Renault FT Light Tank
Matchbox 1:76 Scale Vehicle Review
The Matchbox 1:76 scale Renault FT light tank comes with the riveted, octagonal turret produced by Berliet, it may be built with a 37 mm SA18 Puteaux tank gun or an 8 mm Hotchkiss machine gun.
Contents
- Char Léger Renault FT
- Char B1.bis
- French Tank Commander
- French Infantryman, marching (3)
- Mini Diorama: Ruined House with Garden Wall
Evaluation
Excellent choice of subject. The Renault FT is a legendary vehicle which served in both World Wars, and it is immediately recognizable by its unique design. The vehicle was copied by other nations, and a very similar K.C. light tank, known as "Ruskij-Reno", saw training and combat duty in the Soviet Army as late as 1941.
Scale model with much raised detail.
Two variants: riveted, octagonal Berliet “omnibus” turret with 8 mm Hotchkiss MG or with the 37 mm L.21 Puteaux gun.
Easy to assemble, only 35 parts. The running gear consists of six parts each, and the rubber tracks fit perfectly.
High quality kit. Parts fit very well and there is minimal flash.
Compatible with Airfix, Fujimi, Nitto, and VAC-U-CAST.
Char B1.bis included in the kit, an important vehicle of World War 2. The combination of these two tanks in one kit is not particularly practical, they did not serve alongside each other in the same formations. Anyone buying the kit for the World War 1 version of the Renault FT light tank will be left with an unwanted Char B1.bis which saw its first action in the next war.
Matchbox deserves praise for offering the legendary Renault sFT light tank, which served in both World Wars and in the interim period. This kit is a must-have for simulation gamers, modellers, and collectors interested in modern warfare. The Renault FT is unique in design, it’s easy to identify, and the vehicle looks great in one of the French multi-colour camouflage patterns. The old Airfix French World War 1 infantry figures have just been re-released by HäT Industrie, and they go very well with the Matchbox model of the Renault FT.