In-Boxed: Panhard AML-90 Light Armoured Car
Manufacturer – Tiger Model
Kit Number - 4635
Scale - 1/35
Price - £52, ¥6,750, US$65, €58
from Hobbylink Japan
This new kit includes;
•
Full Interior
•
Poseable crew hatches
•
Metal Barrels
•
Photo-etched detailing
Tiger Models have been steadily increasing their range over
the last few years and, in that time, they seem to have developed a liking for
Cold War/modern French subjects. We've seen various AMX-10's and Panhard VBL's,
and now the latest to join the roster is the Panhard AML-90 armoured car. I do
like this trend, as it makes a pleasant change from the usual Russian and
American choices for modern armour models, so I was keen to see what Tiger's
latest release held in store.
The AML (Auto Mitrailleuse Légère, or Light Armoured Car) is a fast and long-ranged armoured car designed by Panhard in 1959. Developed initially as a private venture, and based in part on the Daimler Ferret, the design went into full production in 1960, By the time the production line closed around 1980, over 4,000 vehicles had been built, with examples serving in the armed forces of over 50 nations.
Several versions of the AML were
developed over it's lifetime, with the designations generally indicating the
main turret-mounted weapon. The AML-90 was fitted with a DEFA low-pressure 90mm
rifled gun, and was designed to engage and destroy Soviet light airborne armour
such as the ASU-57 and ASU-85. The main gun was backed up with a coaxial
mounted 7.62mm machine gun.
Powered by a 90 hp Panhard 4 cylinder
petrol engine, the AML has a maximum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h), with an
operation range of around 370 miles (600 km). The armoured hulls were assembled
from 13 welded panels, with the driver seated centrally at the front of the
vehicle and the turret basket directly behind. The engine sat at the rear,
separated from the fighting compartment by a removable firewall.
The Kit
The model comes in a fairly compact
box, adorned with some attractive artwork. The boxtop illustration and general
packaging design is very reminiscent of that used on Tamiya's 1/48 armour
range, and makes a very good first impression. Inside you'll find six sprues in
a sand-coloured styrene, plus one clear sprue for the periscopes and lights. In
addition, there are several individual styrene mouldings for the larger
components. Beyond the plastic parts, you'll find a set of synthetic rubber
tyres, and an intriguing bag of goodies that contains some things you'd expect,
along with some things you probably wouldn't. Rounding out the contents are the
instruction manual and separate painting guide.
Sprue A
The first sprue holds a lot of the
larger external components, such as the wheels, side doors, and the
front-mounted sand channels. There's also the onboard tools and some nicely
sculpted tarp rolls. Tiger seems to have done a good job of keeping the parts on
each sprue dedicated to specific sections of the build, rather than having
parts randomly spread across all the sprues. Top marks there, and something
that other manufacturers should take note of.
Sprue B
Here we've got parts for the engine and
transmission, along with a host of small detail parts for the crew compartment.
This is a full interior kit, which isn't always everyone's cup of tea, but
Tiger seems to have kept the detail to a sensible level, and the construction
looks to be pretty straight forward.
Sprue C
While the previous sprue held most of
the parts for the main hull interior, sprue C does the same for the turret. The
quality of the moulding across this, and all the other sprues, is very high.
The details are sharp and well defined, with no flash or other nasties to be
found.
Sprue F (x2)
Two duplicate sprues holding the
styrene tyres, which can be used as an option to the synthetic rubber
alternatives. It's really nice to see a manufacturer giving the option of
styrene or rubber for the tyres, as many modellers have preferences for one or
the other.
The detail on the styrene tyres is some
of the best I've seen, with the subtle rippling on the sidewalls, and a full
set of manufacturer logos present. There's also no amusing spelling mistakes to
get around licensing issues. I don't know if Tiger has actually licensed any of
the brand names appearing on the kit (my guess is they haven't), but it's great
to see the correct logos in place all the same.
Tiger has also used a very neat
assembly method for the tyres, where the tread blocks on the side walls extend
over a separate central tread ring. That should help hide any assembly seams.
