Tamiya 1/35 French Armored Carrier UE

Kit: No. 35284
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Tamiya, available from Tamiya America, 800-826-4922,www.tamiyausa.com
Price: $36
Comments: Injection-molded, 256 parts (8 poly caps), decals
Pros: Unique subject; easy construction; inclusion of stowed supplies
Cons: Numerous ejector-pin marks

Tamiya surprised everyone with its release of the French Armored Carrier UE. This small, tracked armored vehicle was developed in the 1930s to transport supplies and light artillery. The German Army captured thousands of these tractors and put them to good use.

Included with the tractor is the tracked trailer, four figures, and supplies to fill both the tractor and trailer. A metal tweezers also is included.

The olive green plastic molding has no flash but numerous pin marks which need to be filled to hide them on the model.

Three decal options are given, one each for the Series 2, 3, or 4 vehicle (the differences are the light, towing hooks, and tools arrangement). This is pointed out in the first step requiring holes to be drilled out on the upper hull for each series. The marking option you choose will show you the series of vehicle. I chose the Series 2 vehicle for its markings and interesting headlight.

I followed the assembly sequences recommended in the instructions with only minor changes. Step 3 recommends gluing the upper hull (B30) to the lower hull (B11) before gluing the rest of the hull together. I chose to set B30 in place without glue to help align the side and rear panels of the hull. Once the glue was dry, I removed B30 to paint the interior white.

The hatches (B18 and B17) should not be glued until the crew figures are in place. The rest of the tractor was assembled without incident, and the fit of the parts was excellent. I left off the rear stowage bin for easier painting. The muffler is simplistic but can be drilled out.

The bogie wheels are in two halves with a large seam. Do not fill the seam; references show it's correct. The tracks are link-and-length with the distinctive sag already molded into the upper runs for both the tractor and trailer. I assembled the tractor's tracks in three sections (bottom run, top run, and around the sprocket), then removed them for painting. Likewise, I built the tracks on the trailer in two sections (top and bottom run). The tracks are directional, so be sure they are facing the right direction.

A correction to the directions is included for Step 15 and should be self-explanatory. The fit of the trailer sides to the trailer floor is poor and needs a little bit of filler. The directions warn to watch the direction of the suspension when gluing it to the trailer.

I painted the tractor and trailer Tamiya khaki drab, applied a brown wash and dry-brushing, and finished the weathering with MMP powders mixed with static grass. The decals look a little large compared to the box art and were hard to fit into the places between the rivets. However, the decals did adhere to the model with no silvering.

The figures in the kit are not quite up to Tamiya's usual standard but look OK after painting. I mixed Tamiya paints according to the directions, with minor tint changes to more closely match the box art.

This is a fast build that could easily be completed in a weekend. It took me 17 hours to build mine, with most of the time spent on painting (especially the figures and equipment). Sources on this little vehicle are hard to find, especially in English. Pascal Danjou's Focus No. 1 Renault UE (Editions du Barbotin) is the best reference I found.

The Renault UE will lend itself to many of the German conversions with parts that are on the market now.
- Mike Scharf