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Battle of France, Spring 1940 (DS3514) 1:35


Mike

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Battle of France, Spring 1940 (DS3514)

1:35 ICM via Hannants

 

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After Nazi Germany had finished either annexing or invading the East of Europe with the tacit agreement of Soviet Russia, it turned its gaze to the West, and its long-standing enmity toward France who were amongst the Allied powers that humiliated Kaiser-led Germany at the end of WWI.  France had joined Britain in declaring war on Germany after their refusal to pull-out of Poland in 1939, and on 10th of May 1940 German forces moved forward through the Ardennes and the low countries, joining battle with French and British troops as well as the native troops of the other countries.  There was a degree of unpreparedness, possibly partly through disbelief, and the newly implemented tactic of Blitzkrieg or Lightning War swept all before it, with armoured columns circumventing irrelevant pockets of resistance that were later mopped up by follow-up forces.  The Allies were pushed back, fighting valiantly against the onslaught, but suffering from poor communications that resulted in them quickly being corralled in the coastal town of Dunkerque.  The pocket remained viable for longer than expected, which allowed the swarm of little ships from Britain to take off thousands of British and French troops before it collapsed, with British and French rear-guard actions fighting bravely to protect their friends and colleagues at the very end.  On the 25th of June 1940, France capitulated after signing a second armistice in the same railway carriage that the Treaty of Versailles had been signed at the end of WWI.

 

 

The Kit

This is a boxed set containing three of ICM’s kits, two of which were new in 2021, the other having been tooled in 2015.  There is a French FCM 36 light tank, a Panhard 178 armoured car, and the odd-looking Laffly V15T artillery tractor, all of which saw action during the conflict.  These vehicles were outclassed by some of the more modern German vehicles and tanks at the time, but they were thrown into battle crewed by brave soldiers to do what they could to hold up the advancing spearhead of the German army.

 

 

FCM 36 French Light Tank

The FCM 36 was a light infantry tank that was the result of a proposal issued by the French government in 1933 after Hotchkiss had offered a design to the ministry.  Of the resulting series of designs from the different manufacturers, three were taken forward including designs by Hotchkiss, Renault and of course FCM, which stands for Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, who were based at Toulon in the French Riviera.  The FCM offering was well-liked due to its sloped welded armour, and was continued despite the fact that they couldn’t get the thing working during the initial test period.  It was sent back for repair and upgrade, which turned up a number of other issues such as weak suspension and insufficient armour, increasing weight even further over the original limit.

 

It was originally equipped with a pair of machine guns in much the same way as the German Panzer I, but one was removed in favour of a 37mm cannon, mounted in a turret that was intended to become the standard turret design for all French light tanks, despite a number of problems.  One of the reasons it was well-liked was that it was considered to be the design with the most potential, which was in part responsible for some serious delays spent working on an upgraded version that eventually came to nothing.  By the time they had reverted back to the comparatively superior original it was outdated, and too late to fight the advancing Germans in any great numbers.

 

 

The Kit

This is still a new tool from ICM, so is a thoroughly modern kit, spread over six sprues of grey styrene, two runs of flexible black tracks, a small decal sheet and instruction booklet, the latter having colour painting guides on both sides of the glossy rear cover.  It is crisply moulded with lapped panels, rivets and weld-lines over the exterior, and although there is no interior, the crew hatches can be posed open as long as you either block the view with figures or prepare yourself for some scratch-building of any visible areas.

 

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Construction begins with the lower hull, which is made up initially of the floor and two sides, with bulkheads added to the sides to support the lower sponson panels that give the vehicle more ground clearance.  The running gear is made up from a three-part drive sprocket, eighteen sets of twin wheels that are fitted to eight double bogies and two singles, then the big idler wheels at the rear of the hull on sliding tensioning axles.  The sloped armoured upper sponsons are installed along the way, with the mud-shedding “windows” on each side.  Two pairs of return rollers on the top run are glued inside the sponson, then the flexible black “rubberband” tracks are glued together, the instructions neglecting to mention that styrene glues won’t join them, so you should use super glue or epoxy instead.  Each run has two sections, with the joints best placed in the centre of each run so they stand less chance of being seen on the finished model.  Detail on the tracks is very nice, with twin guide horns and perforated centres like the real thing, but of course the links will curve round the ends, rather than give the correct faceted look that individual links provide.

