Char B1 bis – scratch build 1/25

**mrafalsk** · #1 06-05-2012, 07:44 AM

Hello,

I would like to invite to new thread where I'm going to present my new project Char B1 bis. I made this model in 3D long time ago and because of other projects and some problems it was waiting in my queue several months. Now it is time to finalize it.

The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II.

The Char B1 was a specialized heavy break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char de Bataille, a "battle tank" fighting enemy armor, equipping the armored divisions of the Infantry Arm. Starting in the early twenties, its development and production were repeatedly delayed, resulting in a vehicle that was both technologically complex and expensive, and already obsolescent when real mass-production of a derived version, the Char B1 "bis", started in the late thirties. Although a second uparmoured version, the Char B1 "ter", was developed, only two prototypes were built.

Among the most powerfully armed and armored tanks of its day, the type was very effective in direct confrontations with German armor in 1940 during the Battle of France, but slow speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement then being fought. After the defeat of France captured Char B1 (bis) would be used by Germany, with some rebuilt as flamethrowers or mechanized artillery.
I'm going to made model of tank named "Charente" with tactical number 338. This tack was in service in 3rd company 41 BCC (Batillon de Chars de Combat). History of this tank is described here: Chars français - 338 CHARENTE

For more information about Char B1 you can search here:
Chars français - 1936 CHAR B1 bis
Char B1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
France's Bataille B1, B1-bis, B1-ter Medium Tanks - World War II Vehicles, Tanks, and Airplanes

Please find below renders of my 3D model.