Master Box

British Armoured Car, Austin, MK III, WW I Era

This is the earlier Austin armoured car kit released by Master Box. It is very similar to their Austin Mk.IV offering (kit no. MB72008), which I have previewed/reviewed here.

Parts frame A is shared between both kits. This kit has parts frame B with pieces specific to this version. The Mk.IV kit has parts frame C for this specific car. So outside of different decal marking options, this kit is much the same as the Mk.IV kit. Because of this, the focus of this preview will be on the marking options as I expect the fit and construction will be on par with what was said in my Mk.IV preview/review.



The first thing of note is that all the vehicles are to be painted in a khaki/green drab colour save the grey Austro-Hungarian car. This is most likely accurate for the Russian, Ukrainian and Finnish machines. The majority of websites state German Freikorps Austins were grey. I guess the modeller will have to decide for themselves what colour to paint their model.

There is also an unmentioned set of markings on the decal sheet, (red "T" - decal #3), that appear to be for a British armoured car, and aren't even shown on the decal artwork on the box's rear panel. I have no idea why they are included.

It's unfortunate that the instructions make no mention of units nor time frame for the eight vehicle marking options. That is left to the modeller to discover. I was able to locate supporting photographs for 7 of the marking options. Those that I could identify are listed below.

Option 1: Kw.No.24, of Abteilung Körting, German Freikorps, Berlin early 1919 (ref. [5]) The kit is missing pieces for the pair of large headlights, which by the way do not match each other. The left light looks to be more like a searchlight. Also, missing is the forward handle on the right side of the engine hood. The small lights mounted on the sides of the gun tubs (parts A12 & A13) are missing, so these pieces can be discarded for this vehicle, though it looks like the small stem for the light is still present.
Option 2: K.u.K Autotruppe, Austria-Hungary (ref. [4]) The left gun in the photo appears to be a Lewis gun, which is not supplied in the kit. This vehicle also appears to be missing the front right fender. The small lights mounted on the sides of the gun tubs (parts A12 & A13) are missing, so these pieces can be discarded for this vehicle, though it looks like the small stem for the light is still present.
Option 3: "ШВИДКИЙ" (Speedy"? - this is what google translate produces, though it could be the name of a person, a common practice in this part of the world), Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, Ukraine (ref. [7]) I'm not certain but this looks to be a photo of option 3. How they got the name and the shape of the characters with the fighters obscuring most of the lettering is beyond me. A roundel is present on the front radiator cover, so it would be safe to assume that there is one on the rear body panel too. Notice that this car does have the small lights located on the gun tubs
Option 4: "ПЕТЛЮРА" (Petlyura), Ukraine, winter 1919 (ref. [1], pg. 6) This poor photo doesn't give any idea as to armament. It does show the Ukrainian roundel on the rear body panel so I assume that there is one on the front as well. The small lights mounted on the sides of the gun tubs (parts A12 & A13) are missing, so these pieces can be discarded for this vehicle.
Option 5: armoured car "СПАРТАК" (Spartak) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Nothing was found for this car. "Spartak" is illustrated with red lettering, while the decal is actually printed in black.
Option 6: "АТАМАНЪ  БОГАЕВСКЇЙ" (Ataman Bogaevsky) of the Don Cossacks, Rostov-on-Don, Russia 1919 (ref. [1], pg.5) At the time this photo was taken, the car is missing its armament. There is also a large searchlight on top of the right gun turret which isn't provided in the kit. Exactly how it is mounted will be a guess on the part of the modeller. The fenders look to lack the liner inside the front fenders as well, and they are supported by a pair of braces. It's interesting that the kit's artwork shows the circular motif as a black triangle over a yellow background, while the decal is printed with the black triangle over a white background. The small lights mounted on the sides of the gun tubs (parts A12 & A13) are missing, so these pieces can be discarded for this vehicle.
Option 7: "ЕДИНАЯ  РОССЇЯ" (United Russia), of the White Russian forces, Archangel, Russia, 1918-1919 (ref. [1] pg.8) Once again a poor photo doesn't give any idea as to armament. It does show the white script on the driver's protective cover. The fenders are supported by a pair of external braces. The light coloured tires seem to indicate they are white versus the kit's suggested black. A group of soldiers obscure the area somewhat, but it appears the small lights mounted on the sides of the gun tubs (parts A12 & A13) are missing, so these pieces can be discarded for this vehicle.
Option 8: Finnish armoured car "S A P 2", Helsinki, Finland 1919 (ref. [4]) Another poor photo though it does show the markings quite well. Could this be a police vehicle? Notice the large light atop each of the turrets (possibly headlights), parts which are not present in the kit. Exactly how they are mounted will be a guess on the part of the modeller. The small lights mounted on the side of the gun tubs are present. To my eye the wheels/tires look undersized as well. Maybe some sort of replacements? The decals for this vehicle, as illustrated on the back of the box, show the now common practice of fracturing the swastika. It is actually printed correctly as a single image on the decal sheet.

So, with all that said, you can really only build this kit out-of-the-box for options 4 & 6. If you're brave then option 5 is a possibilty, but without supporting photos the odds are Master Box got this one wrong too.

References

[1] Armored Units of the Russian Civil War: White and Allied, New Vanguard 83, David Bullock & Andrei Deryabin, Osprey Publishing 2003 ISBN: 1-84176-544-9
[2] tanks-encyclopedia
[3] landships (board thread)
[4] Great War Forum
[5] Imperial War Museum
[6] Axis History
[7] wikimedia.org


Conclusion

I expect this is a decent kit with regards to detail, fit and molding, as I found with their other Austin release. The generic nature of the kit means just a few of the marking options are valid with what comes in the box. Those wanting to make as accurate a replica as possible will definitely need to find additional parts from their spares box or source them from aftermarket manufacturers.

Article Last Updated: 23 April 2020