Sprue H
The last of the sand-coloured sprues
just hold the two main hull halves. These have been moulded with surface
detail on both the inner and outer sides.
The detailing on the inner side is very
nice, featuring control boxes and cabling running fore to aft. There are quite
a few ejector pin marks too, but given how little you'll see of these areas,
even with the hatches open, it's probably not worth going too crazy on cleaning
them up.
Sprue Q
The final sprue holds the clear parts
for the periscopes and the lenses for the headlights and searchlight. Not much
to be said here – they're all cleanly moulded and clear, which is all you need
them to be.
The larger parts of Hull & Turret
The remaining styrene parts are individual mouldings for the larger components. The upper hull comes as a single piece with the front fenders moulded integrally. The turret is supplied as a single upper part, with a separate lower plate, and a mounting ring for the hull.
The upper hull as cut-outs for the
driver's hatch and the engine access panels, so you'll be able to make the most
of the interior details.
The floor panel for the main hull
features some very nice tread detail which should remain fairly visible through
the side doors.
The vinyl tyres are fine and will be a
fast option for those who want to use them. Personally, I'd recommend sticking
with the styrene alternatives as they'll look better, and be far easier to paint
and weather. The vinyl tyres do have one advantage over the styrene ones in
that the outer tread blocks around the shoulders have an angled edge, which is
the correct profile. The corresponding blocks on the styrene tyres are square,
probably due to moulding limitations. In the grand scheme of things though, I
think that's a small negative set against the bigger positives of using the
plastic versions.
Extras
Nestled in amongst the sprues, you'll
find a resealable bag holding all the extra goodies included with the kit. Some
of the contents are fairly routine, such as the decals and the clear sprue we
looked at above. There are, however, a few more unusual additions too in the
form of metal barrels for both the main gun and coaxial MG, and a set of metal
springs for the suspension. Rounding out the package are two small photo-etch
frets.
The barrels are nicely done, with the
90mm in aluminium, and the coaxial MG in brass. The MG barrel is a little
simplified compared to what you'd get from an aftermarket supplier, with basic
drilled indentations representing the holes in the cooling shroud, but metal
barrels are welcome additions all the same. There's no styrene alternative for
the main barrel, although you do get a plastic option for the MG.
The suspension springs are, well...
springs. Critically, Tiger has got the wire gauge and appearance correct, so
they actually look like a suspension spring. It's important to note that the
kit doesn't include working suspension, so the springs are only for cosmetic
purposes, but they certainly look much better than having the springs
moulded as part of the suspension strut.
Photo Etch
Two small frets of PE are included, one
in plain brass, and a nickel-plated one carrying the rear stowage bin.
As I mentioned earlier, Tiger hasn't
concerned themselves with licensing issues, so you'll find a nice little
Panhard makers plaque on the PE fret.
Decals
Only a small decal sheet is included, as
there aren't many markings on the two included schemes. What's on there though
is fairly well printed – maybe a few small registration issues, but nothing
that would really show up on the finished build.
Instructions and Markings
The instruction manual comes in the
form of a stapled black and white booklet that is oh-so reminiscent of Tamiya,
featuring the same kind of clear line drawn build steps as the big T. 24 steps
cover the build, all of which look pretty straight forward and simple.
You get a choice of two marking
options, both French Army examples, one in over-all olive drab and one in NATO
tri-colour camo. The colour painting guide has been produced in cooperation
with AMMO, with the colour references listing their paint range. Unfortunately,
there are no colour call-outs for the interior details, so you'll have to find
your own references in that regard.
This looks to be a really nice release
by Tiger Models and, as mentioned at the start, it's great to see something a
little more unusual coming from manufacturers, rather than more Panthers and
Tigers. The quality of the mouldings is very high, and those extras make the
kit feel a little more special. For a full interior model, the build also looks
to be fairly straight forward and hassle-free. We'll find out for sure when I
get started on the construction, but from what I've seen so far, the kit comes
highly recommended.
Andy Moore
You can get this kit from Tiger Model's Distributor's Worldwide, or at this link on the Hobbylink Japan Website
Instructions:
