Italeri was founded in the early 60s, with that enthusiasm that only the unbridled passion of youth can create. Since they were boys, the two founders of Italeri loved airplanes and military vehicles. Soon they were no longer satisfied with the models available at the time: they wanted something more and better. What they wanted was not available, so they decided to produce it themselves. Their hobby turned into an accurate research, and became the motivating force to produce the models that modelers want, with no imperfections whatsoever. Thus the company asserted itself, always increasing his range of products and growing. Also thanks to the imagination and the talent of the founders and of their colleagues, Italeri in time became a leader in modeling! Item is brand new and in its original factory packaging. Listing images are stock pictures provided by the manufacturer or the distributor. The early years of WW2 highlighted the inadequacies of Italian medium tanks in modern warfare, which was now characterized by clashes between heavily armed and heavily armored tanks, and also by the use of more effective and lethal anti-tank weapons. Following detailed analysis of German and wartime opponents British and Soviet military vehicles, a 26 ton heavy tank was created. This new tank, which underwent several design changes over time, incorporated more modern features such as inclined front plates, a more powerful and better performing 420 HP diesel engine and a more suitable main armament, the 75/34 Ansaldo gun. The P26/40 as it would forever be known, unfortunately retained some obsolescent features that were characteristic of Italian armoured vehicle production from the mid 1930s, namely the armor plate riveting and the leaf spring suspension system.