Semovente 47/32	Italeri, 1/35 scale
by Steve Zaloga

Description

Italeri released their L 6/40 light tank almost two years ago, so not surprisingly, they followed this recently with the assault gun version, the open-topped Semovente 47/32. Overall, the kit is fairly typical of recent Italeri releases: a bit clunky and chunky and more reminiscent in quality to kits from the 1980s. The detail is a bit soft, and the fit varies from fair to excellent.

I replaced the kit tracks with the Fruilmodel white metal tracks which I got from Bill Miley at Chesapeake Model Designs. The kit tracks are okay but the Fruil tracks make the painting a lot easier and the detail is very fine. They are very fidgety to assemble, and most links require some attention from the drill to clean out the pin holes.

I had already purchased a Model Victoria L 6/40 interior set, but in reality, only a small fraction of this exquisite little upgrade is needed. Model Victoria also produces an excellent turned aluminum barrel which is a major step up from the kit’s soft and mushy detail. I also used the excellent Model Victoria ammunition set.

The kit requires a lot of attention in assembly as the fit is sometimes a bit poor. The upper superstructure is tricky due to seam lines and soft corners. I spent most of my time on the interior since it is so visible. The kit gun detail is mediocre, and the breech is especially poor. I scratch-built a new breech block, and completely rebuilt the telescopic sight since it is so visible on the finished model. I added a lot of small surface detail including the canvas weather cover. The figure is from the always dependable Alpine series.

Overall, this is a fun project for modelers willing to spend a bit of extra time and energy. A full write-up of this project will appear in Military Modelling.