The One Who Kills Tanks

Historical Background

When the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter was cancelled in 1972, the US Army began its search for an anti-armour/attack aircraft that would still be under their command.  As the 1948 Key West Agreement forbade the Army from operating fixed-wing aircraft, its next attack/anti-armour aircraft would have to be another helicopter, but one with better performance, firepower and range than the AH-1 Cobra. Also needed is sufficient agility to allow nap-of-the-earth flying. On 15 November 1972, the US Army issued a Request For Proposal for an Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH). Proposals were submitted by Bell, Sikorsky, Hughes, Lockheed and Boeing Vertol/Grumman. In July 1973, the US Department of Defense selected Hughes' and Bell's proposals as finalists. Each company build a prototype for a fly-off : Bell with Model 409/YAH-63 and Hughes with Model 77/YAH-64. After evaluating the test results, Hughes' YAH-64 was selected as the winner. Reasons for YAH-64's selection include more damage-resistant four-bladed rotor of the YAH-64 and the instability of YAH-63's tricycle landing gear arrangement. The AAH program then entered Phase 2 where three pre-production AH-64 would be built, plus the two YAH-64 flying prototypes (and a static ground test unit) would be brought to the same standard. The airframes would be used to test weapons and sensor systems, including the new AGM-114 Hellfire (Helicopter-Launched, Fire and Forget) missile.

In 1981, the pre-production AH-64As  were delivered to the Army for further operational tests. They were successful but the Army decided to upgrade the engines (General Electric T700 turboshaft engine) to the more powerful Dash 701 version. In late 1981, the AH-64 was named the Apache, keeping with the US Army's tradition of naming its aircraft after American Indian tribes. In 1983, the first production Apache rolled off the Hughes Helicopters at Mesa, Arizona with the US Army formally accepting it in January 1984. In the same year, Hughes Helicopters was bought by McDonnell Douglas. The 7th Battalion, 17th Cavalry Brigade became the first operational Apache unit when it began training with the AH-64A in 1986. 

The Apache's configuration followed the arrangement first used on the AH-1 by having the two crew members sitting in tandem with the co-pilot/gunner in front and the pilot behind and above him. Both are however capable of flying the helicopter and performing weapons engagement separately. There is a shielding between the cockpits, so that at least one crew member can survive hits. The cockpit compartment (and also the rotor blades) are designed to sustain a hit from 23mm rounds. In total, some 2,500 lb of armour protected the airframe and the fuel system is of the self-sealing type. The airframe was also strengthened to meet the crashworthiness requirements of MIL-STD-1290. The original AH-64A was powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701 rated at 1,696 shp each driving a four-bladed main rotor and a four-bladed tail rotor.

A Hughes (now Alliant Techsystems) M230 30mm Chain Gun formed the Apache's permanent weapon system. The M230 can fire up to 625 rounds per minute. The Apache can carry 1,200 rounds of ammunition but usage of the so-called 'Robby tank' reduces this capacity to 300. The weapon-carrying configurations of the Apache are highly customisable for the roles assigned to it. The most common weapons carried by the Apache are Hydra 70 general-purpose 70mm unguided rockets, usually carried in 19-shot M261 rocket launchers. The most significant weapon however is the AGM-114 Hellfire missile. Originally developed for anti-armour use, later version of the Hellfire can be used for other target types, including individuals. In late 1980s, the Apache was also evaluated to carry AIM-9 Sidewinder and FIM-92 Stinger air-to-air weapons and also the AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radiation missile. The Apache crew is provided with the Integrated Head And Display Sighting System (IHADDS) which, among others, allow the crew (any one of them) to slave the Chain Gun to their helmet, making the gun track to wherever the crew member is looking. The gun can also be controlled via the Target Acquisition and Designation System (TADS), or locked to fire ahead. The TADS is also part of the TADS/PNVS (TADS/Pilot Night Vision System). Other systems also include GPS and passive IR countermeasures.

Apart from the US Army, the Apache was used by Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE and United Kingdom (who licence-build the AH-64 as AgustaWestland Apache). The Apache was first used in combat during Operation Just Cause in 1989. In the next year, nearly half of the US Army's Apache was deployed to Saudi Arabia for following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. On 17 January 1991 around 0210L, Task Force Normandy, consisting of eight Apaches led by two USAF MH-53J Pave Low III, fired the first shots of Operation Desert Storm when it destroyed Iraqi radar stations near the Saudi/Iraq border which could have warned Bahgdad of the upcoming attack. A total of 277 Apaches took part in Desert Storm, destroying 278 tanks and numerous APC and other vehicles. One Apache was lost to ground fire, when it was shot by a RPG at close range. 

The Apache was then sent to the Balkans during the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, The deployment was a failure for the Apaches as none were flown in combat missions due to fears of casualties. Problems faced include deficiencies in training, night vision equipment, fuel tanks and survivability. One Apache crashed during training in Albania on 27 April 1999. In Afghanistan, for Operation Enduring Freedom and in Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, The D-model Apaches often remove their Longbow radar due to lack of armoured threats. In Iraq, an Apache was downed by in a flak trap on 24 March 2003 for which the then-Iraqi government attribute the downing to a farmer armed with a rifle (he denied it later). The Apache was captured intact, although it was destroyed by an airstrike the next day. By the end of US operations in Iraq in December 2011, several Apaches  had been shot down or lost in accidents. Apart from the US Army, the Apache was also used by its other users in combat.

