P26/40 heavy tank (Italian)

Description

The P26/40 was a (technically) heavy tank of the Italian army during WWII. Comparable in weight and armour to some T-34 and PzIV variants, it was however a heavy tank compared to other Italian tanks. Principally though, the “Heavy Tank” designation was more due to the P26/40’s intended role, rather than it’s weight.

There were a few good design features; it was armed with a 75mm main gun, the armour was sloped and a good power-to-weight ratio gave the P26/40 good mobility. However, these were more than offset by it’s failings. The gun was relatively low velocity and only capable of penetrating 70mm of armour at 500m (for comparison the British 6pdr was 80mm). The sloped armour was only a maximum 60mm thick and was of an obsolete riveted construction, and the leaf spring suspension was reliable, but could not allow high speed in rough terrain.

However, it was a reasonably up to date design and would have been an valuable supporting vehicle to the M class tanks.

Initially, over 1200 vehicles were ordered into manufacture. This was reduced to 500 once the P43 began development. Only 21 were completed however, though the occupying Germans continued production after the Italian Armistice.

• Model: P26/40 medium tank
• Country/Army: Italian
• Dimension (mm) (WxLxH):
• Material: UV Cured resin
• Original Designer: TigerAce1945
• These models are designed for modellers and collectors. They are not toys and are not suitable for children.
• Model supplied unassembled and unpainted. Additional finishing may be required during assembly.
• Finished colour of the product may vary from images shown.
• Photos and dimensions are at 28mm unless noted otherwise.
• All dimensions are complete with weapons unless otherwise stated.
• Other scales and dimensions may be available upon request.
• Models supplied at scales smaller than 20mm may be an alternative design more suitable for small scale prints. These are designed by Bergman or TigerAce1945.