Commemorative Tank Suggestions

[Fabrice Le Roux]

Hi,

While I am sure Mark has already decided what models he is planning to produce over the next 18 months, I was wondering if there would be support for two commemorative vehicles. Exact marks could be polled, but basically the dates are 2013 and 2016.

In 2013 I would love to see a kit of the most successful, battle proven, British tank design of the 20thC, the Centurion, to coincide with its 70th anniversary.

In 2016, a Mark 1 Male (or even a later Mark IV) would be entirely appropriate to recognise the Centenery of the Tank .

Both would no doubt be supported fully by the Tank Museum and still leave room for a perennial Axis cash-cow or two.

Aside from the above, a T34/85 (or 76) would fill a very obvious gap in the current catalogue .

I appreciate everyone has a pet vehicle the have hankered after (mine is the BergePanther), but it would be a shame to miss the commemorative USP of the first and the most successful vehicles in history of British tank design.

The Cent was sold all over the world and fought in every conflict from Korea to Kuwait and Vietnam to the Lebanon. The model would sell well.

Anyone agree?

Cheers, Fabrice

[Stephen White]

Fabrice

Gets my wholehearted support. That's got to be the most compelling argument for Mark and Gill to consider. The Cent would be a magnificent model which would have worldwide appeal and marking tue birth of the tank is surely worth consideration.

And think of the option packs: on the Cent, Mark could offer that awful commander's hatch that caught your fingers and let the rain in. On the Mark I he could do a carbon monoxide generator to poison the crew.

Cent has to be worthy. It would as you say have international appeal not least down under and in the States. If Mark were to offer a universal hull, think of the ARVs and bridgelayers and dozers and and....... They were built to last. I did a stint with the Aussiea and was given a Mark 5 which had been in Korea the year I was born and Vietnam twenty years later and it went on for another few years after that it. Anyone do one sixth scale tinnies?

Great suggestion

Stephen

[Martin Diessel]

Hi Männers, close to a year ago I suggested the same! Find my wish list:
http://www.armortek.co.uk/forum/viewtop ... ght=#19553
To take a pause from WW2 vehicles, I thing it opens a new wide range for new Armortek customers.
Martin

[Adrian Harris]

I'll gladly third both those choices.

> The Cent would be a magnificent model

Not entirely sure of my facts here but didn't the Centurion follow the Comet in the British family tree ? Are there similarities and/or shared parts between them ?

> awful commander's hatch that caught your fingers

That sounds like the voice of experience

Is Lee going to have to offer a course at the subsequent Open Day, where he shows how to paint Dragon fingernails the correct shade of black

> On the Mark I he could do a carbon monoxide generator to poison the crew.



Not to mention including the 150W amplifer upgrade, to deafen anyone in the vicinity

Adrian.

[Allan Webster]

I would love to see both an Armortek Centurion and any WWI tank. Would I buy them though ? Centurion definitely not (no interest in post-war), WWI tank .... perhaps.

I imagine that there must be some demand for scale r/c versions of smaller military vehicles - jeep, universal carrier, Horch, kettenkrad, land rover, etc. - but I suppose that's not really Armortek's main market.

[Stephen White]

Adrian

Comet was intended to be an improved Cromwell and had it been ready for the invasion in June 1944 as intended, it would have been a world beater. As ever, delays in fielding meant it was almost too late.

But the Cromwell hull was marginally too small to take the 17 pounder and a modified gun with a lower velocity (smaller charge) had to be incorporated. So in a sense, Comet was a stop-gap intended to get an effective answer to the Tigers and Panthers into service quickly.


The real "next generation" tank was Centurion. They realised that the Meteor was a superb engine and capable of powering higher weights. So Cent went up into the 50 ton bracket, carrying the 17 pounder but with much improved armour. In every respect, it matched the opposition including the King Tigers and had the supreme advantage that it was reliable automotively (something we were to lose with Chieftain in the sixties).

Cent was intended to be in service for the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945 and it almost made it. I think I'm right in saying that some Cents were deployed to Germany before the end of the war but didn't see action.

Cent's real claim to fame is that it was present in almost every major conflict between 1945 and the mid seventies. Korea, Suez, Vietnam, Six Day War, Yom Kippur and saw service with several armies. It eventually mounted the superb 105mm which became the NATO standard high velocity tank gun.

It spawned a huge range of sub types and variants. The AFV Club model range does quite a few of them.

Regards

Stephen

[Brian Leach]

Hi.

I would have to chime in with an "AYE" for this idea. I am not a post WWII tank fan, but I have always liked the Centurian, one of my favorite tanks actually, I can see myself buying it.

WWI depends on the price. I recently read Guderians "Achtung Panzer". I must admit I really had never given WWI much thought. We should be very happy the tank came along to end that conflict.

Brian

[simon_manning]

buisness is buisness so they say, T 34, that should pay the bills for a while, and might appeal to some russians, are there any russian forum members? simon manning.

[John Fitzsimons]

My girlfriend is Serbian and is still a bit of a red. She's not too happy with my collection of SS stuff as they drove their tanks into Belgrade. She would be more happy with a T34. I could buy it for her maybe. I think that would be a nice present.

[Martin Cohen]

A T34 would be OK I suppose, at least my Tiger would have something to chew on

[Adrian Harris]

Thanks for the explanation Stephen

I hadn't realised the Cent was that much bigger than the Comet, though I suppose the fact the Comet could barely take the 17lbr and the Cent ended up with the 20lbr should have been a clue

Adrian.

[Alex Easten]

Oh I would love to see a Centurion, particularly if the option for a mk1 with the 17 pounder was offered,that way you can at least market it as a ww2 tank! I would put my deposit down immediately haha! If a t34 was produced, I would rather see the flat turreted 76, in my opionion the meanest looking, plus you could do some lovely captured german ones in tri colour camo.

Would still also love to see a late turreted sherman though!


Alex