The Kit

The Hasegawa kit dated from 1983 and the particular boxing I use here is a 2008 re-release, featuring new parts. The kit, as with many other Hasegawa kits feature nicely engraved details but lack the rather prominent rivet details . The rotor head while having a correct shape, lacked details. There aren't much option for the weapons load - just the basic two FFAR pods and 16 Hellfire missiles (at least Hasegawa helicopter kits come more or less fully armed cf. their aircraft kits). The decal sheet provide markings for an AH-64 from the 3rd Battalion, 227th Army Aviation Regiment. Also included is a 'numbers jungle' so that any AH-64As can be built.

Construction

I have an unbuilt Italeri Apache in my stash. It suffered an awful accident, resulting in a broken fuselage and decided to keep the best bits to be used when I finally have the Hasegawa version. Anyway, as usual, the build starts at the cockpit. As with many 1/72 scale cockpit, the detail is sparse with all the instrument faces, switches and dials in decal form. The entire cockpit was painted XF-1 Flat Black and I didn't bother with dry-brushing or washes as there are no raised or recessed details to speak of. I originally wanted to replace the kit's seats with the Italeri ones, but I felt that the side armour plates of the latter are overscale. Although not mentioned, the cushions (or, as it is, just the seat back) were painted XF-62 Olive Drab. Before mating the fuselage halves, the cockpit sidewalls were painted Flat Black and the cockpit tub cemented to one side. I was thinking of making the rotor moveable but in the end decided to fix the shaft in place. I found that the ALQ-144 IRCM 'disco ball' has no details so I cut it off and have replaced with the one from the Italeri kit.

Although the next step is concerned with the engine pods, I skipped that step for a while and add the bottom of the fuselage first. To ease painting and assembly, the main landing gear and the Chain Gun were left off. The tail plane was also cemented although the tail wheel was left off, again to avoid accidental breakage. After that I returned to the engine pods. Each engine pod consists of three parts, plus two-piece exhausts. The parts fit nicely but I only dry fit the exhaust assembly at this time, again because of painting considerations. The canopy, which have the pilot's access panel moulded separately (so that it can be posed open), was cemented, with the separate panel in the closed position. I however neglected to check the fit, resulting the panel being slightly off. Looking at the TADS/PNVS turret, the Italeri one has sharper detail and substituted the former with the latter. Finally the stub wings are attached to the fuselage. The pylons were however left off at first. The rocket pods and the Hellfire missile racks were also assembled at this time, but remain separated.

Painting and Decalling

US Army helicopters are painted the so-called 'Helo Drab' although nearly all of the instructions for so many US Army chopper kits called for Olive Drab. As far as I know, only Testors' Model Master brand have Helo Drab in their range but I could not find any. Online searching also turned up nothing about Tamiya mixes to get this colour. Photos on the internet show a bewildering shade: being greyish, olive-ish or brown-ish, depending on the camera angle! In the end I decided to make a custom mix, using just the eye to judge the 'accuracy'. I mixed Tamiya XF-51 Khaki Drab with XF-62 Olive Drab until I get the approximate colour (it may still be the wrong shade!) and paint the model. The sensor apertures were painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black and /or Gold.  The canopy sealant are not painted as I do not own a small enough brush for that purpose. As for markings, since there is effectively only one marking set, I applied the decals according to the instructions. I may be wrong, but the Italeri "United States Army" title looks better and I use them. The decals were then set in place using Mr Mark Softer.

Finishing

I started by assembling the landing gears, so that the model can stand on its own. Afterwards, the pylons were cemented onto the stub wings. The Hellfire missiles and Hydra rocket pods were painted straight Olive Drab, while the seeker portion was painted silver (I should have dabbed just a bit of silver as the seeker window is pretty small. Afterwards the ordnance were loaded onto the model: the Hellfires were cemented to the launch rails before the assembly was cemented to the stub wing. The rocket pods, being placed outboard, were the last. The Chain Gun was pretty simplified, so I added a bit more parts using plastic rod and fuse wire. The assembly was then slotted into the lower fuselage. The exhaust assembly was then cemented. Finally the main rotors were assembled. I however replaced the kit rotor assembly with the Italeri one as the latter has better detail (then again the detail may be wrong for an Apache!). In any case, the rotor blades in both kits are moulded without the droop (when idle). To add the droop, I soaked the blades in hot water and then carefully bend them downwards. It might not match photos but at least the blades are now droopy. The mast is the last item cemented although somewhat inexplicably, I used the Hasegawa rather then the Italeri counterpart. Sludge wash was then applied to enhance the panel lines.

