Panzerserra Bunker- Military Scale Models in 1/35 scale: Char FCM 1A - French heavy tank

Char FCM 1A - French heavy tank - case report

Attention, carristes!!!

The tank featured today is a French prototype of which only one unit was built, to test the concepts of a more effective and versatile heavy tank than the Char Saint Chamond, in the final stages of the First World War. This vehicle would generate knowledge for the construction of the FCM 2C super-heavy tank. An incredibly modern tank for its time. We are talking about the FCM 1A heavy tank.

FCM 1A prototype in its early version, during its trials.
La Seyne-sur-Mer (near Toulon, southern France).
Late 1917.

History

The FCM 1A was a French heavy tank that served primarily as a prototype for the construction of the Char FCM 2C super heavy tank.

Char FCM 2C super heavy tank "Champagne" (99)

Development

During the First World War, the emergence of tanks revolutionized military tactics and engineering of the period. The design, construction, and even the use of tanks was still a chapter being written, with many mistakes and failures being learned the hard way on the battlefields.

In the end of 1916, the French Army has issued an order for a new, larger armored vehicle. On October 20, an order was placed for a prototype of a new tracked armored vehicle at Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée - FCM (Forges and Shipyards of the Mediterranean). FCM was a naval shipyard located in La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, on the Mediterranean coast. The Company had an excellent reputation, being a major producer of both civilian and warships. Upon receiving the order, FCM's administrator, Frédérick Moritz, tasked the shipyard director, Léonce Rimbaud, with developing the project, which was overseen by engineers Lucien Savatier and E. Jammy.

The development of the project began rapidly, and by January 1917, FCM had already produced a large wooden mock-up of the tank, at a 1/1 scale.

Blueprint of Cuirassé d'assaut FCM 1A

A 1/1 scale wooden mock-up of the FCM 1A in the FCM workshops - January 1917.
The overall layout of the tank was a clear evolution compared to
contemporary French tanks, such as Schneider CA1 and the Saint-Chamond.

After the disastrous and failed Nivelle Offensive, the first operation where French tanks were used, all French tank development was halted. After a reversal of that decision, development was repeatedly delayed due to multiple problems. The FCM 1A project was one of them.

French infantry advance on the Chemin des Dames
Nivelle Offensive
April - May 1917

A Saint-Chamond tank named "Teddy" at Conde-sur-Aisne, Nivelle Offensive
3 May 1917 - IWM Q-69623

The vehicle featured design characteristics that were quite modern for its time, such as an elongated chassis and a turret with the main armament installed in the mid-front portion of the tank, with 360-degree fin rotation.

Testing began on 20 November 1917 after six months of delays. The vehicle was the largest tank built up to that point, measuring 8.27 m long. The hull was extremely elongated in order to cross the trenches of the Western Front.

The FCM 1A entering in rough terrain, in field tests.
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

The tank originally had a crew of 7, but the crew was reduced to 6 in December. The main armament was a shortened version of the Canon de 105 Court Schneider with a large ammunition capacity of 122 rounds.

FCM 1A (early)- front view.
Notice the opened vision ports for the two crew members
sitting at the front of the hull.
left: machine gun gunner; right: driver

It had a Renault engine with 12 cylinders, delivering 220 hp at 1200 rpm, allowing a maximum speed of 10 km/h. The suspension consisted of bogies, sprung by leaf springs, of four wheels. The tank could cross a 3.5 m trench gap and overcome a 1 m gap. With this engine and suspension, the tank offered satisfactory mobility, although the weak point of the design was the difficulty in making turns.

The FCM 1A climbing a high-grade slope during field tests
before military authorities.
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

The FCM 1A tank prototype underwent significant modifications to its turret between late 1917 and early 1918:

Main armament swapped from 105mm to75 mm: The original design for a short 105 mm gun proved satisfactory in early tests between November/December 1917. The modification to install the high-velocity 75 mm gun modèle 1897 was completed in early 1918, offering greater accuracy and range against fortified targets.

FCM 1A with early turret with 105mm short barreled gun.
Notice the rectangular cupola with direct vision slits.

