ref: Hacheckaprints#AMX-10P
Model, text and photos Fabien Prévost-Minou
The AMX 10P armored personnel carrier, workhorse of the French mechanized infantry, entered service in the combat units in 1973. It remained in service from the 70s until its final withdrawal in 2015 being replaced by the VBCI.
A total of 1810 vehicles including various variants have been built until 1994. The vehicle could operate in a NBC environment and was fully amphibious.
The kit
Today the French brand Hacheckaprints3d provides us with the early AMX 10P with a full interior. Another model without the interior will be soon available. As usual with the 3D printed models you must be careful while cutting the parts from the "sprues". Some sanding is required. However this is within the capacities of any passionate modeler.
Let's start the build!
The build
It begins with the assembly and the painting of the inner floor which is finely reproduced.The paint is the mat white from "Le petit matos", a French brand present at every show. For the weathering I used some AK interactive Interior wash.
The driver station which is comprehensive got the same treatment as the rear compartment. The specialists will notice a mistake where a tube is running. This is due to printing requirements.
The side walls as well as the ceiling are painted white. The cables are painted black. For the weathering I still use the AK interactive Interior wash. Some scratches are made with the chipping and sponge methods. The angles are rubbed with a pencil.
The floor of the combat compartment and the turret well are completed. The weathering is a bit heavier but stay within limits.
The turret is cast as a single
part. The paint is white too. The interior is cramped with details. To
paint them you need to use 3/0 and 10/0 paintbrushes. For the weathering
the usual method is implemented.
The assembly of the parts is done following the order given by the
notice. All has been done so it is easy for us to build the model. You
just have to thoroughly sand the ceiling and the walls. The build is
made from under. It may disturb at the beginning however the idea is
just excellent.
The decoration
I opted for the classical 3 tone Europe theater camo applied since the early 90s. To do so I used the paint set from Le petit matos dedicated to the French vehicles. These patins are currently the only ones close enough to the actual paints. It is sprayed straight from the bottle without thinner at a pressure of 1.2-1.4 bar. Several layers are needed to get a correct result. The camo is freehand painted.
For the markings I had to improvise with my spare parts box. The name is the one of a VBCI of the 92nd Infantry regiment and I was lucky enough that is was already used at the time for a AMX 10P. The other markings come from a decal sheet by FFSMC. They are sealed between two coats of gloss varnish to protect them from the weathering products.
The general weathering is done with the AK interactive NATO wash and
filter set. It is fully sufficient to give a NATO or French army armored
vehicle a light and comprehensive weathering. Some scratches are made
with some Tamiya Flat aluminum. I was light handed for the weathering
not to hide the kit details.
And now let's say farewell to the old Terres Modèles kit.
Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last updated: 05/2024