Many, many years ago before the days of the World Wide Web and before I headed west to seek my fame and fortune I was a member of the Canadian Militia (Infantry). As a going away gift to my Regiment I decided to build the 1/25 Tamiya Centurion and convert it to an Mk 11. So with a few reference photos I set to work and soon had a passable Cent Mk 11.


Recently I thought it would be nice to relive my past and build another 1/25 Tamiya Centurion. As it was OOP I turned to the web in my search and soon came across a kit, for a reasonable price, and found Mouse House Enterprises in Australia; the purveyor of all things in resin for Centurion tanks.

MA408 comprises 3 light tan resin pieces. The main component is the top of the turret. This piece replaces the kit piece and has the relocated operator’s hatch and blanked off operator’s periscope allowing the modeler to build an Mk III (late) or later Centurion
variants. The level of casting detail is quite good however some of the features found on the kit piece will have to be
added to the replacement resin piece i.e: hatch hinges. Also included is an operator’s periscope allowing you to relocate the periscope closer to the front of the turret face and an antenna mount.
When viewing the replacement piece what was initially thought to be an air bubble turned out to be an intentionally made notch in the perimeter of the air vent. This was a feature found on Australian Centurions that made their way to Vietnam. The notch allowed rain water that gathered in the recess to escape instead of flowing in to interior of the turret. The dimensions of the resin piece appear to match that of the kit piece however when I tried a dry fit I found it to be approximately 1 mm too long. This will require some sanding along the back edge to get a proper fit. Additionally the piece has a slight warp that will be easily addressed when it is glued into place.


The amount of flash associated with this set and the other Mouse House sets that I purchased is fairly extensive and will require careful cleaning and sanding.


As a general comment the level of detail and quality of casting is extremely good and if their 1/35 sets are of the same standard they will be a welcome addition for anyone considering building a late variant Centurion or perhaps participating in Operation Canuck Steel.