The old box image, now seems to be replaced with generic Battlefront packaging
Background
I grabbed these as part of an ongoing project to build a small-but-serviceable French component for Team Yankee (predictably) based around the Leclerc Tank Company Starter Box. As that set doesn’t include any infantry, I decided that this would be my first port of call (after grabbing enough AMX-30s to fill out a decent-sized tank formation, of course), so I had a look to see what the Free Nations book had to offer.
Checking out the mechanised infantry options, it would appear that there were two ways to go about it: either a unit mounted in AMX-10Ps, or one riding VABs. While a quick scout online seemed to show that the VABs are the most popular choice (likely because they can spam Milan teams while the AMXs guys cannot), the fact that they’re only available in resin kinda put me off. I’m personally not a fan of resin models, and particularly not ones that mix resin and metal; there are also many horror stories about Battlefront’s resin miniatures which cemented my choice of AMX-10Ps. So, off to Wayland Games, my go-to supplier for a large chunk of my hobby needs, I went!
As I’d already decided that for the French I only really wanted a single platoon (or Section de Chasseurs as it’s listed in Free Nations) of infantry, one box was all that was required as, even with the two optional Milan teams listed in the book, the five IFVs that come in a box would cover a full platoon (there’s a separate unboxing page on the Milan Group elsewhere on this site).
The sprues and commanders- there are five tank sprues (two shown in image) and one commander set
Content & Modelling
The box comes in generic Battlefront packaging with five sprues, which include an option for a Milan missile mount, although I can’t seem to find a resource which shows how or where to actually attach this (at this point it’s also worth mentioning that although the book and unit card list an optional Milan launcher for the vehicle, there are no points values for this given, so I’m assuming that some poor bugger from one of the missile teams has to stick his head out to fire and reload the tube). There are no unit cards in the box, but it does include a sprue of 6 tank Commander and a deceptively small transfer sheet with 32 decals allowing you to give 16 individual names to your tracks.
Teeny-tiny decal sheet- depending on what you’re viewing this on, the image is likely many times larger than the sheet itself!
Summary
It’s an unusual-looking little vehicle, with a strangely-shaped hull and a turret which looks almost unfinished, but quite often oddities like these appeal to me- honestly, a lot of the French equipment has a very unconventional look to it. The lack of unit cards is a little disappointing although unsurprising given that Battlefront are looking to move away from the concept, but the decals are actually quite impressive- as long as you have a magnifying glass! Clearer instructions on the positioning of the Milan mount would have been appreciated, though.