Italy's C1 Ariete

[Slater]

I have this Trumpeter kit on order as I thought the Ariete was a little-noticed and fairly interesting topic. Anyone familiar with this particular kit? This evidently depicts an uparmoured configuration:

 

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[Massimo Tessitori]

I've built one years ago, it is fairly good, but I had to work on the front of the turret that is missing of a slot, besides all the bolts of the front have to be cut away and remade using those printed on one sprue.

The tracks were too long, I had to shorten them but the joint was hidden by the skirts.  Besides I had to close some gaps inside the lot of the gun and a small recess inside the rear plate of the rear bustle.

Paint (humbrol, if I remember well) peel off the tracks when they are deformed to be mounted on.

The suggested paint is Mr Color 303, so a relatively light green; this can be when the vehicle is faded, new paint instead should be a bit darker and a bit more olive, more or less as Humbrol 86.

The uparmoured version was seen, for what I know, in Iraq only. If one wants to omit the additional armour, he has to rebuilt part of the shirts.

An earlier kit without th additional armour is availble, but it has a prototype style gun barrel that should be replaced.