Dear modelers...
I decided to build two versions of the Churchill Mk. IV Infantry tank armed with 6 pdr gun: The early version, armed with 6 pdr. short barreled gun (43 caliber - Mk III) and the late version, armed with 6 pdr. long barreled gun (50 caliber - Mk.V):
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) |
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| AFV Churchill Mk IV kit |
History:
The Churchill tanks, formally designated as "Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22)", were an evolution of the infantry tank design that stressed on having heavily armored vehicles to support troops for trench warfare. The parent design, A20, was abandoned in 1940 after witnessing the German conquest of France, and a newly reworked A22 design was submitted in its place in Jun 1940. With the need to replace lost vehicles in the French campaign, the United Kingdom War Office accepted the new design almost immediately, requesting that it would enter production within a year. In Jul 1940, the design was finalized, and the first prototypes were built in Dec. Production began in Jun 1941.
Because Churchill tanks were designed to support infantry and not necessarily to battle other tanks, they were heavily armored with flat plates, which were not designed to deflect high-velocity tank gun rounds. The armor plates were bolted on and later welded. They had 11 bogies on each side, each carrying two 10-inch wheels; the great number of wheels meant that they could actually operate nearly normally even when some of the wheels became damaged in combat. They were the first tanks to be equipped with Merritt-Brown gearboxes, which allowed them to be steered by changing the relative speeds of the two tracks. They were each equipped with a light 2-pounder gun against enemy vehicles and a 3-inch howitzer to support the infantry.
Initially, Churchill tanks were plagued with mechanical issues. The biggest problem was that the engines used was underpowered and unreliable, and the placement of the engines were so poor that crews found it difficult to access the engines for servicing. Some of the issues were address by the Churchill Mk III variant, introduced in Mar 1942, saving it from being discontinued in favor of the new Cromwell tanks. Among the improvements was the addition of the 57-millimeter 6-pounder gun, which was a vast improvement over the weak armaments as originally designed due to the role as infantry tanks. Most of the Churchill tanks built were of the Mk IV variant; the biggest change of this variant compared to the earlier tanks was the return to the cheaper-to-produce cast turrets.
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| Churchill Mk IV with cast turret - The gun is a 6 pdr Mk III with 43 caliber |
In 1944, the Mk VII variant entered combat on continental Europe; their 75-millimeter tank guns and even thicker (albeit still flat) armor made them powerful tanks, although since their engines were never upgraded since the start, mechanical troubles with the engines were still frequent. As infantry tanks, they were designed to be tough, as they were responsible to cross trenches and push away infantry obstacles such as barbed wires; as such, they were ideal candidates for jungle warfare in the South Pacific (though only a few were employed there by Australians) and as specialist vehicles (recovery vehicle, bridge-laying vehicle, "Hobart's Funnies", etc.).
Russia received 301 Churchill Mk III and Mk IV tanks as part of the Lend-Lease Program. After the war, Churchill tanks remained in service as combat vehicles in the United Kingdom until 1952. One bridge-laying vehicle remained in service into the 1970s. (font: http://ww2db.com/vehicle_spec.php?q=165 )
Specs:
Churchill Infantry Tank Mk IV - (A22)
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Type
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Place of origin
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United Kingdom
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Service history
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In service
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1941–52 (British Empire)
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Used by
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Production history
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Designer
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Manufacturer
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Produced
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1941 to 1945
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Number built
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5,640 approx.
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Variants
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Specifications
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Weight
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Length
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7.44 m
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Width
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3.25 m
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Height
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2.49 m
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Crew
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5 or 6 (commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver, co-driver/hull gunner + AVRE engineer)
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Armour
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Main armament | |
Secondary armament |
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Engine
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Bedford 12-cylinder, 4 stroke, water-cooled, horizontally opposed, L-head petrol engine
350 hp @ 2,200 rpm
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Power/weight
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9.1 hp (6.7 kW) / tonne
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Transmission
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Merritt-Brown 4-speed constant-mesh epicyclic gearbox
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Suspension
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Coiled spring
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Operational range
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90 km
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Speed
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24 km/h
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Steering system
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Triple differential steering in gearbox
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Building the kits:
As usual, I start the building by the booklet: The boring suspension and his thousands parts....ufff...And don't forget: I'll build two, in parallel...
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| The parts of the two kits... |
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| Let´s rock !!! |
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| Starting by the booklet: suspensions... |
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| Springs and wheels... |
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| Troubles in doubles... |
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| Mass production... |
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| The sponson almost ready... |
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| ..almost there... |
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| War time production... |
Yesterday, I managed to make some more progress on the two girls mk IV. Replaces the mg barrels by metal ones from RB Models:
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| MG Besas - Starting the surgery |
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| Surgery done. |
I started the construction of turrets and continued assembling the hulls.
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| The Mk IV late is the left and the Early model is the right. |
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| Testing the turrets |
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| The girls are growing... |
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| Air filters |
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| Periscopes and other details... |
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| Churchills Mk IV long and short barriled 6 pdr gun |
Primmer in the tanks:
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| Primmer drying... |
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| Churchills with turrets - |
After the primer, the layers of green, ups and downs...and decals...
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| Churchill Mk IV with long barreled gun |
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| Churchill Mk IV with short barreled gun |
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| Ready for decals and weathering... |
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| I choose the colors of the 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards for my Churchills |
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| "Andy" is the short barreled Mark IV |
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| "Andy" Mark IV - frontal view |
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| "Betty" is the long barreled Mark IV |
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| "Betty" Mark IV - frontal view |
- Plaster
- Tile grout (cream and brown)
- Sawdust
- White glue
- Water
I mix everything ... and apply in the tank with an old paintbrush:
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| Weathering and mud - turrets only supported on the hulls ... |
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| First layer of mud... |
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| ...and pigments. |
Next step, characterization of mud and dirt with different colors, grass debris and dust. Stay tunned !!!
But, here's the girls finished: First, the long barreled one. I built this tank with minus fenders, based in this picture:
And the kit: "Betty"
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) - left view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) - rear view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) - right view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk V (50 caliber) with Kojak, my restless friend... |
And now, the Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III, with 43 caliber: "Andy"
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) - left view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) - rear view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) - right view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) - frontal view |
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| Churchill Mk IV with 6pdr gun Mk III (43 caliber) - with Kojak |
And the two girls, togheter...
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| Churchills Mk IV with 6pdr gun |
Uff...More two Churchills for my collection...
See you, Gents !!!
Tchau !!!
Tchau !!!
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