Late War Allied "Odd One": British Crusader AA Tank (SHQ)

With still some superglue spare I decided to fix up and construct the next metal monster. This time from the later part of the war. Attached to the Command HQ of a British RTR was a nominated AA tank, converted from an obsolete model. One such tank was the Crusader chassis, although I remember seeing a picture of a Light Vickers Mk VI having four BESA upward pointing machine guns in an old encyclopedia. This Crusader has twin 20mm Oerlikon guns (see below, Note: There was a Bofors 40mm version too, but I think that requires me cutting up an additional Airfix kit!):

A much nicer professional fit and it went together no bother. I positioned it with an "open hatch" so I need to fit a sky scanning commander in it. I was thinking of the Airfix Bofors spotter figure. Just a matter of finding that particular needle in a haystack ;)

This leaves my resin Britannia Miniatures ARV the last element if my 1944 [British in Normandy] Command Decision RTR project as a must do model. Yes I have lots of painting still to do!

Plastic Airfix Sherman ... "Pimped Up" (Honour the Airfix!)

Looking at my "1944 RTR post D-Day" project box (A4 Flat Box with pop-up lid, we all have them), brimming full of Airfix Shermans and Matchbox (Revell) Fireflys, I came to the conclusion that it was time to break up their uniformity of build (aka the tanks "look"). After all heading across France and onto the Rhine the RTR was a formation on the move, not a parade ground inspection line-up. Hence there should be all manner of things "hanging off them". Time to break open all those "tins of extra spare part" (things that I have been acquiring for twenty five years) and festoon them Xmas cake fashion over the beloved (see below, a troop commander's Sherman):

As part of my Plastic Soldier Company assembly frenzy I had some M3 Half-Track stowage packs left over, so onto the the side they went (see below, "Messy Alice"):

Project wise, I still need to acquire a specialist Crusader AA (I nominally made up the Airfix Bofors kit as a stand in, but I have "gone off" that idea) and a Sherman ARV (again the stand in Airfix Scamell Tank Transporter is infeasible) as Xmas ["Dear Santa"] presents (I don't fancy the effort of a botched conversion [two kits making one]) from Britannia Miniatures, SHQ or Skytrex.

Weekend Plastic Frenzy (1) Airfix Sherman

Well at the weekend I had the chance to write up an AAR for the blog or do a bit of hands on plastic modelling and the modelling won, first up was an old Airfix Sherman (see below, turret hatch open waiting for a suitable British tank commander figure to be found):

This means I am almost finished the basic 1944 RTR Command Decision OoB complement of standard tanks ;)

Modelling Note: The new Airfix tracks are a great improvement. They were really easy to glue together with "cheap pound shop" superglue! Dried white but everything is going to get painted over, so that ain't an issue,

The Canny New Cromwell from Airfix

Following on from the new nasty new King Tiger II from Airfix (boo hiss, too big and too nasty for the Western Allies) is the one that was always missing from any source when I was a kid, a Cromwell at last! The closest was the Matchbox  conversion of a Comet (the likes of which I never dared attempt as a pimply teenager.)

So .. even though I had seven ['three' from Revell, 'two' from HaT, 'one' from Frontline Models and 'one' from Cromwell Models] the Airfix one was just a must. I was not disappointed, in fact I'd give it a 100% on the pleasure to build scale. Top marks as it is well detailed, perfect molding but best yet, it has the best track ever (and noy just Airfix).

The molded plastic in a "one piece" assembly, brilliant, as it incorporates authentic sag over the wheels, without the multi-part nightmare of tiny pieces going and not going together. Did I say it was brilliant yet? Yes I did, well I meant it (see below):

:)

Well the tester was a success, superb in fact so I plan to get another two kits to flush out another squadron for a Command Decision RTR OoB (sourcing the Sherman Fireflies to go with it from the Sherman RTR I have or another "source" hint [PSC]).

A very yummy modelling experience which made my Xmas break :)

Plastic Soldier Company M4A1 (British) 75mm Shermans and my RTR Project

Hot on the tails of constructing the Russian T70's from the Plastic Soldier Company I made three of the (commander type) M4A1 Shermans for my late-1944 RTR project (see below):

Again they are very impressive, though it has to be said on the big side of 1/72 (certainly in close company of Airfix 1/76 and 1/76 Matchbox kits). There is a slight bit of confusion on the packaging as it incorrectly states that US (76mm) and British (75mm) versions can be made, but in fact only the latter British kit can be made (which was thankfully what I wanted). The kits go together well and are sweet being assembled in less that half an hour (nearer fifteen minutes if truth be told). The instructions are clear with only a minor discrepancy in the assembly of the front of the hull, the kit being actually simpler with one 'cast' front (the instructions showed two ribbed, riveted struts, similar to the Airfix models).

The late (as in Firefly equipped) 1944 British RTR project now has amassed the following tank complement as per the Command Decision OrBat (see below):

Note: Each row is a "Squadron" with:

• Plastic Soldier Company Sherman M4A1 75mm  x 1
• Airfix Sherman M4 x 2
• MatchBox (Revell) Sherman M4 Firefly x 1

The "Command Squadron" is a:

• Airfix Sherman M4 x 1 (I will have to 'tart' it up with a commander figure found from somewhere)
• Britannia Miniature (resin) 105mm M4A3 Sherman (with a 'too American' looking tank commander)

Still missing from the OrBat is the a (AA) Crusader Tank and the Sherman ARV, which until I can "metal-up" with these up vehicles I will sub in the 'plastic' Airfix Bofor 40mm AA kit and the Scammel Tank Transporter, as they only play minor "supporting roles" on the tabletop. Still lots of WIP to do (including decals) but the tanks are assembled (I even have a spare Firefly [though at time of writing 'unmade'] kit in the bag to add in if need be [I was thiking of the Hell's Highway, Market Garden Operation], as the officers of the British Guards Armoured Division apparently had managed to acquire some 'extra' spares with that useful 17 pounders - it's useful to be well connected with procurement).

20mm Painting Tray Distraction

Remember that 20mm Cromwell I recently made from HaT's ArmourFast? Well the nice thing about ArmourFast models is that they always come as part of a double act, two to a pack. The other Cromwell was just staring at me from the yonder side of the painting tray and I fancied a twenty minute fast assembly as a break from the small scale painting (see below, back rank, leftmost two for the HaT models). So I had what you wold call a bit of a WWII 20mm 'distraction break' from the WII 1/300 and 1/285.

 
The above and below comprises my 20mm Command Decision Order of Battle 1944 "Cromwell" British Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) ensemble. In total seven Cromwell's so far and a strange looking thing called a Challenger (an extended Cromwell that housed a 17pdr in its 'high' turret). I need a further four Cromwells (probably sourced as another two from HaT ArmourFast and the other two from the new Airfix kit), an ARV tank(?) and a Crusader AA tank. Note: I already have three Sherman Firefly's to add in as the company "Tiger Killers" for the RTR, the Challenger only being used in the Armoured Reece Regiment of a 1944 British Armoured Division (so I can technically field a full company tank force from that formation).

I may also need a Centaur 95mm Howitzer variant too to plug into RTR, unless they were still specialised Royal Marine (RM) formations as per D-Day(?). Still plenty of "make" to do with the above. A friend from the Hartlepool Club asked me when I last played Command Decision (in anger) as he had only seen me play with 1/300 or 1/200 kit using BGC and to be fair (and to my shame) it must be over ten years ago now. That is something I shall have to try and rectify this year.