The Vickers Light Tank was the primary British tank in 1939 and 1940. A reliable and useful machine in a light tank role, colonial policing and reconnaissance, it was doomed to be employed as a main battle tank. A role for which it was singularly ill suited.
The light tank as battle machine fallacy had been exploded in the Spanish Civil War where the Russian T26 (based on the Vickers 6 Ton) with its decent armour and dual purpose 45mm cannon had ludicrously outmatched the German and Italian light tanks.
I added the German flamethrower man to the photo to show just how dinky was this AFV. The flamethrower might well have destroyed it!
The VLT had its moment of glory in the Libyan desert where it was instrumental in destroying the Italian army after O'Conner's 500 mile blitzkrieg in Operation Compass.
This particular model is a 28mil Bolt Action kit from Warlord Games. It went together very easily with no sanding or filler on the resin at all. I only added a plastic Tamiya baggage pack to the rear.
No way I'd have got into one of those. They look like they're made from tin cans!
ReplyDeleteNicely done John. I love the interwar and early war period precisely because of things like those light tanks! So much more interesting than Tigers. I even have Bolt Action Polish TK tankette - that makes the Vickers look massive!
ReplyDeleteDear Phil
ReplyDeleteYou would need nerves of steel. I wouldn't fancy it. Shell splinters must have gone straight through.
J
Dear Al
ReplyDeleteThere is something great about these early designs.
I fancy a Matilda 1.
J
I have a couple of those in 15mm - BEF miniatures did one in 28mm - has Warlord picked that up?
DeleteWarlord do a Matilda 1 in 28 mil, not sure where they sourced it.
ReplyDelete