This is the Italian M13/40 from an early production series. The M13/40, like many tanks, received numerous modifications over its production run, from prototypes to a final series that was indistinguishable (externally) from the initial M14/41, thus creating several distinctive, but unofficial "production series". My model is representative of the first regular production series after the short-run initial series which followed the prototypes.
The main characteristics are the longitudinal cooling grates, the radiator box without ventilation, the early simple muffler mounts, the absence of the turret roof main gun "super depression" hump, short fenders, single spare road wheel, and repositioned jack.
I've long had a soft-spot in my heart for the lowly and un-loved M13/40 and had hoped for years that a really decent kit would be released one day. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, and so I was left with either the Italeri or Tamiya kit. Both were released in the 70's, and, dispite the fact that Tamiya "up-dated" their kit, neither kit is up to what's expected today.
Of the two, though, the Italeri kit is the more dimensionally accurate (it's actually a mid-production M14/41, though!), but it suffers from terribly simplified details. Some of these details are hardly more than 2-dimensional etchings!
The Tamiya kit appears to have been originally intended to be released as one of the last of their motorized models (it never actually was motorized, though). So, it suffers from very heavy, toy-like features and is dimensionally too long and too narrow (which throws off and distorts a lot of the kit). As if that's not bad enough, the Tamiya kit is neither a correct M13/40 nor an M14/41, but has features of each, and so it's an "un-natural" little beastie at best.
In the end, I decided to resort to an old-school kit-bash and combine the best features of both kits, add new tracks, and scratch-build as necessary to create one of the early M13/40's that played such a crucial role in the battles in North Africa.
Since I was going to have to resort to so much work to create an accurate model, I also had to do quite a lot of research to devine the production history, the sequence of the production changes, and to figure out all of the details. In the end, I've wound up with about 50+ pages of historical notes and detail sketches - quite a bit more than normal for me, but reflective of the lack of good references on this vehicle.
In the photos, the yellow-green colored plastic parts are Italeri. The tannish colored parts are Tamiya. The white parts are, of course, styrene, and the dark green parts have thinned putty stippled on them to create a cast texture. The brass side steps have been scratched-up from K&S rod and sheet.
As you see, I combined the kit parts to articulate the suspension, and the link-to-link tracks are from Spade Ace (after I found that the Fruils that I had bought, cleaned-up, and assembled would not lay in a straight line!).
The tracks are assembled here about 1-2 links too long, and will be adjusted for fit after they've been finished. But, I've learned it's better to have to tracks a little too long than have to finish to match and add a link or two later.
The model as shown here is assembled dry-fit for a final test before I start the interior painting and close-up the superstructure and turret halves. You'll note things like the fenders are just hanging loose and still require some additional details (thinning and mounting flanges on the rear and front ends).
There are lots of small detail parts that have been modified and are not shown here. However, here is a shot of the insides of all of the hatches to show how the Italeri and Tamiya details have been merged together. All of these hatches are the Italeri kit parts, but you can see the dark tan Tamiya details that have been scavenged and added to them (after removing the Italeri details, such as they were).
In the end, my intention is to create a model of an "old campaigner" from Ariete during the Gazala line battles.
For anyone interested in more information, I'll be sending a detailed build and research article to the AMPS Boresight for publication.
(I promise, John, I promise!)
So, join AMPS today to make sure that your Boresight subscription is up-to-date tomorrow!
Happy modeling!
