Guideline Publications- Military Modelcraft International May 2026

Birds are back to the feeders in force, weather is slowly getting warmer, if not wetter, and a new issue of MMI in the mailbox-- it is a great time to be alive! With only about 6-7 more weeks of school left before it lets out in the summer, I am entering my prime building season. Having been inspired by this magazine for so long- it will be good to prioritize working at the bench in between mowing the grass and cooling down in the pool. Let's dive in to what the May issue has to offer...

Editor David Grummitt had some similar things to say about the warmer weather- and we share the distractions of various hobbies that distract our focus as I am also into wargaming with my school RPG club. David has a build in this issue and we'll get to that in a bit. John Hale is the focus of the first of this month's two One the Bench articles with his M4A1 76(W) VVSS Sherman from Takom. News at the Front features previews of products from Panzerwerk Design, Attack Hobby Kits, ICM, Copper State Models, Gecko Models, Hauler, and Enkay. As usual three pages of Quartermaster's Stores follows. As mentioned before, David Grummitt is up next with the second On the Bench with his excellent build-up of Trumpeter's MBT Challenger 1 Mk. 3.

Up next is the cover story-- John Steinman's excellent diorama "Der Entscheidungspunk (Decision Point)" featuring his build of the Dragon Models Tiger I Early. John populates the piece with loads of aftermarket and scratch-built accessories and a foam-based house with 3D printed accoutrements. I was fortunate enough to see this piece, as well as some of John's other pieces, at the CANAMCON show in Vermont last week and it was stunning!

"Green Giant" by Marek Zindulka is up next and showcases his build of Trumpeter's 1/72 Russian KV-2 'Big Turret' Early. Even in braille scale, this thing is an absolute beast!

This month's Armour in Profile focuses on another mouthful in "Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer 1 Gepard" by Walter Böhm. The article is filled with excellent reference photos and profiles of this German Self-Propelled Antiaircraft Gun (SPAAG).

Accompanying the guide is a build by Ramón Segarra of Heller's Flakpanzer Gepard titled "'Copter Killer". I have not seen many Heller kits in MMI- but having built one in the past, I can say that Ramón did an amazing job on a challenging kit, supplementing it with aftermarket Eduard PE and Meng tracks.

"Double Trouble in the Desert" features more small scale building in Fernando Granell's work on two Attack Hobby Marmon-Herrington MK. II MFF armored cars. One was painted in the typical desert Portland Stone monochromatic scheme, while the other features the visually interesting Caunter camo scheme.

Domingo Hernandez takes on a 3D printed quarter scale KM Model Panzerjäger kit in "Rommel's Funny". The anti-tank SPG is placed on a scratch-built foam base set up as a barricade which makes for an exciting scene.

"Screaming Banshee" highlights Chris Johnson's build of Foreart's 1/35 Ukrainian M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). I have been thrilled to see Chris' builds in each issue as of late because I always feel like class is in session and I learn so much. When mistakes are made or challenges are encountered, Chris always digs in and finds workarounds and it is always enlightening to read about them.

The last article this month is At the Bench and this month we learn more about Paul Bennett.  Paul has been contributing to MMI since its inception and it's great to see so many excellent pieces in the article.

Words and Pictures closes out the issue with reviews of two David Doyle books and three Osprey books.

Conclusion

May brings the warmer weather, brighter birds, and planting season- but this issue brings some excellent works by very talented modelers.  If you haven't subscribed, here is a link to the Guideline Publications website: www.guidelinepublications.co.uk and US customers can subscribe to MMI and pay in US dollars at www.guidelinepublicationsusa.com . 

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders.

Thanks goes out to Guideline Publications for this review sample.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

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