In Box Review of Heller-Humbrol 1/35th Scale French Renault R-35 Tank
Army of the World Series
Kit no. 8133
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1982. The 2000 re-boxing of the kit is available at 6 locations overseas or at Mega Hobby for $31.46 and at Kit Linx for $29.60. I paid $18.00 for my kit back in the 80's.
Kit no. 8133
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1982. The 2000 re-boxing of the kit is available at 6 locations overseas or at Mega Hobby for $31.46 and at Kit Linx for $29.60. I paid $18.00 for my kit back in the 80's.
HISTORY:
The Renault R35, an abbreviation of Char léger Modèle 1935 R or R 35, was a French light infantry tank of the Second World War.
Designed from 1933 and produced from 1936, the type was intended as a light infantry support tank, equipping autonomous tank battalions, that would be allocated to individual infantry divisions to assist them in executing offensive operations.
To this end it was relatively well-armoured but slow and lacking a good antitank-capacity, fitted with a short 37 mm gun. At the outbreak of the war, the antitank-role was more emphasized leading to the development and eventual production from April 1940 of a subtype with a more powerful longer gun, the Renault R40.
It was planned to shift new production capacity to the manufacture of other, faster, types, but due to the defeat of France the R35/40 remained the most numerous French tank of the war, about 1685 vehicles having been produced by June 1940.
At that moment it had also been exported to Poland, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. For the remainder of the war Germany and its allies would use captured vehicles, some of them rebuilt into tank destroyers.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Overall length: 4.02 m
Overall width: 1.87 m
Overall height: 2.13 m
Wheelbase: 3.35 m
Caterpillar track: 1,565 m
Total weight in running order: 10,600 kg
Engine: Renault 4 cylinder in-line, water-cooled
Cubic capacity: 5878 cc
Real power: 82 hp at 2,200 rpm
Gearbox: 4 forward speeds, 1 reverse
Maximum speed on roads: 20 kph
Average speed on varied terrain: 6 kph
Maximum slope: 75 %
The Renault R35, an abbreviation of Char léger Modèle 1935 R or R 35, was a French light infantry tank of the Second World War.
Designed from 1933 and produced from 1936, the type was intended as a light infantry support tank, equipping autonomous tank battalions, that would be allocated to individual infantry divisions to assist them in executing offensive operations.
To this end it was relatively well-armoured but slow and lacking a good antitank-capacity, fitted with a short 37 mm gun. At the outbreak of the war, the antitank-role was more emphasized leading to the development and eventual production from April 1940 of a subtype with a more powerful longer gun, the Renault R40.
It was planned to shift new production capacity to the manufacture of other, faster, types, but due to the defeat of France the R35/40 remained the most numerous French tank of the war, about 1685 vehicles having been produced by June 1940.
At that moment it had also been exported to Poland, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia. For the remainder of the war Germany and its allies would use captured vehicles, some of them rebuilt into tank destroyers.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Overall length: 4.02 m
Overall width: 1.87 m
Overall height: 2.13 m
Wheelbase: 3.35 m
Caterpillar track: 1,565 m
Total weight in running order: 10,600 kg
Engine: Renault 4 cylinder in-line, water-cooled
Cubic capacity: 5878 cc
Real power: 82 hp at 2,200 rpm
Gearbox: 4 forward speeds, 1 reverse
Maximum speed on roads: 20 kph
Average speed on varied terrain: 6 kph
Maximum slope: 75 %
THE KIT:
Heller-Humbrol was a prolific old model company based in Paris, France. They made all manner of model subjects in the popular scales. They went out of business.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type blousy box. It is 3" too long and 2" too wide, creating a letter "L" void around the parts inside.
The box art shows a color photo of the model made up. It is in a wave pattern of sand-yellow and green, with a white circle and a blue 3-pedaled shamrock outlined in white on the sides of the turret and a white exploding grenade symbol with 1 on it on the sides of the hull.
There is a French tricolor flag on the bow with a white number 500 46.
One side panel has a small color profile of the box art scheme and a R-35 that is overall khaki with a white triangle with a black ace-of-spades on it on the turret sides. It has a white exploding grenade symbol with a dark unrecognizable symbol on it on the sides of the hull and a white 50123 over the tricolor French flag on the left side of the rear of the hull.
Heller-Humbrol was a prolific old model company based in Paris, France. They made all manner of model subjects in the popular scales. They went out of business.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type blousy box. It is 3" too long and 2" too wide, creating a letter "L" void around the parts inside.
The box art shows a color photo of the model made up. It is in a wave pattern of sand-yellow and green, with a white circle and a blue 3-pedaled shamrock outlined in white on the sides of the turret and a white exploding grenade symbol with 1 on it on the sides of the hull.
There is a French tricolor flag on the bow with a white number 500 46.
One side panel has a small color profile of the box art scheme and a R-35 that is overall khaki with a white triangle with a black ace-of-spades on it on the turret sides. It has a white exploding grenade symbol with a dark unrecognizable symbol on it on the sides of the hull and a white 50123 over the tricolor French flag on the left side of the rear of the hull.
The other side has the R-35 version of the model and descriptions of the model in 8 languages. There is also a recommended age of of 14 to build the model and suggested paints for Humbrol and Heller to finish the model with.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 4 dark-green trees, black vinyl treads and tow cable and a length of brass metal chain in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a staple bound booklet of 10 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a line-drawing side view of the R-35 over specifications of the tank in 8 languages, including English.
Page 2 is the painting and marking instructions with two 5-views:
1. The box art subject (already described above).
2. The second scheme on the side panel (already described too).
Page 3 through 8 give a total of 15 assembly steps.
Page 9 begins with international assembly symbol explanations over general modeling advice and suggested paint color listing in 8 languages, including English.
Page 10 has more general comments about the kit in 6 languages, including English.
The parts trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. They do have part number tabs next to the parts on them however.
The 1st dark-green tree holds: turret parts, vision blocks, main gun, hatch lids, lift hooks etc. (31 parts)
This kit contains 4 dark-green trees, black vinyl treads and tow cable and a length of brass metal chain in a sealed clear cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a staple bound booklet of 10 pages in 8 1/4" x 11 3/4" page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a line-drawing side view of the R-35 over specifications of the tank in 8 languages, including English.
Page 2 is the painting and marking instructions with two 5-views:
1. The box art subject (already described above).
2. The second scheme on the side panel (already described too).
Page 3 through 8 give a total of 15 assembly steps.
Page 9 begins with international assembly symbol explanations over general modeling advice and suggested paint color listing in 8 languages, including English.
Page 10 has more general comments about the kit in 6 languages, including English.
The parts trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. They do have part number tabs next to the parts on them however.
The 1st dark-green tree holds: turret parts, vision blocks, main gun, hatch lids, lift hooks etc. (31 parts)
The 2nd dark-green tree holds: 2 figures (divided into separate front and rear bodies, heads, arms, legs), leather helmets, pistol holsters, leather pouch (19 parts)
The 3rd dark-green tree holds: bogies, drive sprockets, springs, tools, rolled tarp, hull front and rear walls etc. (86 parts)
The 4th dark-green tree holds: the hull floor, sides, top, fenders, road wheels, idler wheels, jack, shovel etc. (28 parts)
Next is the 2 runs of black vinyl treads and a tow cable (3 parts)
The decal sheet has a tissue to protect its face. It and the length of brass metal chain complete the kits contents.
Nice external detail. However, no interior details and no clear parts included.
Highly recommended.