IPMS WEST DES MOINES CHAPTER
Revell's 1/72 Leclerc MBT
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The Leclerc MBT
The French LeClerc is the successor for the AMX-30 which dates back to the 60's. The LeClerc was put into service in 1992 and is one of the newest state of the art MBT's in the world. Due to an automatic loader and a high degree of computerization and automation it is only served by a crew of 3. Main armament is a French 120mm/L 52 F1 smoothbore similar to that in the German Leopard 2 or American Abrams. The LeClerc is powered by a 1500hp diesel engine which gives it a road speed of 71kmh with a combat weight of 54.5 tons.
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The Kit
The kit comes in a open-end box containing 4 sprues in light green with a total of 142 parts, all with crisp detail and no noticeable sink marks. Also included is a small decal sheet for 2 versions. One version is for a tank of TF "LeClerc" (which I choose) and the other for a tank from Mourmelon, which I assume is the name of the city it is based at. As it is Revell of Germany's custom, the instructions are broken down in many small steps, 29 including paint scheme to be correct. The instruction also include a parts map and is as usual in several different languages.
Construction
The assembly of this kit is straight forward starting with the assembly of the wheels. The next the wheels are attached to the separate hull sides. I left the link-and- length track of for the time being. I usually don't follow the instruction step-by-step, but rather build the sub assemblies as I think it works the best for me. Next came the upper hull and the turret. No surprises there. The whole kit is very straight forward. One unique feature of the LeClerc are the 2 external Russian style fuel drums attached to the rear of the tank. The main gun barrel is in two halves and therefore required some filling with Mr. Dissolved putty and some sanding. Another little surprise for me was that the main gun is snapped into place after the turret is completely assembled. Now to the only draw back for an otherwise very good kit - the tracks. The tacks are, as I mentioned earlier of the link and length style. The detail is good for this scale but it they were 2 links on each side to short. It might just be me or my building but this isn't the first time this happened to me on a 1/72 scale RoG kit. There is no problem as long as the tank has side skirts, but without it would be real challenge if not impossible to have the tracks go all the way around. But other then that I didn't have any problems with this kit.
I airbrushed the model with Tamiya Acrylics in the NATO 3-color camouflage. The nicely made decals went on over a coat of future without any problems. After a Gouache Wash I sprayed a coat of Model Master Flat and weathered lightly with some Bragdon Powders.
Conclusion
Besides the issue with the tracks, RoG produced another very good kit in 1/72. Even if this kit is already 5 years old, it proves that good kits can be made without super small photo-etch. RoG has itself established as one of the leading manufacturers of 1/72 scale armor models. This is a kit that is suited for the beginner as well as for the experienced modeler. Either way I recommend this kit. My thanks to Kent Kirkpatrick for providing me with this kit.
References
Kit instructions and The Encyclopedia of tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
©2006 West Des Moines Plastic Surgeons