The Churchill infantry tank is a distinctive design thanks to its extremely long chassis and wraparound tracks. Named after the British minister of defence of the time, the Churchill tank was very well armored. The Mk.IV was the most numerous variant produced, the biggest change being a cheaper-to-produce cast turret. The Mk.IV was also used as a basis for the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), a combat engineer vehicle designed to destroy enemy fortifications and heavy obstacles such as bunkers. It was developed after the failure of the Dieppe landings, and it constituted one of Hobart’s Funnies designed to support the D-Day landings in Normandy. To achieve its destructive goal, it was fitted with a Petard 290mm spigot mortar that could throw an 18kg “Flying dustbin” round about 80m. The AVRE had a crew of six.
Dragon Armor Pro previously released a popular 1/72 scale kit of a Churchill Mk.III AVRE, and this has now been followed by a model of the similar Mk.IV combat engineer vehicle. Again, it features the Petard 290mm main armament, plus a suitable turret and brand new suspension units that are stowed on the rear fenders. This model of the Churchill Mk.IV combat engineer tank is beautifully detailed, and the kit assembles quickly and easily into an accurate model thanks to time-saving elements like one-piece DS tracks and single-piece bogies to represent the complicated running gear. For modelers wishing to depict a Normandy scene or something similar, this new kit is a must-have!
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