Introduction

The following is the introduction for the Carro Veloce 3/33 Tankette Series II (Early production) from Bronco Models written by Phil Greenwood.

The Italian government purchased four British Carden Lloyd Tankettes in 1929 and produced their own vehicles in modified form. The first was the Carro Veloce CV29 which served as a pilot model for the CV33 which entered production in 1933. Fiat of Turin and Ansalda of Genoa were chosen as the manufacturers, producing around 300 of the CV33 model. The Tankettes was usually referred to as a light tank in Italian service. Construction was of a riveted rolled armour plate, frontal armour being 14mm. Combat weight was 3.2 tons. The CV33 was armed by a single 6.5mm machine gun. Power was provided by a 43 bhp Fiat SPA petrol engine giving a maximum speed 0f 46 kmh. The CV33 was widely used and many were exported to friendly nations. It saw action with the Italian Army during the North Africa Campaign. The CV33 was replaced by the CV35 in 1936, the only major difference was the bolted construction to ease manufacture and repair and the 8mm machine gun mount. Most CV33’s were rebuilt to CV35 standard from 1938 and were designated the CV33 Series II

Contents

The model is packaged inside the now standard cardboard tray and card upper that Bronco Models use; the card top has a nice representation of the CV33/3 Tankette in a desert scene printed on it. Inside the box you will find;

• An A4 instruction booklet
• 4 tan sprues
• 2 orange sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 photo etched fret
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 poster of the box art

Review

Instruction Booklet
The instructions begin with a print of the box artwork and an introduction in English, German and Chinese. The next page provides a guide to the icons used during construction and a paint guide which list the colours by name and paints by the following manufacturers;

• Mr Hobby
• Hobby Color
• Humbrol
• Tamiya

This is followed by a parts list which is worth checking, but I have yet to find missing parts in a kit from Bronco Models. Now the building begins with the kit being complete in sixteen stages; the instructions use the black and white line drawings and some CAD images to guide you through the build. The instructions finish with three finishing options which are;

• Gruppo Corrazzata “Leoncello” Northern Italy, 1944
• German captured vehicle, unit unknown, Italy 1943
• The Special Armoured Brigade of the XXIII Corps, 5th Army, Libya, 1940

Interior
Construction of the interior takes up a fair number of the stages in the instruction as Bronco Models has done a pretty good job judging by the pictures I took of an example at Bovington Tank Museum; a link to the walk around I posted is at the end of this review. The engine and transmission have been very well replicated I believe, with a small amount of detail needed at the rear of the cylinder heads and some wiring detail needing to be scratched if my reference material is accurate for this vehicle.

The interior pictures I managed to take for the interior are limited due to the version at Bovington Tank Museum being the flame thrower version; however there are a number of features that seem to match the interior supplied. Regardless of my reference the supplied interior looks very good judging from the parts and moulding quality; this is despite the fact that a number of the parts are from one of Bronco Models releases from Late 2008 early 2009. I am very impressed with the look of the engine of which a fair amount can be seen if you leave the access panels open.

Running Gear
The tracks are link and length which will not please everyone, but with the very small size of the links this is the most obvious choice without resorting to rubber band style tracks. The track links match my reference and should look good when assembled, but the tracks may need to be applied and secured in place during an early stage of the build which may make painting difficult.

Hull
The hull of the vehicle also looks to match my reference with the exception of course of the areas that are different due to it being another variant of the vehicle. The details look reasonably crisp to me and that detail should stand out well with careful weathering. Bronco Models has provided the option of having the access panels and hatches open which with those panels being a reasonable size allows viewing of the interior to a high degree. The exhausts are particularly nice features of the kit and should make for quite an eye catching feature when pained and weathered.

The fighting compartment also has good detail overall again with separate hatches which can be open or closed; this will allow a good view of the interior. The tools for the exterior of the vehicle do not have separate clamp detail but they are quite well detailed; you could also always remove the moulded on clamp detail and purchase an after-market clamp set

Mouldings
A good look through the kit parts and ignoring those parts which are not used, I see no major issues that will need to be overcome. There is no flash or distortions that I can see that will need attention but there are some ejector pin marks that may need work on the interior faces, unfortunately I cannot be sure of this until the kit is assembled. There are also some flow marks in the plastic but they do not seem to be an issue in this example.

Conclusion

This is quite a small model but the detail that Bronco Models has put in to it should appeal to those who like their models with interiors. The detail overall looks a good match for my available reference and so it is my belief that this is an accurate representation of the CV3/33. Add an Italian tanker to the mix or a couple of mechanics and you have a great little scene.

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