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Featured Modeller - Pekka Hartikkala
My interest in modelling started in 1998. In that year I did my military service in the Finnish army, and served in the Artillery Regiment of the Finnish Armoured Brigade. I was a crew commander corporal of 122mm 2S1 self-propelled howitzer (bought form ex-DDR stocks at low price in early 1990s) and when driving around these little beasts I slowly but steadily developed a passion for modern military vehicles. And as I had always been interested in modern African wars, the next logical step was to start building models of modern African military vehicles and figures!
Eritrean T-55 Tank Crew Figure 1/35 Scale
This is an Eritrean T-55 tank crew member from the Eritrean-Ethiopian war (1998-2000). For this small vignette I used Warriors African Militiaman figure (with the head taken form their African T-55 crew set), ammo boxes made by Skif and the 100mm empty shells came from Armo (if I remember correctly). The base is an old photo frame and the terrain was made simply using plaster and sand. Those dried bushes are originally small roots. The figure has desert camo trousers, as those old so-called chocolate chip desert uniforms were quite common in the Eritrean Army during the 1998-2000 war.
FAPLA BTR-60PB 1/35 Scale
This is is an old PanzerShop kit and it was the first full resin kit that I ever built. It is not the most accurate kit, but unlike so many other resin kits it was clean and easy to build. My model depicts the Angolan Army vehicle from the 1987-88 period.
According to photos it seems that Angolan BTRs from that time period often had no deflector plates, tools or driving lights (or their guards), so I left all those parts out of my model. I just added some scratch-built tool clamps and other details related to the missing items. I also added a spare wheelon top of the turret (from the Dragon BRDM-2 kit), a fuel barrel on the rear deck and some dried-up camo foliage - all common features on Angolan BTR-60PBs.
Ratel-20 1/35 Scale
This a resin kit mad by a small South African company called Red Carpet Models, It is basically quite nice kit, though most of the details are not that good or are lacking completely. The turret shape and dimensions leave much to be desired, and in many ways it might be a good idea to replace it with a scratch-built item.However, being lazy, I only made some modifications on the gun shield and turret roof armour. The commander’s cupola is scratch-built and the hatch is a modified Centurion hatch with new hinges and other details. In the end both the turret and the hull received dozens of small scratch-built details.
Olifant Mk 1a – 1/35 Scale
The base kit is old Tamiya Centurion. I used a Red Carpet Models conversion kit on this one, and sadly I must say that in so many ways it was almost useless. Only the engine deck, lower rear hull extension, lower part of the turret and turret rear stowage bin as well as some smaller parts (after heavy modifications) could be used. The conversion kit had some serious issues with the accuracy, and had almost no details at all. That little what could be found was basically out of scale, too simple or just wrong. The turret top was replaced with a conversion part made by an Australian company called Mouse House. Gun barrel is a modified piece form Academy M48A5 kit. I used Friul metal tracks and an Eduard photo-etched detail set with this one, but still most of the details and some bigger parts too (like commanders hatch) were completely scratch-built.
Koevoet Special Constable 1/35 Scale
An on-and-off project. I’ve been working on this one for quite some time now - it is still far from finished. The arms and body of the figure are modified parts from the Academy French Foreign Legion set and the head is a resin item made by Hornet. The rolled up balaclava is made of putty, and the weapon R-5 is from the Dragon IDF Paratroop set. I will probably place this figure in a diorama with a Casspir I’m working on! my Casspir (which is still in the box...). I also may change the weapon -R-1 (FN FAL), AK-47 or G-3 might be a good choice.