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re: Vader’s Model Desk: Char B1Bis French Heavy Tank
Posted on 9/1/25 at 8:56 pm to Darth_Vader
Posted on 9/1/25 at 8:56 pm to Darth_Vader
Nicely done as always. That thing looks like it's been driving around in the red dirt dust of Rapides Parish.
0
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:07 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
The French tanks really did outclass their German counterparts, especially in armor protection and firepower. But the Germans had better tactics and logistics, not to mention virtual air supremacy.
In armor and guns, the French were better, but as you point out yourself, most French turrets (all of them?) at the time were one man operations. And on top of that, only a handful of command tracks had radios. If you can't take time to aim and fire because you need to tell the driver not to run into that deep ditch, the gun and armor aren't worth much. On top of that, their tanks were both slow and thirsty.
BTW, if you want to see one of the very few restored, running Renault FT WWI tanks, the Museum of the American GI in College Station, Texas has one. The real eye opener is that the big wheel at the front of the track is wood. The other real eye opener is that France still had 500 odd FTs in frontline service in 1940. The Germans captured a total of 1,740 of them, and used them through 1944 in various non-frontline roles.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:08 pm to TutHillTiger
quote:
Beautiful as always altough I think most of them were abandoned or destroyed within a few days of the German attack.
Yep. The Germans couldn’t knock them out either their Panzers. But the French couldn’t refuel them either.
quote:
How many models have you built?
I really do not know. Best guess is somewhere in the low hundreds over the decades.
quote:
What do you do with them?
I have my “model room” upstairs (actually my son’s old bedroom) where I both build and display them.
quote:
I am kinda just assuming you are old too, how do u do with this as you get older with decreasing eyesight.
I do swear glasses, progressives in fact. But oddly enough, I see best with no glasses up close. Sometimes though, for really small parts, I have a lighted magnifying glass similar to this…
quote:
I probably built close to 75 or so as a kid and just a few as an adult and maybe 1 that's even close to being in your league
I started building models when I was about 7 or 8 in the late 1970s. Built several when I was a kid. When I grew up, I’d still build like 1 or 2 a year usually. Though for most of my 20s & 30s I built only sporadically; busy with life and such. I really started getting serious about model building in 2017 after recovering from two open-heart surgeries in late 2016. Since then it’s become my main hobby. I’m a firm believer that everyone should have a hobby, something that they can do to totally unplug from the day-to-day worries and just relax. For me, that’s building models.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:14 pm to TigerHornII
quote:
In armor and guns, the French were better, but as you point out yourself, most French turrets (all of them?) at the time were one man operations.
I’m not 100% certain, but I do think that’s correct. And on top of that, I think most of them didn’t even have power rotation. So while the poor TC is trying to fight his tank, load the gun, along with having it aim and fire it, he had to do it using manual controls.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:30 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
But only after knocking out half a panzer battalion while absorbing around 70 shots that all bounced off, and then running out of fuel because French logistics sucked rancid arse.
fricking 37mm rounds.
Great work
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:36 pm to HeadSlash
quote:
fricking 37mm rounds.
German soldiers nicknamed the 3.7 cm gun “Türklopfer”, or “door knocker” due to how inefficient it was against both French and later Soviet tanks.
quote:
Great work
Thank you! Glad you like it.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:44 pm to Darth_Vader
Thanks brother we are about the same age and I agree with you on hobbies too. Mine are fishing and hunting but after a cancer and related super bug infection nearly killed me in 23 I need an inside hobby too.
Posted on 9/1/25 at 9:51 pm to Darth_Vader
It might be the most innaccue models you've ever built.....
Shouldn't it have a 75mm hole in it from.a Panzer IV?
Shouldn't it have a 75mm hole in it from.a Panzer IV?
Posted on 9/1/25 at 10:00 pm to Lonnie Utah
quote:
Shouldn't it have a 75mm hole in it from.a Panzer IV?
