Churchill Mrk III. Construction Begins.

Progress has been quite slow. I have already mentioned how I did not deliberate at length (at all) when it came to buying my first model and now I'm paying the cost. My Churchill tank is a 1:72 scale model which, as it turns out, is very small. There were about 80 pieces in total the majority of whihc were very small. The smallest pieces being 20 very small sections of track which are incredibly fiddly to work with.


Tiny pieces of track, superglue and my hands are not a nice combination. I think I may need to get a better glue made specifically for models as the super glue is rather annoying and it also hardens when it dries, affecting the look of the model. The tracks themselves were a bit irritating to make. So I haven't really completed them yet, I've done most of one as shown and haven't started the other. From the pictures of the Churchill on the box it looks to me as if the top of the track will be invisible anyway so I may leave it out. I did, however, move on to construct the tank driver who doesn't look to great to be honest; the tank body and the tank turret.

One other problem I came upon was cutting the pieces out of the rack. I only had a clumpy pair of normal everyday scissors so I had to be careful when cutting out small pieces: firstly to make sure I didn't cut them and secondly to make sure they didn't fly away across the room. All my pieces so far have been cut out safely, save one, when I was cutting out the Churchill's six-pounder it snapped in half. I managed to glue it back together and hopefully the break will not show up after painting.

Filing was also a problem especially as I didn't have a file. The pieces all had little bits of extra plastic on them from where they had been cut from the rack and also from manufacturing. Ideally these should have been filied down but as a makeshift file I used an instrument many experts in the field my cringe at. I used a disposable razor to shave away any excess plastic and it was, to some extent, rather effective.



You can sort of see the line where the gun broke. Also notice all the superglue residue and the white stain it left. Hopefully most of this won't be too noticable on the final painted piece










This picture really highlights the amateur nature of the project. Look at all the crappy white stains from the superglue and you can also srt of see how the tank man's right arm is not very neatly attached. The small machine guns were really difficult to work with when using superglue and I think I may need to purchase a pair of scissors if I'm to get things done properly (that's open for a crude joke, as is the white stains comment. This really needs to be read in context)



You can see the line running down the side of the man's head an shoulder. It should be filed away but I didnay have a file. It was also not smooth enough to use the old razot technique on so I had to leave it be. The guy isn't glued on so if I still don't like him after painting I may just get rid if him. More annoying superglue stains. That little aerial on the back was really fiddly to glue on and my bottle of superglue didn't lend itself well to delicate situations. Instead it blurted out big, awkward drops. I do quite like the look of the bag on the side thogh. The top flat to the turret didn't really fit neatly into the sides you may notice. I need a file.

Churchill Mrk.III. (Part 2)

The Tank



The Churchill tanks were obviously named after Winston Churchill the British war time leader. The initial models were manufactured by Harland and Wolff of Belfast. However, these models proved ineffective and were largely all lost during the evacuation of Dunkirk. The project was then handed over to Vauxhall, Harland and Wolff had been asked to make a tank ideal for trench warfare but this no longer seemed to be the type of battlefield that would dominate WWII with the conquest of France. Vauxhall's first models too, were unsatisfactory. They were lightly armoured, under armed and unreliable, the Churchill plan looked to be going under until the Mark III came along in 1942. A vast improvement of the earlier models it was armed with a more powerful 6 pounder gun and heavier armour which proved crucial in the Second Battle of El Alamein against Rommell's troops in Egypt. This was the battle where the Mark IIIs would show their worth and a special force of of 5 of the Mrk. IIIs went in as the 'King Force'. After intense, heavy shelling 4 returned. Their new armour had proved effective as would their new guns as they ended up destroying a feared nazi Tiger Tank.





Soviet Mrk IIIs

The Churchills were not only utilized by the British. Several were sent to the Soviet Union.





















49th Separate Guards Breakthrough
Tank Regiment. Leningrad Front, Feb. 1944. (Apparently. I'm confused by the 61 on the side of the turret.)













48th Separate Guards Breakthrough Tank Regiment. Kiev, Nov. 1943.






Info Given By Box

The Churchill medium take came into service with the British Army in 1942 to support and replace the earlier Valentines, Matildas and Crusaders, whihc by then, were all outdated and inadequate in terms of both armour and weaponry, easily falling prey to the more advanced German tanks. Equipped with thick armour and a reiable engine, it proved to be tough and dependable, later being produced in ever-more efficient, upgraded versions. Its chasis was also used as a platform for specialised support vehicles such as the mine clearer, the bridgelayer and the flame-thrower.

Churchill Mrk. III. (Part 1)

Purchasing the First Model

So when purchasing my first model what did I take into account?

• Price?
• Size?
• Difficulty?
• Type of Model? Vehicle etc?
• Brand?

In reality, none of these had a massive effect. I was in a rush, so I went into the shop and made a quick purchase. Type of model had a slight effect as I wasn't interested in sports cars or motorbikes or anything like that; I did want something with historical or military significance (something that actually meant something in other words). Apart from that my choice was quite rash. I ended up buying a Churchill Mrk. III tank model made by Italeri (pictured below). It cost me a comfortable £6.99 from my local Toymaster and I also bought myself some superglue for £1.99. So all in all I'm out £8.98 on this little venture and paints etc. have not yet come into the equation. I think things seem to be rather affordable at present.