Nick's Model Tanks page Post WWII

Nick's Model Tanks page - Post War vehicles

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.

Ancient model rescued from scrap heap! I decided to spruce up this old model and make into a passable Abbot prototype. Tracks were donated from Zvezda ISU 152 model and 'rubber' pads added. Restored in 2011.

Lots of epoxy putty in the hull - the old gal was cracking up.

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!

AS90 artillery system. Trumpeter kit with Accurate Armour upgrade for 52 cal version. Also Lionroar PE. Built 2012.

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

Completely new build of the Airfix Centurion tank. This replaces my ancient model that was suffering from track melt! The original model from 1965 is shown in the last picture. (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. Constructed 2012.

The Tamiya Centurion. Originally built in 2002, this has been enhanced in 2012. Tracks and other details from AFV club Centurion parts left over from a Shot Kal now under construction, I also added new tarps, jerry can, aerial mount and such.

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.

Time this guy was up-dated. No one uses those bundles of wood any more - now it's PVC pipe! I must say I really like this update! I built the original 41 years ago and finally it looks the part!

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!

At last the Airfix Chieftain, contructed 2009. I did this one the old fashioned way and hand painted, and though I often like the rougher appearance on tanks the low Autumn sun really shows up the texture a bit too much! Figures are from AB, andd yes, I scratch built the turret basket from wire, stretched sprue and net.

Tamiya 1/25 Chieftain prototype built as a fun build complete with original motorization.

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. There is an excellent article which can be found here: IPMS Ottawa Poststrike April 2003 It's not that hard to upgrade to later marks! Approximate year of construction: 1996. New pictures 2012.

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.

Land Rover Ambulance. This is the Tamiya kit with desert tires from the SAS 'Pink Panther' kit. Since I inherited the desert tires after doing the European SAS Land Rover I decided desert color scheme was the way to go. So yeah, I kinda flipped the 2 Tamiya kits just so I wouldn't be building the same as everyone else really! Hard to find info on this one so it's not really based on an original prototype - I just figured that at some point a pot of sand colored paint would get used. Constructed in 2010.

SAS Land Rover in European colors. Tamiya SAS Land Rover with tires donated from a Rover 7 ambulance kit and a bunch of added kit. Yes, there's a Land Rover somewhere under all that clobber. The SAS 'Pink Panther' Land Rover is famous but SAS Land Rovers also appeared in European colors. Check out this site: Land Rover Pink Panthers Constructed in 2010.

JB Models LWB Land Rover with trailer. Built 2011.

Ancient Airfix Land Rover restored. Original was built around 1964? SWB Airfix together with LWB AB - now also Airfix! Restored 2011.

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. New pictures 2012.

Gepard AA tank. Tamiya, 1/35, with lengthened chassis and added details. For a $5 swap-meet purchase I think it came out great! Paint scheme inspired by Gepard posted to Crete. Built 2012.

Behind the scenes build pictures for those who are interested. I built this as a "fun build", but it came out quite well and you might want to consider getting a PE set for this one. Notice the lengthened hull, filling of the notorious Tamiya open sponsons and non-slip areas (gloss paint and very fine sand).

Leopard 1A5. Revell 1/35. 'Stole' one figure from the Gepard. Built 2012

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.

For the first time in many years, a Roco Mititanks model! West German Marder IFV. This was constructed in 2011.

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. New pictures 2012.

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.

For a bit of fun here is the Tamiya 1/25 SU100 - the original model from 1967 with motor and everything. I finished it as the example from Bovington from the sixties. They have since added more "smiley faces". The weight of the batteries and the fact that there are little metal springs in the suspension explain the rather low-rider look of the model!

Soviet SU100. I read that these vehicles were used after the second World War by Syria, so I copied a really funky desert paint scheme (or very worn paint?) from a photo I had of a Syrian T54. You can tell this is a post-war model by the stowage bin on the front. This is a very early Tamiya model that came with rubber (yes, real rubber, not vinyl!) tracks and little electric motors. I have now restored this model and replaced the funky rubber with Friul tracks. These are most impressive by-the-way, and really add to the model. The Friul metal tracks are perhaps a bit too thick for true scale, but the strength and "hang" of these tracks fits the large size tracks of the SU-100 perfectly. In contrast, the smaller size tracks of the Panzer II are probably best suited to the fine detail that ModelKasten can put into their hard plastic tracks. The restoration itself was pretty straightforward. Thanks to Tamiya's polycap system I was able to pop off all the wheels and work on filling the holes and replacing the motor shafts with a length of sprue. The top and bottom of this vehicle were designed to come apart so you could service the motors, ao I had easy access! The main change to the top of the vehicle came in the front, which for some strange reason was foreshortened. So I rebuilt it with plastic card and putty and re-did the front fenders. Final touch was a figure from Zvezda. I have to add a plug for Humbrol paints. Most of the paint you see is the original from 1967. The front fenders were just painted using #29, Dark Earth with a touch of Black. The paint matches perfectly, almost 40 years later! (Even more impressive is the dark yellow I used on my Sdkfz7 Flak Measuring vehicle.) Approximate year of construction: 1968. Restoration 2004.

Japanese Type 61 tank. Tamiya 1/35 model - what else? This one builds up quite well with some Modelkasten tracks and added detail. Yeah I know, add $30 after market tracks to a $5 model! But hey, ya gotta do it you know? Built in 2011. I may add the crew figure if I can detail/paint him up OK...

T54-2 Syrian tank around 1970. This would be an early Soviet T54 reconditioned for export as evidenced by the upgraded gun and roadwheels. Built 2012. Last pic is an old cut out from a Sunday paper color supplement.

For the modelers out there (modellers if you are in the UK) here are some contruction pics showing how I modified the base ESCI kit.

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 an inexpensive kit by AMT/Ertl. It was a pretty simple kit but builds up quite nicely. (Well OK, I did do some turret reshaping!) Approximate year of construction: 1997. New Pictures 2012.

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