The Bovington Renault UE Chenillette in 1:72

[KRK4m]

Somewhere in 1971 I have (being already the aircraft modeller with some 20 models standing in a cabinet) built two 1/76 Airfix AFVs - the #1653 M48 Patton and #1657 M113 ACAV. 

"Built" can be a little exaggerated word here, as they were just "snap kits", nevertheless I've painted them in US colours from Vietnam war and some set of proper markings has been applied too.

Then in 1974 we (until 1979 the models of mine and @JWM were exhibited together in some huge common cabinet) decided to put some life into our WW2 aircraft collection - JWM purchased the RAF Refuelling Set and the RAF Emergency Set became my first "true" vehicle kit in Braille scale.

In 1979 the collection was parted, then we both left our parents' flat, became married, a.s.o. My brother builds "only" the 1/72 aircraft from 1935-45 period (i.e. WW2 plus SCW and Sino-Japanese war) while in these 40 years of my "independence" I've tried so different topics as the 1/600 (Airfix) and 1/700 (waterlines) 20th Century warships, 1/24 and 1/32 sportcars, 1/144 jetliners, a.s.o. However the vast majority always have been the 1/72 warplanes - from WW1 Nieuports to F-16 and MH-60. The result is more than 400 models in JWM cabinet and just mere 120 in mine...

Some 3 years ago I started buying (and hunting for some) the 1/72 AFV kits. And now - due to the COVID "house arrest" - their time has come. Thus let me introduce the first of them, actually my first 1/72 AFV model after the 45-years long break.

The kit is Chinese S-Model #720140 Renault UE Chenillette. A modern (2014) tool, crisply moulded and easy to build - just 20 parts! But the other side of the coin is its size.

The prototype is just 9 ft long and 4 ft high, which means 8 in and 5 in respectively less than the Issigonis' 1959 Morris Mini-Minor. Powered by the 30 BHP 4-cylinder petrol engine the tiny 3-ton UE was the most numerous French AFV of WW2 - some 5300 were built in France and in Romania. They were mostly used as prime movers or reconnaissance tankettes (the last batches featured the single 7.5 mm MG in ball-mounting for the commander on the right seat).

But why Bovington? Some urban legend says that a small number of UEs ended up in the UK with a Free Polish unit formed within the Armee de Terre and intended to be sent to help Finland in the Winter War.  After the March 1940 ceasefire that unit subesequently came under British command and received British equipment.  Conceivably the Bovington UE could be one of theirs.

The specimen exhibited there sports the Matricule 88371 that has been allocated probably in 1936. Lou Passejaire says that : "...The decree of 31st December 1922 defined the rules for the registration of military vehicles. A tri-colour flag precedes 1 to 5 white digits on a black background. This system being exhausted 15 years later, the decree of 16th April 1938 provides that an M precedes the same whole. Then, from the beginning of 1940, the same applies to the letter P. Example: P [tricolour] 26857...". Thus 88371 must be pre-April 1938 Matricule. More precisely - if 100.000 numbers were allocated in 15.29 years it looks like 11.629 before the end is something close to 650 days before 16th April 1938, thus July 1936  

There were two generations of the Chenillette: the M1931 UE and the M1937 UE2. The latter ones had the 40 BHP engines, but the only visible external difference were the front mudguards - just horizontal in the UE while extended backwards and curved upwards in UE2. Thus - as being manufactured in 1936 - the Bovington Chenillette should have the old, short mudguards. However in service and during repairs the shorter fenders were often replaced with the longer ones. So either this very specimen has the newer mudguards fitted or somebody restoring the vehicle omitted the white M preceding the French tricolour . Anyway the aim was to replicate it like it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And one word about the pictures - made by LG smartphone: four of them inside (the "night one" using the flashlight), three others outside. The difference in colours is astonishing.

The kit is built OOB, paints are Humbrol 29 and 241 enamels plus Vallejo acrylic matt varnish overall.

The digits (each cut separately) for front Matricule are from the Airfix SeaKing, while for the rear the ones from Grigorov M24 Chaffee have been used.

The old trick with a safety match has been used to show you the size of the details.

Comments welcome

Cheers

Michael

 

   

Edited April 3, 2020 by KRK4m

[Andy Moore]

Lovely build Michael. The UE is a tiny thing in 1/72, isn't it.

 

Andy