| Mirage 1/72 AT-1 Soviet Assault Gun |  | Background  In the early 1930s Soviet designers started development of a series of self-propelled artillery systems mounted on the reliable T-26 chassis. One of the promising designs was developed by a team led by S.A. Ginzbury in 1933. This involved enclosing the new 76.2 mm PS-3 gun inside an armored shell that featured numerous hatches to facilitate operations and rapid egress of the vehicle. This new combat vehicle, designated AT-1 (Artillery Tank One), could keep up with the T-26 tanks on the field and provide direct fire support under a variety of stressing conditions. Unfortunately, production was halted after only 10 AT-1s were completed to focus resources on the new BT-7A tank. Nevertheless, many historians credit the AT-1 as being the inspiration behind another similar vehicle that would appear years later - the German StuG III.
The Kit  The Mirage AT-1 kit is molded in dark gray styrene and is provided on six trees. One additional 'flexible' tree is also included hosting the rubberband tracks. It isn't until you open the instructions that you see just how detailed this kit really is. Not only is a the PS-3 main gun nicely rendered, it is mounted inside a very detailed fighting compartment that also has ammo storage for the main gun and the 7.62 mm machine gun.
  
If you pose this vehicle with all of the hatches closed, this kit will look like any other 1/72 AFV kit on the market. What is striking is that you can leave all of the hatches open and you will see details inside the fighting compartment that are not provided in many current 1/35 AFV kits! I can only imagine what will happen if Eduard and/or Aber release a photo-etched set for this kit. The vehicle suspension is also beautifully rendered and is designed to be articulated. Conclusion The Mirage AT-1 is an impressive kit, especially in this scale. This vehicle was an important historical link in the development of combat armor around the world and will look great on your shelf! My sincere thanks to Squadron for this review sample! | 
|
