Matador Model's 1/76 Gruson 5.3cm L/24 Fahrpanzer

The fahrbare Panzerlafette, (“movable armour carriage”, later shortened to Fahrpanzer, “mobile armour”) was a 5.3cm Gruson quick-fire gun mounted in a armoured turret, with room for two gunners. (Quick-fire gun denotes simply that the gun used a quick breach and ammunition where the shell and the cartridge were one item, speeding up the loading process. The gun itself had an elevation of -5 to +10, and could fire a 1.75kg shell with a muzzle velocity of 495 m/sec. It could fire a maximum of some 30 shells per minute.) The Fahrpanzer was in use from 1890, originally a piece to be used in the German border fortresses: the fahrpanzer were used in special concrete trenches with 60cm narrow gauge railway, making possible a quick movement of these mobile turrets: they were to be in shelter when not in direct combat, thus protecting them from the heavy artillery fire of the attackers, being wheeled forward to their combat position only when the actual assault began. It was a novel idea, and the Fahrpanzer was sold to several other countries before WW1, for instance Greece. It could also be moved along the roads on a special horsecar.

After the start of WW1, when the German Army, like all other Armies, found itself lacking artillery, it, again like most other armies, took to removing guns from inactive Fortresses and using them in the front lines. So a number of Fahrpanzer's came to be used in Trench positions as well.

The kit comes packed in a white cardboard box typical of Il Principe Nero, with the parts wrapped in sealed plastic. The kit proper is done in pretty soft, light yellow resin, and consists of 10 parts. The moulding is first class, with only some small amounts of moulding flash  to be cleaned off. The moulding stubs are not big. The details are sharp and well done. All in all, very impressive indeed.

This kit is - as far as I can see - very realistic in all its big and small details, and most accurate. The only thing that you can do is perhaps to add a small step, made by wire, to put beneath the doors. Otherwise everything is there: present and correct! This is very, very close to Al.By quality.

The kit comes with an excellent plan, that both gives you a history of the vehicle, instructions for the painting of the model and how to assemble it. Plus they include a small decal sheet! Nothing fancy, but still with some special markings you were hardpressed to improvise yourself. (But the small sheet is a bit tricky to work with, mind you.) This is exactly as it should be done!

Il Principe Nero are setting new standards here!

To see the kit built up, click here!

This kit can be bought from Tracks & Troops in the Czech Republic or Italian Kits in Italy.

Gabriele Zenoni is one of the most talented Master Modellers active in Europe today, and he really shows this in this little gem of a kit. And Il Principe Nero are really showing their colours, setting the standards for other Resin Model Companies to follow. This is perhaps the best WW1-era Armoured Car kit to be found today. Can't recommend it highly enough!