 

The upper hull is mostly complete, needing some small facets adding near the glacis, and some louvered vents on the engine deck and sides.  Lifting eyes, latches and other small parts are added around the rear and sides, then are joined by a set of pioneer tools, a loop of cable, and a large bifurcated exhaust system that exits the top of the engine deck and has two mufflers, one on each rear fender with a hollow flared exhaust pipe.  Stipple those with some Mr Surfacer and paint them lots of shades of rust, and they should be a nice focal point of the model.  The driver’s pop-up hatch has grab handles, armoured vision port and large exposed support ram on the left side that can pose the hatch open if you wish.  Hinges for the moulded-in lower panel on the glacis are also fitted at this time, as is a folded tarp on the left side.

 

Despite the kit having no true interior, you get a full breech and coaxial machine gun that slots through a perforated inner mantlet that bears a passing resemblance to a piece of swiss cheese, then has supports added to the sides, which are in turn glued to the turret bottom with the upper dropped over it, and an outer mantlet cover slid over the barrel.  The barrel is tipped with a hollow muzzle, a domed recuperator cap, and armoured bell-shaped cover for the machine gun barrel, then the various vision ports are fixed to the sides, and the large trapezoid hatch at the rear is made up and can be attached open or closed.  A couple of grab-handles are glued to the sides of the hatch aperture to assist the commander in and out of the turret, then the completed assembly is twisted into position on a pair of bayonet lugs that should hold it in place throughout most of its traverse.  The final task is to make up four lengths of chain from the two sprues of oval-shaped styrene parts, which are held on the towing eyes front and rear by a pair of pegs.

 

 

Markings

There are two decal options on the small colourful decal sheet, both being French as you’d expect.  From the box you can depict one of the following:

 

  • FCM 36, 7th BCC, Chemery, France, 14th May 1940
  • FCM 36, 4th BCC, France, 10th June 1940

 

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The decals have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

 

Panhard 178 AMD-35 French Armoured Car

The Panhard 178 was in 1935 an advanced reconnaissance armoured car used by the French armed forces, the 178 being Panhard's internal project number. The vehicle features 4-wheel drive, a 25mm main gun supplemented by a 7.5mm machine gun.  It was the first 4-wheel drive type of vehicle mass produced for a major power.  A notable feature of the vehicle was a driving position in the front for the driver, and a separate one at the rear for a second driver to get out of trouble in a hurry. The second driver also doubled as a radio operator in command vehicles.  The main gun used was a shorten version of the 25mm Hotchkiss L/42.2, which was the standard French Anti-tank tank gun. To allow for the shorter barrel the gun used a heavier charge that could penetrate up to 50mm of armour using a tungsten round.  Secondary armament was a coaxial Reibel 7.mm machine gun for which 3,750 rounds were carried, approximately half of them being armour piercing.  A further machine gun was carried that could be mounted on the turret for anti-aircraft use. The magazines for this gun were carried on the internal walls of the fighting compartment.

 

Approximately 370 vehicles were completed and available for use when war broke out, and they were employed by infantry units as well as the Cavalry. When in combat with German vehicles armed with 20mm cannon the Panhards often came out much better than the enemy vehicles, but following the French defeat nearly 200 (many brand new) were used by German reconnaissance units.  An interesting modification made by the Germans was to develop the Schienepanzer as railway protection vehicles that were fitted with special wheels to allow them to run on railway tracks.

