1:35 French Saint-Chamond Heavy Tank - Late

The real subject

The Saint-Chamond is one of the first French tanks of the First World War. It differed from the British machines of the day in two things. It carried a 75 mm gun in the front of the hull, that is a gun able to break up field fortifications, and it transmitted power to the tracks electrically: an internal combustion engine drove a generator and that fed the electric motors of the running gear. The driver could therefore regulate speed and steering smoothly without shifting gear under load, an unusual solution for the time. Its weak point remained the long hull, which overhung the running gear at the front and the rear. In broken ground and over trenches the machine bore down on the earth and dug itself in. The late form that the kit captures brought modifications drawn from combat experience, among other things a different arrangement of the superstructure roof.

What the set contains

The plastic kit in 1:35 scale is supplied unassembled and unpainted. The parts have to be separated from the sprues, cleaned up and glued with cement for polystyrene.

• 1:35 scale
• the real subject is the French Saint-Chamond heavy tank, late form
• a plastic kit, unassembled and unpainted
• a subject from the First World War

Building and painting tips

The hull is made up largely of flat riveted surfaces, so it pays to spend time squaring up the joints and removing the mold seams; on a smooth surface every irregularity shows. Finish and paint the running gear and the underside before you close up the superstructure. Check the camouflage pattern and its colors in the instructions, because French equipment of that time also wore multicolor patterns. Keep the mud mainly on the lower areas, where it belongs.

Who it is for

The set will appeal to modelers interested in the beginnings of armored vehicles and in machines outside the usual run of the Second World War. The package contains the kit; paints, glue and tools are not in it, unless stated otherwise.