Fiat 2000 Tank Turret

Intended for 3d print.

Tank turret for the Italian late imperial era (ca 1918-1934) heavy Fiat 2000 tank. The model kit includes two turret variants:

• Turret with cannon aiming straight forward

• Turret with cannon aiming slightly upwards

Recommended scale

28mm. The models included in this product are also prescaled to 28mm. The turrets can probably be printed at as small a scale as 15mm, but I make no guarantees for this.

History

Italy, with its limited industrial capacity and tank-unfriendly mountainous terrain, did not deploy any tanks during World War 1. The Fiat 2000 was the first Italian tank, developed during the latter stages of the war but never put into action before the armistice.

While it was the first Italian tank to be built, it was not the first to enter serial production- that distinction belongs to the lighter Fiat 3000. The heavy, 40 tonne Fiat 2000 was only ever produced in two copies. It had some innovative design features, like being the first tank ever to have a completely separated engine compartment (not having the crew choking on gas fumes seems like a good idea). It was also among the first tank to have a rotating turret. When finally deployed in combat - in very limited numbers, obviously - during the Pacification of Libya in 1919 however, it was quickly deemed obsolete. Mainly due to being far too slow to keep up with other elements of the army, or with the enemy. At an average speed of 4km/hour, even the comparatively unsophisticated Senussi forces could run rings around it. The purpose of tanks was no longer to lumber across trench-laden no-mans-lands, but to manouver rapidly to outflank or exploit openings in the enemy's line of defense.

Operational period

1919-1934

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This model kit is part of an ongoing series, tentatively called Tank Turrets Through The Ages. The idea is to design era-defining tank turrets from their first inception up to modern day. The turrets will eventually be compiled into a megapack that provides a comprehensive and historically accurate set of turrets, for you to use in your tabletop miniature wargames. This product description will be updated with links to other turrets in the series as I design and publish them.