Not Bad For A Sidekick

Historical Background

Following the end of World War 2, France intended to develop new, indigenous armoured fighting vehicles to face future threats. They came up with a number of tanks, of which the AMX-50 was intended to be the medium tank for Western European armies. Financial constraints coupled with American military aid in the shape of M47 Pattons caused the programme to be cancelled. In 1956, a working group called FINBEL (after France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) was set up to draw a requirement for a common tank to replace American- and British-built tanks then in service with those countries. With West Germany being allowed to rearm, the group included the Germans and the acronym was then changed to FINABEL with the A stands for Allmagne, French for Germany (despite the acronym, the active members were just France and West Germany). In October 1956, FINABEL agreed to develop a tank dubbed the Europanzer. The requirement asked for a 30-ton tank with a width of 3.15 meters and a height of 2.15 meters and armed with a 105mm gun. It should also have a power-to-weight ratio of 30 hp/tonne, powered by an air-cooled petrol engine and having a road range of 350 km. Each country was allowed to build two prototypes each.

The French prototypes were developed by the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Molineux (AMX) with the first one completed in September 1960. The programme however ran into problems; the first of which occurred in 1958, upon the ascension of Charles de Gaulle as the President of France. On 17 June 1958, he decided to refuse the participation of West Germany and Italy to develop a common nuclear weapon. This in turn caused the Germans to start losing interest in the Europanzer project. The rift was further widened when the German Defence Minister began to oppose the project. In July 1963, the West Germans decided to pursue a purely 'national' tank and was decided likewise by the French in November of the same year. By this time the French tank received the designation AMX-30 while the West German vehicle was named Leopard. The final nail in the coffin was when the participating countries couldn't agree on the main armament: the French wanted to use the French 105mm tank gun while the West Germans wanted to use the British-developed L7 gun. The Europanzer programme was cancelled and the parties went their separate ways. The French prototypes were light (comparable to the Swiss Panzer 61) and low (comparable to the T-55). The turret design was conventional, avoiding the oscillating turret of the AMX-50. The first two prototypes were powered by a petrol engine, which was then replaced by a multi-fuel diesel engine. The prototypes were later designated AMX-30A to differentiate them from production tanks, designated AMX-30B. 

The AMX-30 was mostly of cast construction with a pronounced hull front slope and an oval, hemispheric cast turret. It had a combat weight of just 36 tonnes. Armour thickness was 80.8 mm for the turret face and 79 mm for the hull front. At the time, it was the most lightly protected MBT in Europe as the design philosophy relied on its speed, agility and small dimensions. The AMX-30 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza HS-110 diesel engine  producing 680 to 720 hp power output, allowing speeds up to 65 km/h. The AMX had a range of 600 km. The main armament was a 105mm F1 cannon. The unique feature of the gun was its Obus G HEAT round which was designed with two separate walls so that the outer shell spins while the inner one remain stationary. This allow the rifled F1 gun to have an effective range of 3,000 meters. 50 105 mm rounds were carried. Secondary armament comprised of a 12.7 mm machine gun co-axially mounted with the main gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun on the commander's cupola. In 1972 the gun stabilisation system was modernised and in 1973 the 12.7mm machine gun was replaced with a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza dual-purpose cannon. In 1980 the type received a major upgrade programme with the first upgraded tank, designated AMX-30B2 completed in 1982. The COTAC APX M-508 FCS now included a laser rangefinder and an LLLTV while ammunition now include APFSDS rounds. The engine was upgraded to a more powerful HS-110.2 while the orginal (and temperamental) transmission was replaced with a smoother SESM RNC2000. In 1995 AMX-30B2s of 1er/2ᵉ Chasseurs of the Rapid Reaction Force received the BRENUS (briques reactive de surblindage or up-armour reactive bricks) package comprising of 112 ERA 'bricks' fitted on the turret and the hull front. To compensate for increased weight, a 725 hp engine was installed. 