 

 

The Kit

The kit is a re-release by ICM of their new tool kit from 2015.  It has a full interior, both in the fighting compartment, with the two driving positions and in the engine bay. The detail on the parts is very well done, down to the rivets on the main hull to the tread-plate main floor, and the louvres on the engine covers. There are 4 sprues of grey styrene, four rubber tyres, instruction booklet and a small decal sheet for this part of the set.

 

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Construction begins with the fighting compartment floor being glued to the lower hull, followed by the rear driver’s bulkhead and both drivers’ seats. The longitudinal bulkhead between the rear driver’s compartment and engine compartment is then fitted into position, followed by the well-detailed eleven-piece engine. The drivers’ steering columns and steering wheels are next, along with the gear sticks and foot pedals. The rear driver’s transverse bulkhead is then installed, as is the rack of shells for the main gun, which is glued to the fighting compartment bulkhead.

 

Both sides of the hull have a door that can be posed either open of closed to display the interior if you wish, and on the inside of each side there are numerous ammunition drums for the machine gun to be glued into position, along with the driver’s instruments and a spare machine gun. The sides are then glued to the lower hull, followed by the front and read bulkheads plus front glacis plate. The rear engine deck is then attached, along with the fighting compartment roof, followed by engine louvres and rear mid-bulkhead hatch, which can all be posed open should the modeller wish. The rear wheel arch mounted storage boxes are then fitted and finished off with their respective doors.

 

Fortunately, the running gear and suspension on this kit is really simple, with just two axles and two-piece differentials plus drive shafts that are assembled, then the four suspension spring units are fitted to the underside of the hull, followed by the axles/drive shafts. The steering linkages are attached along with brake accumulators, drop links, horn and towing hooks. The wheels are each made up from two-part hubs and a flexible black “rubber” tyre, with the completed assemblies glued onto their respective axles. The rest of the hull is then detailed with grab handles, door handles, pioneer tools, headlights and a rack on the rear bulkhead.

 

The turret is then assembled beginning with the co-axial machine gun, which is made from three parts before being fitted to the left-hand front of the turret. The main gun comes in two halves, which once joined together are fitted with the trunnion mounts and elevation wheel. This is fitted to the turret ring along with the turret traverse mechanism. The turret ring and turret are then joined and the commanders and gunner’s seats are assembled and glued into position. The commander’s hatch is fitted with a handle and vent before being fixed into position, and the two rear hatches on the turret can be posed open or closed. There are a pair of two-piece periscopes fitted forward on the turret roof, and two lifting eyes on the rear sides.  The completed turret is then twisted onto the turret ring on the hull, and the last parts added.  These include two more driver’s viewing ports, which can also be posed open; the two-piece exhaust silencer; wing mirrors and four miscellaneous panels.

 

Markings

The small decal sheet provides markings for four vehicles;

 

  • 1st Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM, France Spring 1940
  • 2nd Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM, France Spring 1940
  • 3rd Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM, France Spring 1940
  • 3rd Platoon, 8th CUIR, 2nd DLM, France Spring 1940

 

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Laffly V15T French Artillery Towing Vehicle

The Laffly V15T was a particularly niche entry into the French Artillery Tractor roster, with only 100 being made before production ceased at Laffly to be taken over by another company.  The type saw limited service in the French army pulling the outmoded 25mm anti-tank guns, and after capitulation, in service with the Wehrmacht as transport or radio wagons.  The unusual aspect of this vehicle was the four apparently ‘vestigial’ wheels on axles spurring off the chassis rails that were intended to increase the off-road abilities of the type.  When viewed from the side however, the small balloon-wheels appear to be above the level of the main axles, so whether this actually worked anywhere but in the deepest ruts is another matter.  We don’t see them on modern vehicles, so I’m guessing they were more trouble than they were worth.

