Possible tank build

[Bri62]

Hi chaps, I'm looking for a detailed centurion tank (Photo etch and hight parts count which will prove a challenge for me, my dad was a tank driver in the early 50's and quite fancy something to build along side the Falcon
Thanks

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Hi Brian,

My dad was also a Centurion driver in the '50s whilst on National Service.

The AFV Club Mk 5 was the one I built.

 

[Bri62]

My dad was also a Centurion driver in the '50s whilst on National Service.

Yeah same he was in Belsen Germany for his national service

The AFV Club Mk 5 was the one I built.

was it a challenge?

 

[Mr Bowcat]

I think my old man was in Germany for a while, and Italy. He got to drive the unit commanders tank.

From memory it was OK, nothing major. The plastic was a little soft for my taste. I actually built it as an Australian unit in 'Nam, although I also built a little 1/72 British version for my dad. My build thread is here if you would like to look.

 

[Bri62]

My build thread is here if you would like to look.

Yeah thanks Bob.
Impressive build, love the weathering

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers mate.

 

[Jakko]

See Scalemates for an overview of 1:35 scale Centurion kits.

AFV Club has a whole range of Centurions, which are pretty well-detailed and for that reason also somewhat fragile and not the easiest to build, but they make up into great models. An easy option (both to buy and to build) is the Tamiya one, but it represents a Mk. III and is not up to today’s standards at all, on account of being about 50 years old by now (even if it’s still sold). The Academy, Academy/Minicraft and Modelcraft kits are a clone of it — that’s all the same kit sold under different brand names. Not sure what the Amusing Hobby kits are like, but I read they are essentially slightly modified clones of the AFV Club kits. As far as gun tanks are concerned, everything else shown on the Scalemates page is either hard to get, resin, obsolete, or any combination of those.

Oh, and my father used to repair Centurions in the Dutch Army in the late 60s

 

[Bri62]

Thank's Jakko

 

[Ian M]

Might not be the most detailed kit but didn't Tamiya do a 1/16 version with full Radio control options...

 

[Jakko]

Not 1:16 but 1:25, they had both a remote-controlled one and one with full interior. Like their 1:35 scale kit, it’s a Mark III, which might just be the right variant for someone who drove it in the early 50s, of course (it may help to find out which version he drove before buying a kit, I think).

 

[Bri62]

it may help to find out which version he drove before buying a kit

Not possible .......he died 5 years ago

 

[Mr Bowcat]

I believe they were Mk 5's at that time, at least that's what my dad drove.

 

[Bri62]

I believe they were Mk 5's at that time, at least that's what my dad drove

what's the difference some are £40 mk5 and some £80 mk1 both are AFV club

 

[Ian M]

Not 1:16 but 1:25, they had both a remote-controlled one and one with full interior. Like their 1:35 scale kit, it’s a Mark III, which might just be the right variant for someone who drove it in the early 50s, of course (it may help to find out which version he drove before buying a kit, I think).

Nåh?

 

[KarlW]

Isn't that a new 1/16 kit only launched recently...........one that would be dangerous to me and me wallet.........

 

[Jakko]

Not possible .......he died 5 years ago

I suppose he didn’t have any photos of “his” tank?

what's the difference some are £40 mk5 and some £80 mk1 both are AFV club

Not sure what the differences are kit-wise, but the Mk. I was the initial version produced from 1946, armed with a 17-pounder gun and 20 mm Polsten cannon, while the Mk. 5 was from the 1950s and had a 20-pounder gun and a .30 calibre Browning machine gun as well as a whole load of detail changes, not the least a slightly longer hull and an almost completely redesigned turret.

If your father drove them in the early 1950s, the Mark III is probably the safest bet: it was produced from 1947 through 1956, while Mk. 5 production only started in that year (a lot of Mk. IIIs were converted to Mk. 5 too — incidentally, also note the numerals: up until Mk. III they were Roman, from Mk. 5 they switched to Arabic; there was no Mk. IV/4). I think I would go for this one myself.

Nåh?

Oh, yeah, you’re right — released 2021, which is probably why I missed it

 

[Bri62]

Thank Jakko

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Brian, what year was your dad born in?

 

[Bri62]

Brian, what year was your dad born in?

1935 Bob

 

[Mr Bowcat]

OK, so my dad was born in 1936 and went in for 2 years when he was 20 (1956-1958) and drove a Mk V, but the Mk 3 was also still in use at that time, so either is a possibility for your dad.

I guess the only reasonable option is to build one of each.