Post WWII.

Abbot self-propelled gun. This was the first 1/35 model I ever built, and as you can see it is a bit the worse for wear with various missing pieces. I used to put this model through it's paces in the back yard, running it over obstacles built in the dirt. It got a bit beat up! As proof here's a picture from 1965 showing the Abbot with some Britain's swoppet figures. The tracks are made out of rubber and are now held together with a load of staples. Approximate year of construction: 1965.

Check out this cool M2 Alligator floating bridge layer. This is a Roco Minitanks model. Approximate year of painting: 1970. I found some pics of the real vehicle

French AMX30. This model is a conversion from the Roco Minitanks prototype model to a production model AMX30. Designed in the 1960's it entered French service in 1967. Approximate year of construction: 1975; of completion: 1995!

BW HS-30 SS-11 Rocket Carrier. Roco. Approximate year of construction: 1970.

This is an old build of the Airfix Centurion tank. I just threw this in for completeness - it's not particularly well made and it is also suffering from track melt! What it does show is the early beginnings of customizing with tow ropes and tarp added. The second picture shows the model in play. This 'aerial' shot dates from 1965. (The Airfix Centurion tank was released in 1964.) The ground and trees I made to have scale landscapes for my armies. The landscape was newspaper pasted over cardboard and the "vegetation" was sawdust coloured with poster paint! Trees were sisal string I think, placed between two pieces of wire that were twisted. Coloured sawdust was then glued on. Camera used was an Agfa Billy. Approximate year of construction: 1965.

The Tamiya Centurion. I added a box on the front and some little mudguard pieces, otherwise built straight from kit. I thought I'd added a ton of mud, though it is barely visible in the photos. Still an effective, if older kit. Hey! I wanted a Centurion! Approximate year of construction: 2002.

British Centurion engineer vehicle, converted from the Airfix kit. Equipped with a demolition mortar, bulldozer blade and fascine. (That's something wot fills a ditch, to the uninitiated!) This is another Airfix tank that I made in my youth that had bad "track melt", so the running gear was replaced. I've done a few repairs like this to older models that were conversions and therefore unique. I also have a straight-build Centurion but in that case it would make no sense to replace the running gear. It would be easier just to build a new model! I probably won't bother since I have the Tamiya Centurion. Approximate year of construction: 1969.

British Challenger, Gulf War. This is the Tamiya 1/35 with DML Desert rat troops. This is pretty much a straight build. I was going to add camouflage nets to the side but had nothing suitable at the time. Cheesecloth painted or dyed might do the trick. Approximate year of construction: 1999.

British Challenger II. This is the HobbyCraft (aka Trumpeter) 1/35 model. There were some problems to correct, but then I didn't pay too much! The figure was a left over from my Tamiya Challenger I, which used the supplied commander in desert garb.

These construction shots show some of the corrections made. Front mudguards, rear axle repositioned and detailed. See the reinforcement I had to do on the inside? Apparently a lot of these problems have been fixed in newer releases by Trumpeter. At least my wheels were good. On picture 5 you can see the respositioned smoke dispensers and rear fuel caps. In picture six you can see the padding added to the open commanders hatch.

This is the Chieftain prototype, from Roco minitanks. This model has had a complete overhaul and detailing for 2009.

Just to prove I added a bunch of detail to this model, just in case you are not familiar with the Roco Chieftain, I took pictures. Basically, anything not green I added. I also rebuilt the turret front. When first shown to the public, Chieftain had a false hull front, shown here, temporary exhuast in the rear, and the mantlet-less turret front shrouded in canvas. I left the canvas off, so you can appreciate my re-shaped turret!

Here's my production Chieftain, an OOB Tamiya 1/35 model. This very dark green was what I remember from seeing Chieftains in Britain. It also had a slight gloss to it, which I understand is easier to keep clean than a pure matt finish and thus is common practice in peacetime. Chieftains on wargames are more usually seen in a matt camouflage scheme, and that might be what you are used to seeing, hence my note on the color! This is a much maligned kit, and I think very unfairly. Considering when it was made it actually holds up very well and appears to pretty accurate in overall dimensions and shape, which is really the most important thing. Some of the finer details, such as the headlight guards are a little thick for true scale, it's true, so replace them if you wish. Also the 3 'blocks' holding the track side shields should be cut off. Some smaller brackets should be added per your reference pictures. Based on the Simon Dunston book I would peg this as a Mark 3, and I think that's the problem. Most folks want a later mark. There is an excellent article which can be found here: IPMS Ottawa Poststrike Aprill 2003 It's not that hard to upgrade to later marks! Approximate year of construction: 1996.

