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Tamiya 1:35 Churchill Crocodile


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Because my Panther is just going so sweetly and will be finished in no time flat ...

Box Art:

IMG_1116_zps43337cc9.jpg

Contents:

IMG_1117_zpsc79f6713.jpg

You will note the bulge in the hull for the batteries. Not to worry. This is accommodated in the sponsons, so no need to cut these off! What you can't see won't hurt you.

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I was cheerfully assembling this last night (while my beloved was watching Glee) but I soon saw a need to paint.

DSC_0429_zps1a22c815.jpg

No primer - the plastic was already light grey :)

Edited by Brews
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That is a nice kit. I have build the normal Churchill kit about ten years ago and I found it quite pleasing to build.

Cheers,

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I found that the running gear moulding was mismatched, and it needed quite a bit of cleaning up. At first, I thought I'd not clean it up, because it was very fiddly with all those nooks and crannies around the springs, and not very visible. However, it is visible, and I wasn't happy with making it with visible seams, so I cleaned it up. Not a very productive job in the overall scheme of things.

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Be careful about which decals you use, 141RAC didn't come under the command of 79AD until July and they don't appear to have seen action under that command until September.....This was what stopped my Crocodile build (for the time being). :nerd:

The war diaries of 141RAC are available online here:

1944 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8549277@N04/sets/72157623114067912/

1945 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8549277@N04/sets/72157622989742665/

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Thanks, Andy. I was planning on using 79th Armoured Division markings. I thought they'd be ok. I'll take a close-up photo to be sure.

When I came home from work, I looked at what I did this morning, and was shocked to find that I'd installed all of the bogie wheels on one side incorrectly, despite the instructions being quite clear to take care. Fixed, but frustrating. An annoying evening because my wife is at a seminar about 5min away, and because the parking is dire, she asked me to drop her off and pick her up. Dropping her off wasn't such a big deal, because I was on my way to the pool anyway, but picking her up now means that I have about 10 mins to go and start some spraying, then go. I hope I don't forget about her. :)

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Funny you should mention that Bruce.....Reading various references for this GB served to remind me that the 70th anniversary of Monte Cassino passed almost unmentioned. :confused:

(As did my dreadful spelling! :blush: )

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Speaking of decals, what should I do? The 141st are no good for Normandy in this time frame, and I'm not sure whether the 34th Armoured Division (US 2nd Army?) are appropriate or not.

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What you need are markings for 141RAC prior to it joining 79AD.....My understanding is that the first Crocodiles from 141RAC (which was an independent unit at that time) deployed to Normandy on D-Day, 6 June, at H+45, here's a thread on the subject:

http://www.ww2f.com/topic/20217-141-royal-armoured-corps-the-buffs-churchill-crocodiles/

The unit did not become part of 79AD until July. I've got fairly good references for Crocodiles in action under 79AD command and the first of these actions appear to be in support of the attack on Brest in August/September:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Brest

Hope this makes sense.....Sorry for the multiple edits. :pipe:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I joined the tracks some time ago, but they both either broke or nearly broke at other points, so I glued those together yesterday with superglue. I assembled most of the turret last night. I'll keep it buttoned-up. If I ever do another Chuchill, I may use the AFV Club item and tart up the interior but there's no point opening up a big model if there's nothing to see inside IMHO. Need to respray some dark green, spray and wash tracks and bogies ... It's a lot closer to completion than it presently appears.

Progress Pic:

IMG_1200_zps91f415a1.jpg

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The Tamiya decals include "Banner" but the tank number is out by 10 ... T173258 instead of T173268.

Would anyone notice, or should I cut and paste a "6" from the other decal?

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