Conclusion

The Hasegawa kit of the Apache, even though dated from the 1980s can still hold its own against its market rivals. The fit is good with well-detailed parts (of course there are certain exceptions) and the ugliness of the design was well captured by Hasegawa. The details can be improved, if one wished, by using aftermarket parts but what comes in the box are enough satisfy the average modeller.

Support For The Scouts

Historical Background

The Associated Equipment Company (AEC) of Southall, Middlesex was set up in 1912 and became well-known for its trucks and buses, especially the famous London double-deckers. With the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939, the company was geared for war, producing the 10-ton, 4-wheeled Matador artillery tractor (a 6x6 version was also produced, named the Marshall but was always referred to as a Matador). In 1941, a private-venture move was made by AEC to produce a multi-mission armoured car for the British Army using the 4x4 Matador chassis. The prototype was shown to officials at the Horse Guards Parade in London 1941. Winston Churchill was impressed and ordered the vehicle into production.

The AEC Armoured Car was fairly large as the designers intended it to be a 'wheeled tank', being cheaper and thus being able to be produced in larger quantities than the real tank. The vehicle utilised the Matador chassis, including its engine and transmission and thus able to carry heavier armament than its contemporaries. Size-wise, it's impressive, having a long and tall structure and a narrow, lozenge-shaped armoured body. The driver sits at the front with the fighting compartment in the middle. Despite the rather narrow aspect of the body, the fighting compartment was roomier than the one of the Valentine tank. Large stowage boxes were placed between the mudguards, also creating a step for the crew to mount their vehicle. The frontal armour was 65mm thick but sloped angle increased the effective thickness to 90mm, with side armour being 13mm thick. This protection came at the cost however with the vehicle weighing 11 tons. However production vehicles were powered by the AEC 190 diesel engine rated at 105hp and giving a power-to-weight ratio of 9.5hp per ton for the Mark I. This in turn gave the armoured car a speed of 65 km/h and range of 400km, sufficient for most long-range reconnaissance missions.

The first production version, the Mark I was armed with a 2-pounder gun and a co-axial BESA 7.92mm machinegun. The turret the same as those fitted on Valentine Mark I/III infantry tank. The Mark II had a different turret and were armed with a Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun and the BESA machinegun. This version was heavier, at 12.7 tons. To cope with the heavier weight, the engine was changed to AEC 195 (158hp). The final Mark III was armed with a Ordnance QF 75-mm gun. An AA variant armed with a Crusader AA turret was built but was not ordered into production. Tactically, the AEC was used to support other armoured cars in the reconnaissance regiment. It saw first action during the North African campaign in 1942 by the British and the Indian Armies. They later saw service in Italy and North-West Europe, where they were supplemented by the American-built Staghounds. The AEC gave good service, which was reflected in its usage by the British Army well into the 1950s when it was eventually replaced by the Saladin. The AEC was also bought by Lebanon, who used them until 1976.

The Kit

Miniart came up with the kit of the AEC in 2013, releasing all three versions in the same year. The Mark III kit was comprised of 534 light gray parts, 50 brass PE parts and eight clear plastic parts. There is a substantial number of parts related to the interior. They are definitely needed if you want to pose all the hatches in the open position. Of particular note are the 75-mm rounds as they need to be shortened to allow fitment into the ammo racks - a rather tedious job as there are around 40 of them! Again the steps in the instructions can be skipped if you chose to have your model buttoned up. Also included is a pair of Vickers K machineguns, to be mounted on the turret roof (although all the pics I have seen show that the AEC was not equipped with them). Also, be aware of tiny parts - both PE and plastic - there are lots of them! A driver figure in driving pose is also included. The decal sheet provide markings for three vehicles:

1. F 88886, Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School, Lulworth Camp, Dorset 1944

2. F 88707, Heavy Troop, D Squadron, 2nd Household Regiment, VIII Corps, Normandy June 1944

3. F 89007, 1st King's Dragoon Guards, XII Corps, 2nd British Army, North-West Europe, Spring 1945

Construction

After browsing the instruction sheet, I believe I can skipped about 1/3 of the assembly process as I intended to have my AEC buttoned up (except for the turret).I totally skipped Steps 1-4 and only added the external parts to the side walls in steps 6 and 10. The engine bulkhead was also left bare. Although Miniart included a driver's figure, I decided not to use him for this model and therefore the driver's compartment was also left bare.The side walls, bulkhead and the driver and fighting compartment floors were then cemented together. Steps 16-21 are concerned with the undercarriage. I am of the opinion that the basic chassis is a bit over-engineered as the 'thingies' that hold the leaf spring suspensions should be moulded together with the frame, rather than separately. Also the front leaf springs are not symmetrical but the actual placement was not shown in the diagram...so I made a guess and hope that I was right. Part Ba5 is also not symmetrical and the assembly sheet should be looked at closely.