FCM 1A with late turret with 75mm high-velocity gun

Stroboscopic commander's cupola: Implemented around the same time (early 1918), shortly after the prototype's first field tests. It was a rotating cylinder with slots that spun at high speed, creating the optical illusion of being transparent and providing the commander with a continuous 360° view with armor protection, instead of the rectangular cupola with direct vision slits. This redesigned configuration served as a direct basis for the development of the subsequent French super-heavy tank, the Char FCM 2C.

French stroboscopic commander's cupola

French stroboscopic commander's cupola
internal and external parts

FCM 1A with late turret with 75mm high-velocity gun
and stroboscopic commander's cupola.
The prototype is under maintenance.
Notice the Renault FT-17 in the background

The first field tests with the FCM 1A 1A took place on December 10, 1917, in La-Seyne-Sur-Mer. The official tests were carried out on December 21 and 22, 1917, in the presence of General Estienne, on the road from La Seyne to Les Sablettes and on the beach of Les Sablettes.

The FCM 1A entering a depression in the terrain, for trench crossing tests.
Notice the rectangular cupola and the short 105mm gun
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

FCM 1A in trials on the beach of Les Sablettes.

La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

The tank overcame the various obstacles presented with relative ease. Trenches 2 m wide, preceded and followed by embankments, whose crests were 3.5 m apart, were overcome, as well as a ditch 3.5 m wide, with vertical walls 0.90 m high, and the passage through adjacent howitzer craters of 4 m and 6 m in diameter.

The FCM 1A climbing a high-grade slope
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

Rear view of the FCM 1A, after climbing a high-grade slope
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

In wooded terrain, the tank also performed well: it easily uprooted a pine tree 35 cm in diameter and broke another 28 cm in diameter, in addition to several other smaller shrubs. On favorable terrain, the speed was close to 6 km/h.

The FCM 1A traversing a forested area during its tests, knocking
down trees in a maneuver typical of demonstrations in this era.
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

The FCM 1A uprooted a pine
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

A little more tree destruction with FCM 1A heavy tank.
La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, France - December 1917.

The only observed flaw was the difficulty in making turns. This was due to the track support length and its steering system, and the profile of the track pads. The tank made turns with difficulty on flat terrain, and as for turns on its own axis, it could barely perform them, as the stationary track, even with the brake applied, slipped. However, no track derailment was observed. The tracks always remained well guided and adjusted by the support wheels.

The firing tests of the 105 mm gun were entirely satisfactory, although it had already been decided to replace it by a 75 mm gun.

The internal accessories were very ingenious and practical, and received unanimous approval from the acceptance committee.

The FCM 1A tank was, in every respect, a remarkable machine: the most powerful, the best armed, the best protected, and the best designed before the Armistice of November 11, 1918.

See below a film of the FCM 1A in mobility trials at La Seyne-sur-Mer (near Toulon, southern France), between the months of November and December 1917.

Despite its obvious qualities, the Char FCM 1A was not mass-produced. It was considered only as a research vehicle. The installation of the 75mm cannon and the stroboscopic cupola gave the tank a more modern look, making it a true predecessor to the enormous FCM 2C.

The FCM 1A in its final, complete form.
Truly, a beautiful machine.

The finished vehicle thus became popular as a backdrop in various photos of French military personnel visiting the FCM factory or the region, and over time, its parts were cannibalized. In the final photos, we see it without the protective skirts of the suspension rollers, without the hull visors, and without the stroboscopic cupola, in the turrets roof.

The FCM 1A as a popular background for military photos

It's truly a shame to see such a promising machine left out in the open...

Final photos, still with the French...

And this is how it was found by the Germans when France fell in 1940, once again becoming the subject of souvenir photos, this time with Germans. Its hull was later dismantled, unfortunately.

The sad final aspect of the FCM 1A,with a German soldier.
Notice the absence of the tracks.

Specs:

FCM 1A heavy tank
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin Design No. built	France Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée (FCM) January, 1917 1 prototype - November, 1917
Specifications
Mass	41.2 t
Length	8.27 m
Width	2.842 m
Height	3 m
Crew	7, later reduced to 6

Armor	35 mm front, 21 mm sides and rear 15 mm roof and top
Main armament	Canon de 105 mle 1913 122 rounds, later Canon de 75mm mle 1897 200 rounds
Secondary armament	2x 8mm Lebel Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun
Engine Suspension	Renault, 12 cylinder 220 hp @ 1200 rpm leaf springs
Ground clearance Trench crossing Maximum slope	40 mm 3,5 m 65%
Maximum speed	2–10 km/h

The kit:

For this project, I used the kit FCM 1A (35FS 1098) from Blitz créations de kits et figurines résine, in 1/35 scale, printed in 3D.

