Semovente M43 Bassotto

Italeri 1/35 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green

Summary

B a c k g r o u n d

The Ansaldo 105/25 M43 was an Italian self-propelled gun designed by Ansaldo and used during World War II.

It was the most powerful self-propelled gun built by Italy in numbers during World War II.

The Bassotto, modeled on the general design of the M40 and M41 predecessors, consisted of an M43 hull, i.e. the hull of a M15/42 tank widened and lowered, with redesigned front and side plates that were welded instead of bolted.

A fixed casemate with an Ansaldo 105/25 howitzer was bolted onto the hull, with traverse and elevation up to 34 ° -12 ° to + 22 °.

The main armament was complemented with a Breda 38 8 mm machine gun for close and anti-aircraft defence operated by the commander / gunner, while the radio operator had one Magneti Marelli radio RF1 CA.

The first units to be equipped with the Bassotto were the DCI and DCII groups of the 235th Semoventi Artillery Regiment of the 135ª Armored Division "Ariete II". Each group received twelve units, which were used in the defense of Rome in the days following the armistice of Cassibile that went into effect on 8 and 9 September 1943. They acquitted themselves well in combat.

Following the Italian surrender, the Germans, who regarded the Semovente 105/25 "Bassotto" as a very good vehicle, captured them and built an additional 91 units, renamed StuG M43 mit 105/25 853 (i). These were used against Anglo-American forces.

Historical text adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semovente_da_105/25

FirstLook

Italeri has added a new 1/35 scale Semovente M43 Bassotto to their long-lived family of WWII Italian tanks and self-propelled guns.

It is nice to see this powerful and well-regarded weapon available as a mainstream injection-moulded plastic kit.

Italeri's Semovente M43 Bassotto comprises 433 parts in dark green coloured plastic on eight sprues, 23 parts on one photo-etched fret, turned metal gun barrel, markings for four vehicles, instructions plus colour painting and marking guide.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

The imposing parts count is not quite as sizeable as it sounds, with 108 parts marked not for use.

Of the eight plastic sprues, Sprues A and E have appeared in Italeri's 2022-release Semovente M42 75/18, Sprue B has some parts in common with the abovementioned M42 and the rest are all-new.

The kit is presented in a nostagic shade of "Italeri Green" - you'll recognise it if you have built a few Italeri kits in the past. Detail is crisp and moulding quality is very good. The plastic is quite soft and easy to work with.

There are a some ejector pin marks on the insides of the track links and elsewhere but these will be easy to remove or ignore, depending on your personal preference. I'll probably ignore them.

The model features a full interior for the fighting and driver's compartments. Seats, transmission, drive shaft, ammo stowage, textured surfaces and much more are included. This is suitably busy and will look great after careful painting and weathering.

It is also pleasing to note that all crew and engine hatches are moulded separately. This means that all your extra work on the interior will be worth the effort with hatches glued in the open position.

The bogie trucks look good when finished. They are made up from 13 parts each.

Tracks are link and length with shallow sag moulded into the long top run. Cleanup is fast and easy, and the links and lengths fit well. No after market is required here. The only downside is that the long side skirts will hide the nice-looking track sag so you won't be able to admire all of Italeri's handywork!

The photo-etched fret supplies jerry can straps and other small details - nice touch.

Italeri includes accessories including German and Italian jerry cans, helmets and a nice turned metal 105 mm gun barrel.

Construction will be straightforward. The hull and superstructure are both made up from multi-part flat-pack assemblies. This parts breakdown ensures nice, crisply raised rivets and other surface detail on the exterior of the vehicle.

Many military vehicles are drab, but that accusation could never be levelled at the M43. Markings are supplied for two German vehicles and two Italian. All the schemes are intricate and colourful.

Decals are perfectly printed by Cartograf.

A number jungle and a pair of empty number plates are suppliedon the decal sheet if you want to customise your subject.

The instructions are well laid out. It is nice to see full colour painting guides.

I am already well down the path of building this model. Fit and alignment have been very good so far, while the link-and-length tracks go together quickly and with minimal fuss.

Italeri's new 1/35 scale M43 Bassotto is a well-presented model of an interesting vehicle, and will make a suitable companion to their earlier Semovente and Italian tank kits.

Definitely Recommended.

Thanks to Italeri for the sample