1/76 & 1/72 Scale AFV Museum: BRITISH WWII TANKS Part Two

This is the AIRFIX model of the Crusader Mk. III. Supposedly the model is about 3mm too long, and HASEGAWA's 1/72 model is more accurate. It can also be finished as the Mark I with a 2pdr gun and an auxiliary MG turret.

The Crusader (Cruiser Tank Mk VI, A15) saw action in Africa in 1941 to 1943; speed was its major asset, being relatively undergunned and underarmored compared to its German counterparts.

WELL, here's my REVELL Cromwell Mk IV. Long overdue, this kit fills an important gap in the 72nd76th scale hobby. While this kit has already seen a lot of exposure on the internet already, I just could not resist adding it to this website. It assembles real nice with no problems, and Revell has put together very detailed instructions. An alternate set of decals is included for an artillery observation tank. Also, a Cullin device (hedgerow digging attachment) is included and can be added, although there is some debate as to whether or not Cromwells actually carried those devices.

I only added a few items to the kit: metal commander figure, stretched rubber sprue antennae, some resin tarps, and I added some scratched parts inside the turret to make the gun movable (otherwise you will have to cement it in place with a static elevation). I also decided to modify the star decals for the turret top and rear; originally they had the large circles surrounding them, but I cut them off because they made the decal too large to properly settle onto the surface. An alternate option would be to hand-paint the stars with circles.

Forming the main equipment of British armored divisions in 1944-1945, the Cromwell was one of the most important tanks of the war. It was the fastest British tank of the period. Later versions of the Cromwell actually had their speed governed down to 32 mph, as the faster speeds wore down the suspension too quickly.

Another of the more important British Tanks of World War II, the Churchill saw action on almost all fronts, first being employed in the Dieppe landings. Several specialized engineer adaptations (i.e. mineclearing and bridgelaying variants) were made during the Normandy landings.

This AIRFIX model of a 1/76 MkVII was slightly modified; the 75mm gun was replaced by a 95mm howitzer, making it the close-support MkVIII version.

The light tank Mk VII Tetrarch entered production in 1940 but only 171 vehicles were built. They saw action with the 6th Airborne Armoured Recc. Regt. in Normandy and during the Rhine assaults. Twenty were sent to the Soviet Army, and one squadron was used during the invasion of Madagascar in 1942.

MMS produced this 1/76 metal kit. Parts were relatively free of flash and went together nicely. The kit has been completed as the CS version by adding a spare fuel drum and Bren MG (carried on turret side).

The first "Challenger" was the A30 Cruiser Tank, basically a lengthened Cromwell designed to carry a new turret with the 17 pdr gun, which was desperately needed to contend with the contemporary generation of German tanks. The vehicle was really only a stop-gap measure until the Sherman Firefly was available, and only 200 were built, never being considered truly battleworthy.

MILICAST produced this lovely 1/76 resin kit. It went together real well and had some nice small parts. I hope to continue adding items from this manufacturer to the museum.

T