The rear suspension however have ends corresponding with their mountings so it wasn't a problem here. The gear box was assembled and cemented in its location. However while the position was quite clearly marked in the instructions, it wasn't really so on the plastic. The engine was then assembled but I only use the larger parts only. Anyway when dry-fitting the engine, I found that the connection between the engine and the gear box fell short. I guess it was my mistake rather than Miniart's. However, since the engine and the gear box is mainly out of general view, I left them as they were. Up next were the axles, there were no problems here except that if you put Part Ba5 (mentioned earlier) incorrectly, you will find that the front axle won't fit properly into the suspension. The front brakes however are loose and need to be glued to the axles.

Moving to the upper hull, the driver's hatch was cemented to the upper hull/roof. It has to be done prior to cementing the roof to the hull as it was easier to do it that way. As I intended to have the driver's hatch in the closed position, none of the details were added underneath the hatch door. The mountings for the windshield is downright tiny and I nearly lost them! For the rear part of the upper hull, Step 51 really had to be done first and the assembled parts put in place. This is in order to avoid misplacing Part F12 which, if placed incorrectly, will create a larger gap so that part E41 cannot be cemented between the forward plate and Part F12. Once this was done, the engine hatch covers can be put in place. The storage boxes on the sides were assembled and cemented into place. Afterwards, things stuck on the front mudguards like the headlight, brush guard and the towing eyes were cemented and the mudguard was then cemented to the hull. The rear mudguards were next. I cemented Parts E4 and E5 to the hull first and the cemented the main mudguard structure to them and the storage boxes as there no positive locating pins for the mudguard.

Next up is the turret. I started at the front face by assembling the internal gun mantlet, the Besa machine gun and the breech end of the main gun. As I intended to have the turret hatches closed, I forego doing the interior. The turret walls was then mated together, along with the bottom. The one-piece roof and the rear wall were next but the one in my kit was a bit warped. I soaked it in hot water, gently 'massaging' it back into shape. It was then cemented to the turret shell without problems. The details on the turret was then attached but certain items, like the lifting eyes on the either the turret sides were left off (the third one at the back was cemented at this time - these eyes were delicate, no need to guess what happened!). Sometimes a compromise had to be taken, such as the mounting for the turret stowage box. I do not own a 'proper' PE bending tool so I have to use a piece of plastic to maintain the spacing between the stowage box and the turret's rear face. The main gun has rather short pins (and the recess is shallow on the turret face) for effective surface mating so I have to use superglue for this part. Care also have to be exercised here as the the pin/recess is not keyed and I have to make sure the muzzle brake is properly aligned. I also decided not to use the roof-mounted twin Vickers K machineguns.

Painting And Decalling

I intended to paint the model using Mike Starmer's mix of SCC15 Olive Drab; however I have run out of 'proper' (so to speak) Olive Drab. I decided to improvise by using 7 portion of the 'wrong' batch of Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab, 3 portions of XF-3 Flat Yellow and a dash each of XF-64 Red Brown and XF-61 Dark Green plus flat white for scale effect. The test mix look close enough and painting commenced. For markings, I chose the second option, that is, an AEC III of the 2nd Household Regiment. The markings however only provide the Arms of Service and unit markings for the front only. Perhaps Miniart did this to maintain 'photo-accuracy' but I believe the set of markings fo the rear should be included (by the way. the third option only have markings for the rear). The decals received the Mr Mark Softer treatment but the silvering persisted for some of them. Pin wash was then applied to selected areas.

Finishing

Finishing work starts by attaching the more vulnerable parts and/or parts painted mainly in a different colour than the main body. The radio aerial at the back of the turret is a two-part affair, with plastic base and a PE part. Due to its fragility (because it's so thin), the PE part was distorted during assembly and attempts to make it as round as it should be resulted in further distortion, so I have to leave it like that. Also, the lifting eyes of the turret suffered from being knocked around during the handling of the turret. The Bren Gun included in the kit (to be hanged outside the turret) was painted and put in place. I glued a piece of kitchen aluminium foil to act as reflecting surface of the rear-view mirror and then sementing the assembly to the mudguards. However, the mounting is to be glued butt-joint to the mudguard; because of the cylindrical shape of the pole and the mount, it can fit properly. I have to cut a small 'channel' on the mount so that the assembly can be more secure whilst drying.

The outside was pretty bare so I decided to add a 75-mm ammo box from Academy, a rolled tarp from Tamiya and a pair of 4-gallon flimsies from Bronco. However I have gotten tired of this kit (despite all the shortcuts) by this time and decided to let the stowage be put in place by 'magic' (i.e not adding tie-downs and straps)...or perhaps the crew has yet to stow them properly...haha. Finally, Mig Productions European Dust pigment was mixed with water and applied under the mudguards, the lower hull and the tyres. Once dry, the excess was removed using a stiff brush, and in the case of the tyres, were partly removed using enamel thinner. As there are no tabs to secure the turret, a slab of plasticene was placed underneath the turret basket to provide friction and also acting as some sort of 'holder' for the turret. Finally, Miniart provided just two tow cable shackles and the builder has to provide his own cable. The leftover twine from previous kits are too big for the shackles, so I just have to leave this rather essential piece of equipment from the model.

