The new German army made use of the experiences collected in World War I to realize their modern reconstruction based on motorization. In spite of the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles able commanders introduced civilian vehicles into the army, thus creating a motorized mentality. In 1940 already, a battalion consisting of 3 to 4 companies each equipped with 52 motorcycles with sidecars and 4 motorcy-cles (single), was integrated into the motorized infantry and the armored divisions. Moreover, motorcycles were present in nearly all other Wehrmacht units, especially with the reconaissance units and the command, as well as the pioneer and the supply units. Produced in 16.500 units, the BMW R 75 together with the Zijndapp KS 750 formed the nucleus of the motorized units on all theatres of operations, especially in Africa and in Russia. The motorcycle was armored with an MG 34 mounted on the sidecar. On the road, it reached a maximum speed of 92 Km/h.

The "Land Rover" was certainly one of the most famous symbols of "Made in England" on four wheels and is a real milestone in the history of the off road vehicles. Born after the war, with the first prototypes done in 1947, to meet both civilian and military tasks. Inspired, though not directly, to the American Jeep, was characterized by a 4x4-wheel drive and a strong and reliable frame to tackle, with success, the most difficult and demanding trails. The aluminium body made it lighter, but at the same time, more resistant to corrosion and long lasting. In 1971, when the Series III was introduced, it had already been produced and made more than a million units for both civilian and military uses. Also available in 88 inches "standard wheel base", or in 109 inches "long wheel base”.

The SR-71, with its impressive and unorthodox appearance, is the younger sister of the U-2 with the Important difference that it is built to perform its duties at MACH 3.5. U.S. STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND has stated that the BLACKBIRD is still holding the world's speed record. It can cross the United States in less than an.hour. The SR-71s have been used in all the countries of the world, flying over Cuba, China, Vietnam, Middle East etc in times of international tension or of local conflicts, even operating in Okinawa, Thailand and the Philippines. It is today's most sophisticated spy aircraft.

Scale: 1 : 72
Box Size (mm): 345 X 242 X 60
Model Length (cm) : 45
Country: United States

This helicopter, designed by Bell at the end of the fifties, is still in service to-day in its newer and later versions. It is by far the most widely used rotating wing aircraft the world has seen. The Huey was extensively used during the Vietnam conflict by the U.S. Forces, mainly in support and attack sorties equipped with various armament. Thanks to its reliability and robust construction the UH-1 was quickly aquired by the armed forces of many countries (among others Italy, Japan, Sweden, and Holland). UH-ls remained in service until the end of the seventies and were then substituted by its more modern and sophisticated versions. Technical data: Fuselage length: 11.70m

The twin-engine Douglas DC-3 was definitely one of the most famous transport aircraft of aviation history thanks to its reliability, flexibility and service life. During the Second World War it was developed a version dedicated to military duties: the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Produced in large numbers by American production plants, was used extensively by the Allies on all fronts. In particular, the C-47s received by British Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Air Forces took the name “Dakota” and they were used for logistic, tactical transports, launch of paratroopers and medical evacuation. Thanks to its two Pratt & Whitney 1,200 HP engines the “Dakota” was able to reach a top speed of 360 Km/h. It had a pay-load of 2,500 Kg or a capacity of 28 troops.

In ancient times Athens was built around the hill of the Acropolis, on a plain bordered by two small rivers, the Eridanus in the north and the Ilisos in the south. Today the area is only dominated by the Parthenon.
The great temple, which Pericles entrusted to the care of the architects Ictinus and Callicrates and to the artistic supervision of Phidias, was built between 447 and 432 B.C. to replace the previous archaic building, called Hekatòmpedon, which literally means “one hundred feet long”. Built in pentelic marble in Doric style, the Parthenon was internally divided into two main rooms: the cell, with the statue of Athena
Partenos (“the Virgin”), made by Phidias in gold and ivory and high over 12 metres; on the back, the real Parthenon, a colonnaded hall reserved to the young virgins engaged in the worship of the goddess. The decoration of the friezes, which was assigned to Pidias, the greatest sculptor of the time, contributed to make the temple even more beautiful temple, making it a formidable vehicle of complex ideological messages.

