In Box Review of Italeri 1/35th Scale
Italian Semovente L40 da 47/32 Tank
Kit no. 6477
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: 20.25 pounds from the UK
Copyright of the kit is 2010
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: 20.25 pounds from the UK
Copyright of the kit is 2010
HISTORY:
The Semovente L. 40 da 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during World War II. It was created by mounting a Cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a L 6/40 light tank chassis.
Some were built as command tanks with a radio installed instead of the main gun. An 8 mm machine gun disguised as the 47 mm main gun was used on these versions to make them look like a regular Semovente 47/32s.
About 300 Semoventi da 47/32 were built from 1941 onward. The Semovente da 47/32 was the most heavily armed Italian armoured fighting vehicle used on the Eastern Front.
While the 47 mm gun was adequate for 1941, by the time the Semovente reached the field it was already outdated and ineffective against enemy medium tanks, and therefore the vehicle was not particularly successful.
After the Italian armistice in September 1943, the German Army took all Semovente 47/32s they could get hold of for their own use. The German designation was StuG L6 47/32 630(i).
Some of these were provided to Germany's Croatian puppet state and the Slovene Home Guard.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Self-propelled gun
Place of origin: Kingdom of Italy
In service: 1942–45
Used by: Kingdom of Italy, Nazi Germany, Independent State of Croatia, Tsardom of Bulgaria
Wars: World War II
No. built: 282[1]
Variants: Carro comando plotone, Carro comando compagnia
Weight: 6.5 t (14,000 lb)
Length: 3.820 m (150.4 in)
Width: 1.860 m (73.2 in)
Height: 1.690 m (66.5 in)
Crew: 3 (commander, driver, loader)
Armour: Front: 30 mm (1.2 in), Sides: 14.5 mm (0.57 in),
Floor: 6 mm (0.24 in)
Main armament: 1 × 47 mm Cannone da 47/32 AT gun with 70 rounds
Engine: SPA 18 VT I4 petrol of 68 hp (51 kW) at 2,500 rpm
Ground clearance: 40 cm (16 in)
Operational range: 200 km (120 mi)
Speed: 42 km/h (26 mph) on roads, 25 km/h (16 mph) off roads
The Semovente L. 40 da 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during World War II. It was created by mounting a Cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a L 6/40 light tank chassis.
Some were built as command tanks with a radio installed instead of the main gun. An 8 mm machine gun disguised as the 47 mm main gun was used on these versions to make them look like a regular Semovente 47/32s.
About 300 Semoventi da 47/32 were built from 1941 onward. The Semovente da 47/32 was the most heavily armed Italian armoured fighting vehicle used on the Eastern Front.
While the 47 mm gun was adequate for 1941, by the time the Semovente reached the field it was already outdated and ineffective against enemy medium tanks, and therefore the vehicle was not particularly successful.
After the Italian armistice in September 1943, the German Army took all Semovente 47/32s they could get hold of for their own use. The German designation was StuG L6 47/32 630(i).
Some of these were provided to Germany's Croatian puppet state and the Slovene Home Guard.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Self-propelled gun
Place of origin: Kingdom of Italy
In service: 1942–45
Used by: Kingdom of Italy, Nazi Germany, Independent State of Croatia, Tsardom of Bulgaria
Wars: World War II
No. built: 282[1]
Variants: Carro comando plotone, Carro comando compagnia
Weight: 6.5 t (14,000 lb)
Length: 3.820 m (150.4 in)
Width: 1.860 m (73.2 in)
Height: 1.690 m (66.5 in)
Crew: 3 (commander, driver, loader)
Armour: Front: 30 mm (1.2 in), Sides: 14.5 mm (0.57 in),
Floor: 6 mm (0.24 in)
Main armament: 1 × 47 mm Cannone da 47/32 AT gun with 70 rounds
Engine: SPA 18 VT I4 petrol of 68 hp (51 kW) at 2,500 rpm
Ground clearance: 40 cm (16 in)
Operational range: 200 km (120 mi)
Speed: 42 km/h (26 mph) on roads, 25 km/h (16 mph) off roads
THE KIT:
Italeri is an old prolific model company based in Italy. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a tray and lid type box that is not shrink-wrapped. Instead it is held shut with two circular pieces of scotch tape.
The box art shows a Semovente L40 da 47/32 moving down a dirt road. It is overall light-sand. It has a blue rectangle with two white vertical stripes on it on the sides of the hull. On the nose there is two white plates. The plate on the left has RE and some smaller marks on it. The plate on the right has 4249 on it.
This Semovente was with an unknown anti-tank unit, Sicily, early 1943.
The box art says there are decals in the kit for 3 versions and photo-etched fret.
One side panel says the kit makes up to be 10.9 cm long (a little over 4")
This is followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in English and Italian marked with color illustrations of the flags of the UK and Italy, followed by 2 color profiles of the Semovente L40 da 47/32:
THE KIT:
Italeri is an old prolific model company based in Italy. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a tray and lid type box that is not shrink-wrapped. Instead it is held shut with two circular pieces of scotch tape.
The box art shows a Semovente L40 da 47/32 moving down a dirt road. It is overall light-sand. It has a blue rectangle with two white vertical stripes on it on the sides of the hull. On the nose there is two white plates. The plate on the left has RE and some smaller marks on it. The plate on the right has 4249 on it.
This Semovente was with an unknown anti-tank unit, Sicily, early 1943.
The box art says there are decals in the kit for 3 versions and photo-etched fret.