Conclusion

Again, the Eastern European (and the newer Far Eastern companies) are more ambitious than the more established companies in introducing kits previously not available (or having only limited availability). And in the case of the AEC armoured car, not only Miniart produces kits for all the major variants, they also throw basically everything a modeler wish for a basic vehicle - including full interior. This resulted in a rather long build but I believe the end justifies all that work. Sure, I skipped many of the construction steps as I do not intend to build up the interior and having them disappear from view. Even so, it took up some of the longest time I took to build a 1/35 AFV kit. Actually it has more to do with holiday breaks and losing some of my modelling mojo rather than actual difficulty with the kit.

Italian Cavalry Scout

Historical Background

In 1938, the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito), issued a request for a new armoured car to replace the Lancia IZM, basically a souped-up version of the 1918-vintage Lancia-Ansaldo cars. The IZM was however underpowered and had poor off-road capability. Ansaldo-Fossati came up with a four-wheel drive, four-wheel armoured car concept. The new vehicle need to fulfil the requirement for a fast and versatile car for colonial policing and and the army's cavalry. Production soon started in 1940 and the vehicle was given the designation Autoblinda 40, or AB 40. The main features of the AB 40 include all-riveted hull with sloped armour, rear-mounted engine and twin machineguns in a turret. The wheels can have the tyres removed and the car be used on rails. The two spare tyres were hanged in the way so that they can rotate freely and help in navigating rough terrain. The four-wheel drive, while revolutionary, was however quite troublesome. The AB 40 was however produced in small quantity: just 25. They were used during the Italian 'invasion' of southern France in June 1940 and afterwards they were sent to Libya.

In the Fall of 1940 however, a new requirement was issued. A modified version of the AB 40 was required, equipped with a 20mm Breda modello 35 autocannon. The easiest solution was to replace the original turret with the turret from the L6/40 light tank. Tests of the prototype was promising and the AB 40 on the production line was replaced with this version, dubbed AB 41 (after the year of first production, 1941).  Apart from the 20mm cannon, the AB 41 was armed with a co-axial 8mm Breda modello 38 machinegun. Another Breda 38 (a carryover from the AB 40) was retained on the rear of the crew compartment. A total of 456 20mm and 1,992 8mm rounds were carried. With the additional weight of the turret, a more powerful Fiat SPA ABM 6-cylinder petrol engine was needed. Rated at 120hp, the new engine allowed the Ab 41 to maintain a top speed of over 70km/h and the higher torque also offered better off-road capability. Range was a respectable 250 miles. The complicated drive system provided six forward and four reverse gears and to fully exploit the latter, a second driver was placed at the rear of the crew compartment (also a carryover from the AB 40). All AB 41s were equipped with radio and a long aerial, making them useful scout vehicles. Armour was also good (15mm for the front plate). The vehicle was not without flaws however, chiefly the one-man turret, unprotected fuel tank and the lack of interior bulkhead, making life unbearable for the crews in North Africa.

The AB 41 was used in all theatres of war in which Italian troops took part: North Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Front and the Italian homeland. They were issued to cavalry, Bersaglieri and the Polizia dell'Africa Italiana (Italian African Police). Like the AB 40, the AB 41 can be converted for railway patrol duty using a conversion kit, resulting in the Ferrovaria (railroad) version. The Ferrovaria was especially useful in the Balkans where the partisans were actively resisting the Axis occupiers. Following the Italian Armistice in September 1943, 57 AB 41s were confiscated by the Germans who renamed them Panzerspahwagen AB41 201(i). There are only two vehicles derived from the AB 41. The AS 42 Sahariana was basically a turretless AB 41 and developed for operations in hot and dry (read North Africa) combat conditions. Another version was the AB 43, armed with a  47mm Canone da 47/32 M35 anti-tank gun. Just 12 of the latter were produced before the armistice. Another 120 were built for the Germans. In total, 550 AB 41s were built.

The Kit

Despite being the most important Italian armoured car during World War 2, the AB 41 was not kitted by a mainstream manufacturer until 2005 when Italeri announced their kit. The kit comprised of 140 parts in tan-coloured plastic plus six rubber tyres. The usual decal sheet and instructions are there but no PE parts are included. However like Tamiya kits, the Italeri AB 41 has enough details to satisfy the average modeller. The details are well-moulded and I am very pleased with the embossed details on the side wall of the tyres. However, while all the doors and hatches can be posed open, there is no interior detail. The painting instructions are in colour and separate from the assembly instructions. The kit provide markings for five vehicles, including two German vehicles for those who won't build anything without a Black Cross (even the box art shows the German option!):

1. German Army, Aufkl.Abt.236, 162nd (Turkische) Infantry Division, Italy, early 1944
2. German Army, I./Elite-Polizei regiment, Bolzano, Italy, Summer 1944
3. Regio Esercito, Unknown unit, Sicily 1943
4. Regio Esercito, Lancireri di Montebello Regt, Rome, September 1943
5. Repubblica Sociale, Gruppe Corazzato Leonessa, Torino, Italy, early 1945