 

 

The Kit

This is a brand-new 2021 tool from ICM, and it’s typical of modern ICM in that it is well-stocked with detail.  There are seven sprues of grey styrene inside, plus a clear sprue, four flexible black tyres, a small decal sheet and the glossy-covered instruction booklet with spot colour and colour profiles to the rear.  It’s a full interior kit including engine, chassis and crew compartment, so there are plenty of parts to get your glue on.

 

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Construction begins with the chassis, with an option to remove the rounded rear-end where the towing hitch attaches, which is cut off easily with a scalpel or razor saw using the red outlined section on the drawings as a guide.  A number of cross-braces are added, and a jig is placed under the inverted chassis onto which the rear suspension arms are laid, so that they set up at the correct angle, taking care not to glue the arms to the jig.  If you have left the rear section on the chassis, the towing eye and other parts are glued in place, then the various leaf springs, ancillary axles and other suspension/steering parts are attached to the sides, with a sizeable transfer box and twin drive-shafts placed in the centre facing aft.  The front axles are made up and glued in place with twin springs above them on the chassis, two more drive-shafts pointing forward, and more suspension/steering parts for the small wheels.  The little balloon tyres are each made from two halves each, and four are created to affix to the small axles that project from the chassis rails, the front one of which has some limited steering capability.

 

The 4-cylinder 2.3L petrol engine is next to be built, beginning with the two-part block and adding the sump, timing pulleys, transmission, exhaust manifold and finely-moulded cooling fan, plus other ancillaries that should result in a highly detailed rendition that just needs some HT-wires and sympathetic painting to complete.  It is laid into the centre-front of the chassis along with the airbox and intake hosing, then is bracketed by a pair of tapered inserts that fill the gap between the block and the chassis rails.  The main cab is based on the shaped floorpan, with sides, aft bulkhead and some internal structures added along the way, which later form ammunition storage bunkers around the sides of the rear portion.  The front crew have a seat each with separate backs, and there is another optional wider seat in the middle of the rear compartment, which installs over a moulded clamshell door with pull-handles.  A set of driver controls are added to the left front of the body, then a firewall with pedals, a breadbin-like compartment and other small parts is fixed to the front of the body, with a steering column and wheel added after the bodyshell is fixed to the chassis.  The dashboard with dial decal is added over the wheel, and the area is covered over with a curved scuttle panel.  In the rear compartment, the tops to the stowage boxes are fitted, and these have the individual sections and their handles moulded-in.

 

Returning to the engine compartment, the steering column is extended into the lower chassis and a horn is fixed to the trim panels, then the three-part radiator is assembled and glued to the front of the vehicle, defining the engine bay.  A loop of hosing joins the radiator to the engine, and the cowling panels are closed over the compartment, although you have the option to leave them open if you wish.  Some small parts are added to the lower edges of the cowlings, which has crisply detailed louvers moulded-in.  A pair of curved front wings are glued to the lower body over the wheels, and each of the four main wheels have a brake drum part added to the end of each axle, after which the wheels themselves are made from two hub halves that mate inside the hollow tyres and glue to the axles, allowing the vehicle to stand on its own wheels.  At the rear, an axe and shovel are fixed to the bulkhead with a stop sign and the towing hook, a folded tilt is added to the rear, and the windscreen is made up from a frame and two individual clear panes.  A trio of rolled-up canvas anti-splatter covers are pinned to the fronts of the door apertures and the two headlights have their clear lenses glued on before they are put in place on their mounts next to the tiny wheels at the front.  The final parts are a front number plate board and an optional square unit plaque on the left front wing.  What a weird little truck!

 

 

Markings

There are two decal options provided on the sheet, and they’re both painted in a US Green shade, despite being French.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

  • Light Mechanised Brigade Anti-Tank Squadron, France, early 1940
  • France, Summer, 1940

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Conclusion

These three kits are full of detail, and represent great value in their own original boxings, but when you put them all in one box that isn’t much larger, they represent excellent value, and make for a much more compact stash, or you can at least tell yourself that if you like. :)

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd.

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Review sample courtesy of

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