Benach tank, available for pre-order

Despite the development of our first Interwar AFV has been hampered by every kind of obstacles, we have paciently managed to sort out each one, until the first complete models have started coming out from workshop at last - albeit at a rate lower than desired at first. So that we can now proudly show the first ultimate models of Benach M1935 fast tank at 1/72 scale.

Each boxed set contains 2 complete tanks, mainly in high quality resin with some smaller parts in white metal or plastic. Each tank is accompanied by the full compliment of alternative running gears - for building them as either in on-tracks or on-wheels mode, at choice. The full set is completed with a decals sheet with WWII Turkish, what-if WWII Spanish Republican, what-if Catalan Republican and VBCW Liverpool Free State markings - a lot of dystopic choices!

The new Benach M1935 fast tank is already available for pre-order at our website, while awaiting to have ready the last accessory part - that is being manufactured right now. We'll be able to start shipping orders in one week's time. Don't miss the chance and pre-order yours right now!

1/72 Benach M1935 Fast Tank

Our long expected 1/72^nd scale model of this widely unknown Inter-wars tank design is nearly out there, for a first production batch has just started a few days ago. While awaiting those first ultimate models to come out from workshop, please take a look at this couple of samples masterly painted by Claudia Zuminich - these belonging to its first testing batch:

We reasonably expect to release it within due time - that is, on next month. Decals are already printed and box design is likely to start next week, so we must just wait for the first production batch to be completed.

It will be sold by the pair on a box, with both running arrangements for each tank - so that you can choose how to build each one.

SCW fans, please have in mind this tank never got into production - not even for prototyping purposes. It was just a workbench design we've brought to life - somewhat like the German E-50, E-75 and E-100 Panzer series. This is why we haven't included it in our 20GEV999 SCW vehicle series, but have started a new, separate 20IGV999 Inter-wars range with it. So this AFV is mainly suitable for fictional settings over those purely historical ones, naturally.

I guess that 1/72 VBCW, what-if and pulp gamers will be pleased, for the decals sheet for this tank includes fictional markings only: Turkish roundels (as if the tank had been ultimately purchased by this country as planned at start), what-if WW2 Spanish Republican roundels, what-if Catalan Republican markings (as you can see on the samples above) and VBCW Liverpool Free State flags.

1/72 Benach M1935 tank preview

The next time you'll see pictures of this model, it will be already on sale!

The images in this article show you a couple of 1/72^nd scale Benach M1935 fast tanks together, one on tracks and the other on road running gear - that is, with the tracks unlinked and tightly locked over the wheels as if mudguards they were. According to the tank patent explanations, the middle wheels had to be then automatically lifted, so as to leave the tank on 4 wheels only.

When launched, the complete boxed set will comprise 2 tanks, with the purpose of allowing the user to build each one in a different running gear configuration if desired. The model kit will be mostly resin, with a few smaller parts in white metal. It will consist of a maximum of 11 parts.

As some of you perhaps recall when we first spread the word about it, Benach M1935 fast tank is how we ultimately christened an unnamed tank design projected and patented in 1935 by the Benach Tractors factory in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia town (Catalonia) - pretty close to our own headquarters location! That factory, renowned by its civilian tractors of that name, is the same one that during the Spanish Civil War produced the Benach improvised tanks first, and the Sadurní d'Anoia tank, carrier and artillery tractor later - all them, already produced by Minairons Miniatures.

Here you have this innovative to its time tank, portraited along with a Minairons T-26, so that you can get an idea on its size - similar to that of a BT-5 fast tank.

Prototypes of Benach M1935 Fast Tank

Lot of time passed since our last piece of news regarding this amazing pre-war tank project - the blueprints of which had remained unknown until past year, as we told you in previous posts. As a matter of fact we've been silently working on it - although from a second line, for we considered it prioritary to push harder other, more SCW-related projects. It has never been put aside, though - so we can proudly show you now the ultimate prototypes of this Inter-wars tank at both 1/72 and 1/100 scales:

According to our plans, the kit is to include both alternative running configurations - on tracks and on wheels. Here below you can see them compared to their respective scale T-26 tanks:

It's a bit soon still for giving you a certain, precise deadline for its releasing - but we hope to be able to release it by Autumn.