The AMX-30 entered service in 1966 when 501ᵉ Regiment de Chars de Combat became the first unit to be equipped with the tank. In 1991, during the Gulf War (known to the French as Operation Daguet), AMX-30B2s of 4ᵉ Regiment de Dragons formed part of 6ᵉ Division Legere Blindee. 44 AMX-30B2 and 4 AMX-30 Demin (tanks fitted with ex-East German mine rollers) were deployed. The Division was positioned to the west of the main Coalition forces, protecting the left flank of US XVII Airborne Corps. This disposition allowed greater autonomy to the French and at the same time lessening the likelihood of encountering superior T-72 of the Iraqis. The French successfully completed their objectives: 'Rochambeau', 'Chambord' and 'Objective White' (As-Salman Air Base). 270 105 mm rounds were expended during the campaign and with support from USAF A-10s and their own Gazelle helicopters, managed to destroy 10 tanks, three BMPs, fifteen trucks and five mortars. On the other side of the front, Qatari AMX-30s were involved in the Battle of Khafji, knocking out three T-55s and capturing four. At least one Qatari AMX-30 was lost during the battle. 

The AMX-30 was exported to Spain, Greece, Chile, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and UAE. Bosnia-Herzegovina received ex-UAE AMX-30s while Cyprus received theirs from ex-Greece stocks. The French Army received a total of 1,355 AMX-30s plus 195 AUF1 155mm howitzers, 44 ATL Pluton TELs, 134 AMX-30D ARVs, 183 AMX-30R SAM vehicles and 48 EBG engineering vehicles. The AMX-30 gun tanks in French service has been replaced by the Leclerc.    

The Kit

The AMX-30 has been overlooked by mainstream kit manufacturers with just Heller (naturally) producing them in the 1980s. Meng however came up with the baseline AMX-30B kit in 2012 and was followed by the AUF1 in the next year. In 2014 the mould was updated to create the B2 version of the AMX-30. The parts are spread among 12 sand-coloured, 5 dark grey and one clear sprues, a lower hull pan, a turret shell, a rubbery sheet, a length of twine, two PE frets plus a small decal sheet. The parts look well-detailed  and there is also a jig to help with track assembly. Like the previous Meng model kits I've built before, the suspension can be made moveable. The decal sheet provide markings for just one vehicle, '112' of the 4th Dragoon Regiment, 6th Light Armoured Division during the 1991 Gulf War. A small 'numbers jujumble'is also included.

Construction

As usual, construction started at the lower hull. The first step is concerned with wheel assembly but I skipped them and go straight for the lower hull. The suspension fairings were moulded separately needing some time to cement all 10 of them (plus four shock absorbers). The torsion bar limiter and the drive joint were made moveable so that they can be adjusted during the fitting of the tracks. The torsion bars were then fitted and they mimicked the real thing by being workable. As per my usual style, the lower hull and the wheels were painted at this time (with the wheels still on the sprue). The paint were touched-up after the wheels had come off the sprue. While assembly of the wheels was straightforward, some care need to be taken into account to avoid misalignments. Take note when assembling the sprocket wheels as there are two styles to it and Meng instructed you to use Parts A48 and A51. The wheels were then mounted to the lower hull. And before I forgot, holes were drilled into the sponson. 

I then moved on to the upper hull. I started by attaching the various small parts on the front of the hull, the engine deck, hatches and the side plates. I didn't attach the tools on the latter at this stage however.. The smoke generator slotted into their place in a particular manner so you really have to follow the instructions. The upper hull was then cemented to the lower hull. . More parts were added such as the engine deck side plates and the rear plates. The engine air intake, Part P6 did not into it's opening on the engine deck and some sanding were done to allow it to fit. Most of the parts on the rear plate were cemented on to place although the exhausts, some tools and the rear mudguards were left off at this time. Finally, the tracks were assembled.  As with a number of their other kits, Meng provided a track assembly jig (on the same part as the jig for the PE set). The method is quite simple - lay down the bottom part of the track link, then glue the upper part.  Sounds easy right? That would a qualified yes. The tracks lacked 'gripping power' between the links. The locating pins between the upper and the lower halves are adequate I think, but the moulded-on track pins are short and I think therein lies the problem. Anyway, some careful handling during  wrapping the tracks around the wheels allowed the tracks to stay in one piece. By the way, I just link togther 60 pieces per run only as the skirting would hide the upper track run.

