Hobbyboss has finally released the sprue pictures to April's two new kits, workhorses both in the air & on the ground & popular subjects. See sprues, colours, decals & artwork in our new item preview...
Hobbyboss' May new Item Preview
French R39 Light Infantry Tank
Model# 83893
1/35th scale
The Renault R35 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-rôle 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 in 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.
Model Length: 154.2mm Width: 52.9mm
Total of 10 sprues, upper hull, lower hull and turret
Photo-Etched Parts included
The kit consists of over 460 parts
Multi-slide moulded turret and upper hull
IDF Merkava Mk IV w/Trophy
Model# 84523
1/35th scale
The Israeli Ministry of Defence held the roll-out ceremony of the new main battle tank Merkava, Merkava 4, on 24 June 2002. The 65t Merkava 4 main battle tank entered full production in 2001 and will be in service with the Israel Defence Forces by 2004. The Ministry of Defence will manufacture between 50 and 70 Merkava 4 tanks per year and initial estimates indicate that up to 400 tanks will be manufactured. The Merkava 4 has been extensively improved and features new armour protection and gun and electronics systems.
The Merkava 4 is slightly larger than the Merkava 3 Baz, which has been in service with the IDF since 1990. The Merkava 3 is offered for export by SIBAT based in Tel Aviv. The Merkava 4 is not offered for export but the systems and components are exported. The tank is capable of carrying eight infantry soldiers, a Command Group or three litter patients (stretcher casualties) in addition to the tank crew of commander, loader, gunner and driver. The tank is capable of firing on the move at moving targets and has demonstrated high hit probability in firing against attack helicopters using conventional anti-tank munitions.
Model Length: 263.3mm, Width: 113.5mm
Total of 33 sprues, upper hull, lower hull and turret
Metal chain included
Photo-Etched Parts included
The kit consists of over 700 parts
Multi-slide moulded lower hull, upper hull and turret
Individual tracks included
