Booklet n°3 , March the 25th 2024. The AMX -13 VTT Armoured Personel Carrier model was chosen with the idea to develop the tank and the 105 mm mobile artillery models from it. I was still set in my idea to create a "fantasy early cold war" catalog.

This was the first booklet that used mostly images, organised in "Steps", and concentrating schematics for templates in the central pages. This is also the first booklet where a standardised three-month development cycle was established: about one month of experimentation, one month of focused development and one month of finalisation and painting.

There is an unexplained error in measurement that makes the front of the vehicle appear very thick and round, almost like a Sherman tank. The solution for the tracks was realistic but very tedious. This triggered a reflection that led to the definition of the design principles.

For a while I was tempted to spend more time fixing the AMX-13 design, but decided instead to add more models to the catalog.

I had the idea of making a video about a jamesbondian type of battle in a polar base and making the next booklet about the models used in the video. I worked on the M29 Weasel vehicle, which has very delicate road wheels. My plan was to glue the tracks, which were modelled like the AMX-13 tracks, to the base and then and glue the road wheels onto them. This proved very difficult to do, leading me to shift my focus once again. As a side note, it seems the M29 Weasel is also delicate in real life and difficult in the modelling world.

I had more success in designing Twynham huts, which were meant to be foldable. After several attempts, I decided to develop another vehicle.

Booklet n°4: AMR 35 - June the 13th 2024.

The overriding factor to choose this light tank was the size of its road wheels and the design of its suspension. After the M29 experience, I realised that wheels and tracks could be very difficult to make. With the AMR-35, snippets from a hole punch could be used to make wheels, and the suspension could hide the construction of their rims.

There was an intention to make a 21st century "drone/ robot" version of the light tank, in light of the evolution of the battelfield, but it would be better to dedicate a separate booklet to the topic.

By chance I found a variant of the AMR-35 as a mortar carrier, with which I could also develop the 81 mm mortar.

Video: Berdychi Tracked Drone - April 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhTOjLBKETE

While I was developing the AMR-35, the appearance of the russian "Courier" drone/robot tank on the battlefield led me to make a development challenge to myself, in that I would develop a "Toothpick Miniature" version of it and make a video about it in three days.

The challenge was meant to explore my health capabilites; while I managed to pass this challenge I needed several days of rest afterwards and didn't feel too well, which was the information I wanted to find out. After that, I decided it would be more fruitful to focus on adding new booklets to the catalog.

After having released the AMR-35 booklet I decided to make a larger tank. The choice of "hole punch"-based road wheels made me consider the Churchill, also in the "Black Prince" version, and the LVT. I started development on the British A7E3 prototype from 1936 but was faced with issues on the hull structure.

I realised that the MkIII and Mk IV cruiser tanks had wheels which could be somewhat easy to make, and that this model was also captured by the German, making it a model useable by both sides. A BT-5 version was also imagined, but the hull construction still proved complicated. Since most schematics are already developped, this could be somewhat rapidly developped in a booklet in the future.

Booklet n°5: Terrain I - September the 27th 2024

I took opportunity of the summer weather to explore terrain options, which took a lot more space than the other models. This was considered as experimentation, but the development went smoothly and took only about two months.

Booklet n°2, Version 2 - December the 7th 2024

When Germans reissued captured Cruiser tanks, they added jerrycan holders, so it would make sense to develop this feature first. During the experimentation phases I discovered what I named the "captive cardboard method" to make jerrycans, but also the front grilles for vehicles like jeeps and trucks. It was the right time to finish the GAZ-64 booklet.

Another reason to do this was the steadily growing number of visitors to this website. It was the right time to update the two first booklet to the same quality level as the other booklets, so as to avoid giving newcomers mixed impressions.

Radio car versions had to be postponed because there was not enough room left on the booklet, but their development would prove useful.