Check out the awesome, 65 ton plus Conqueror! This was Britain's post war response to Germany's Tiger tanks and Russia's JS III. It was intended to supplement the Centurions then in service and provide the ability to knock out any tank at extreme range. It was too heavy, but pioneered a 120mm gun which was later used in the Chieftain tank. The Chieftain itself was heavy and this in turn led to the development of Chobham armour as a way of increasing protection but reducing weight. This Roco Minitanks was detailed from sketches taken from the Conqueror on display at Bovington Camp, UK. Approximate year of construction: 1971.

Hemag truck. Roco Minitank model. I don't know much more about this vehicle! Looks very different with the top off. Approximate year of painting: 1970.

US Honest John battlefield missile. The Honest John was a simple, free-flight rocket capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. This highly mobile system was designed to fire like conventional artillery in battlefield areas. This is the Roco Minitanks model and for some strange reason has always been one of my favorites, maybe because it was first deployed in 1954, the year of my birth. Approximate year of painting: 1969.

West German Leopard 1 tank. Tamiya 1/35 model. The Leopard 1 was first produced in 1963 by Krauss-Maffei for the German Ministry of Defence. Approximate year of construction: 1996.

Revell Leopard 2A4. A chance to try out my air brush and also do something more modern for a change! And use lots of mud - yummy! Year of construction: 2008.

M107 self propelled artillery. I saw a picture of them in use by the British in the Gulf War and that inspired me to paint up this Roco Minitanks model. Note the "canvas" covering the hydraulic lifters on the rear recoil-blade. Approximate year of construction: 2001.

This is a Roco M1064/A3 Mortar Carrier, based on the M113 chassis. You can see the mortar through the rear door. Approximate year of painting: 1968.

This is the M4 Lacrosse SRBM (missile) on XM398 launcher. The Lacrosse was an SRBM (Short-Range Ballistic Missile) briefly deployed by the U.S. Army in the late 1950s, designed for close support of ground troops. It was designed for very high accuracy, but the technology of the day wasn't quite up to the task, and so the missile was not very successful in service. Roco Minitanks model. Approximate year of construction: 1971.

M48 tank. Tamiya 1/35. Straight build with the supplied tank crew. Developed from the M47 "General Patton" tank, the M48 was the mainstay of the US Army and Marines in Vietnam. Some 11,703 M48s were built between 1952 and 1959. Approximate year of construction: 1997.

I have this as an M48 AVLB - Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge, from Roco Minitanks. The bridge looks to be short but I have discovered that there was a short version and an extended longer version. Approximate year of painting: 1968.

More self propelled artillery. This must be a US M55 203mm, though I usually see pictures of it without the muzzle brake. The M53 had a longer gun barrel and the M52 had a shorter one!. Roco Minitanks model. Approximate year of construction: 1971.

The mighty M60 MBT. Roco Minitanks model with added detail. The turret basket was painstakingly built with stretched sprue, and has almost survived the years. The figure is a pilot from the Airfix RAF personnel set - the helmet giving the right look for a US tank crew! Although much maligned by armchair critics, this is one serious tank. Just standing by one is intimidating, and I've seen plenty of real tanks. Heavy well sloped armour, the great 105 gun, good fire control. Just ask the Israelis or the Marines! Approximate year of construction: 1971.

Israeli Defence Force M60A1 with reactive armour. 1/35 AMT model. Year of construction: 2008.

Saladin. British armoured car. Roco Minitanks model. Approximate year of construction: 1971.

Soviet T54. Roco Minitanks model with detailing. Approximate year of construction: 1968.

Soviet T62 tank with desert camo as used by Egypt. This is the Tamiya 1/35 model with re-worked turret. Year of construction 2007.

T72 tank in use by Syria. This was a cheap kit by AMT/Ertl. It was a pretty simple kit but builds up quite nicely. Don't do what I did and put the Syrian flag on up-side down! (Well, the instructions were in B&W.) I had to hand-paint over the decal once I realized what I had done. Approximate year of construction: 1997.