BISON DECALS
BD-35001, Jungle Armour, British and Indian Army Shermans in the Far East. 1/35th-scale water-slide decals for nine complete models, with instructions.
The Factory Publishing, which has recently morphed into Firefly Publications, released an extremely interesting book devoted to the use of British and Indian Army Sherman medium tanks in Burma, Indonesia (post-war) and India. The book is entitled: Jungle Armour, British and Indian Army Shermans in the Far East, and is by Dennis Oliver. It broke relatively new ground, as the operation of tanks in the theater had not previously been given such thorough coverage, especially from a colors and markings point of view. This book was reviewed here at MLs Time on Target page, in the spring of 2009, and remains highly recommended.
In cooperation with the publisher, Bison has released a complimentary set of water-slide decals based largely on the color plates seen in the book. The following nine vehicles can be marked:
Sherman Mk V, 19th Lancers. Myebon, 1945.
Sherman Mk V, 'Banyard'. Probyn's Horse, Waw, Burma, April 1945 (with alternate markings).
Sherman Mk V, 'Cairntcul' (corrected to Cairntoul, in a note on the manufacturers web-site). 116th RAC, Burma, 1945.
Sherman Mk V, 'Cairngorm'. 116th RAC, Burma, 1945.
Sherman Mk V, 'Bidar'. HQ, Deccan Horse, Burma,1945 (with alternate markings).
Sherman Mk V AOP. 18th Field Regiment, RA, Burma, 1944.
Sherman Mk III. 13th Lancers, Java, Indonesia, 1946.
Sherman Mk III. 13th Lancers, Java, Indonesia, 1946.
Sherman Mk III DD. 25th Dragoons, India, 1945.
A quick check of the book shows that Bison appears to have done a thorough job of properly reproducing the various markings seen in the book. For a better look at what is provided, see here:
http://www.angelfire.com/pro/bison/35001.html
The designs are printed in Russia by Begemot. Their quality has been, and continues to be, excellent. Edges are crisp, colors are well-saturated, and registration is extremely good. Carrier film is thin, matte and cropped close to the designs edges. The instructions cover one side of two 8 x 11.5-inch sheets of paper and are in monotone. The modeler is given a web address (see above) to down-load and print a color version, but what is supplied is more than adequate to the task. In addition to placement and color notes, small details unique to the individual tank, such as stowage or track types are also noted. It should be noted that in quite a few cases, theater-unique local modifications were made; these are shown to good effect in the instructions. In order to help with design placement, a map is given, which cross-references the designs with an alpha-numeric call-out.
If the modeler has the above-mentioned book and an appropriate Sherman kit, this sheet will be very welcome. For those who want a Sherman thats quite different, look no further.
Highly recommended.
Frank V. De Sisto
Bison products are available at retail and mail order shops. For world-wide points of purchase see their web-site at: www.angelfire.com/pro/bison.
Visit frankdesisto.com
Delete abwehr 2x from email address.
