1/35 French FT-17 Light Tank (Riveted Turret) Meng #TS-011 Factory

I need to clear some space on my shelves, so I have got to part with some of my collection. Meng is a relative newcomer to the model world but has established a stellar reputation for innovation and quality. They started with some more obscure subjects and even ventured into the super distorted world with the World War Toons line of tanks, but this is their second release of the WWI Renault FT-17 light tank. The previous Cast Turret release had a full interior, but this release (Riveted Turret) does not. It has a partial interior, but a compelling diorama base is included instead. There are dozens of eBay listings for this kit (most are coming from China or Europe), but as a Top Rated Plus US Seller, I have this in stock and can reliably ship this kit very quickly. Here is what I have learned about this state-of-the-art kit: The Meng website has a nice page for this kit with the tremendous box art and ten photos of an assembled, painted model on the amazing diorama base included in the kit. They provide a link to download the instruction set and also present the following information about the subject and their kit: The FT-17 Light tank was developed by French during WWI, Its revolutionary configuration - crew compartment at the front, separate engine compartment at the back, drive sprocket at the back, idler wheel at the front, a rotating turret at the front central, full-view commander compartment – has become and remained the standard tank layout. The octagonal riveted turret replaced the conical cast turret in the early stage of mass production, which was simpler to mass produce than the early cast turret. What’s more, the early turret was too small to allow any guns to be mounted in. French FT-17 Light Tank with a riveted turret could accommodate a crew of 2. It was armed with an 8mm Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun or a 37mm Puteaux SA18 gun. Over 4100 FT-17s were built in France, and they were widely used in many countries around the world (27 countries confirmed). In the strict sense, the FT-17 was the first real tank in the world. It played a vital role in the history of tank development. · This 1/35 scale French FT-17 Light Tank (Riveted Turret) plastic model kit faithfully represents the vehicle’ shape and driver’s compartment interior · Driver’s hatch can be assembled in the open or closed position · The movable suspension system is molded perfectly, and the weight-bearing parts are sturdy · Cement-free workable track links are easy to assemble · Two weapon options and a precise PE fret are provided · A delicate diorama base is provided to achieve a vivid diorama · Two paint schemes are offered Scalemates.com shows that this is a 2014 release based on the new tooling from 2013 which has supported over a half-dozen releases under the Meng and Platz brands. They show the gorgeous box art and give us a link to download the complete 22-page instruction set and full-color painting guide. There are also many links to over two dozen reviews, as well as books, galleries and references that will be useful in your build. Stephen Sutton posted an interesting First Look Review on the cybermodeler.com site. Most of the text is directly from the Meng materials, but in the end, he says: “ Overall this is an excellent kit of the definitive Renault FT with extremely clean and blemish free moldings, and very well detailed with the excellent hull and turret surface texturing and rivet/bolt details. ” Venelin Golev presented an outstanding In-Box Review on the archive.armorama.com site. There is a brief history of the tank and its development before going into the box contents. We get almost 30 high-resolution photos in the review, giving us a close-up look at the molding quality, sprue by sprue. His conclusion starts with: “ Overall, this is great model of FT-17, a little tank. Molding is very well done with very fine detail on the surface of the parts. ” Terry Ashley published a very thorough Build Review on his perthmilitarymodelling.com site that has over four dozen photos of the sprues and instructions. He goes through each major assembly, providing insights and tips. He also compares this kit to the original kit (#TS-008) with the cast turret, noting where improvements have been made to the newer kit. In the Conclusion, we read: “ The inclusion of the full Driver’s compartment which can be shown off to good advantage by the large front hull hatches makes for a highly detailed model. The inclusion of the Hotchkiss MG ground tripod is a nice bonus to utilise the excellent gun if not fitted into the turret and the diorama base adds another option to the kit. ” Scott Lyle composed a fantastic Build Review on the modelingmadness.com site that shows off his masterpiece model. He walks us through the assembly, painting and finishing of this wonderful kit. You can tell he had a blast building this kit since his Conclusion starts with: “ This model was a joy to assemble from the very first step, and I really can’t find anything to complain about.  It is easily on par with the armor kits of Tamiya and Dragon, but without the painfully high prices of the former and the mind-numbingly high parts counts of the latter. ” If video reviews are your thing, Tactical Jackalope posted a 14-minute Unboxing Video on YouTube. He opens with a background of the tank and flips through the lovely instruction book. Next, we get a good look at the parts coming out of the box. This kit is in a gorgeous, sturdy box about 13” x 7.5” x 2.5”, with a great image of this groundbreaking tank. As you can see from the pictures, the package is pristine and still sealed with tape strips (these were never shrink wrapped from the factory), so it is factory sealed and absolutely gift-ready. This item contains one complete injection molded plastic model kit, with over 250 beige plastic parts, 68 individual black plastic track links, 10 photo etched brass parts, metal springs, pins and suspension bars and a large instruction set, along with a small set of decals and a tremendous diorama base. It requires cement and paint to complete as shown. I use eBay Managed Payments, but I no longer ship internationally. Auction winner pays winning bid and for a limited time, this item is offered with $8 Flat Rate Shipping in the US! No reserve and a low starting bid. Check out my other great auctions and listings for combined shipping. Good luck! Those familiar with my listings can tell that I really enjoy these products and the modeling hobby. I like to provide more than just the bare facts about the items, trying to lead you into discovering more about the subjects and optimizing your builds (if that is your goal). I started out picking up models that I was interested in, with the eye toward building them when I had time. Always a bargain-hunter, I accumulated many more than I can build, so I found myself in a Collector status (sounds nicer than a hoarder). As I am sure you have noticed, my items are almost always sealed and in mint condition (I call them Gift-Ready), since I only open them when I am ready to build them. Now I enjoy making these products available to my fellow modelers; both Builders and Collectors. For the Builders, there are probably better (at least cheaper) ways to add to your project lists than buying from me, but you know you are getting top quality. For Collectors, my goal is to save you a few bucks over the competition for the same item in factory sealed and collectible (or resellable) condition.

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