Not in 1940. At that time, the Pzkpfw IV had the short barrel 7.5 Cm low-velocity gun.
This gun was designed to engage reinforced field fortifications. But it was useless against tanks, especially the B1 Bis which was the most heavily armored tank in the world at that time. It would not be until 1942 when the Germans introduced a high-velocity 7.5 Cm main gun for the Panzer IV.
This post was edited on 9/1/25 at 10:02 pm
Posted on 9/1/25 at 11:00 pm to Darth_Vader
Yeah I mean the decals really don’t belong.
Too bright.
Good enough, I guess.
Tamiya always has weird problems.
Too bright.
Good enough, I guess.
Tamiya always has weird problems.
Posted on 9/2/25 at 4:47 am to Darth_Vader
Very nice I always wanted to build this one.
I heard the biggest physical weakness was the radiator slats on the side. And yes having a tank that big having such a small crew was bad, the driver by design was in charge of the hull mounted guns' traverse. They should have designed it like the M3 Lee and had at least a limited traverse hull mounted weapon. It must have had some worth the Germans used quite a few of them for internal security etc
I heard the biggest physical weakness was the radiator slats on the side. And yes having a tank that big having such a small crew was bad, the driver by design was in charge of the hull mounted guns' traverse. They should have designed it like the M3 Lee and had at least a limited traverse hull mounted weapon. It must have had some worth the Germans used quite a few of them for internal security etc
Posted on 9/2/25 at 4:49 am to Darth_Vader
That one is great 
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:29 am to Darth_Vader
What are your thoughts on kits these days? Better, worse, unchanged?
Also, French tank commanders were told not to use their radios on the front line.
The French army in ww2 is like LSU under Les Miles after the championship.
Also, French tank commanders were told not to use their radios on the front line.
The French army in ww2 is like LSU under Les Miles after the championship.
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:38 am to Darth_Vader
Lord Vader
You have some really cool models.
You have some really cool models.
This post was edited on 9/2/25 at 11:59 pm
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:42 am to Darth_Vader
That looks like a piece of garbage. No wonder the French lost
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:47 am to doc baklava
quote:
What are your thoughts on kits these days? Better, worse, unchanged?
The fit and quality from most manufacturers is really good. But they’re going overboard with the photo-etched parts IMO. A lot of model builders like them, but to me, they’re a pain in the arse.
quote:
Also, French tank commanders were told not to use their radios on the front line.
The French Army did a lot of dumb things in 1940.
quote:
The French army in ww2 is like LSU under Les Miles after the championship.
They didn’t last long, that’s for sure. But make no mistake. They did make the Germans bleed. I can’t remember the exact numbers, but I believe it was north of 150,000 casualties, and something like 30% of Panzers and 25% of aircraft deployed that the Germans lost during the Battle of France. The loss of aircraft in the Battle of France really hurt the Luftwaffe when they had to fight the Battle of Britain.
Posted on 9/2/25 at 7:57 am to HeadCall
quote:
That looks like a piece of garbage. No wonder the French lost
That was the most heavily armored tank on the planet in 1940. It was practically invulnerable to both German panzers and the towed anti-tank guns used by German infantry. Only by deploying 8.8 Cm anti-aircraft guns could the Germans do anything about them. And the Germans didn’t have nearly enough of these.
Posted on 9/2/25 at 8:00 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
That was the most heavily armored tank on the planet in 1940. It was practically invulnerable to both German panzers and the towed anti-tank guns used by German infantry. Only by deploying 8.8 Cm anti-aircraft guns could the Germans do anything about them. And the Germans didn’t have nearly enough of these.
Then how did they lose!?!?!?
Posted on 9/2/25 at 8:18 am to Darth_Vader
quote:
Germans introduced a high-velocity 7.5 Cm main gun for the Panzer IV.
Should have been churning these out instead of dicking around with the Tiger and King Tiger.
Posted on 9/2/25 at 8:19 am to Darth_Vader
Man those early tanks had to be hell on earth for the crew.
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