Construction

The build started at the chassis and Italeri provided a rather simple affair which consists of a horizontal 'pan', two sides and the ends. There are just small lips to align the parts but in the end, two u-shaped parts stabilises the joint. Next up were the suspension and steering mechanism. They are simpler than most other kits but care has to be taken since parts B8 and B9 have a tight fit and might snap if one is not careful (I end up enlarging the holes). More parts for the suspension were added to the kit. Again Fit of Parts B13 and B14 is fairly tight. To ease handling, Parts B15 and B16 were cemented directly to the chassis, rather than cementing them to Parts B13 and B14 first. This proved to be a blessing as it allows me to adjust the parts with Parts B18 and B20 (the brake drums). Should they be cemented as instructed, the brake drums might not fit properly. The suspension was finished by adding the drive shafts. While there is a notch at each wheel end of the assembly for positive placement, there were none for inside the chassis. The best way to fit this is by cementing the wheel ends and align the ends inside the chassis.

The hull of the kit was made up of multiple panels, rather than a basic shell onto which smaller panels are attached. First parts C22 and C24 are cemented to their respective sides of the walls. As the separate panels may lead to alignment issues, Italeri provided four cylindrical stiffeners, to be placed between the walls. These add some rigidity while building up the hull. However the locating pins are slightly too long and need to be trimmed. The bottom rear hull panel was then cemented. Before assembling the rest of the hull panels, the rear-facing machinegun was fitted into the upper rear panel; the design of the parts allow the machine gun to swivel freely in its place. There is a bit of fit problem between Parts 30C and 31C but a quick sanding work eliminated the problem. The rest of the panels did not have good fit but the open bottom made for some flexibility, allowing the joints mated better through finger pressure. For those who want to show off the headlights, you will be disappointed with this kit as the lenses and glasses are solid ( I simply place the covers in the closed position). There are a number of ejector pin marks but they are mostly at the wheel arches (all six of them) and are judged to be mostly hidden, so I left them as they were. 

Work on the turret was started by assembling the main armament. The breech end of the gun and also the machine gun is fairly simple but not really an issue as I'm going to close off all the hatches. The muzzle of the gun is separate and require care when cementing it to avoid seams. Apart from the machine gun and the main gun (and the telescopic sight), there isn't anything much inside the turret. There is a turret traverse wheel but since the turret hatch would be closed, I didn't put it in place. The wheels remain separate from the body and the tyres were not fitted to the wheels at this time. It's off to the paint shed.

Painting And Decalling

Italeri, like Tamiya, has a rather annoying habit (depending on your POV, really) of having only their paints in the colour callouts. Checking on instruction sheets available online, I painted the model a basic layer of 2:1 Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow and XF-59 Desert Yellow plus 20% white for scale effect. Afterwards it was time to decide which markings to use. The German vehicles were rejected out of hand, leaving the Italians. The 'Black Shirt' vehicle is simple, without camouflage patterns but para-military organisations are not really my cup of tea. That left the the two Army vehicles. I finally chose the Sicily-based vehicle as the pattern is less confusing than the other. The green is painted using a 60/40 mix of XF-65 Field Grey and XF-58 Olive Green while XF-64 Red Brown was used for the brown. Aftwerwards, the decals were applied and as usual the decals perform flawlessly. A thin layer of XF-57 Buff was then applied all over the model to 'tie-up' the colours.

Finishing

The smaller parts can now be fixed to the model. Due to some rather clumsy cutting, I clipped off the lower part of one of the horns; I however have run out of putty and reluctantly have to leave it as it is. Another clumsy handling resulted in one of the width indicator snapping off, and again, the carpet monster quickly grabbed it as it hit the floor. Replacing one meant replacing both of the indicators. Using the surviving piece as a guide, I cut 0.5mm plastic rod to size, drill a hole in each of the indicator bases and use leftover balls from a Legend Productions Merkava III update set. It look smaller than the original but perhaps it is more to scale. The pioneer tools were painted and fixed onto their places Finally the exhaust, after being painted Burnt Iron was fitted. Pin wash was then applied. The wheels and tyres were assembled and afterwards, I applied Tamiya Weathering Master Sand all over the wheels. Once completed, the wheels were mounted on the model.

Conclusion

Despite a number of issues (admittedly they are minor), the AB 41 kit has good enough details overall. Italeri are also to be commended for producing a model of a vehicle many mainstream manufacturers ignore - because of the lack of Black Crosses and unpronouncable names (even Tamiya, who has a licensing agreement with Italeri, only adopt the follow-on AB 43 kit, as the vehicle was almost exclusively used by the Germans!). The simple construction makes it very attractive and I believe there is a number of aftermarket goodies that can be used to spruce up this kit.  

Mr. Churchill's Tank

Historical Background

The Churchill tank has its origins in General Staff specification A20, which was intended as a replacement for the Matilda and Valentine tanks. In accordance with the British infantry tank doctrine, and the experience of trench warfare during World War I, the A20 was required to be able to traverse shell-cratered grounds and demolishing infantry obstacles and fixed enemy defences. For these purposes, high speed and heavy armament were not needed. The vehicle was initially specified with two Ordnance QF 2-pounder guns, each in a side sponson, together with a co-axial 7.92mm BESA machinegun. A third BESA and a smoke projector would located at the front of the hull. The specification was later revised to include a turret and drawings were made using the Matilda turret. 

