Product Description
Developed in 1917 as a joint Franco-American project. An order for 3,000 was placed; 320 of these were completed before the project was cancelled post war. A handful made it to the Western Front in late 1918, but none saw combat, so far as we know, during the Great War. The Marines later used them in the Caribbean, the Army used them against the Bonus March, and there is some indication that they were sold to a handful of Allies in the third world. Generally distinct from the FT-17, the American Renault had a different engine and exhaust system, the exhaust system itself was mounted on the left side of the tank rather than the right (as in French examples), the front hatches were slightly larger to allow for faster evacuation, and the vision slits were sited up to 1" larger in every direction in order to accommodate taller American crews (which is rather odd, since American soldiers were, on average, smaller than the French, despite common myth.) Two versions were developed: a "Male" variant using an up-gunned version of the French 37mm and a uniquely American gunshield, and a "Female" variant (produced in very small numbers), which appears to have been armed with both a Colt LMG and a Browning LMG during the prototype phase. Of the 320 built, most remained in service into the mid 1930s with American forces, and constituted the single largest number of American tanks prior to the Second World War. You'll need a turret to accompany this model, which we also offer. Sculpted by the talented Jan Huybrechs.