Renault FT-17 Tank in 1:35 Scale

This is a 1:35 scale model of the Renault FT-17 tank. It has a fully rotating turret and the main gun pivots up and down. I tried to incorporate as much detail as possible while also making it easy to print and assemble. I used my AMS for the Shovel and Box, but otherwise the parts are separated onto plates based on filament color. Nearly all the parts I printed were snug enough to not need glue, but I am not calling this a snap together model. Have your preferred glue ready. Lastly, I put together some basic instructions to help with assembly. Enjoy.

History

The Renault FT-17 was the first tank to incorporate a rotating turret and, through exports to dozens of countries, formed the foundation of multiple tank lineages. Designed by French automobile manufacturer Renault during the First World War, the FT-17 was intended to augment heavier French tanks as a type of mobile pillbox that could exploit holes created by larger tanks. Entering service in 1918, the FT-17 was the only successful French tank of World War I and was lent to the United States military for use by their expeditionary forces. The Americans were so impressed, they began producing their own licensed copy known as the M1917. The FT-17 was also produced in Italy as the Fiat 3000, and in the Soviet Union as the T-18. Other nations, such as Japan, began their own tank programs by first reverse engineering the FT-17.

The plucky little tank served in conflicts on almost every continent, from the Brazilian Revolution in South America, to Warlord Armies of China, to the Turkish war for Independence in the Middle East, and for dozens of years following its introduction. The French army operated several active units equipped with FT-17s during World War II, and the Germans used captured FT-17s to patrol occupied Europe. In the 1980s, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, they encountered a handful of FT-17s being operated by the Afghans.

Although the FT-17 was quickly surpassed in terms of armor, firepower, and mobility, the true impact of this tank was its export of armored warfare to the entire world. It offered a glimpse of what a tank could be, and, through its robust global circulation, exposed generations of visionaries who would build on its successes.