The task to build the prototypes was given to Harland & Wolff, who completed four of them in June 1940. During that time, consideration was given whether to fit a heavier gun at the front of the hull namely a 6-pounder or the French 75mm gun. In the end, a 3-inch howitzer was chosen. The powerplant was the same as with the Covenantor tank: a 300 hp flat-12 Meadows engine, causing the 43-ton A20 to be underpowered. Vauxhall was approached to provide an alternative engine which they did, using a Bedford six-cylinder lorry engine, giving 350hp. With the fall of France and all that the German Blitzkrieg entailed, the trench warfare scenario was no longer applicable, causing the A20 design to be revised. Done by Henry Merritt, the Director of Tank Design at Woolwich Arsenal, it was based on combat experience in Poland and France. The new design specification, called A22 or Infantry Tank Mark IV was given to Vauxhall in June 1940. The A22 was given the name 'Churchill', which according to Winston Churchill, was not named after him, but his ancestor, Sir John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

The hull of the Churchill was made up of flat plates, which were bolted in early versions and welded for later marks. The hull was split into four compartments: driving, fighting, engine and transmission. The suspension has that Great War feeling (as with the French B1), being fitted under two large panniers on each side of the hull, with the track running over the top. There were 11 bogies for each side, each carrying two 10-inch wheels. The turret is originally of cast construction and rounded in shape, armed with a Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun. The Mark I carried a 3-inch howitzer in the hull, allowing it to fulfil its infantry tank function (the 2-pounder was not provided with HE shells, being mainly intended for anti-tank work). However as with the B1, the hull gun has poor field of fire and the entire tank has to be moved to aim the gun.The Mark II dispenses with the hull howitzer and replaced it with a BESA 7.92mm machinegun. 

The Mark III introduced the Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun, improving its anti-tank capability. The turret was also enlarged with a hexagonal shape and flat sides. This gave the Churchill a better anti-tank capability against Panzer III and IV it met in North Africa. Also at that theatre, a resourceful officer named Percy Lowell managed to fit American 75mm gun, from numerous knocked-out Shermans into a Mark IV turret, creating the NA75 variant. The gun has worse anti-tank capability than the 6-pounder but with greater versatility by being able to fire HE rounds. The US 75mm is however still weak against the improved Panzer IVs and a new 75mm gun was introduced on Mark VII, which also featured another new turret. The original armour of the Churchill was originally specified to be between 16-102mm (in fact, in 1941, it was the thickest, better than the Matilda II and the KV series). By the time the Mark VII entered service, the frontal armour has increased to 152mm, with only the armour of the King Tiger and the Jagdtiger surpassing it. The only downside was that the armour plate was flat, reducing its effectiveness as compared to sloped armour plate.

With the loss of so much heavy equipment and vehicles in France and with the threat of an imminent invasion, the War Office instructed that the Churchill had to enter production in one year's time. The design was frozen in July 1940, with prototypes completed in December and in June 1940, the first production Churchills rolled off the production line. However, because of its hasty development, the tank was plagued with problems with the engine being the most apparent being unreliable, underpowered and difficult to access for maintenance. The Churchill was first used during Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe Raid) on 19 August 1942. The Canadian 14th Army Tank Battalion (Calgary Regiment) took 60 Churchills for the raid. In the event, all were lost, either being destroyed or abandoned. In North Africa, six Churchill Mark IIIs (dubbed the Kingforce detachment) saw action during the Second Battle of El Alamein, where they proved the near-invincibility of their armour. Following the successful trial, the 25th Army Tank Brigade was sent to the theatre, taking part in the Tunisian campaign. In mainland Europe, the Churchills were the mainstays of British tank brigades, operating in support of the infantry.

The Churchill also provided the basis for a number of the specialised vehicles used for Operation Overlord, colloquially known as 'Hobart's Funnies' (after the 79th Armoured Division's commander, Major General Percy Hobart), namely the AVRE (Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers), Crocodile flamethrower tank and the ARK (Armoured Ramp Carrier). The Churchill even saw service during the Korean War, equipping C Squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. Apart from the UK, Canada and Poland, the Churchills were also operated by the Red Army during World War 2, receiving 258 Marks III and IV (another 43 was lost when U-Boats sank their transports). Post-war, the Churchill was also used by Ireland, Australia and Iraq. In 1943, an attempt was made to produce a 17-pounder armed variant. The larger gun required an enlargement of the hull, resulting in the Infantry Tank A43 Black Prince. Six prototypes were completed when World War 2 ended but the Black Prince project was abandoned when the A41 Centurion proved to be a more simple vehicle.

