This is the first book I've seen of this series, and I can tell you that I'm quite impressed. It is #9 in their Armor PhotoGallery series and covers the SdKfz 131, Marder II. The Marder II was based on a Panzer II chassis and the SdKfz 131 has the five road wheel chassis. The Marder basically took the Panzer II chassis and a 7.5 cm PAK 40 anti-tank gun and mated them. It was just as simple as pulling the wheels off the PAK 40 and attaching it to the upper part of the chassis. Then some shielding was developed around it.

The Armor PhotoGallery book is pretty much chock full of the kinds of things that modelers want. Lots of close-up photographs, a bit of description, and good plans to help with the build. It is also nice to have some period photographs to help with some of the details and get the diorama juices flowing. In addition, all of the write-up is in English and has been proof-read to eliminate those odd syntax glitches that sometimes show up.

All of the closeup shots are of a Marder that is in the Swedish armor museum and is probably the most original one around, not having been repainted since it was last used. Each small photo has a caption and all of the images on a page are of a specific part of the vehicle. A really nice touch is that on the upper outside corner of each page, the area of interest of the vehicle is enhanced in red so you know what part of the vehicle you are looking at.

In addition to the Marder itself, a beautiful PAK 40 at the Panzermuseum in Munster is given the detail treatment as well. All of these images are in color and superbly lit. This is followed by scale drawings in 1/72, 1/35, and 1/24. The final pages are a very brief history and many large, well focused period photos.

All in all, this book is the perfect reference for the Marder modeler. Buy it!

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