Takom 1:35 Chieftain Mk.5 Main Battle Tank MBT

TAK02027

Sold Out £53.00 GBP

Takom 1:35 - Chieftain Mk.5 Main Battle Tank MBT - Plastic model kit #02027

The Chieftain was the main battle tank of the British army between the 1960's and 1980's and is still in service today with Iran. Due to its powerful armament and effective armour the tank quickly became known as one of the most formidable tanks in the world (Source: Janes Defence). Based on the Centurion, the Chieftain design was remarkable for the supine (upward facing) driver position which allowed for a heavy slope of the hull resulting in reduced height of the vehicle. The tank road speed was 48 km/h which was higher than the speed of its predecessor.

The Chieftain Mk.1 was the initial model of the series. It was used as a training vehicle by both the 1st and the 5th Royal Tank Regiments. The next, the Mk.2 became the first service version.

The Chieftain front armour was 388 mm on the glacis (sloped armour plate) and 390 mm on the turret. The turret was constructed without a gun mantlet in order to make it possible for the vehicle to recline up to ten degrees. The armament included one L11A5 rifled gun and two L7 machine guns.

The tanks of the series first saw combat in the Middle East. They were widely deployed by the Iranian troops during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980's and over a hundred of units served with the Kuwaiti army at the time of the Iraqi Invasion in 1990.

The Chieftain was successful on the battlefield and had potential for further development. The series underwent continuous updates during its service until it was replaced with the Challenger 1 in the early 1990's. Nowadays the tank is still used by the Iranian army.

The Chieftain Mk.5 was one of the improved models that belonged to the Chieftain line. It featured a larger engine and was equipped with an NBC protection system. Today a former Iranian Mk.5 unit is displayed at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia.

Kit details:
- Detailed static display plastic model
- Individual tracks
- The gun can pitch
- Photo Etched and clear parts included
- Eight types of markings
- All hatches can be built in open and closed positions

Collections: All, British, Middle East (Modern), Modern, Vehicles

Category: Takom Tanks

Type: Tanks

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1:35 - Major Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler - Resin kit

Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Marines. In 1942, a 28-year-old Hasler planned and led Operation Frankton. The operation was a commando raid on Axis shipping in the French port of Bordeaux occupied by the Germans. The mission was to attach mines to the hulls of German cargo ships. Three of the five canoes were lost on the way to the port. The surviving crewmen including Hasler reached the port successfully, placed the mines and managed to drown four cargo ships. They then walked 100 miles to a French village where they met with members of the Resistance and started their journey back to England through Spain and Gibraltar. For this operation Hasler was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George VI.

One kayak was damaged while being deployed from the submarine, and it and its crew therefore could not take part in the mission. Only two of the 10 men who launched from the submarine survived the raid: Hasler, and his number two in the kayak, Bill Sparks. Of the other eight, six were executed by the Germans and two died from hypothermia.

This product is available in two scales, 1:35 and 1:24 and was painstakingly designed from scratch as a digital model.

The kit includes: 2 x miniatures (Blondie Hasler and Bill Sparks) in their folding Cockle Canoe named 'Catfish' made by Campaign Models (UK).

Now available, while stocks last.

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