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Armata Polawa 75 mm Wz.1902/26
Polish 75-mm Field Gun Model 1902/26

Kit #: PL1939 - 077 Preview by Stephen Brezinski - sbrez1(at)comcast(dot)net
Edited by Rob Haelterman

A Smidgeon of History for the Modeler
This horse drawn Armata 75mm wz.02/26 light field gun is a derivation of Russian 76.2-mm guns captured by the Poles after WW1 and used through the German and Soviet invasions of 1939. Many were re-chambered for the French shells of the famous M1897 Canon also used by the Poles; some continued to be used as the Armata 76.2 mm Wz.1902 using accumulations of captured Russian ammunition. Guns captured by the Germans were used as the 7.5-cm FK 02/06(p). I am not aware this gun was ever mounted on a tracked chassis to make a self-propelled artillery or tank destroyer, though it would have made a potent antitank gun for the 1940-1941 period. Romania used this weapon in WW2 converted to use the 75-mm M1897 Schneider round like the Poles did.

The box art features what appears to be an accurate painting of a Wz. 1902/26 painted in olive green and with no obvious markings. The steel-rimmed wooden spoke wheels indicate it is horse drawn. Some models had crew seats on each side of the gun on the front side of the gun shield. The photo below of the box rear shows a small 4-view painting of the gun and an even smaller exploded-view drawing of the assembly. The First to Fight (FtF) models typically come with a booklet covering the history and assembly instructions, however my model came without this book, so this diminutive assembly drawing on the back of the box is the best I have. The instructions for the similar ACE models kit 72252 and kit 72257 of the Soviet 76.2 mm Model 1902 should also help with assembly if you need it.


The Model Parts
This First to Fight kit 077 comes with 28 gray color injection-molded styrene plastic parts on a single sprue. Molding and detail are very good with no obvious defects; this does not appear to be a short-run molding. The muzzle (part-21) is slide-molded open. The model appears complete including the elevation handwheel and a crank for traverse (parts 17 & 18), and the gunsight (part 12). There are no ammunition rounds nor boxes, nor crew figures. This FtF kit has no parts for a gun limber though the ACE Models kits do come with limber.

References
Armata 75 mm wz.02/26 (Wikipedia)

I purchased my First To Fight Model products at Tracks & Troops

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Article Last Updated: 15 December 2021

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