Autoblinda AS 43

Italeri 1/35 Scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Summary

FirstLook

The Autoblinda AB 43 was the final development of this Italian family of armoured cars, fitted with a larger turret. Armamant comprised a 20mm Breda 35 cannon and a co-axial machine gun. This variant was delivered too late to be used by Italy in the Second World War, but it was employed by the Wehrmacht in the closing months of the conflct. The AB 43 was used post-war in limited numbers by the Italian State Police. 

Not surprisingly, this newest member of the Autoblinda family shares much in common with the earlier AB 42 kit. The main differences are a new turret and different marking options for this late variant.

Italeri's 1/35 scale Autoblinda AB 43 comprises 139 parts in tan-coloured plastic, six soft vinyl tyres and a small decal sheet with markings for four vehicles - three German in typical Italian three-colour camouflage, and one Gloss red example in post-war Italian service.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Detail is crisp and plentiful, and moulding quality is very good.

It is pleasing to note that all crew and engine hatches are moulded separately. Although an engine and interior are not included, the extra work would be worth the effort with these hatches glued in the open position.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

There are a few ghost-like ejector pin marks on the insides of hatches and on the hull behind the spare wheel, but these will be easy to remove or ignore, depending on your personal preference.

The vinyl tyres are also well done. A traditional problem with soft vinyl tyres is the unsightly seam around the centreline, which is usually tricky to remove. With these tyres, however, the seam is almost invisible. They could be used with no cleanup whatsoever.

Construction should be straightforward. The body and chassis are both made up from multi-part assemblies. This parts breakdown is a reasonable compromise in order to ensure nice, crisply raised rivets and other surface detail on the exterior of the vehicle.

Many military vehicles are drab, but that accusation could never be levelled at the Autoblinda. Markings are supplied for three colourful German vehicles, and one Italian. For those modellers who feel a little intimidated by the intricate paint pattern required, the Italian post-war option is overall Gloss Dark Red.

The instructions are well laid out, and it is nice to see full colour painting guides.

Italeri's 1/35 scale Autoblinda AB 43 is a well presented model of an interesting vehicle, and will make an interesting companion to their earlier AB 42 and Sahariana kits.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Italeri for the sample