More Benach M1935 sketches

Following the article recently published that showed our Benach M1935 Fast Tank ultimate design, now I'm posting some complimentary views, so that its general look can be fully appreciated.

Let's see first of all the tank profile in on-wheels running mode, with regard to its normal on-tracks look. According to the patent text, the tracks would automatically withdraw and lay over the wheels. The whole strip would be kept tensioned thanks to a couple of removable supports --presumably aided by mid wheels, that were supposed to rise up automatically too.

A decision we had to take was determining the tank size --for neither the original blueprints or patent ever bothered specifying such. At a first attempt, we found it likely to match its size with that of Christie M1932 Flying Tank, but we found this latter to be bigger than expected: 5.5 m long! Too large for the average European tank of that time, we thought. So we saw then to match our what-if Catalan AFV size to that of a slightly smaller tank sharing that same design: a Soviet BT-7, that measures just 4.5 m long. We felt fully satisfied with the result, so such is to be the ultimate size of our tank too.

And last, this is the ultimate kit parts composition (sorry for the low resolution render!). As you can see anyway, hull is to be subdivided into two parts, in order to allow an empty inside and save some resin. Also, set will include two sets of running gears, with the aim to allow each one to build the model in the running mode he wishes. As a matter of fact, we've decided to pack the tank by the two in a box, so as to ease users choices. Quite obviously, the alternative running gears will have to be cast in white metal, rather than resin as the rest of kit.

As for other accessories, the ultimate kit will include a decals sheet as usual. It's been a hard choice too, due to the what-if nature of this tank --so that we've had to choose what-if markings too: i.e. Turkish roundels for if the tank had been finally purchased by this country, Liverpool Free State markings so as to allow its eventual use in VBCW, Spanish Republican roundels to cover those settings that imply the involvement of the Spanish Republic in WWII at the time of Blitzkrieg, and last, Catalan Republican markings fulfilling a what-if French intervention in SCW after Ebro battle and the creation of a puppet state beyond its southern border.

Benach M1935 Fast Tank preview

As maybe a few still recall, some time ago we had started working on the blueprints of an ignote Catalan tank project, that had been developed around 1935 in the same factory later producing the IGC Sadurní tank and carriers. Well, we're happy to show you our ultimate design of this obscure tank, that we've dared to name as Benach M1935 in behalf of its designer.

Our ultimate design is not as futuristic, star-wars-like as the first sketches made, but we find it to be quite more consistent according to blueprints. After having abandoned our starting concept of an egg-shaped tank, a number of features look technically feasible and likely now --such as the driver vision port, that in the tank egg version aimed to the right side rather than ahead; the new volumes concevied do allow now a reasonable amount of room left for driver, gunner and side machine gunners to stay together without hindering to each other.

A few features else have been added on our own, such as side hatchets for crew, vision ports at dome or rear hatches/radiator grill at the rear. True that none of them is shown on blueprints, but we've otherwise believed them logical and likely.

The sketches above show the tank running on tracks; we're now preparing some renderings on what would the tank look like once thse are removed.

Benach M1935 Fast Tank WIP

Thanks to the contribution of a Spanish reputed hobbyist, we've had the chance to get the original patent and front view blueprints of the Benach Mod. 1935 Fast Tank, a Catalan pre-war project initially intended for export we had told you about some days ago in this topic. Such circumstance is going to definitely allow us to design this amazing Christie-inspired AFV.

Reading the patent access has permitted us to know an outstanding feature of this vehicle, that is a real novelty with regard to Christie's designs: once tracks had been withdrawn, the central idle wheels would be lifted, thus leaving the tank set on a 4-wheels mode. This is how our preliminary drawing depicts such:

As you can imagine, there's still a lot of work to do --so we shall keep you acknowledged on our eventual progression at this. For the moment, we've already determined to release it at 1:72^nd scale first, under reference no. 20IGV002.