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Polish 75mm 1897 Schneider in 1/72...

...a double kit from First to Fight models

First to Fight is a Polish range of 1/72 injection moulded kits and they are a bit different because each one comes along with a magazine detailing the history of the subject, though all in Polish.  It gives some history of the subject, along with some archive photos, and a larger colour profiles than on the box, so give you the paint scheme for your model.  With this recent releases of the 75mm 1897 Schneider artillery piece, it is of course the famous French 75, widely used in WW1 and WW2.  There are two complete kits in the box with this one and they go together well.

The assembly instructions are on the back of the box, using an exploded diagram.  I must say it is very small, and like the colour scheme, could usefully have been reproduced in the magazine in a larger format, so easier to see.  The main trail is on two halves and this needs some filler once they are fixed together.  There are the control wheels on the carriage, the seats for the gunner and layer, the brakes and in this instance, the large pneumatic tyred wheels used in WW2.  One or two parts are very finely done, so you need to be careful in removing them from the sprue and cleaning up the cuts.  The detail is neatly done and the guns quick enough to build.  I used Deluxe Material's 'Perfect Plastic Putty', which I find to be the best filler and easy to use, to deal with the join line on the main trail and then they are ready for paint.  They suggest Vallejo colours but I used the Polish AFV Camouflage colours from Hataka, another brand of acrylic paints, and the ones I choose for Polish camouflage finishes.  One of the guns I camouflaged and the other I left in plain green.

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The First to Fight kits are imported to the UK by Tiger Hobbies Ltd, where I bought my example.

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Robin

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