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7.5cm Gebirgskanone Special Armour 1:35 History Its development was quite prolonged, as the Austrians couldn't decide on the specifications that they wanted. Initially, they wanted a gun that could be broken-down into no more than five pack-animal loads to replace the various 7 cm mountain guns in service, but prolonged trials proved that the 7.5 cm M. 12 prototype to be the best gun. However, the commander-in-chief of Bosnia-Herzegovina believe it to be too heavy and demanded a return to the 7 cm calibre to save weight. Skoda dutifully built enough guns for a test battery in the smaller caliber and tested them during the spring of 1914 where they were judged inferior to the 7.5 cm guns. This cost the Austrians heavily as the 7.5 cm guns began to be delivered in April 1915 instead of the planned date of April 1914. For transport, the gun could be dismantled into six parts, generally carried in four loads. In addition, there was a gun shield fitted on some (perhaps many) such guns. German anti-tank gunners and supporting infantry, October 1918 The Germans bought some guns during World War I, but used them as infantry guns in direct support of the infantry, as their light weight would allow them to move with the infantry. They complained that the guns were too fragile and didn't have a high enough muzzle velocity to act as an anti-tank gun. Considering that the guns were designed to be disassembled, it's not too surprising that they couldn't stand the abuse moving through the shell-pocketed front lines on the Western Front. The Model Special Armour, a subsidiary of the MPM have produced some nice an unusual subjects it the past, and this is no different. Arriving in an end opening box with an artists interpretation of the gun on the front and the painting guide on the back this small cannon comes on two sprues of medium grey styrene. There is no etch or decals, so looks like it’ll be a fairly easy model to build. The moulding is really rather nice with some very fine detail included, no sign of flash and only a few moulding pips. Being a short run production there are no alignment pins on the parts, so you will need to get everything aligned before gluing. Construction starts with the assembly of the barrel, which is in two halves and comes complete with the breech section. To this the elevation quadrants are attached, along with the rear of the recuperator. The box trail is then assembled from two sides, four cross members and the elevation axle. The barrel assembly is then fitted into position, along with the three tread plates mounted on top of the trail and the spade at the rear. The front of the recuperator is then added, as are the wheel axles, sight mechanism, elevation handles and upper shield supports. The shield itself is made up from seven parts before being fitted to the front of the trail and the upper supports. The model is finished off with the addition of the single piece spoked wheels, two seats and their supports, four grab handles and the towing eye. The painting guide shows four different schemes all in overall colours, so no worry about painting complex camouflage. They are for the following:- Horsky Cannon vz.15 Czechoslovakian Army, in Medium Green, 1938 Obice da 75/13, (captured 7.5cm Gebirgskanone M.15), of the Italian Army 1918, in Dark Green 7.5cm Gebirgskanone M.15, Austro-Hungarian Army, 1917, in a Khaki Green GebK 15(t), Wehrmacht, the Caucasus Mountains, 1942, in Panzer Grey Conclusion As my first real look at a Special Armour kit and even though it’s a short run, it does look very nice and would make a pretty easy build, finishing up with a interesting and quite unusual model for your collection. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of