Retromodels 1/72 Renault FT 75BS

The Renault FT 75BS was introduced late in 1918 as a modification of the basic FT 17 tank. The proven chassis was used as per standard, but it sported a completely new turret with a short Howitzer (The calibre of the gun was 75mm, it's name was "Blockhaus" and it was produced by Schneider, thus the acronym "75BS".) 

The thought was to add one 75BS-tank to each standard FT 17-section, bringing it up to six tanks, and supplying additional fire power. It was a interesting modification, but they were, however, introduced a bit too late late in the war to have a chance to prove themselves. 

Retromodels kit - which is the only one that I know exists of this tank - comes in a blister-pack, and contains some 10-odd parts: the main components are the hull, the turret and the tracks - that are moulded in two pieces. Both the engine compartment and the drivers compartment is hollow, and both contains some interior details. The moulding is good. The amount of flash is negliable.

The kit comes with a fine set of plans. The detailing is good, but I still have a problem with Retromodels rivets: they are bit too "blob-like" for my taste, but then again they are fully adequate. 

The proportions of the tank are fine, and the accuracy is high. The top side of the track links is a bit over-simplified. (An easy fix would be to cover it in Braille Scale mud...) Many 75BS carried attachments for the Orthlieb 4-meter bridge on the track assembly, but there are none shown here. But as you can find tanks without these attachments, I think this can be overlooked without any worries. 

So, perhaps with exception of the tracks, this is a very fine kit, that will build into a faithful replica. Retromodels seems to have ceased production, but the kit might still be had from Exokit.