Carrera Revell Cromwell Mk.IV "World of Tanks" (03504) 1/72 Carrera Revell

[Julien]

Cromwell Mk.IV "World of Tanks" (03504)

1/72 Carrera Revell

 

 

The Cromwell was a cruiser tank that was subject to a troubled and mildly confusing gestation that began in 1940 with three designs that bore a familial resemblance to each other, although they were being developed by different manufacturers for different purposes at the time.  As usual there were problems, and different parties pulling in different directions led to consternation and some in-fighting that weirdly involved the first British jet engine!  Rolls Royce had been developing a ground-based variant of the Merlin engine minus super-charger that could power AFVs, which was to be called the Meteor, and some bright spark at Rolls Royce mediated swapping the ongoing development of the Meteor for that of the ground-breaking Power Jets engine, freeing Rover to bring the Meteor project to fruition, albeit a little late.  Of the prototypes, the A27M was given the name Cromwell, and development began on bringing that basic design to fruition, which finally began in 1943 when enough Meteor engines were available.  As always seems to be the case, the final design was found wanting, and the technology race also required improvements until the final initial production specification was settled upon, referred to as the “Battle Cromwell”.

 

Initially armed with a 57mm gun, by the time the Mk.IV was considered, the designers fitted a 75 mm ROQF Mk V main gun, and over 3,000 of those that version were made.  They saw service in Normandy and were generally considered to be an even match for German armour up to and including the Panzer IV, but struggled against the Tigers for much the same reason that the more ubiquitous Shermans did.  The Mk.VI was fitted with a 95 mm howitzer and was intended as a close support tank, firing High Explosive (HE) and smoke rounds on D-Day and beyond.  Toward the end of the war, some Cromwells were being replaced by a development of the Cromwell by the name of Comet, with a 77mm high velocity gun that was based on the 17 pounder used in the Sherman Firefly, but not enough were available in time to assist greatly in speeding the German capitulation.  After the war the Cromwell remained in service with the British Army, with some redundant examples finding their way into foreign service, and the Charioteer became the last derivative, fitted with a larger turret and an Ordnance QF 20 pounder gun, to be used as an anti-tank asset. 

 

World Of Tanks is a popular online Game developed by Belarusian company Wargaming, featuring 20th century era combat vehicles. It is built upon a freemium business model where the game is free-to-play, but participants also have the option of paying a fee for use of "premium" features. The focus is on player vs. player gameplay with each player controlling an armored vehicle, from the time of Pre-World War 2, to the Cold War-era. This is mainly online with PCs, but is now available on other platforms as well. 

 

 

The Kit

Here Revell have re-boxed their own kit from 2001. Inside the compact end-opening box are three sprues of grey plastic and decals. The sprues are well laid out and the mouldings are free from flash. Surface detail is clean and crisp, and first impressions are very favourable..  Revell have obviously released this kit in conjunction with World Of Tanks. Inside each kit there is also a set of Special Bonus & Starter Pack codes for the game. Construction starts with making up the rear bulkhead of the tank. Next up its the running gear with 10 pairs of road wheels, two drive sprockets, and two idler wheels. The two inner sides of the main body are fixed to the base, followed by the outer armoured sides, the rear bulkhead and the front armour. The running gear can now be added followed by the main top part. The front part which contains the driver hatch and bow machine gun then goes on with the machine gun fitting from the rear. Engine grills. tool boxes and hatches are fitted then to the main body. Once this is complete we move to the turret. The main part fits to the base followed by the front and rear sides. The armour fits over this. Next up the hatches, gun barrel and side mounted light are fixed on. The completed turret can then be placed to one side to finish the main body. To the main body a rear cover is then fitted, and to the front a hedgerow cutter. The tracks are link & length and can now be fitted, once on the front and rear track covers can be fitted. Its now time to finish off the tank and fit the turret. 

 

 

 

 

Decals

There is both a sheet of decals.. As well as national markings for the tank there are a wide range of markings which I suspect are available in the Game to mark your tank. 

 

 

Conclusion

This seems to be a good looking small kit and should build up into a good looking model. 

 

 

 

 

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

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