1:35 M-36 B2 Armored Cover (academy)

The armored turret roof of the M36B2 tank destroyer, 1:35

This small but pronounced modification from the Italian brand Royal Model adds an armored cover for the open turret to the American tank destroyer. A single element can change the overall silhouette of a vehicle more than extensive work on the hull, because it changes what a viewer sees first.

A roof that the front called for

The 90 mm tank destroyer had a turret open at the top, so that the crew could see well and load quickly. In wooded and built-up terrain that turned against them: artillery shells with time fuzes burst above the treetops and the splinters fell straight into the turret. From the winter of 1944, therefore, units were given folding armored covers, which could be swung open and left open on a move. It is in this form that the M36 is known from the fighting in the Ardennes and from later campaigns, when it stayed in service long after the war.

Advice on fitting

The flat parts have to stay level, so glue them on a glass or otherwise perfectly smooth surface. Thicker cyanoacrylate glue gives you time to align them; a runny one dries before you manage to move a part. Fit the hinges and their pins at the very end. If you want to show the cover swung open, think the angle out in advance: the inner side will be visible and deserves the same care as the outside.

Who it suits

• builders of American vehicles of the close of the war
• those interested in a faithful late form of the vehicle
• modelers who want a small but conspicuous piece of work
• makers of winter and forest scenes

The vehicle is sold separately and is not in this package.