The Treaty of Versailles forbade the reconstruction of the German army. Nevertheless, its commanders evaded the obstacle by introducing vehicles of the civil production, which was not subject to any limitations. Thus they set up entire companies equipped with motor vehicles, developing in this way a “motorized mentality” among the crews. The Zündapp. with a production total of 18.000 units due to its structure which guaranteed easy and economical handling - was considered one of the most modern accomplishments of the age in the field of motorcycle construction. Because of its extraordinary qualities, the Zündapp could follow and escort the tank units of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS to all theatres of operations, especially in Russia, since the side car was even furnished with heating for hands and feet of the man. Zündapps were distributed to all units of the armed forces, Only after 1943, they were replaced by 4-wheel vehicles.

The Apache is certainly the most powerful and sophisticated combat helicopter thanks to its robust fuselage, which was designed without saving costs, as well as remarkable electronic equipment and massive weapons systems. Presently modifications are carried out to adapt the D model equipped with Longbow radar. This allows more efficiency in using anti-tank missiles and greater capacity to direct its fire-power

Much work was carried out in the USA and Britain to design special airborne vehicles to drop behind the enemy lines. Willys MB-Jeeps engaged in helping the Infantry by clearing snipers and other commando tasks. Generally manned by a sergeant and a trooper this vehicle was modified in many respects. It was armed with no fewer than five machine guns and had additional tanks for 135 l. of fuel.

The DC-3, the most famous of all transport aeroplanes has become known in nearly every part of the world as DAKOTA. It has been used by pratically every nation from America to the Soviet Union, by both China and all of the allies during World War II. After World War II it was used in the Berlin airlift, in Korea, during the Israeli-Arab conflicts, and finally became famous in its offensive role in Vietnam as the AC-47 GUNSHIP. The principal military version of the DC-3 was the C-47 SKYTRAIN. The C-47 could be fitted either as a trooper, with folding benches or as a heavy freighter.

This large mine-sweeping helicopter is in service with various special units of the U.S. Navy and the Japanese self-defense forces.The Sea Dragon is a three-engine version of the twin-engine CH-53 which saw service first during the sixties and was widely used by the Marines and in special rescue versions by the U.S. Air Force. Thanks to the outstanding power of its engines this helicopter has ample capacity to carry the heavy mine-sweeping systems, which are mounted on a special hydrofoil which is dropped int the sea to detect mines.

Diorama Accessories.

The M4 Sherman medium tank was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It has been produced in a significant number of units ant it formed the backbone of United Stated armoured forces during at those time. it has been produced in several variants and versions The production of the M4A3E8 versions started at the end of 1944. The M4A3E8, adopting the nickname Easy Eight, took several technical improvements enhancing the Sherman operational effectiveness. The 76mm M1 high velocity gun had been flanked by a new horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS) system able to ensure a better driving condition and to guarantee a higher speed. The “Easy Eight” participated to the final stages of World War II and took active part in the Korean War.

The Lancia Stratos HF is, without any doubts, a reference icon of Italian automotive production during the ‘70s. The Italian sport car, produced for a short period of time, has become famous for its innovative design, its technical solutions and, above all, for the success achieved in rally competitions. Lancia Stratos won, for the 1974, 1975 and 1976 the World Rally Championship and a lot of Italian and European titles. In terms of mechanical lay out, it adopted the 6 cylinders V engine characterized by a displacement of 2,418 cc, and the rear-wheel drive transmission. Its unique and nice design is, even today, an attractive dream for all fans of the automotive history.

This US combat helicopter represents the most complicated weapon system that has ever been designed for land forces. The armament includes a 30 mm-rapid fire gun as well as the following rockets: Hellfire Anti-Tank, Sidewinder Anti Air Craft and 70 mm-artillery rockets. The helicopter has 2 General Electric engines.

In 1940, after World War II had broken out, the US general staff ordered various factories to design a light multi-purpose vehicle with all-wheel drive. The American Bantam Company, Willys Overland, and Ford Motor Co. competed with each other. Willys prototype was chosen, which, after an initial run of 1500 vehicles, went into mass production at the beginning of 1941 and reached a total output of 640.000 units out of which 277.000 pieces were produced by Ford under a licensing agreement. This shows that the Jeep was the most widely produced light vehicle of the war industry during World War II.

