Ok, I finally started on my 7TP from Mirage. I am adding a ABER PE set. The PE will be my first experience in this medium, and it doesn’t look all that difficult-except for the hinges (cringe).
The 7TP was polands only modern tank in 1939, and in many cases was much better than any of its german contemporaries-its 37 mm bofors main gun had superior penetration and range. However, at the outbreak of hostilities, only around 150 had been produced. These equiped independant light tank battalions of 49 each, and the rest went into combat independantly or as part of an improvised armor company formed in Warsaw. All saw action. The germans, however captured many intact and damaged vehicles and were able to repair enough of them to equip many company or battalion commanders with this vehicle. After most Pz.1’s had been replaced, the 7TP was rotated out of frontline units into reserve/police/anti-partisan formations. I even have around 9 pictures of two 7TPs chained together to tow around a cable laying/surveying unit (I can’t figure out which). No 7TPs survived the war (unless Kubinka has one…). There is a fellow in poland who is actually reconstructing one, but it’s far from finished and pictures of it are rare (I only have 3).
So on to the kit,
It is a decent offering by Mirage, and is by far the best 1/35 7TP available. There are several resin updates that can be used on it, but they are all adapted from the C7P tractor which was built on the same base, and I won’t be using them. There is a little flash, but several innacuracies or details need to be fixed, which is why I bought the aber PE (it took about a month to get here from poland, where it was cheapest and in stock)
The first step is the turret, which I constructed. The aber PE went on almost all the surfaces, and in some cases is too large. I screwed up in some places, and I will need to fill and sand later on to get some bulges to disappear. I also now have several inches of CA on my fingers, and a large piece of paper is glued to my desk.
A real 7TP turret:
And mine:
It looks ok to me, and it still needs a little work but its good enough to start this post.
I hope to get another update up by next week…
Comments are welcome, and criticism appreciated.
Thanks!!