Work on the turret started at the gun assembly. The barrel is a three-piece affair and yes, there are seams along the barrel halves that need to be sanded. The breech assembly is separate from the barrel and if you like, can be left off entirely. The blast bags are also a two-piece affair with more seams to be filled and sanded. The mantlet cover is made from a rubbery plastic which has already been cut into shape. This was inserted into place and secured using super glue. The turret halves were mated first and the gun assembly was ten inserted and cemented into place. There are three positions for radio aerials and Meng merely suggests whether to seal them or place radio anerial mounts. So after consulting photos, I place two aerial mounts and close off the third.  While the four smoke grenade discharges at the rear of the turret is a breeze to assemble, the ones on the turret sides are a bit fiddly. The commander's cupola is a bit a model by itself but nothing too difficult was encountered.

Painting and Decalling

As usual, the tracks were painted AK Interactive Track Primer and was then given a wash using AK Interactive Track Wash. After masking the clear parts, the model was painted Vallejo 71.075 Ivory overall. The camouflage pattern was painted using Vallejo 71.038 Camouflage Medium Brown. The painting diagram did not include upper and right-hand views but fortunately there is an upper elevation view on the boxtop side and the boxtop art can be used for the right side pattern. The model was the sprayed with semi-gloss clear paint (I use the one from GSI Creous) to prep for the decals. The decals went without a hitch except for the rear registration plate. I don't thik it was applied over the pioneer tools. But with the tool in question is already moulded onto the rear plate, there wasn't anything else to do but apply the decal over the tool, use some decal softening solution and re-apply paint on the tool. The model then received a wash using AK Interactive Vehicle Wash for US Modern vehicles. .

Finishing

I started by adding permanently the smaller parts such as the tools, the horizontal plates on either side of the hull, and the stowage boxes. Meng has the modeller cut the provided length of twine as towing cables but I found that the plastic ready-made tow cables are adequate; so the twine went into the spares box. The rear-view mirror were next, followed by the co-axial cannon and the commander's machine-gun. The remaining scars were painted over and given the same wash treatment. The model then received a layer of Flat Clear to give some 'bite' to the next layer of weathering. A couple of layers of Tamiya XF-57 was then laid over the model to represent a vehicle coated in desert dust. Further layer of dust was recreated on the lower hull and tracks using Tamiya Weathering Master pack. A final layer of Flat Clear was sprayed on tthe model to finish the build.

Conclusion

The AMX-30 was a rather obscure vehicle in 1/35 as I can only think of Heller's kit which originally dates from the 1970s I think. That kit has been supplanted by this Meng kit (and their 'baseline' AMX-30 kit). I don't have any erferences (just through Google only) but the kit does look like an AMX-30B2 to me. Building this kit up was fairly easy with some fiddly areas such as the IR searchlight doors, the commander's cupola and the tracks. using others' experiences as guidance, I managed to assemble without problems (plus I cheated by not assemblig the upper run!) .

Achilles' Tracks

Historical Background

After studying the German Blitzkrieg of 1939-1941, the US Army incorporated the idea of tank destroyers - fast, lightly armoured vehicles with high velocity anti-tank guns to deal with the armoured spearheads of the blitzkrieg. The result was the M10 Gun Motor Carriage based on the M4 Sherman tank but with thinner armour in order to comply with the high speed requirement. At the same time the British were examining the design for a low-silhouette tank destroyer with a 360-degree rotating turret mounting the hard-hitting Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun with armour able to resist 50 mm rounds at 800 yards. However, with the British resources and industry working at full capacity, together with the availability of Lend-Lease, the project was cancelled and they received the M10, nicknamed Wolverine in British service. The British received their first Wolverines in 1943 and found the M1 3-in anti-tank gun arming them gave better performance than the Ordnance QF 6-pounder anti-tank gun and equal to the 7.5-cm KwK 40 gun arming the Panzer IV and Sturmgeschutz III.

