Military Models

Toys, Planes, New pictures, Model timeline and Build log!

...and not forgetting...

Crusader Mk III. The vehicle has been repainted in the typical British camouflage pattern used in North Africa. The Crusader was designed as a "cruiser" tank, and thus was fast and mobile. However, that meant it lacked armor and firepower. It also suffered from being rushed into service due to the desperate need for tanks at the time, and thus proved somewhat unreliable mechanically. This was a big handicap in the wide open desert.

Tiger II - King, or Royal Tiger (Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf B). In a defensive position the Tiger II dominated the battlefield with its powerful long-barreled 88mm. It was extremely heavy however, and could easily be left behind in fast moving mobile warfare - the blitzkrieg pioneered by the Germans early in WWII.

Chieftains. Actually in this case I think the vehicles are not the same, the "old" one being a Chieftain prototype, whilst the "new" one is a production model.

Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf G. The Ausf G model of the panzer 2 introduced larger interlapping readwheels and torsion bar suspension. Later models retained the suspension but had a larger hull that extended over the tracks to accomodate a larger turret.

Soviet SU-76, late model. A self-propelled 76.2mm gun mounted on an extended T-70 light tank chassis, the SU-76 was really a stop-gap. Nevertheless, it was produced in large numbers out of desperate need and even served post-war for a number of years.

Action at Gallows Hill! Chieftain and M109 show their paces. I remember the noise being deafening. I also remember asking a Chieftain crew member how they were doing with the laser rangefinder. When the Chieftain was introduced, it used a machine gun to get accurate range-to-target information. The laser promised to be quicker, more accurate, and quieter. I remember the crew member saying, yeah, we're using it but we're not supposed to talk about it! Interesting!

AMX-13 post war French light tanks first developed in 1946. This example looks to be a 105mm armed version.

This is a post war French armored car mounting the same turret as the AMX-13. This is EBR-something - I've not yet identified the exact model.

Here we have a Churchill Mk VII and a Churchill bridgelayer. The bridgelayer was a turretless Churchill II or IV fitted with hydraulic equipment that could lift and deploy the bridge.

Now here's something you don't see everyday - a pink Churchill tank! An important part of the Tank Museum's work is the preservation of historic vehicles. Here a Churchill VII sits in glorious primer, awaiting its more conventional top coat of paint. With its track guards removed this looks like an earlier Churchill, but note the round escape hatch in the sponson side.

Comet. Armed with a redesigned 17pdr gun, the Comet was issued to the 11th Armoured Division late in the war in March 1945. Though fast and reliable it was issued too late to play a prominent part in WWII.

A picture from the 70's. Yikes! That's me in front of the Soviet T55.

Mark IX supply tank sits outside the Tank Museum in the late 1960's.

A blast from the past. The Tank Museum Guide from around 1970, or even earlier. You will see various vehicles have been marked for special attention.

Bovington Outside 2006

Challenger prototype parked outside the Tank Museum entrance. The last picture shows the same tank but dates from 1998 and includes the family!

Here is a Challenger I tank situated outside at Bovington Camp.

Chieftain Mk11 with Stillbrew armour on the turret, parked right outside the entrance to the Tank Museum.

Churchill Mk I. Check it out. Now THAT'S a tank, baby!

Conqueror tank outside at Bovington - the first coverted to a command vehicle for the live vehicle shows, and the second parked outside the barracks.

Bovington Boneyard

First pic is a Centurion AVRE under wraps (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). 2nd shows the rear of another vehicle with spade and rubber pads fitted to tracks.

Chieftain tank parked outside at Bovington- first 2 in desert sand finish and then in a European paint scheme!

Green Chieftain with tan turret! At least, that is how it appears to me! I assume this was some kind of test vehicle. Also a Chieftain with fascine.

Churchill turret quietly rusting away

Rusting Cromwell hulk. Notice the double-walled hull which housed the springs for the Christy suspension. This effective narrowing of the hull using this type of suspension prevented the fitting of a large turret ring.

A very beat-up looking Crusader turret.

I'm guessing that this was something dragged home from Iraq, assuming that this was an ex-Soviet personnel carrier. However, I have not been able to confirm this. I see a lot of wheeled APCs but haven't yet seen one with the distinctive blunt nose seen here.

FV434 REME Fitters Vehicle/ Maintenance Carrier. Although the lower half of the FV434 looks the same as the FV432 the suspension is hydraulic. This allows the operator to lock the suspension when lifting heavy loads.

Not sure what this is! It looks like a T72 turret under ERA armour, and the front kinda look like a T72 too. But this has 7 road wheels - could it be a T80 chassis? But the wheels don't look right! More clues can be found here: Preserved Tanks - Bovington