Italeri 1/35th Semovente da 75/18 M40 By Vic Mattes

A Bit of History

The Semovente was developed in response to a need to counter enemy tanks that existing Italian tanks couldn't handle in the early part of World War II. It is based on the M 13/40 medium tank chassis. To this chassis the 75/18 howitzer was added to produce a reasonably good assault tank based on the Sturmgeschutz model used in the French campaign by Germany. The 75mm gun gave the Italians a formidable assault tank that fought well in the desert. While crippled by weak overall armor and slow speed, the tank had good firepower and a suitable diesel engine(1). First fielded with the Ariete Division, the Semovente fought the allied tanks on an equal footing. By 1943, the trails of war caught up with the Semovente as it did all armaments that started World War II and the Semovente became outclassed by allied armor and was relegated to lesser roles. When Italy collapsed in 1943, the Germans took over the tanks and used them under the Stug M40(i) for combat, recon, policing and training.

There are two excellent sites dedicate to the Semovente on-line. The first is Italy's Semovente da 75/18 Su Scafo M41, Semovente M 41M da 90/53 Self Propelled Guns and the second is "Carri armati medi".

The Kit

The kit comes in a fair sized box considering the size of the actual model. The cover contains an artist's view of the Semovente in the African desert. There are three small photos of the completed model in Italian campaign camouflage. The model consists of 3 tan sprues containing the model pieces and a separate one with the tracks. The hull and six other pieces were loose from the sprue when the box was opened. None were damaged however. There is very little flash on the tank parts however most of the figures have a significant number of flash pots off them. The detail of the kit is incredible. They have even included detail on the bottom of the hull, an area not usually seen and usually ignored! The kit instructions are large and well spaced, giving the modeler good expanded views of each step. It also presents painting schemes for four different units.

The Build

While the instructions do lay out a logical approach to building the Semovento, I don't find they lend to a best approach when one factors in a paint scheme. I decided to build the model inside out and paint as I went along. Not sure why I am spending so much time on the interior as it will be blocked mostly by the crew figures. Oh well, I'll chalk that up to modeling madness.

The interior went well. All pieces fit well. While aftermarket possibilities abound for this tank, I chose to build it out of the box. While the instructions indicated the interior should be Insignia White, I chose to use Panzer Interior Buff to get a less than white color. A wash of burnt umber cut with rubbing alcohol was used to 'weather' the interior. Not museum quality but then again, you can't see much once the crew is included. If one chose to open the transmission covers, a more aggressive detailing of the interior would be warranted.

With the interior completed, the casing was installed and the exterior worked. Pleasantly, the casing attached the hull with minimal gaps. A slight gaps exists between the casing and the engine covers but not significant enough to warrant major rework or puttying of the hull. The casing crew hatches fit nice and snuggly together and were temporarily installed during the exterior painting portion of the build. The gun is covered with painter's tape to preserve the gunmetal finish of the barrel which I later decided wasn't worth the time as the barrel would be somewhat the same color as the hull.

The track support and drive units went together with little trouble. As usual, the debate is whether to assemble the runners then paint the wheels or paint the assembly. I chose the latter and painted the pieces first the same Italian Sand as the hull then painted the rubber sections a grauviolet shade to look like weather aged rubber. Having in the past used 'rubber' paint, I was quite pleased with the results.

Next came the tracks. Here is my only complaint about the model. The treads, as can be seen in the photo above, were single piece rubber with a single connection point that was to be melted. I have yet to be successful with these without great frustration and a need to resort to super glue. With the tracks on, the build was complete.

Finishing

First step consisted of a light overcoat of Future to prepare the hull for decals. The decals were of high quality and went on well. They stick where you put them; make sure it is where you want them! A light coat of Solvaset was used to fix them. The tank was then given a coat of flat lacquer before weathering it. The vehicle was oversprayed with a wash of one part Buff and 4 parts Panzer Interior Buff to 3 parts thinner get lighten the upper surfaces then finely misted with Italian Sand to smooth any edges out. This was my first attempt at this technique and it seemed to wrk out well. Weathering was completed with burnt umber thinned with rubbing alcohol on the upper surfaces principally and with grimy black thinned with rubbing alcohol on the lower surfaces of the treads and drive assemblies. A final coat of flat laquer was misted on then some dusting with Mig powders to complete the build.

Conclusion

Overall, the Semovente is a very nice build. It went together with the greatest of ease yet has the potential for anyone with the desire to superdetail to do so. The crew compartment is already detailed and could be displayed by opening the forward hatches. I have heard that PE and such do exist for this model which could be added to finish the build. I would recommend this model to anyone with a desire to build something that doesn't end up Panzer gray or Yellow or Olive Drab. It is well worth the time and effort. Enjoy it!

Our thanks to Testors for the review kit.