Scale Plastic & Rail

1/35 U.S. 76mm & 75mm Brass Ammo Sets from AFV Club

1/35 U.S. 76mm & 75mm Brass Ammo Sets
AFV Club
Catalogue # AG35032 & AG35033 respectively

Introduction
AFV Club have kindly sent us samples of two of their latest accessories for 1/35 scale armour: turned brass ammunition for the U.S. 76mm and 75mm guns. Each set comes with a mixture of different types of full shells and spent cartridges. Although the shells are already the correct brass colour, full painting instructions are provided for the projectile heads. A small decal sheet accompanies each set too so you will have everything right down to the correct stencilling.

Everything packed in nice and safe!

US. 76mm Gun Ammo Set
This set provides ammunition for the U.S. 76mm Gun M1, which replaced the earlier U.S. 75mm Gun M2 / M3 (see below). The M1 was used in 76mm armed Sherman variants, as well some U.S. tank destroyers such as the M18 Hellcat. Although superior in anti-tank performance due to its higher velocity, its high explosive capabilities were actually inferior to the 75mm it replaced. Although widely used by the Americans in WWII, the M1 was not favoured by the British, who had their Ordnance QF 17pdr, as used on the Sherman Firefly.

Shells come in sealed bag
 

The set contains 20 turned brass pieces – 16 full shells and four spent cartridges. The packaging keeps everything nice and secure, and the cardboard backing doubles as both painting guide and decal placement instructions.

Very crisp detail

The breakdown of shells provided is as follows:

• M42A1 – 4pcs
• M93 – 4pcs (these are the only ones to have decals on the cartridge as well as the warhead itself)
• M62A1 – 4pcs
• M70 – 4pcs
• Spent cartridges – 4 pcs

The decals are very small, but all in register; difficult to photograph white decals this small I'm afraid

The quality of milling is excellent – the lines and grooves are very well defined, and the tip of the M93 Hypervelocity shell is very crisp indeed.

Decal placement guide on back of pack
 

US. 75mm Gun Ammo Set
The U.S. 75mm Gun M2 (and later improved M3) was the most common American tank gun in WWII, and continued to be used until the end of the conflict, despite being superseded somewhat by the 76mm Gun M1 (see above).

This set has numerous tanks it can be used with, including M3 Lee, M3 Grant, M4 Sherman and also a variant of the British Churchill tank, the MkIV NA75.

As with the 76mm set, this too contains a mixture of 16 full shells and four cartridges, but it also has an extra 20 pieces which represent the base of the cartridge. The instructions on the back clearly indicate which ones match with which shell, and the parts themselves are numbered on the fret. The writing on these end plates is exceptionally small, but it is indeed there – I checked using the glass I normally reserve for my numismatics business.

Close-up of the PE fret with cartridge base plates – high magnification reveals detailed information on each one

The breakdown of shells provided is as follows:

• M47 – 4pcs
• M48 – 4pcs
• M72 – 4pcs
• M89 – 4pcs (these look at first like spare cartridges but are in fact smoke rounds)
• Spent cartridges – 4 pcs

The painting and decal placement instructions provided options for both U.S and British ammunition. The decals look fine but given the tiny size, we really are pushing the envelope here of what you can actually see, let alone successfully handle with tweezers! As with the 76mm set, the machining is very precise, and all of the grooves and cuts are nice and sharp.

Instructions and decal placement guide on back

Decals for both U.S. and British versions of the ammunition
 

So What Do We Think?
These two sets are excellent for Allied armour modellers who want just that little bit more for their model or diorama. The only thing missing that I can think of is more information on each particular shell type, but given the mainstream nature of both weapons, I am sure this can be researched easily enough. The detail on the parts is exceptional, and the instructions are clear and comprehensive, so these really are 'the business'!

Highly recommended.

With thanks to the team at AFV Club for the review sample.

AFV Club kits can be purchased at all good retail hobby outlets.

Nicholas Mayhew