Rendered image of the Blitz kit box.

The kit is well printed, with very few defects. It has few parts, but they are very detailed. What caught my attention the most was the weight of the hull. Really heavy...

Kit parts

My kit arrived well-packaged in a solid cardboard box, with the main parts wrapped in bubble wrap and the remaining pieces in zip-lock bags. As I said, the hull is heavy, even though it's hollow underneath. The sponsons with the suspension and tracks are also solid and heavy.

The body and the sponsons.
Notice the fracture in the left track.

Upon closer examination, I discovered another fracture, this time in the left track, in its anterior portion. Although the parts were well packaged, the weight of the sponson must have been responsible for this... The fragments were not present, unfortunately. I'll have to fix this with plasticard...

Another fracture. In the right track, this time!

Gluing the sponsons to the tank body is always a challenge, as even a slight positioning error can leave your tank twisted like a corkscrew. I used super glue gel, which allows for repositioning of the piece, as it has a longer setting time. I used three gluing points to align and position the piece. After everything was correct and checked, I "welded" the piece with a more liquid, fluid super glue, using the capillarity of the glue to fill the gaps and increase the solidity of the bond. The plastic clamps are essential to maintain alignment throughout the entire process.

Attaching the sponsons to the tank body.
The alignment was previously checked.

Gluing the internal parts of the turret together. One detail I didn't like was the multifaceted shape of the armor surface, which on the real tank was perfectly smooth. Removing this will require aggressive sanding, and the rivets will be sacrificed in the process. Upon examining the turret, I discovered a few more fractures, which will also need to be repaired with minimal plasticard patches. No big deal...

Notice the small fracture on the lower edge of the turret.
The fragment was also missing.

Notice the small fracture on the edge of the stroboscopic cupola.
The fragment was also missing.

Close up view of the track fracture
Front right track

Close up view of the track fracture
mid rear left track

During handling of the kit, a crack became complete.
The fracture will be easily repaired, as the fragment fit perfectly...

By sanding the surface of the turret, the rivets were removed. Before they disappeared completely, I marked their positions and drilled into the resin to replace the rivets with small portions of stretched sprue. In my case, I used thin Plastruct rods, in the correct diameters to reproduce the thickness of the rivets.Another thing I did was add a thin plasticard disc, 0.5mm thick, to the bottom edge of the turret to straighten that edge. This gives me a perfectly sharp circular boundary.

The rivets drilled and the Plastruct rod.
Notice the plasticard disc glued in the lower portion of the turret.
The 75mm gun was installed and maintains its movements.

Putty applied between the plasticard disc and the lower edge of the turret.
Note the holes for future rivets.
The machine gun doesn't move.

With the surface sanded, it's time to insert the plastic rods to make the rivets. After inserting and gluing them with super glue, I cut the rods with a cutter to later round off the "heads" of the rivets, using welder-type glue on the rods.

Rivets under construction...

Dry-run of the turret...

Left view

Right view.

I tried to devise a system for removing the turret while maintaining its rotation, but the most I could achieve was to keep the rotation, but the turret wouldn't come out. Even so, I found the system much safer than simply attaching the turret. I made some additions out of plasticard and glued plastic tabs through the hollow of the hull, on the lower portion of the kit.

The new rotation system.
Notice the counterweight with fishing weight that
I attached to the breech of the tank to balance the barrel.

I was worried that the vertical walls of the hull might warp over time. Since the kit doesn't have any reinforcement in that area and no floor, I decided to make those supports myself, using parts of I-beams from Plastruct and a 1mm thick sheet of Plasticard to make the bottom.

Plastic I-beam reinforcements on the lower inner portion of the hull.

and adding the new 1 mm thick plasticard floor.

With the kit "completed," I started adding the details provided by the kit...
Exhaust system...

I replaced the engine cover with a flatter piece of plasticard,
with the correct thickness (the white part in the rear deck).

The turret moves wonderfully well, without excessive play...

