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In-Box Review
172
Churchill MkIII
Churchill MKIII 'Fitted for Wading', Opperation Jubilee, Dieppe, France 1942
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by: Dave Oliver [ ISHERMAN ]

Introduction

The Dieppe Raid of 1942, May well have ended in defeat but many valuable lessons were learned in the process. The Churchill MKIII tanks of the Canadian tank Brigade were fitted with wading gear, the beaches themselves proved more formidable, with the shingle dislodging the tracks, depriving the infantry of armoured support. It is one of these hapless Churchill tanks that Dragon Models have chosen to release.
Contents

The kit consists of:
4 Grey styrene sprues
1 lower hull
1 pair of rubber band style tracks
1 instruction manual

The Review

The evocative artwork on the front shows the Churchill wading ashore through rough seas in what would be a perfect diorama setting. The kit itself is moulded in grey styrene with one whole sprue covering the updated parts for the wading version of the Churchill. On first impressions the moulding looks very crisp with the various straps for the wading gear being very nicely represented. The engine deck is very well detailed, as is the whole of the upper hull with some nice touches such as separate parts for the delicate driver and commander periscopes. The supplied rubber band DS tracks also display a high degree of detail and in this scale seem pretty much compulsory. The sprockets and road wheels are also very well represented with the complicated suspension set up moulded to the hull sidewalls to make the alignment of the road wheels that much easier. A number of smaller items such as the main gun and machine gun are very delicately detailed and there is no trace of flash on any of the supplied sprues.

The instructions are very clearly laid out with a clear indication of what parts need modifying during the construction process. The only issue here could be the removal of the trenching tools from the rear deck. Retaining the detail in the surrounding area while leaving a smooth finish which could/maybe prove a little problematic. Apart from that, the modification of the front fenders is very clearly illustrated, as is the slightly more subtle modifications required on the turret surface.

Three decal options are supplied; these all depict vehicles of the Canadian 14th Armoured regiment and look to be well printed and in register, something that can sometimes be an issue on smaller scale kits.

Conclusion

Dragon Models have certainly produced an unusual variant of the Churchill. The new sprue containing the updated parts is very comprehensive and is consistent with the level of detail on the rest of the kit. The new exhausts and wading gear is especially well moulded, perhaps a modified engine deck wouldn't have gone amiss but this is a very minor criticism on what is a very well rounded kit.
SUMMARY
Highs: Very high quality casting. some very nicely detailed small parts such as the crew periscopes and wading gear shackles.
Lows: Some surgery is going to be required to modify existing kit parts to make this variant. Maybe some link and lengh tracks would have been nice.
Verdict: All in all for a 1/72nd kit this model displays a very high degree of detail which is all very finely reproduced. A degree of modification is required to make this variant but the well laid out instructions should make this relatively straight forward.
  Scale: 1:72
  Mfg. ID: 7520
  Suggested Retail: £16.99
  PUBLISHED: Feb 27, 2015
  NATIONALITY: Canada
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 90.00%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 86.16%

Our Thanks to Dragon Models!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Dave Oliver (Isherman)
FROM: ENGLAND - EAST ANGLIA, UNITED KINGDOM

Dave started modelling after receiving a 1/144 Brewster buffalo as a Christmas present at the age of 6. he carried on modelling into his teens until life got in the way, resuming the hobby about 4 years ago. He builds armour, aircraft and sci-fi subjects.

Copyright ©2021 text by Dave Oliver [ ISHERMAN ]. All rights reserved.



   
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