15th Tank Battalion

This set covers a mix of vehicles:

• M32B1 "Be Careful Honey II", 1944-45. Picture found here.
• M3A1 Halftrack, 1944-45. Picture found here.
• M4 Composite, Belgium, 1945. Picture found in "Concord 7045 Battle of the Bulge" and here. The number "50" in the decal is not quite correct as the font is slightly too thick, the "0" too narrow, and most obvious of all, the "5" has an unusually short lower arc. The stencil at the rear seems too be shortened to "52-S" as well. Only the left side of the vehicle is shown.
• M4 Calliope, 1945. Pictures seen here. The "45" is not quite correct, as the font in the decals is "fatter" than on the real vehicle, while on the real vehicle the "5" had an unusual lower arc that bent upwards quite a bit. (I am sure this is clearer when you look at the pictures.)
  Note that this vehicle pulled a trailer and was stuffed with personal gear, including a bicycle. While the instructions tell you that the vehicle had a three-part transmission cover (that the instructions don't show), the modeler also needs to realize that the instructions show an M4A3 (while the real vehicle was an M4) and that the duckbills are not shown.

Looking at the decals themselves, it is immediately clear that they are printed to a very high resolution, with no pixelation whatsoever; even the smaller items are still readable. The only thing that gives them away as not being printed by the big decal companies is that they are printed on continuous film. Being laserjet printed, it is also wise to protect them before weathering starts on the model.

My scanner always has trouble scanning white decals on a blue background, that's why the image from the Braille Strike website has been included on the right.
On the website a partially colorized version of the instructions can be found as well.

In all, a very promising start from a new company, with a printing quality that is second to none.
Well researched, even though the modeler needs to take care to get all the specific features of the actual vehicle right.

Review sample kindly provided by Braille Strike.

Article Last Updated:
11 November 2017