The rear deck handles were replaced with handles made from copper wire.

Close up view.

Rear view of the model.

The tank really does have elegant lines...

Details on the placement of tools on the rear deck.

Right view

Rear view

And now, a problem: since the machine guns are fixed, they don't tolerate the slightest bump. And that's what happened: while handling the model, I broke the bow machine gun (which is quite prominent), fracturing it beyond repair. I'll write to Blitz to see if I can buy a replacement part.... In the meantime, let's go.

Disater: the lost of front machine gun!!!

The kit ready for painting...

Based on what we've gathered from the films and photos of the prototype, a French tricolor camouflage would be a good, historically accurate option. Based on this, I've created a color guide and possible markings for our car. While this is purely speculative, it wouldn't be wrong chronologically speaking. Let's get to the painting work now.

Colors & markings guide

After applying a black Vallejo primer, I started using the same color recipe as the ARL Tracteur C, since I built this kit in parallel with the other super-heavy French one.

I started painting with the lightest color, dabbing the desired areas with this yellowish shade. The recipe for this yellowish tone is mixing Vallejo Model Color Tan-earth (70-874) with Flat Yellow (70-953).

Painting the lightest color.
Right view.

Left view

After the yellowish paint dried, I protected it with masking tape to apply the second color of paint. I painted the light green shade I obtained by mixing Vallejo Model Color German Light Green Camouflage (70-833) with Pastel Green (70-885). Note that ARL C is going through the same process.

Two French girls undergoing a beautification process.

After applying the greenish tone and waiting for it to dry, I masked the desired areas again and applied the darker paint, an earthy brown tone, obtained by mixing Vallejo Model Air 71.246, Yellow Brown RAL8031 with Vallejo Model Air 71.290, US Earth Brown FS 30099.

The masking for the darkest color tone.
Notice the parts in green...

After all the colors had dried, I reinforced the tonal variations in all of them, mainly with lighter shades, and sealed the entire painting with two very thin coats of Vallejo gloss varnish. Once those coats were dry, I applied the French decals, which came from my box of leftover decals.

Cammo and markings. Left view

Cammo and markings. Front right view

Cammo and markings. Rear right view

Once the decals were dry, I sealed them with another thin coat of gloss varnish and, after it dried, I sealed the entire piece with two thin coats of Vallejo matte varnish.

Painting and decals sealed with matte varnish.
left view

Painting and decals sealed with matte varnish.
right view

Painting and decals sealed with matte varnish.
rear view

As I did in ARL, I decided to put the tow chains on the back of this girl as well, using the diagrams for the Tamiya Char B1 bis as inspiration.

Tamiya Char B1 bis rear chains

Installing hooks and handles with copper wire.

left view

Next, I painted those metal details with a brush, in the desired colors, and installed the costume jewelry chains, using the same process I described in the ARL Tracteur C assembly.

Burning the jewelry chain, as in the process described
in the ARL Tracteur C report.

And now, some great news. I just received a package in the mail from Blitz, containing spare machine guns to replace the one I broke myself while handling the model. The parts came with a kind note from Stéf, the owner of Blitz. Now that's great customer service!

Thank you so much, Stéf and Blitz. Thanks a lot!!!

Spare parts from Blitz.
Stéf, you are the man!!!

Since the hull is already closed, it's impossible for me to replace the entire machine gun ball. The option was to rework the junction between the gun barrel and the movement ball, opening two holes in the hull ball.

The front hull gun ball, reworked

Then I cut the barrel off one of the supplied machine guns right next to the ball and inserted the amputated barrel into its new (old) location.

The gun barrel, inserted in his place.
right view

The gun barrel, inserted in his place.
left view.
Thanks again, Blitz team!!!

I didn't glue the machine gun to the ball with permanent glue because I don't want to repeat the same mistake again. I will use PVA glue to stabilize the barrel in place. That way, if I transport or move the kit, I can remove the machine gun barrel, as it is very prominent and easily damaged...

With this step completed, I did a typical weathering test for use in a field testing station, with dust, dirt and grass stuck to the suspensions, and I considered the construction of this elegant machine finished. Here is the Char FCM 1A prototype, in its late version, with a 75mm cannon and commander's strobe cupola in the turret, just as it could have been used in 1940, if it had been kept operational until then.