[rockpaperscissor]

At the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the region of Navarra, with its capital of Pamplona, was solidly in the Nationalist camp (a union of Carlists, Falangists, and Fascists under General Francisco Franco). A column of prototype armored vehicles was constructed there, and were employed in an offensive against Republican San Sebastian - one of the very early military actions of the war.

These armored trucks were identified by numeral, and this model, designed by Jesus M. Lopez Bea is based on period photographs of #3. At the time the photographs were taken, #3 was a very plain vehicle with only it's numeral visible. Sr Bea's model is additionally adorned with a slogan, the Requete coat of arms, and the Carlist flag. Many SCW vehicles were covered with slogans and initials of political affiliations, so it's certainly possible that #3 carried these insignia at some point in its life. The model is also covered with rivets, which aren't apparent in photographs, but along with all the other adornments makes for a much more appealing and interesting looking model.

My version of Sr Bea's model has been enlarged from the original 1/72 scale to 1/50. It underwent a mild recolor with more clearly defined rivets, cleaned up insignia, and a few other enhancements. There are no instructions, so the modeler must decide the order of construction, and where/when to place glue tabs. This shouldn't pose a problem for experienced modelers, but will definitely present a challenge for novices.

I enjoyed this build immensely, and am educating myself on the conflict at the same time. Sr Bea's models can be downloaded at the Landships II site.

Enjoy the pics