One side panel says the kit makes up to be 10.9 cm long (a little over 4")
This is followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in English and Italian marked with color illustrations of the flags of the UK and Italy, followed by 2 color profiles of the Semovente L40 da 47/32:
1. With a German Unknown anti-partisan unit, Northern Italy, early 1944. It is in a base of earth yellow with splotches of red-brown and dark-green with a German cross on the sides of the hull. It has very large German cross on the rar of the hull and a white license plate with BE over 5282 on it and another white license plate on the front with just the numbers repeated..
2. With an unknown Italian anti-tank unit, Corsica, December 1942. It is overall Italian sand with a red rectangle with 2 white vertical stripes on it under a number 3. It has 2 white license plates on the front. The left one has RE and some smaller marks on it. The right one has the number 5720. The white plate on the left rear of the tank combines the markings RE and the number 5720 on it.
The other side panel begins with Italeri's web and street address in Italy and MADE IN ITALY. It says that glue and paint are not included, but decals and instructions are, in multiple languages, including English.
The kit is intended for collectors age 14 and older. It may vary from the box illustration.
Copyright date given for the kit is 2010.
Illustrations of all the kit parts is shown.
2. With an unknown Italian anti-tank unit, Corsica, December 1942. It is overall Italian sand with a red rectangle with 2 white vertical stripes on it under a number 3. It has 2 white license plates on the front. The left one has RE and some smaller marks on it. The right one has the number 5720. The white plate on the left rear of the tank combines the markings RE and the number 5720 on it.
The other side panel begins with Italeri's web and street address in Italy and MADE IN ITALY. It says that glue and paint are not included, but decals and instructions are, in multiple languages, including English.
The kit is intended for collectors age 14 and older. It may vary from the box illustration.
Copyright date given for the kit is 2010.
Illustrations of all the kit parts is shown.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
This kit contains 4 light-grey parts trees in 2 sealed cello bags, a brass PE fret and a clear sheet with die cut headlight lenses on it and the decal sheet in a stapled shut cello bag.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 8 1/2" x 13 1/2" page format.
Page one has one-paragraph histories of the Amovente on it, in English, Italian, German, French, Spanish and Dutch.
The bottom of the page says the kit is for modelers 14 and older.
Page 2 begins with ATTENION instructions in the 6 languages, over the parts trees illustrations for the plastic trees and a symbol meaning to drill holes.
Page 3 begins with an illustration of the brass PE fret and a suggested listing of Model Master brand hobby paints.
The bottom of the page has the first 2 assembly steps on it.
Page 4 through 8 give a balance of a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 8 has the decal application instructions in 9 languages, including English.
Page 9 has two 3-views on it. They are the Italian tanks at Corsica and Sicily (already described above).
Page 10 has another 3-view of the German anti-partisan unil vehicle in Northern Italy (also already described above).
At the bottom of the page is a coupon to mail to Italeri asking for any service needed with the kit.
Large light-grey letter A tree holds: the hull sides, floor rear deck roof and its doors, seats, tools, transmission, idler wheels, drive shaft, bogie parts, fenders, step rings, control lever etc. (49 parts)
One part is shaded out as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
This kit contains 4 light-grey parts trees in 2 sealed cello bags, a brass PE fret and a clear sheet with die cut headlight lenses on it and the decal sheet in a stapled shut cello bag.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 8 1/2" x 13 1/2" page format.
Page one has one-paragraph histories of the Amovente on it, in English, Italian, German, French, Spanish and Dutch.
The bottom of the page says the kit is for modelers 14 and older.
Page 2 begins with ATTENION instructions in the 6 languages, over the parts trees illustrations for the plastic trees and a symbol meaning to drill holes.
Page 3 begins with an illustration of the brass PE fret and a suggested listing of Model Master brand hobby paints.
The bottom of the page has the first 2 assembly steps on it.
Page 4 through 8 give a balance of a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 8 has the decal application instructions in 9 languages, including English.
Page 9 has two 3-views on it. They are the Italian tanks at Corsica and Sicily (already described above).
Page 10 has another 3-view of the German anti-partisan unil vehicle in Northern Italy (also already described above).
At the bottom of the page is a coupon to mail to Italeri asking for any service needed with the kit.
Large light-grey letter A tree holds: the hull sides, floor rear deck roof and its doors, seats, tools, transmission, idler wheels, drive shaft, bogie parts, fenders, step rings, control lever etc. (49 parts)
One part is shaded out as being excess and not needed to complete the kit.
There are two identical medium-sized light-grey letter B trees. They each hold: road wheels, drive sprockets, return rollers, link and length type tracks, more bogie parts, shift levers etc. (81 parts each).
One part on just one of the 2 trees is shaded out.
One part on just one of the 2 trees is shaded out.
Medium-sized light-grey letter C tree holds: fighting compartment walls, a rolled roof tarp, main gun barrel and breech parts etc. (40 parts).
The die cut clear sheet has 2 headlight lenses covers on it. One is shaded out as being excess.
I have several sets of MV brand reflector headlight lenses and will use one of those on this kit.
The brass PE fret holds: hatch hinges, license plates, alternate muffler guards - a solid one and a screened one etc. (11 parts)
The brass PE fret holds: hatch hinges, license plates, alternate muffler guards - a solid one and a screened one etc. (11 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents.
This is a very nicely detailed kit, both inside and out. I only wish it had a driver figure included.
The open top configuration of it cries for one.
Othewise highly recommended.
I purchased my kit years ago at my local hobby shop.
The open top configuration of it cries for one.
Othewise highly recommended.
I purchased my kit years ago at my local hobby shop.