Introduction
In the mid 30's, the Czechoslovak company Praga built several versions
of the AH-IV tankette for export. They were delivered to Iran, Sweden
and Romania and even post-war, Praga made a new version for Ethiopia.
The Romanian tankette was designated as R-1 and it was the only version
that saw action during WWII. They fought in the Soviet Union and some
of them survived until 1945, whent they took part in battles against
German forces in Czechoslovakia and Austria.
The R-1 was produced in plastic by the Czech company Attack, but their
short-run kit was degraded by a poor one-piece suspension and soft
details on the smaller parts.
Contents
Another option is now brought to us by RetrokiT. This new R-1 tankette
is made from resin, and although the suspension is also one-piece,
it is much better than in Attack´s kit. All details are crisp.
The turret has an open hatch. The hull is molded partially hollow
and it has no bottom plate. If you plan to fasten your R-1 to the
base, leave it as it is. If you want to turn your kit around a little
bit, you must cover the bottom with plastic sheet – nothing
complicated.
Instructions are quite simplified, but sufficient.
Markings
There are marking options for two vehicles, but no color schemes are
provided. The placement of markings is described only in the text
in the instructions.
References
Praga Export Tankettes, Vladimir Francev, MBI (bilingual Czech and
English)
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(ex-Retrokit)