1:35 Italian Armored Car Autoblinda AB 41

An Italian armored car with a cannon turret

The Autoblinda AB 41 was the most widespread version of the Italian armored cars of the AB series. It differed from the earlier form above all in its turret, into which a 20 mm cannon went in place of a pair of machine guns, that is a weapon able to threaten even lightly armored vehicles. The car had steering on both axles and a second driver's station facing to the rear, so it could reverse as fast as it drove forward. That was valued on patrol duty on narrow roads with no room to turn around.

Service

The vehicles served in North Africa, in the Balkans and on the Eastern Front, mostly for reconnaissance, for protecting convoys and for policing tasks in occupied territory. In the desert they suffered from dust and from thin armor, yet they stayed in service until the end of Italian participation in the war, and some of the cars were taken over by German units after 1943.

For assembly

The parts wait in the box unassembled and unpainted. Filler, glue and paints are obtained separately by the modeler. Given the intricate shape of the hull and the tall turret, it pays to assemble the model in subassemblies and to paint the chassis before the hull is closed.

Suitable for modelers who already have several kits of military vehicles in this scale behind them.

What to focus on during the build

• The chassis and the axles are clearly visible on the finished model, so paint them before closing the hull
• Assemble and paint the turret separately, as this makes masking the two colors of the scheme easier
• A desert scheme takes pronounced dusting of the lower areas
• The vehicles operated in dusty terrain, so do not spare the weathering on the fenders

Italian vehicles of the North African campaign tend to be thinly represented in collections, so this subject offers the chance to build something that is not standing on every table at a show.