The Kit

Tamiya Military Miniatures Kit 35210 is actually a re-box of kit 35100 Churchill Crocodile flame tank originally released in 1977. The Churchill Mk. VII, released in 1996 is virtually the same kit as the 1977 release (the gun Churchill can also be made OOB using the Crocodile kit). Tamiya cleaned up the moulds, remove all the Crocodile-related parts and added a new sprue with four new figures (the original figures are still there though).  The parts are spread among five sprues, an upper and lower hull and two one-piece tracks. The plastic were moulded in dark green except the new figures sprue which was moulded in light gray. On first looks however the kit exhibited all the hallmarks of an earlier-era Tamiya kit, chiefly a rather light detailing, which compares poorly with AFV Club Churchills. However, at the time of writing, the Tamiya kit is the only late-mark Churchill in the market and unless AFV Club (or anybody else) announced a new Mark VII Churchill, this kit is the only one available. There are figures galore in this kit: three crew members and a farmer figure plus the original two figures (one crew and one infantryman). Also included is a farm cart and a small clear-moulded sprue for bottles. The kit provide markings for three tanks:

1. 'Ben Nevis', 6th Guards Tank Brigade, 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards

2. 'Briton', 34th Tank Brigade, 107th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps

3. 'Iceni', 3st Tank Brigade, 9th Royal Tank Regiment

Construction

While normally construction starts with the suspension, the Churchill kit started with the front armor panel. Me being a traditionalist (sort of) jumped to Step 4, that is the suspension. Tamiya moulded all the wheels and springs together with the side sponsons. While this simplify the build, it sacrificed some details on this area. Yet, it was welcomed by me as the wheels alone were in the tens! And due to its design, the idler wheel would also have to be fitted at this stage. Only after then I moved back to the front armor panel. The hull machinegun was slotted into place and the stopper was glued behind it. This allows the machine gun to swivel freely and hopefully reducing the chance of it being broken during the build. Afterwards the glacis plate and the rear panel was put into place; the headlights were however left of at this time.

I then moved on to the upper hull. The upper hull is mainly a one-piece affair but with separate front fenders. The hatches for the driver/co-driver and the side hatches were first cemented to the hull. The engine air intake were assembled but only later I realised that the armoured plates on the intakes are post-war additions. The intake grilles were solid but since I add part B14, they were mostly hidden.  The exhaust are left off as it will be painted differently from the rest of the kit, and that also means that the exhaust fairing/cover will be placed later. The tow cable, spare track links, pioneer tools and cans were also left off. The upper hull was not glued at this time. I test-fit it on the lower hull, found the fit satisfactory i.e needing no filler and left it separate to ease painting and fitting of the tracks.

The turret, as usual was the last assembled before painting. The Mark VII's turret is a composite cast / welded construction (cast sides and welded roof) and I should have enhanced the cast texture (there is basically none actually OOB) before painting, and also replace the moulded tie-downs with wire. However, I have to mention here that the Churchill was started by me years ago, got sidetracked and was only restarted several weeks before. So in my 'excitement', I forgot to redo the cast texture. Also, I am not sure whether the roof of the turret is supposed to look as it was, or needing extra weld beads or whether the fit is real bad. I cemented the roof to the turret shell as it was. Also, when I originally build this kit, I did not intend to use any of the figures, so the hatches were glued shut. The stowage box at the rear of the turret was fixed last.

Painting and Decalling

I painted the model using Mike Starmer's mix of SCC15 Olive Drab of XF-61 Dark Green, XF-62 Olive Drab (I substituted it with Gunze OD) and XF-3 Flat Yellow. For markings I chose 'Briton' as it was the most vibrant of the three available. However the decals have been left outside the protective plastic for too long and they partly disintegrated when handled. This is especially with the tank registration numbers and the tank's nickname. Also, the latter should be placed on the upper half of the engine air intake; however because of the condition of the decals and that I misplaced the first decal for the name, it was placed on the lower half of the intake. The track was painted Flat black and then washed with AK Interactive's Track Wash. They were superglued and looped around the running gear. The upper hull was then mated to the lower half. A wash using black-brown mixture was then added.

Finishing

Although the kit figures were not used (and discarded), I end up adding a figure from Miniart's British Tank Crew Set. I was thinking of adding spare track links, leftovers from the Dragon Sherman Firefly, but there were just a few left that I feel that it wasn't worth it. The rolled tent/bedroll included in the kit were painted XF-57 Buff and then stuck to the turret sides. The tow cables and the kit's spare track links were mounted on their places on the sides of the hull. The jerrican and flimsies on the rear bumper was replaced with their counterparts from Bronco's British Field Accessories Set (the kit jerrican is of American pattern, plus like the jerricans of the Tamiya M16 featured previously, lacked some details; the flimsies were aneroxic and also lack details). Since the Bronco flimsies are larger, a little surgery was done to the mount. I also added a 25-pounder ammo box and a pair of 6-pounder ammo boxes, also from Bronco. I was thinking of adding camo nets but decided not to as the build has already taken too long a time. Further weathering was restricted to an application of Mig Productions European Dust pigment.

Conclusion

Tamiya's Churchill is an old kit and really has been surpassed by the more modern AFV Club kits. However, at the time of writing, it remains the only Mark VII available in the market. However, it is still good built out of the box and with extra effort, can be on par with the newer AFV Club Churchills.