AMX-30/AMX AuF1 Platoon (Battlefront Miniatures/Team Yankee) Review
I grabbed a couple of boxes of these guys to complement a Team Yankee French Leclerc starter force which I’d already nabbed, for no reason other than that I like the look of the AMX-30 tanks. They’re beautiful to behold, although I’m not convinced that they’ll last for long on the table with that measly armour!
The kits come with the parts to make either the glass-cannon AMX-30 tanks, or the AMX-30 AuF1 self-propelled artillery variant. The only difference is in the turrets, and each sprue comes with enough parts to make both complete turrets, but I can’t find a source which shows the French version of the AuF1 with the skirts which equip the tank version, only foreign export variants, so I’m not sure if this would be entirely historically accurate. If this doesn’t bother your gaming group though, you can mix and match till your heart’s content!
Also included are six cards (one of which appears to be a duplicate for some reason, while two of the others are orders and formation composition), a commander sprue, and a sheet of decals for those that use them.
Building and Modelling
The kits are made from Battlefront’s standard plastic, and are well cast with nice, clean lines. Cleanup was minimal, and putting the models together went like a dream. I’d had some reservations about those rails around the tank turrets, but there was absolutely no issue whatsoever: the pieces are cast with a precision which allows them to slot in perfectly.
Summary
These are really nice kits to assemble, hassle-free and great to look at when complete. My only minor gripe is that those AuF1 turrets are absolute beasts, and this can make some parts come off the sprue in transit. One of mine had a missing piece but, thanks to Battlefront’s excellent customer service, a whole new sprue was on my doorstep within a week.