RPM – 72301 – Pz Spähwagen P 204 (f)

Description:

Pz Spähwagen P 204 (f)
z wieżą CDM (w/ Turret Model CDM)

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a French WW2 Panhard AMD 178 armoured car in German service (Panzerspähwagen P204 (f)).

The model depicted in this box, belongs to a series of model build clandestinely in the Vichy Regiment (CDM may stand for Camouflage du Matériel), where there was a number of incompleted turretless Panhard chassis. Restany, same engineer behind the Renault turret from model RPM – 72304 – Panhard 178 wz. 1940 , built 45 new turrets also fitted with the 47 mm SA 35 or a or a 25mm gun to equip the incomplete chassis. The turret was a new design, but clearly with lot of resemblance to the previous design from 1940. Although French attempted to destroy them when Germany invaded Vichy France at the end of 1942, some of them were captured and used by Germans.

The models shares the original main sprue of the series, with 45 parts and some problems around the smallest parts, hard to remove from moulds stubs without damage. The kit adds a new turret sprue with 14 parts.

Decals provide two markings, one of them labelled as prototype France 1939, which according to our sources and as explained above, make no sense. The other marking, labelled as for a German unit in 1944 seems to be valid.