The latest Panzerwrecks book has arrived and as with their recent volumes, this one has a specific theme. The topic is tank-maintenance and repair and it's a hard-bound book of 264 pages including covers; author Lukas Friedli has collated an amazing accumulation of photographs showing all aspects of the activities of WW2 German tank repair crews and the modelling possibilities are endless. From simple field-unit A-frame cranes changing turrets and engines to full-blown maintenance depots, the gamut of operations are covered here and it's an eminently modelable subject area thanks to the existence of Tamiya's Sd.Kfz.9 FAMO and trailer, various Bergepanthers and a plethora of engine and interior sets. Of course, I always look at the books reviewed here from a modeller's point of view but it's always worth reading the text too - and here we have a scrupulously researched account of how the repair 'missions' were planned and executed, fascinating stuff. Photographic reproduction is impeccable as ever, with every image (all 291 of them) scanned to perfection and printed large on the page - no grainy, soft-focus thumbnails here. A huge range of vehicle types are depicted as you might imagine and I'll not list them here, but look out for the superb photos of FAMOs and their trailers, Bergepanthers, Bussing-NAG crane trucks, Henschel machine-shop trucks, the FAUN LK5 crane and much, much more as well. This is another unmissable volume from this publisher and can be safely purchased 'unseen' for its treasure-trove of wartime tank recovery imagery. Another 'very highly recommended' rating here, for sure. MN.

Reproduced by kind permission of Tamiya Model Magazine International (opens in a new window)