby PZL P.7A Build in 1/72 Scale

One of the very first full kits released from Arma Hobby in 1/72 scale was this 2017 tool of the PZL P.7A. The kit has come in several boxings over the years, this is the “Expert Set” which contains a small PE fret, masks, and four marking options. This kit was a very kind gift from Scott King at the Cincinnati show, when I got back home there was still space on the bench so it went straight into production!

The kit consists of a single sprue. The parts are finely detailed and Arma has even captured the minute corrugations on the wings.

The cockpit of the P.7 was very basic but is accurately represented right out of the box.

Here is the cockpit after paint and a wash. The instrument panel is a decal which looks great.

The aircraft’s design is very straight-forward and the kit assembles quickly. There is a gap where the vertical tail meets the fuselage which I filled with Perfect Plastic Putty.

The engine exhausts are delicate and require careful assembly to ensure they are applied in the right order. I substituted Albion Alloy tube for the gun barrels along the sides of the fuselage.

I usually replace items like tailplane struts with Evergreen round stock, as seen here. I find this easier than cleaning up mold lines and sprue attachment points on the kit items.

The base colors on this one are RLM 78 and RAF Dark Earth, both mixed with white. The call outs are for Polish Light Blue Gray FS 36473 and Polish Light Khaki FS 30095 respectively. I don’t have Polish paint chips but these are in the ball park!

I believe the decals were printed by Techmod, a manufacturer who should get more love in my opinion. I’ve never had an issue with Techmod decals and these went on beautifully. I opened up the pilot’s grab bars on the wing over the cockpit and made a headrest with a Waldron punch.

A view of the undersides. The wire braces on the landing gear are made from Nitenol wire.

This is an excellent kit and a quick build, the PZL P.7 is a great diversion from the typical Mustangs and Messerschmitts, even if I love them too. Many thanks to Scott King for his generosity and giving me the chance to build this kit!

Finished model here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/arma-hobby-pzl-p-7a-in-1-72-scale/

Picture of the Week 101

A collision at sea can ruin your entire day. USS Stickleback (SS-415) was a Balao-class submarine which was commissioned at the end of the Second World War. In 1952-53 she underwent a GUPPY IIA modernization which installed a snorkel, improved batteries, and made several modifications to reduce underwater drag. On 29MAY58 she was exercising with the Destroyer Escort USS Silverstein (DE-534) off Hawaii when an engineering casualty forced her to surface unexpectedly, unfortunately directly in the path of Silverstein. The collision breached Stickleback’s pressure hull, the resultant flooding could not be stopped and eventually Stickleback sank. There were no fatalities, her entire crew was rescued safely.

The Italian Semovente M41M da 90/53 Tank Destroyer Part I – Factory Photos

The Semovente M41M da 90/53 Tank Destroyer was built in response to an urgent request from the Italian Army for a weapon capable of countering Russian tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1. Italian tanks deployed to the Eastern Front were armed with guns of 47mm or less which had proven incapable of penetrating the armor of the Russian types.

The Semovente was designed using the hull of the Carro Armato M14/41 as a starting point. The chassis was lengthened by 17 inches and the engine was moved to the center of the hull. At the rear of the vehicle a powerful Cannone da 90/53 Modello 1939 anti-aircraft gun was fitted. Pictured here is the modified chassis fitted with a wooden mock-up of the gun and shield outside the Ansaldo-Fossati factory in January 1942.

The design was approved with improvements made to the gun shield to increase protection for the gunners. Here is a line-up of Semovente M41Ms outside the Ansaldo-Fossati plant.

A rooftop view of the same vehicles. Ansaldo-Fossati produced a total of thirty conversions.

An overhead view showing the general layout. The driver and commander sat in the center of the vehicle with the engine behind them, the gun pointer and trainer sat on either side of the gun behind the shield. The gun was loaded from the rear by additional crewmen standing on the ground. The factory finish is overall Gray Green with a standard white air recognition circle painted on the gun shield roof.

While the vehicle had a low profile, armor was thin with maximum thicknesses of only 30mm on the transmission cover and front-facing plates making the Semovente vulnerable to artillery and even the smallest anti-tank guns. The 90mm/53 gun was the vehicle’s strong point, it compared quite favorably to the German 88mm FlaK and the American M1 90mm guns.

Another photo taken on the Ansaldo-Fossati grounds showing the Semovente from the rear. The two rectangular hatches on the rear of the hull held ready service ammunition, a total of eight rounds were all that was carried on the vehicle. The base of a single round is visible in the right storage bay.

A slightly different perspective taken of the same vehicle, this photo has all the hallmarks of an airbrush-enhanced illustration for a manual. The Semovente’s radio equipment was mounted inside the vehicle on the port side of the shield and is clearly visible in this view.

The paltry on-board ammunition capacity was a recognized deficiency, in order to correct this a specialized ammunition vehicle was modified to accompany the gun. This is the Carri Armati L6/40 Trasporto Munizioni. It carried twenty-six rounds of 90mm ammunition and a crew of two who served as loaders. One round protrudes precariously from the rack on the side. This vehicle is also seen on the cobblestones outside Ansaldo-Fossati.

Another view of a Carri Armati L6/40 Trasporto Munizioni. The specially-designed trailer seen here could carry an additional forty rounds, giving the combination a total capacity of sixty-six rounds.

Part II here: https://inchhighguy.wordpress.com/2025/12/10/the-italian-semovente-m41m-da-90-53-tank-destroyer-part-ii-training/

Academy Vought F8U-2 Crusader of VF-84 Jolly Rogers in 1/72 Scale

Here is the Academy Vought F8U-2 Crusader, this is my second build of this kit. A nice kit with no surprises. This one is in the colorful markings of VF-84 Jolly Rogers during their deployment aboard USS Independence (CV-62) in September 1960. Cut then Add decals from their sheet No. 06, “Jolly Rogers Timeline Part Two” provided the markings.