In Box Review of Mirage 1/35th Scale
French Renault UE Tankette
Kit no. 35307
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2000
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $12.99
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 2000
Available at 1001 Hobbies for $12.99
HISTORY:
The Renault UE Chenillette was a light tracked armoured carrier and prime mover produced by France between 1932 and 1940. In 1930 the French Infantry decided to develop a light armoured vehicle able to tow and supply small cannon and mortars.
In 1931 the Renault company was given the contract for production of its Renault UE, combined with the Renault UK trailer. In 1937, from a number of competitors, the Renault UE2 was chosen as an improved type for large-scale production.
Of both types combined over five thousand were built, including licence production in Romania, and they were part of the standard equipment of all French infantry divisions. Most Renault UE vehicles in French service were unarmed; those in 1940 captured by Germany were used for a variety of purposes, including being armed with machine-guns, anti tank-guns and rocket artillery.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Prime mover
Place of origin: France
Used by: France, Nazi Germany, Thailand, Romania, Republic of China, Iron Guard
Designer: Renault
Manufacturer: Renault, AMX, Berliet, Fouga, Malaxa
Produced: 1932 - March 1941
No. built: 5,168 France, 126 Romania
Variants: UE 2, Senileta Malaxa Tip UE
Mass: 2.64 t (5,800 lb)
Length: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Width: 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Height: 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in)
Crew: two
Armor: 9 mm (0.35 in)
Main armament: 7.5 mm MAC for the last UE 2 production run
Engine: Renault 85 of 38 hp (28 kW)
Payload capacity: 350 kg (770 lb) in cargo bin; 950 kg (2,090 lb) with trailer
Suspension: leaf spring
Ground clearance: 30 cm (12 in)
Fuel capacity: 56 L (12 imp gal)
Operational range: 100 km (62 mi)
Maximum speed: 30 km/h (19 mph)
The Renault UE Chenillette was a light tracked armoured carrier and prime mover produced by France between 1932 and 1940. In 1930 the French Infantry decided to develop a light armoured vehicle able to tow and supply small cannon and mortars.
In 1931 the Renault company was given the contract for production of its Renault UE, combined with the Renault UK trailer. In 1937, from a number of competitors, the Renault UE2 was chosen as an improved type for large-scale production.
Of both types combined over five thousand were built, including licence production in Romania, and they were part of the standard equipment of all French infantry divisions. Most Renault UE vehicles in French service were unarmed; those in 1940 captured by Germany were used for a variety of purposes, including being armed with machine-guns, anti tank-guns and rocket artillery.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Prime mover
Place of origin: France
Used by: France, Nazi Germany, Thailand, Romania, Republic of China, Iron Guard
Designer: Renault
Manufacturer: Renault, AMX, Berliet, Fouga, Malaxa
Produced: 1932 - March 1941
No. built: 5,168 France, 126 Romania
Variants: UE 2, Senileta Malaxa Tip UE
Mass: 2.64 t (5,800 lb)
Length: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Width: 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Height: 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in)
Crew: two
Armor: 9 mm (0.35 in)
Main armament: 7.5 mm MAC for the last UE 2 production run
Engine: Renault 85 of 38 hp (28 kW)
Payload capacity: 350 kg (770 lb) in cargo bin; 950 kg (2,090 lb) with trailer
Suspension: leaf spring
Ground clearance: 30 cm (12 in)
Fuel capacity: 56 L (12 imp gal)
Operational range: 100 km (62 mi)
Maximum speed: 30 km/h (19 mph)
THE KIT:
Mirage is an old prolific model company based in Warsaw, Poland. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped end opening type box. It is 3” too long and 2” too wide. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a Renault UE on a snow covered path in a woods, passing a knocked-out U.S. Sherman tank.
The UE is in a base of earth yellow with a criss-cross pattern of white stripes on it and a large German cross on the sides of the rear tall machine gun compartment.
The Sherman is overall olive-green with a heavy winter white-wash coting on it and a white circled star on its turret sides.
One side panel has a yellow sticker on it that says the kit is imported and distributed by Air Connections in Ontario, Canada and it gives their phone and FAX numbers.
It says also that the kit is suitable for ages 6 to adult. It contains decals and instructions for assembly and paint and plastic adhesive are not included.
This is all said in German, English and Polish. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks that language. This is followed by a small color repeat of the just the UE’s image off the box art.
Mirage is an old prolific model company based in Warsaw, Poland. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped end opening type box. It is 3” too long and 2” too wide. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a Renault UE on a snow covered path in a woods, passing a knocked-out U.S. Sherman tank.
The UE is in a base of earth yellow with a criss-cross pattern of white stripes on it and a large German cross on the sides of the rear tall machine gun compartment.
