A Sabot- Forgot to add, after German stuff is US, then British, then Russian, then Japanese, then Italian, then French. I'm all for Diversity!
Seriously though, the French armor seems woefully under-represented in modeling, plastic anyway. It seems like one of the Final Frontiers in armor. I can find every imaginable type of FT-17, Hotchkiss 38 and 39, a few types of Lorraines (most of those a German re-fitments), the BIS I, and then fast forward to the Leclerc.
As I said, WWI armor is woefully neglected as a whole, but the French were right there neck and neck with the Brits in tank development and deployment but for some reason are not given the respect they deserve.
My overall goal in modeling is following the development of the tank.
That's why I like WWI stuff and wish there were more of it. The period between the world wars produced some of the most oddball and fantastic tanks but is also barely given any attention. WWII was like the Age of the Tank and they evolved and diverged into more variations, types, and applications than at any other time, IMHO, and the Germans took that ball and ran like hell with it. Granted, it was right into an impenetrable wall.
Post WWII through Korea and into Viet Nam wasn't all that exciting as far as new developments (relatively speaking)and radical new designs (someone will remind me of something i forgot, no doubt) except for the Russians. I mean that in the sense of new stuff coming out as opposed to a continuous refinement of an existing item and standardization. I know the latter makes better tactical sense than the former but sometimes it can be the modeling equivalent of flipping burgers. I have a few of the main tanks of that era and plan to add some unique ones like the Ontos.
The modern era has produced some fantastic armor. I have representative models of many nation's top tanks such as the Abrams, Leclerc, Leopard, T-80 (I know they are up to a T-95 now.) Maybe someday someone will release a Black Eagle in affordable plastic and 1/35th scale! I forgot what the Chinese MBT is called.
The thing is when (if) I ever do get most of them done it will provide a hell of a perspective of where it all began and where it led to and many side roads the tank took on that journey.
The middle is so well covered but the beginning is equally ignored. The modern day doesn't have the variety of basic models other eras had. There's so much that could be released but isn't. Instead we get a steady diet of Shermans, Tigers, Panzer II, III an IVs. Then we get the whole menu again with Zimmerit already done. I wish the model companies gave greater say to the historians among them than the bean counters.
