Half A World Away!

Very unlike me, but I was quite excited yesterday! I took delivery of a parcel from Australia!

As some of you will know, Dave (aka GURU PIG) ran a photo caption competition where one of four lucky winners could each win a 1/72 scale H35 tank kit. Somewhat incredibly I won first prize! Not only that, but the other three winners, completely independently, let Dave know that they’d like to donate their prizes to me! So after a trip half way round the world they have safely arrived in sunny (and soon to be baking hot) England. I smiled when I read the customs declaration, which said the package contained “toy tanks”!

Dave very generously put a First Prize trophy in the package and I will treasure that because I have never, ever, received a trophy for anything! So, a big “thank you” Dave, for setting up the competition, judging me worthy of first prize and sending it out to me! And equally big “thank you”s to Eric, Mark and Roger for very kindly donating their prizes to me! I really do appreciate your kindness!

As far as the models go, they look very nice indeed. Simple assembly with one piece tracks but nice detail. There are a few photo-etched brass parts that are way too small for my fingers but they are mainly lifting lugs and tools so it won’t be too obvious if I can’t manage to stick them on! There are a few very nice touches to the kits; firstly, they come with the option to mount either the standard 37mm gun or the later, longer model (which some H35s carried, although it was more common on the later H39); secondly, they come with the standard turret cupola or the option to mount the two-piece hatch fitted by the Germans on captured vehicles; and lastly, they include a neat decal/transfer sheet that contains both French tricolour roundels and three differently coloured sets of French tactical symbols (hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades). All of these features mean I’ve got a lot more choice for how I can finish these vehicles (and I’ve got more than enough reference books) . I already have two resin cavalry H35s with short guns, so I think I’d like to build at least one of these kits as an infantry vehicle with the longer gun. And H35s were still in service with Axis forces in Yugoslavia in 1944 so I could be tempted to paint one for that theatre. Loadsa choices!

Once again, thanks guys!