The Sherman is overall olive-green with a heavy winter white-wash coting on it and a white circled star on its turret sides.
One side panel has a yellow sticker on it that says the kit is imported and distributed by Air Connections in Ontario, Canada and it gives their phone and FAX numbers.
It says also that the kit is suitable for ages 6 to adult. It contains decals and instructions for assembly and paint and plastic adhesive are not included.
This is all said in German, English and Polish. Each language is labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks that language. This is followed by a small color repeat of the just the UE’s image off the box art.
The other side panel just repeats the UE’s image off the box art again.
The bottom of the box is the marking and painting guide. It shows two side views of the UE variant with the rear machine gun compartment.
1. Overall Panzer-grey with a large German cross on the sides of the tall machine gun compartment. As it appeared in Russia in 1942/43.
2. A base of earth-yellow with large dark-green and red-brown circles. It too has a large German cross on the sides of the tall machine gun compartment. As it appeared at the Ardennes in the winter of 1944/45.
1. Overall Panzer-grey with a large German cross on the sides of the tall machine gun compartment. As it appeared in Russia in 1942/43.
2. A base of earth-yellow with large dark-green and red-brown circles. It too has a large German cross on the sides of the tall machine gun compartment. As it appeared at the Ardennes in the winter of 1944/45.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 4 chalk-white parts trees in a large sealed cello bag and the decal sheet (stapled to a corner of the instructions) and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 ½” x 12” page format. Folded once again to fit the box.
Page 1 begins at the top with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history and specifications of the UE in Polish only. Mirage’s address, phone and FAX numbers in Warsaw, Poland are provided.
Page 2 begins with a suggested paint color listing in Polish.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a grand total of 11 assembly steps. These steps are only numbered 1 to 8 in Roman numerals.
Step numbered 7 is for the assembly of the UE with the tall machine gun turret and compartment on its rear.
Step numbered 8 is for assembly of the UE variant with just an open topped storage bin on it and not the tall machine gun turret and compartment.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
There are 2 identical chalk-white letter A trees. They hold: road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels, domes, link and length type track links etc. (53 parts each)
This kit holds 4 chalk-white parts trees in a large sealed cello bag and the decal sheet (stapled to a corner of the instructions) and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages in 8 ½” x 12” page format. Folded once again to fit the box.
Page 1 begins at the top with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history and specifications of the UE in Polish only. Mirage’s address, phone and FAX numbers in Warsaw, Poland are provided.
Page 2 begins with a suggested paint color listing in Polish.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 4 gives a grand total of 11 assembly steps. These steps are only numbered 1 to 8 in Roman numerals.
Step numbered 7 is for the assembly of the UE with the tall machine gun turret and compartment on its rear.
Step numbered 8 is for assembly of the UE variant with just an open topped storage bin on it and not the tall machine gun turret and compartment.
Trees are alphabetized, but not illustrated in the instructions.
There are 2 identical chalk-white letter A trees. They hold: road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels, domes, link and length type track links etc. (53 parts each)
Chalk-white letter B tree holds: the top, bottom, sides, rear open-topped storage bin parts etc.(36 parts)
Chalk-white letter C tree holds the rear machine gun compartment parts (15 parts)
The small decal sheet completes the kits contents.
There are no crew figures included or clear parts and no interior details.
Externally the detail is quite nice.
A friend of mine who lived in the next city to me (Hiawatha, IA) was an avid collector of military stuff etc. He went to Aberdeen, MD and purchased a French UE and hauled it home. He was going to restore it to working condition, but never got that finished before he died.
His wife sold his shop and their home and both were leveled to the ground and she and his daughter are gone heaven knows where. I wonder what happened to the UE and all the other collectibles he had.
He had a foundry in Chicago make duplicates of the Renault nameplate that was on the nose of this tank. He gave me one. However, he ground off smooth the top lever of the face of it and removed the serial number and SS runes that were on the original.
The UE had obviously been used by the Germans after the fall of France.
Here are some shots of the UE sitting outside his shop and a shot of the name plate.
Externally the detail is quite nice.
A friend of mine who lived in the next city to me (Hiawatha, IA) was an avid collector of military stuff etc. He went to Aberdeen, MD and purchased a French UE and hauled it home. He was going to restore it to working condition, but never got that finished before he died.
His wife sold his shop and their home and both were leveled to the ground and she and his daughter are gone heaven knows where. I wonder what happened to the UE and all the other collectibles he had.
He had a foundry in Chicago make duplicates of the Renault nameplate that was on the nose of this tank. He gave me one. However, he ground off smooth the top lever of the face of it and removed the serial number and SS runes that were on the original.
The UE had obviously been used by the Germans after the fall of France.
Here are some shots of the UE sitting outside his shop and a shot of the name plate.
Highly recommended.