The Matilda A12 Infantry tank of World War Two, I'm building the Tamiya new tool. well ok, recent tool of it, a much improved version of their 1970's kit.




The Matilda has nailed it's place in history as the only British tank to stay in active service for the whole war, 39 to 45, not many AFV's have that honour.

just the other day on The Army Rumour Service website Military Modelling thread, someone was saying how kits are so good they have taken all his joy from modelling and placed the skill away from building toward painting, I disagree, there is much in even new kits that needs improving. For example, this Tamiya kit has no interior at all, not even sponson plates, I'll come to that shortly.
First the floor.

levelling the floor inside was the first task. I guess I should be glad Tamiya hasn't tried to motorize this kit

plating it over to make a new start with the scratch built interior I'm planning. As you can see it's fighting and driving compartment only, I don't have two bus engines to go in there, so no engine.

test fitting as I go, the rear bulkhead firewall between the engine and crew compartment, the block of wood is in there to keep the wall square while it dries.


again a trial fit of the upper hull just to make sure that it's all fitting and there's enough clearance for further parts to go in there.

one place where TAMIYA constantly let down their customers, is with their consistent lack of sponson plates, why Tamiya why? So I'm going to make some from the same plasticard.

I made a Tamiya Panther years ago, no sponsons at all, it was really noticeable, put me off Tamiya for years. But so far, despite this omission,I'm quite pleased with this kit.

Hi Dave

I built that kit a while ago, it's a nice one. Looking forward to your scratch built interior. What references are you using?

Cheers!
Stefan

Nice progress so far, can't wait to see more.

Rob

Looking good so far!

thanks for the supportive comments there, as for reference sources, I have drawn my own sketch plans up from world wide web sources, no one source in particular.
when making sponsons, there are two ways, measure and cut, or a way I have found using the witness mark impressed into the template paper with your thumb like this. You have to ensure the template paper does not move.

cut out the paper template and offer it up to check for accuracy. Paper is cheap, plasticard is not so cheap, so make all your errors and corrections with the paper template, and not with the plasticard. Don't assume both sponsons are mirror images of each other, test fit the template on both sides before you use it for cutting out both sponsons.

I'm test fitting the side skirts to check that the new sponsons don't foul their fitting later on in construction, another example where thinking ahead can save much gnashing of teeth later on.

the real sponson with the constructors name Harland and Wolf shipyard Belfast, where Titanic was built. This was a cut up scrapyard one in the outback of Australia.

test fit of the upper hull, the t shaped bulkhead won't go on later, the sponsons will have to be fitted at the same time.

Ive strengthened the sponsons by adding the bulkhead t pieces independently.


inside the engine bulkhead there is a step piece that allows for the transmission on the other side. Using the block to get it square

trial fitted it needs right angle bracket to keep it's shape

the nose cone with it's sides cut to shape and bonded in.


the nose trial fitted into place.

you can see the shape the armour takes as it narrows passed the driving compartment toward the nose. Trial fitted for now to check for fit.


looking down into the forward stowage bin, it looks scruffy and in need of a new floor.

time to glue in the nose, but the upper hull is still loose so access can be gained to fit the rest of the interior. view toward the front through the turret ring.

Great job so far Dave. The tilda is coming along nicely, but that block of wood is a curiosity of high order...don't think I've ever seen such a distinct colour and texture?

I have an affinity for all things wooden, hence my curiosity.

Dave, having several small blocks of wood on my workbench is something I couldn't do without, for cutting off small parts on, spraying models on, laying small parts prior to assembly on, raising a portion of a model on, leaning against to hold a part while it dries, so handy, this block has been on my bench so many years it's been sprayed and over sprayed so many times, it's taken on it's own colour.

making a start on the turret basket, making the top and bottom of the basket first, using the turret ring as a former, the basket floor is a smaller diameter. The hull internal roof supports are in.
while that lot hardens off, time to start on the complex drivers seat.
Note the commander figure supplied with the kit, no feet! Cheers Tamiya, that lowers the possibilities of displaying him outside the tank without a lot of surgery. Such a shame as he is well moulded apart from missing feet.

basic turret basket structure pinched together while it dries


view down the turret hatch during the trial fit.

the interior surfaces of British Tanks in WW2 were spray painted silver, a sort of dull silver that reflected the limited illumination cast by the interior festoon lamps on the ceiling of the fighting and driving compartments. Think I have the colour right, not too bright.

the only British tanks with white interiors were those built in America, Grants and shermans were white inside, unless, like the Bovington Grant they were damaged in combat and rebuilt at base workshops, then the refurbished interior was re-sprayed silver

here is a view just inside the side hatch of the Bovington Grant.
the interior is white, but this close up view shows us white paint has dripped down over silver, being that all Grant M3 tanks were built in the USA and all painted white, this tank must have been either burned out or seriously damaged and rebuilt at Base workshops, re sprayed silver, then overpainted white during it's time as a museum piece.

further proof that British Grant tank interiors were only re sprayed silver if they were hit, damaged Burned out and a serious rebuild had taken place at base workshops. This is a very special Grant, never Hit, Damaged or burned out, we know that because it belonged to General Monty, and survives at the imperial war museum London.