27 November 2011:
the Citroen-Kegresse P28 is out. First released a couple of years ago under the Minitracks label, for subscribers of the magazine, the revamped kit is now available to all under the RetroTracks label. The Minitracks pattern has been re-worked: slightly different breakdown of the main parts, complete re-rivetting and one new addtional part to take into account the additional
reference material found since the initial release of the kit. The kit still comes with decals for two French vehicles.
The P28 was not a very successful vehicle. Less than 50 were built and most spent more time being repaired and modified at the manufacturer's than in actual service with the French army... Passed from unit to unit during the seconf half of the 1930s, the P28s were totally obsolete by May 1940, but a few were still thrown against the invaders. Three vehicles, probably bound to Paraguay then at war with Bolivia (Chaco War) were confiscated by the Uruguayan authorities and impressed into their army. One of those survives to this day in Montevideo..!
Citroen-Kegress P28 in Uruguayan colours...
16 November 2011: It's been a while since the last update of the RetroTracks page..! You will be pleased to know that several new items are being prepared for not too distant release dates. First of all, The 155 Long de Bange Mle.1877 will shortly be added to our WWI artillery range, while work on the pattern of the massive FCM 2C continues. We hope to release the FCM 2C early in the new year. Projects being developped right now include the Mortier de 370mm Filloux, the Belgian 47mm Anti-Tank gun, a couple of St Chamond tanks, the FCM 36 and the JaPaKa...
19 July 2011: The patterns of the 28t Titan Tank Transporter Trailer and of the AMR Citroen Kegresse P28 should be at the casters' pretty soon now. Both kits are expected to be released before the end of 2011. The P28 has already seen limited release under the French 'Minitracks' label. The pattern has been slightly improved in view of the latest info available on the subject.
14 June 2011: The latest two RetroTracks kits are now out..! The War Department 40 & 45 Ton Poll Wagon, kit R72058, was designed to transport the early British tanks. Used first in the UK, several wagons found their way into France and although retaining their W^D identity, were operated by the French railways; pictorial evidence shows that those wagons were used to carry other loads, such as the Renault FT tank. The French army ordered and used over 200 of those wagons after the Great War and a specific variant, the subject of kit R72059, was designed to carry the Char B1bis. Some of those wagons were still in use in France in the 1990s (!) and we can conclude that the Germans must have used some at some stage during WWII...
Please note that the Lorraine trailers (kits R72046 and 047) will be discontinued from the RetroTracks catalogue on July 15, 2011.
21 March 2011: The Belgian T13 Type III is out..! Not the old Exokit/Retrokit offering, nor a re-hash of that kit I designed in the early 2000s, but a brand new pattern, vastly more accurate featuring amongst others a nicely detailled 47mm anti-tank gun, a choice of two turrets (firing or 'at rest' positions), separate boogies, idlers and drive sprockets, detailled tracks in curved and flat sections,... The WWII Belgian figure sets and Belgian bicycle set remain available.
Kit R72042 Schneider CD will be discontinued as of 1 June 2011.
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