Solfig's 1/72 Renault Autocannon 47mm

The first lorry-mounted gun to go into action in France in the First World War was probably the British Commander C. R. Samson's 3 pdr. on a L.G.O.C. 'B' type chassis, which was constructed to Royal Naval Air Service designs, by the French shipyard Forges et Chantiers de France at Dunkirk in October 1914.

The French equivalent of this weapon appeared during the course of 1915 and consisted of a gun of the same calibre as Samson's on the chassis of a Renault 2,5t lorry with solid tyres. Whereas the R.N.A.S. vehicle was unarmoured and the gun mounted fairly high on the lorry platform the french Autocanon 47 mm. was fully annoured and the gun was mounted low between the rear wheel arches in the body of the vehicle. The only disadvantage of this lower mounting was that the gun did not have a forward field of fire because the driver' s cab was in the way. The gun – chosen because it had more than double the range of alternative, the 37mm – was manufactured by Hotchkiss. The first prototypes were completed in the end of January 1915. The test showed that the heavily armoured vehicle was too heavy, and the speed to slow, and no more than four was manufactured.

These Autocanons (like their British equivalents, following Samson's prototype, built on Seabrook chassis) were manned by naval personnel - Fusiliers Marins - and were ready for action, organized in sections of two, in June 1915. They seem to have been mainly used as anti-aircraft/airship assets.
 

The kit:

The kit comes packed in a big, illustrated  box. (Note that the box is marked "Retrokit" but that they are now sold under the brand of Solfig, which is a separate company now, formally the french part o the old Retrokit firm.)

The kit itself contains some 35 parts, all in a slightly greenish resin. The moulding is very good: The moulding stubs are small and there is practically no flash. Some of the parts are very delicate indeed, and will require care when you remove them from the sprues. The kit also comes with a good plan, with notes on both the history of the vehicle AND notes on camouflage and markings. (The last thing is always good to have, as it can be tough to get solid info on some of these less-known types .)

As far as I can see, the kit is accurate. The only thing that I find to gripe about is the shape of the wheels: they were flat (and solid), but here you get something that more looks like round, inflated tyres. I think it's easy to rectify, though. Also, the rivets are a bit on the big side.

You can get this kit from Blitzkrieg Models or from Tracks & Troops. You can also contact Solfig directly at contact[AT]solfig.fr.

A very good kit, that will give you a model that looks very much the part. Not overly complex either: perhaps a nice weeked build. Recommended!