Autoblinda AB 41
Pz.Sp.Wg.AB 41 201(i)
Italeri Kit No. 6442
1:35th Scale
First Look Review by Terry Ashley
The kit contains just 140 parts in light tan plastic and six rubber tyres plus the decal and instructions sheets with the small number of parts belying the detail included in the kit.
The parts are cleanly moulded with just some shallow pin marks in a few places requiring removal but overall there isn’t a lot of cleanup needed and while a few details aren’t as crisp as contemporary kits overall the detail is quite excellent reminding you of Italeri kits of old such as the rivet/bolt head details, wheel rims and other raised details.
The Lower Chassis:
This is made up of the lower pan and separate side beams with well defined
suspension spring details and added to this is the four independent suspension
units and steering arms with separate brake drums for nicely detailed suspension
units with the wheel rims having excellent hub details and separate central
hub caps with the SPA logo embossed. Note; I have seen two style of wheel
hubs on these wheels, the
most common
as depicted
on the
Italeri rims and another with more recessed central hubs as per the
wheel image below and I am assuming the style in this kit is the later type
as
it is also seen on the AB 43?
The rubber tyres are noteworthy due the unique way Italeri have handled the
age old problem of the moulding seams on rubber/vinyl tyres.
The mould seam is actually right on the inside tread shoulder and is all but
invisible when the wheels are fitted in place while the tyres themselves have
good tread pattern uncompromised by the seam although a little shallow when
compared to photos but quite good never the less and includes the side wall
name embossing for some of the better rubber wheels to be seen in a kit today.
The two body sides are joined together by cross beams and the front and rear
body panels with the lower suspension assembly fitting between the side panels.
The upper body panels are all separate parts with all doors, vision ports and
access doors also as additional separate parts for good detail definition as
well as allowing these to be shown open but there is no interior in the kit.
The front driver’s panel has separate visor cover and separate flaps over the head lights again allowing these to be shown open or closed while the rear engine deck also has separate doors with nice grill work. The rear cabin panel also has the ball mounted machine gun separate and open vision visor.
Other items around the body are the towing hooks, front air horns which are hollowed out, rear mounted exhaust pipes and separate pioneer tools, the rear mounted head lights with separate lens sections (in tan plastic) and siren plus and a couple of German jerry cans.
The Turret:
The main turret shell in one part with separate top and rear hatch with rivet/bolt
head details although these aren’t on the lower front section due to
moulding constraints and are a little undersized as they are quite prominent
on the real thing.
There is also interior details with the panel and hatch framing on the side
walls and basic gun breech with co-axial machine gun, the traverse hand wheels
and commander’s seat in two parts which fills the turret nicely if the
hatches are left open.
On the outside are separate visor covers and gun mantlet although the turret is slightly undersized and the contours a little off when compared to photos but these things will probably not even be noticed on the finished kit as they are only minor with the turret overall being nicely done.
Decals:
The small decal sheet has good colour register and thin carrier film with
markings for five vehicles, three in Italian service and two in German
markings.
Included is a double sided full colour sheet showing four view drawings of
the five vehicles to give good details of the quite intricate and attractive
camouflage schemes applied to some of the vehicles as well as the decal placement
and this sheet is a nice inclusion.
The markings are;
Conclusion:
Overall this is an excellent kit of the AB 41 with the features captured well
although there are a couple of minor issues as mentioned above but it is
certainly an improvement both in assembly, some details and of course
cost over the previously available resin kits from Criel and Azumit.
This kit is certainly bound to be a hit with axis modellers especially Italian armour fans and for those wanting something a little different and the cam schemes will certainly exercise your airbrushing skills.
Highly recommended
The Sprues: Click on thumbnails for larger view
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References:
| Autoblindo AB41 & AB43 PzSpWg AB41 201(i) & AB 43 203(i) Armor PhotoGallery #8 ISBN 83-916483-6-2  |
Captured Armored Cars and other Vehicles in Wehrmacht Service Schiffer Publications ISBN 0-7643-0180-2  |
| Autoblindo AB41 & AB43 Photo File No 1 By by Alessandro Bruschi Published by Auriga Publishing International SRL, Genova, Italy ISBN 88-88711-16-3 A5 landscape approx 100 pages  |
Ground Power Magazine #151 - 12/2006Published by GALILEO Publishing Co.,Ltd. 2-2-13 Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan Ground Power Website 53 pages cover Italian Armoured Cars of WWII with extensive coverage of the AB41 and 43. This includes many wartime photos including interior supplemented with excellent line drawings of the exterior and interior details including the engine and driver's controls as well as the gun. The Sahariana 42 is also featured with general wartime photos showing
the vehicle stowage to good advantage. |
Thanks to Italeri for the review kit.
Page created 22 June 2005