Kamil Felix Stzarbala tackles Meng’s French monster tank.

KIT: MENG MODEL

SCALE: I/35

As we approached 2014 and the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, model companies reflected this in their kit release schedule. Meng Model started the ball rolling by releasing an excellent 1/35-scale kit of the Renault FT Modèle 1917, which could be regarded as the true ancestor of the modern tank. This was soon followed by the Char 2C (also known as FCM 2C). Oddly, although this super-heavy tank was developed during World War I, it never made its way to the frontline. In fact, only ten were built after the end of hostilities. They received their fifteen minutes of fame during the French mobilisation of 1939, where they were used for propaganda purposes (hence the choice of paint schemes suggested in the kit).

Assembly

The large box with its superb artwork draws our attention immediately, and the contents certainly live up to expectations. The numerous sprues include a vast array of finely reproduced components. Quality moulding and crisp detail are typical features of Meng’s kits, and this one is no exception. I could find very few sink marks or ejector pin marks in areas that would be visible on the completed model. The superstructure and both turrets are slide moulded one-piece elements, which avoids the need to assemble these sections from many parts. I did notice some faint seams around the turrets, but these were quite simple to remove with fine-grade sandpaper. The tracks are presented as individual links, and can be simply clicked together to make them fully workable.

1

2

However, I would recommend using glue to ensure a secure and lasting connection. The assembly sequence shown in the instruction manual is quite logical, and unlikely to cause any major problems. With this in mind, I began by preparing the road wheels. There are almost eighty of these, and each one is composed of two parts. To make life simple, I removed all the parts, arranged them into separate groups, and assembled each wheel one by one. Unfortunately, having completed the wheels, I found that the three leading wheels had insufficient spacing to fit the hull mounting (photo 1). I attempted to use sandpaper to reduce the thickness of the sponson, but soon realised that the better option would be to widen the gap between the wheels with a file.