We're kicking off our list with the Panzer I Breda. This Spanish modification of the Panzer I was used during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s and was a massive upgrade from the original Panzer I. The vehicle uses the same chassis as the Panzer I but instead of the two 7.92x57mm machine guns on the stock Panzer I, the Panzer I Breda features a 20mm cannon in a new and improved turret. I think it would be great to see the Breda more in the scale modeling community, as it is a very interesting vehicle from an interesting part of European history.
Our next pick takes us to the steppes of the Soviet Union, where we will be looking at the Soviet’s first indigenously designed tank, the T-18. This vehicle, also known as the MS-1 standing for “Small Support Vehicle” in Russian, was a lightweight Soviet tank that was based on the revolutionary FT-17 and was produced from the late 1920s until the early 1930s with only about 100 being built. It has become quite well known among gamers that play the video games World of Tanks and World of Tanks Blitz, as the T-18 is featured in both games and has become quite popular among the player base.
Heading over to the island nation of New Zealand lies our next vehicle, the infamous Bob Semple Tank. This vehicle has gained somewhat of a cult following among tank geeks and history nerds and is often jokingly referred to as one of the best tanks in the world. I say jokingly because in reality it could be argued that the Bob Semple Tank was one of the worst if not the worst tanks ever built. The vehicle was built on the chassis of a Caterpillar Model 35 Tractor and was armed with six .303 Bren machine guns. The vehicle proved to be very thinly armored in addition to poor mobility and inadequate armament. However, despite all of the negative things that have been said about the Bob Semple, it is still a very interesting vehicle that deserves to have its own scale model kit.
Moving back to Europe finds ourselves in Romania where we will find our next pick, the TR-85. This 3rd generation main battle tank is based on an early Romanian tank which in turn was based on the Soviet T-55. Although this tank may be a bit outclassed in modern warfare, due to the fact that it’s based on a tank that has its origins at the end of WW2, it is still a quite remarkable vehicle. The TR-85 proves that although outdated, the Soviet T-54 and T-55 will still be around for a very long time, and for that, I believe that this Romanian tank deserves to have its place in the scale modeling scene.
Our last vehicle has us ending up in Egypt, home of the mighty T-34/100. This amazing SPG is based on the very well-known T-34, a WW2-era tank from the Soviet Union, but rather than being armed with a 76mm or 85mm gun, it is armed with the 100mm BS-3. The tank is equipped with a unique turret to house this massive gun and looks quite impressive while doing so. The T-34/100 was used in Egypt’s many wars against Israel, and already has a number of scale model kits showcasing this remarkable vehicle. However, I believe that this tank deserves much more attention from the scale modeling community, which is why it’s on our list for our top vehicles we’d love to see made in 1/72 scale.