Cromwell Mk.IV - 1:72 Revell

[Paul A H]

Cromwell Mk.IV

1:72 Revell

The Cromwell, or to give it it's full name, the Cruiser Tank Mk. VIII Cromwell A27M, was one of the more successful cruiser tanks deployed by the British Army during the Second World War. The Cromwell was almost identical to the A27L Centaur cruiser tank. The only practical difference was its Rolls Royce Meteor V12 petrol engine. The Meteor was a modified version of the famous Merlin aero engine that was adapted and de-rated for tank use. It was capable of developing 600bhp and was considered to be very reliable. It helped to make the Cromwell the fastest cruiser tank around at the time.

Early marks were armed with the 6pdr gun, but with the introduction of the Mark IV came the 75mm gun. This was still no match for the larger German tanks such as the Panther and Tiger, and the Cromwell struggled in the early days of the invasion when combat was confined to the Normandy Bocage. It fared better once fighting moved further into France and the Low Countries, where its impressive turn of speed could be exploited. The Cromwell was eventually developed into the A34 Comet and armed with the much more capable 77mm quick firing gun.

Although this isn't the first outing for Revell's Cromwell, it's still a relatively modern tooling, having first seen the light of day in 2001. Inside the black, end opening box are three sprues of very dark green plastic which hold an impressive total of 127 parts. First impressions are positive. Apart from the high part count, detail is excellent and the mouldings are very clean and crisp.

As is usually the case with kits of this type, construction begins with the running gear and hull. The lower hull is moulded in seven pieces, which should give you some idea of the level of detail involved. The Christie suspension units are moulded in place, which will help ensure that the main wheels are properly aligned. Detail isn't compromised by this approach though, as the units are hidden behind the armoured hull sides. The track is of the link and length variety, which I prefer to the rather horrid rubber bands found on some older kits.

The 7.92mm hull mounted Besa machine gun is very nicely detailed and can be posed in a range of positions is you're prepared to cut away the mounting lugs. There are a number of equipment stowage bins to adorn the hull and a range of finer details including tow hooks and headlights. A range of pioneer tools are provided, but these are all moulded onto the hull itself. They are nicely done, however.

The turret itself is comprised of upper and lower halves, onto which the armoured plates are attached (just like the real thing). The 75mm gun looks pretty good, with a nicely detailed muzzle brake. You'll need to drill the end out if you want a more realistic finish though, as Revell haven't used slide moulding techniques on this model. You may even want to replace the barrel completely with one of the beautiful turned aluminium and brass alternatives available from RB Model. The commander's hatch is moulded in the open position. Even though no figures are included, this is a nice touch and it is appreciated.

Finishing details include the large hedge cutter used on the Cromwell in the Normandy Bocage, the turret-mounted searchlight, mudflaps and the exhaust cover. Unlike the Airfix kit released in 2011, the deep wading fitting for the exhaust is not included.

Decal options include:

• Cromwell Mk.IV of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Battalion, Reconnaissance Regiment of the Welsh Guards Armoured Division, Normandy, France, summer 1944; and
• Cromwell Mk.IV of Divisional HQ, 11th Armoured Division, Normandy, France, June 1944.

Both tanks are finished in the ubiquitous dark green worn by British tanks of the period. The decal sheet is small but looks nice enough.

Conclusion

This kit is fairly well regarded by the modelling community, which isn't surprising as it looks very promising on the sprue. The level of detail and the quality of moulding suggests that the end result should please even the most detail orientated modeller. Recommended.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

[John_W]

I notice the turret star is provided in two pieces. This is a nice touch, having struggled with the Airfix one piece.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

This is an outstanding kit, but a couple of words of warning.....Be very careful when assembling the rear hull plate/exhaust area. What looks right, may not be.....Dry fit all your subassemblies to check everything sits right before breaking out the glue, because if you get it wrong it can really take some sorting out (ask me how I know).

Secondly and more importantly do not trust the Revell instructions for assembling the L&L track one inch.....Revell may have corrected the issue in this release, but in the last boxing they were very, very wrong indeed and if you followed them using glue you were truly f****d (fortunately I caught this problem before it caught me)!

I did have photos of the correct L&L assembly sequence but I'm afraid they have fallen by the wayside.....No doubt I'll be building Cromwells (& an A30 Challenger) again at some point, so I'll retake the pictures when I do.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Sgt.Squarehead

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Forgot to add.....The Cullins Cutter was never fitted to the Cromwell in service.....The Revell part is a representation of a version tested in the UK but never deployed to the front line.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Sgt.Squarehead

[echen]

@Sgt.Squarehead Just wondering if the running gear stub axles are long enough to allow building the L&L tracks round the wheels/sprockets/idlers without cementing them to the hull so that the whole sub-assembly can be removed from the hull for painting purposes. From the pix of the sprues the axle stubs look quite short and, possibly, needing cement to keep the wheels/sprockets/idlers in place.