The British however still wanted to mount the 17-pounder gun but the main problem is how to mount the gun onto the existing vehicles. However, the initial batches of the British M10 had an easily modified mounting to facilitate the replacement of the M7 gun with the newer M1. The mounting also allowed the British to eventually mount the 17-pounder gun. But for later batches of M10s, only the T71 type can be converted while the T70 can only mount the lighter M1. The M10-based conversions were nicknamed Achilles Ic while M10A1-based conversions were called Achilles IIc. The 17-pounder was able to penetrate 131 mm of armour at 1,000 meters at 30 degree angle of penetration using APCBC rounds. The limited-availability APDS round can penetrate 192 mm at the same range and angle of attack. By comparison, the same APCBC rounds fired from the American 3-in gun can only penetrate 88 mm of armour while the very limited HVAP round can only penetrate 127 mm of armour. All these numbers show the clear superiority of the 17-pounder gun. Because of its length, the 17-pounder gun of the Achilles was fitted with a counterweight, giving it a distinctive appearance compared to the M10.

In practice, the British used the Achilles as a mobile anti-tank gun, able to reinforce an infantry attack and engage counterattacking enemy forces, while waiting for the slower towed 17-pounders be brought into position. This was actually in line with the original American concept of the tank destroyer. The Achilles was usually used in an offensive manner in support of Churchill tank-equipped units, which was not supported by the Sherman Firefly or the Challenger tank. The Achilles equipped the units of the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery in Armoured Divisions or Corps Anti-Tank Regiments. The most successful action taken by the Achilles was during Operation Charnwood, when Achilleses and towed 17-pounders of the 245th Battery, 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Artillery stopped an attack by a mixed force of Panzer IV and Panther tanks of the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, destroying thirteen panzers while losing four of their number.

The British received 1,650 M10s during the war, of which 1,100 were converted into Achilles standard. It was planned that 1,000 would be converted in time for Operation Overlord but eventually only 124 had been converted by 6 June 1944. Losses among Achilles-equipped unit at the time meant that replacements were often regular M10s, much to the crews' dismay. The numbers however picked up by the end of 1944 finally reaching the figure stated beforehand. 

The Kit

Two years after the release of the M10, AFV Club released the 'Anglified' version - the Achilles. The majority of the parts in this kit are the same with the ones in the M10 kit. The Achilles kit added a new sprue containing British-specific parts such as the gun mantlet, British-style fire extinguishers, British No.19 radio, spare track-link mounts, three Sten Guns with alternate metal stocks and six 17-pounder rounds for the ready-round racks. A new turned aluminium barrel is also included. Decals provide markings for six vehicles:

1. 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 5 Corps Italy 1944

2. 1st Army Corps, Normandy 1944

3. 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 11th Armoured Division, Belgium 1944-45

4. 4th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Netherlands 1945

5. 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, Guards Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

6. 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, 1st Polish Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

While other reviewers didn't mention it,  the decals in my kit were badly printed, with the Guards Armoured Division insignia and all of the arms of service insignias out of register. 

Construction

Since the Achilles, like the original M10 is an open-topped vehicle, construction started at the interior. Not much however is included (and as I have never seen the actual interior, it's rather moot actually). What were there however was nicely detailed. There are seats for the driver and his assistant but no control columns were included. The instrument panel was painted and drybrushed (although I shouldn't bother, really). The ammo rack on the sponson is there but unlike the M10, rounds were not provided. The beautifully-detailed transmission were next. After assembly, it was cemented to the transmission cover and the whole thing was mated to the main hull. The interior then received a rather heavy dark wash. Moving on to the suspension, AFV Club's VVSS suspension has a bit more breakdown than other companies' allowing more articulation especially for dioramas (which I don't need). It was quite tedious but strangely enough, after all the effort making the suspension articulate, they have the wheels with hollow backs.....The rear plate and all the fittings was then fitted to the hull, although I left the exhaust for the time being.