The BF-109 G represents the logical evolution of the earlier F version of the well-known German fighter plane, which dominated the skies during the early stages of World War II. The aircraft was equipped with a more powerful engine in order to increase speed and flying altitude. Some planes were also equipped with increased fire power to combat big Allied bombers. By the end of 1943 the BF-109 G was the backbone of the Luftwaffe and saw action on all theaters, where it was successful in matching Allied air power until the very end of the conflict.

The Lamborghini Miura was produced by the Italian manufacturer between 1966 and 1973. The Miura, when it was presented on the market, was a real supercar characterized by high performance and innovative design. In 1970, on the layout of the Miura, a specific version dedicated for the competitions was created through improvements on chassis and suspensions. Other significant changes where implemented on engine power and on the braking system. The commercial name of this unique car with a power of 440 Hp and outstanding performances was “Jota”. However, due to several requests from customers, Lamborghini modified some Miura SV series with specification similar to Jota. These cars were identified by the acronym SVJ and became soon the dream of car experts and funs all over the World.

The Mc Donnel Douglas F-15 is an all-weather single seat American fighter, developed with the specific goal to gain and maintain air superiority. The F-15 Eagle has been designed during the ‘70s to provide to U.S. Air Force a modern and extremely high performance advanced fighter. The F-15C is representing the more modern version and it is nowadays largely used by U.S. Air Force, U.S. National Guard, and by the Air Forces of several Countries as Japan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The F-15 took part to the Gulf War in 1991 and it was able to guarantee the air superiority to Coalition Forces. It has been the most effective fighters with an impressive high number of enemy planes shot down. Armed with a 20mm. M61 gun it can use a wide variety of air-to-air missiles. Thanks to the two powerful Pratt & Whitney F-100 after-burring turbofans engines, the “Eagle” is able to reach the maximum speed of Mach 2.5.

The Land Rover was certainly one of the most famous symbols of "Made in England" automobile production and is a real milestone in the history of off-road vehicles. It was born immediately after the war, with the first prototypes realized on 1947. It has been characterized by the 4x4 traction system and by a robust and reliable design able to tackle the most difficult and challenging trails. The aluminum body provide lightness but, at the same time, more resistance against corrosions and more durable in time. In 1971, when the III Series was introduced, more than 1,000,000 of Land Rovers has been produced. Available in two versions: the "standard " one and the "long wheel base". Thanks to its extraordinary versatility was used in both military and civilian duties, and was also produced under license by the Spanish Motor Company Santana during the 70s.

The Short Sunderland was one of the most famous seaplanes of World War II. It’s came into service at the end of 1938 to equip the Royal Air Force squadrons of Coastal Command. The Sunderland Mark III, introduced on the end of 1941, turned out to be the definitive Sunderland variant, with a huge number of units built. The Mk. III can be considered one of the most effective and successful weapons to counter the German U-Boots threat during the Battle of Atlantic. The flying boat patrol bomber Sunderland Mk III has been decisively improved, compared to the previous versions, with a revised hull configuration and the adoption of new patrol and submarines search equipment. Even the offensive load, which could included bombs, mines and depth charges, has been increased .The reliable 1,065 Hp Bristol Pegasus radial engines guaranteed a top speed of 336 Km/h and a range, essential feature to perform successfully sea patrol and research duties, of 2,800 km.

The AH-64 Apache can be considered the most famous attack helicopter in history. It was designed to operate on the front line and to perform anti-tank, anti-helicopter, assault and close support missions in “all weather” conditions and in any operating environments. The AH-64D Longbow is the upgraded version with and increased offensive capability and the adoption of advanced target acquisition systems. The “Longbow” is characterized by the AN/APG-78 radar, housed in the radome located above the main rotor. It raised position enables target detection and use of missiles, as the anti-tank Hellfire, while the helicopter is hidden behind hills, trees or buildings and out of enemy sight. The main armament is the 30 mm M230 Chain Gun installed under the cabin. The AH-64D is able to load, in its four pylons on the stub wings, a significant variety of offensive weapons as rockets and missiles.

This small and easy-to-handle helicopter, developed in the sixties,

proved to be a big technical and commercial success. Its reliability

and performance make it a valuable aircraft for civilian and military

operators of at least fifty different nations. This particular version

derives from the model 530 Defender and is in service with the U.S.

Army Special Forces which use it for reconnaissance and night

surveillance thanks to an infra-red night vision system, which together

with the helicopter’s low noise level make it a perfect and silent

“Night Fox”.