CHIEFTAIN

[Stephen White]

Chieftain it is then. Order's in. No surprise there. What an innovative, welcome, impressive choice of new model. Thanks to all the team who've worked on this. Sorting out Chieftain marks isn't easy but the choice of Mk 5 is spot on. It will allow those who like a fuller turret to add the Dolly Parton, forgive. me, the STILLBREW armour but the Mk 5, once modified, had almost all the other Gucci mods. Here are a few tasters of tanks I may allegedly have commanded at some point in the distant past....

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In grateful thanks.

Stephen

[Kevin Hunter]

Had an inkling you'd be chuffed Stephen.
Apologies in advance, my model will have to be Household Cavalry...……. am I still allowed one?

Regards
Kevin

[Stephen White]

Top regiment, Kevin, delighted for you. It was a visit to the Blues and Royals in Detmold in 1968, that set me off down the slippery slope. They'd just taken on some of the first production Chieftains. Hope this new release is a roaring success. S

[florian rudolf]

The next monster after the FAMO. 1.8m what a size
Looking forward to see some parts of this awesome tank.

[Phil Woollard]

Well I expect I will have one to, how can I resist. If the sounds are right this will be awesome,with my high pressure smoker, a dummy main engine,a dummy donkey engine, somehow the transmission arse dip/lurch needs to be replicated, gun stab, definitely my blank firer!
Concerns, the tracks as usual. This monster is maybe on the limits of ali cast links, (1/1 Chieftain links are relatively skinny things) it's going to grip like crazy with the rubber inserts but Im sure Mark has plans to get that sorted.

[Stephen White]

Yes, lots to conjure with. Stab is a must, barrel smoke, lots of radio chat and that really loud, distinctive howl of the main engine exhaust, with the new Benedini sound card or the Beier, both of which have lots of memory, gear change, following Liam Mahoney's lead. It would be good to be able to select main engine off, to hear just the GUE (aux gen) running (never heard it called a donkey engine but perhaps that's a sly reference to the Donkey Wallopers). It's certainly a monster and an impressive model in every respect. The colour schemes offer lots of choice too, sand and spinach for BATUS, green and black for BAOR, the Berlin Brigade urban camouflage, Iranian, Kuwaiti, Jordanian schemes, the possibilities are great, I suspect there will be a few in Berlin colours. I'm duty bound to go for OC D Sqn, 4th Royal Tank Regiment's tank.

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Complete with Chinese Eyes:

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This picture is a commission done for me recently by a very fine artist, Mick Graham, who served in my Squadron when I was in charge. Sad to relate, his late father was my first squadron sergeant major, such is the way in family regiments. Mick has done some cracking Chieftain prints, here:

https://www.mickgrahamart.com


BATUS:

BAOR:

Berlin (actually not the correct colours, a scheme mocked up by the Friends of the Tank Museum but the concept is right):

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The official view:

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The unofficial view:

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and Uriah Heap's version:

Fear Naught, it's been a good day.

[Mark Heaps]

DEFWES fit ?

[Stephen White]

Mark, I started to type that Chieftain was a bit early for DFWES but checking my notes, 1 RTR just got it at the end of the Mk 11's tine. This is a 1 RTR wagon. DFWES was (is) a brilliant solution to force on force training. It was, unlike the US MILES system, a genuine gunnery trainer. I introduced TES/DFWES to the Army's force on force training in Canada with the first OPFOR in 1994. It was a real shock to the exercising battle groups to have to combine tactics and gunnery, which up until then had be separate exercises. Great photo, note the Chinese eyes.

[David Skeldon]

I am thinking Bridgelayer

[Mark Heaps]

Mark, I started to type that Chieftain was a bit early for DFWES but checking my notes, 1 RTR just got it at the end of the Mk 11's tine. This is a 1 RTR wagon. DFWES was (is) a brilliant solution to force on force training. It was, unlike the US MILES system, a genuine gunnery trainer. I introduced TES/DFWES to the Army's force on force training in Canada with the first OPFOR in 1994. It was a real shock to the exercising battle groups to have to combine tactics and gunnery, which up until then had be separate exercises. Great photo, note the Chinese eyes.

DFWES was great once the teething problems got sorted. I was on the first MedMan with Challenger 1. They were being K-Killed by small arms fire, no anti-tank weapon in range. Feed back we got later was that because data on the Chobham armour had not been released, the tanks had been given the same armour classification as a Landrover. Also funny as hell when us on the ChARRV got an M-Kill, then had to open the envelope and report the damage over the net so the notional spares could be demanded. We had been put non-operational due to a burst tyre and a torn canopy.

[Mark Heaps]

How do you reserve one and place a deposit ? I have been going backwards and forwards through the different web pages and have not found the solution.

Dear Armortek team, please, please, please reserve one for me and let me know how to place the deposit.

Mark

[Stephen White]

Mark, a quick email to Monique should do the trick.

Sales@armortek.co.uk

[Adrian Harris]

> I am thinking Bridgelayer

I thought you might. Or another ARV.

Odd that the registration number is upside down on the bridge. If they'd put it on the other half, it would have always been the right way up.

Adrian.

[Pete Nash]

Odd that the registration number is upside down on the bridge. If they'd put it on the other half, it would have always been the right way up.
Bridge on upside down?

[Steven Ford]

I'm very pleased indeed to see this foray into post war armour. There's such a huge range of possibilities - both tracked and wheeled. Many congrats to Kian and Monique.