We recently received the new Meng Model A39 Tortoise in 1/35 scale (plastic). There has been a version of this tank available via resin for a few years now, but this is the first release in plastic. The Tortoise was a late-WW2 design that never saw combat. However 6 units were made and one of them resides at the Bovington Tank Museum in England. We have photos of this tank, recently supplied by Tom Cromwell for our Walkarounds section.

Upon opening the box, the first thing I noted was what a beast this tank must have been size-wise. The lower and upper hull is very large when put together. Overall the kit looks very good. There were a few small notable things. First there are no decals provided with the kit as there are no historical markings or designations for them. There was a small broken wiring line (for the front lights). And there was a small ding in upper decking of the lower hull. This may have been our fault when unpacking or a production issue. I did note that when dry fitting the upper and lower hull together the back section attempted to snap firm but then unset. There appeared to be a small amount of warping going on which looked to be the culprit. Some glue and clamps will likely solve this though.

All parts and sprues were sealed in cellophane plastic bags. No parts appeared to be missing from the sprues.

You can peruse our photos for a better idea of what's included in the kit. We also have a video of the unboxing and my initial comments there as well.

Darren Baker will be following up with a full build at a later date. Stay tuned!