Brossel 780B TAL

The Brossel 780B TAL was the main heavy artillery tractor used by the Belgian army at the start of WW2 to haul heavy 155mm guns. 74 were produced by the time the Germans invaded, after which some were pressed into service with the German army, which equipped some with a crane for use as a wrecker.

Some time ago, RetroTracks anounced its withdrawal from 1/72 AFV kits. Fortunately for us, they changed their minds and are back with some of the nicest resin kits on the market. In this case it must be mentioned that the kit was previously released by AFV+, now defunct.

The sturdy cardboard box of this kit is literally stuffed with resin parts, all with very nice detail, next to no flash and no pinholes in my specimen. The only possible casting flaw that I found was on the lower sides of the cargo compartment, which suffers from a shift in the molds. Most of it can be hidden behind a layer of mud, except for the box on the left side, which, given its position, is probably beyond saving.
The way the parts are cast, removing the casting carrots will require little work, except for the main body parts, which will require more care and effort.

The instructions are a combination of color pictures of the parts and text explaining each step.

No decals are provided. As Belgian decals are rather difficult to find (although set 72045 from Black Lion or BE1 from Aleran might be useful), the easiest solution would be to finish this vehicle as a "Beute".

Preview sample purchased by the author.

Article Last Updated: 02 November 2018