Model: Italian M11/39 Light Tank
Publisher: Modelik 4/02
Scale: 1:25
Format: A4 Booklet
Designer: Ryszard Maj
This kit was an eBay pickup at reserve price - it's still available at most retail outlets. There are very few kits of Italian WW2 AFVs, I think there are only 2 others currently available (Fiat 3000, L6/40). Italian AFVs had a deserved reputation for being under-armoured and under-gunned compared to Allied tanks but seemed to survive in second line roles for most of WW2.
The M11/39 was designated as a medium tank but with an all up weight of 11 tons it would be regarded as a light tank by most WW2 armies. The rivetted armour and small calibre hull-mounted main gun made the design obsolete when delivered in 1939.
This kit is based on a plastic kit, in this case by Zwiezda. The M11/39 design looks like a conventional papermodel design rather than the hybrid "make plastic in paper" design noted for Modelik's Valentine.
The kit consists of 4 pages of cardstock, 2 pages of frames and track parts, 1/2 page of vehicle history (in Polish), 1/2 page of text instructions and 1 page of construction diagrams. The print quality is good, as we expect of modern kits, with fine lines and accurate colour registration.
Construction is conventional with the usual 1mm card box skinned with the printed cardstock parts. The modelled hull is separated into upper and lower parts which appear to capture the appearance of the original tank. There isn't any attempt to model the tools normally strapped to the upper hull. The suspension is modelled down to the bolt heads. The design of the suspension seems to have been strongly influenced by the 1930 Vickers suspension used in the Russian T-26/ Polish 7TP tanks. The tracks are modelled both as 2 bands or individual links - the second option could be quite challenging because the links are quite small.
The model claims to be of an M11/39 in Libya in 1940 - the camouflage colours look about right for this.
This model really needs to have raised rivets on the hull and turret - any image I've seen of surviving M11/39s have really noticeable lines of rivets along the plate joins. Perhaps the recent thread on applying rivets direct to the surface of models would give some ideas for this model.
I think this model could be built by anyone with some experience of paper AFV models. It is worth considering just because it is an unusual subject - although the technology represented by this tank belongs to 1930 rather than 1940.
Instructions: C (limited construction diagrams)
Paper quality: B+
Level of detail: B+ (some items have not been modelled)
Printing quality: B (the lines are a little wide compared to recent kits)
Artwork: B (no weathering)
Skill level: Some expereince required - there are lots of very small parts.
Publisher: Modelik 4/02
Scale: 1:25
Format: A4 Booklet
Designer: Ryszard Maj
This kit was an eBay pickup at reserve price - it's still available at most retail outlets. There are very few kits of Italian WW2 AFVs, I think there are only 2 others currently available (Fiat 3000, L6/40). Italian AFVs had a deserved reputation for being under-armoured and under-gunned compared to Allied tanks but seemed to survive in second line roles for most of WW2.
The M11/39 was designated as a medium tank but with an all up weight of 11 tons it would be regarded as a light tank by most WW2 armies. The rivetted armour and small calibre hull-mounted main gun made the design obsolete when delivered in 1939.
This kit is based on a plastic kit, in this case by Zwiezda. The M11/39 design looks like a conventional papermodel design rather than the hybrid "make plastic in paper" design noted for Modelik's Valentine.
The kit consists of 4 pages of cardstock, 2 pages of frames and track parts, 1/2 page of vehicle history (in Polish), 1/2 page of text instructions and 1 page of construction diagrams. The print quality is good, as we expect of modern kits, with fine lines and accurate colour registration.
Construction is conventional with the usual 1mm card box skinned with the printed cardstock parts. The modelled hull is separated into upper and lower parts which appear to capture the appearance of the original tank. There isn't any attempt to model the tools normally strapped to the upper hull. The suspension is modelled down to the bolt heads. The design of the suspension seems to have been strongly influenced by the 1930 Vickers suspension used in the Russian T-26/ Polish 7TP tanks. The tracks are modelled both as 2 bands or individual links - the second option could be quite challenging because the links are quite small.
The model claims to be of an M11/39 in Libya in 1940 - the camouflage colours look about right for this.
This model really needs to have raised rivets on the hull and turret - any image I've seen of surviving M11/39s have really noticeable lines of rivets along the plate joins. Perhaps the recent thread on applying rivets direct to the surface of models would give some ideas for this model.
I think this model could be built by anyone with some experience of paper AFV models. It is worth considering just because it is an unusual subject - although the technology represented by this tank belongs to 1930 rather than 1940.
Instructions: C (limited construction diagrams)
Paper quality: B+
Level of detail: B+ (some items have not been modelled)
Printing quality: B (the lines are a little wide compared to recent kits)
Artwork: B (no weathering)
Skill level: Some expereince required - there are lots of very small parts.