Before doing anything else to the upper hull, the faint raised circles marking the locations of the applique armour bosses were sanded off (unless you're doing the Canadian version).  Like the M10 kit, the driver and co-driver's hatches can be made moveable but I also decided to cement them shut as there were no sitting figures to fit there nor there were interior to speak of. The rear plate was then cemented but the tools placed there were left off until after painting has been done. The fit was was quite bad and needed putty to fill the gap. It should be noted that there is a difference for the location of the tools between the Canadian version and the rest of the options in the kit The grouser rack were then cemented to the hull. Again the location is different on the Canadian option. At the front of the hull, AFV Club gave options for the placement of the radio aerial and the right-hand side light (either on the same location as on the M10 or on the front plate for the former and either on the edge of the front plate or on top of the right headlight for the latter). The empty ammo racks on the sponson were partially filled with ammo from Bronco - just to have something in it.

On to the turret then. The turret is basically a carry-over from the M10 kit. However the upper rear panel is a straight piece of plastic which need to be folded to fit on the lower half (fit is a bit of a misnomer here). Also, instead of generic ammunition style (or using ammo from the M10), AFV Club provided 'proper' 17 pounder ammunition for the turret ready racks. I did not use them however. Instead I used the even better items from Bronco. They are however larger than the kit ammo but fortunately, they fit into the kit ammo racks (except for the topmost, right-side rack). A Sten Gun with alternative butts was also provided. The instructions have the magazine in place but I don't think the gun was stowed as such, so the magazines were left off. The real difference of the turret is at the front with a different mantlet and the gun (of course) and the differently-shaped counterweights on the rear of the turret. The M2 heavy machine gun was left off the this time to ease handling of the turret. And, to ease painting (more or less) the interior parts were painted before they were assembled, with touching-up of the paint took place after construction.

Painting and Decalling

Allied vehicles are pretty straightforward to paint by (usually) having just one colour. In the interest of accuracy, the Achilles should be painted SCC15 (British) Olive Drab. Since I usually paint using Tamiya stuff and Tamiya does not have this colour, they need to mixed using Tamiya paints. I However ran out of some of the paint, and so I painted it 'straight' XF-62 Olive Drab. The majority of marking options in the kit have plain schemes and to add a bit more variety to my collection, I decided to finish my model in the Guards Armoured Division markings. The camouflage pattern was painted using Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. The decals were applied next. They settled without any problems but you can't help noticing the rather obvious mis-register (is there such a word?) of the decals especially the arms of service marking. The model then received a wash using stuff from AK Interactive.

Finishing

I didn't mention it early on but the tracks were fitted onto the running gear before the upper hull was cemented to the lower half. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown as base while the track pads were painted XF-69 NATO Black. It was earlier decided that turret opening is wide enough for some parts to be left off and so only at this time the ammo pieces were put in place, together with the aforementioned Sten. AFV Club did not include stowage so I added some from my stash and from Bronco's 17-Pounder Ammunition Set and British Field Accessories Set. The turret and upper hull received a thin layer of XF-57 Buff to stimulate dust. The Buff layer for the hulls was streaked down to simulate rain marks. The marks were enhanced here and there using AK Interactive Weathering Pencil. The lower hull received mud applications using Vallejo Splash Mud, Ammo Dark Mud and AK Interactive Earth Effects. 

Conclusion

While the amount of detail is pretty good for the outside, I believe that interior is simplified and is something that is not so good for an open-topped vehicle. The fit is also not very good especially for the turret walls and the rear hull plate which require putty. The decals is one of the worst for a mainstream kit with out-of-register printings. And, apparently, like their M10 kit, the turret is rather inaccurate although I don't have any means to verify the claim. Anyway it does look like an Achilles's turret so there. It is nevertheless a very buildable kit and recommended to all. Of course, if you want to have an easier build, there' always the newer Tamiya kit of the same vehicle!