There is something about the design of British WWII tanks that makes them interesting to look at, the angular shapes and big rivits giving them a distinctive look. The Cromwell was one of the more succesful tanks making up for it’s weaker armour and firepower with it’s high speed and manouverability.
This kit comes in the usual Tamiya tray and lid type box and consists of five sprues and the hull tub all moulded in dark olive green, a small clear sprue, and the two vinyl track lengths. The mouldings are the typical Tamiya quality which is to say very good with no flash, minimal clean up of mould seams and nice clean, sharp detail. The instructions are clear and easy to follow making assembly very easy.
The turret unusually is made up of a main turret moulding to which side panels are added to give the correct look of large bolted on plates. The gun is moulded in two halves and also has a basic breech which can be seen through the top hatches, both of which can be positioned open or closed as desired. The BESA machine gun in the hull also has a basic breech for anyone who wants to model the driver’s and radio operator’s hatches open though there is no other interior.
The hull is a single moulding so there is some degree of simplification of the smaller details or, as is the case with the headlight guards, a little heavier than they really should be. Details such as the tools, stowage bins, rear guards with the steps, and the tow shackles are still all separate parts and the tow cable is provided as the eyelets plus a length of nylon string to use as the cable. A section of flexible mesh is also provided to use as the mesh screen of the engine cover on the rear of the engine deck.
The suspension arms are separate parts and again the hull tub has an add on side panel on each side. Each roadwheel is made up of two halves with a polycap and a hub while the sprockets are made up of four parts plus a poly cap each. The tracks are the usual Tamiya single length vinyl “rubber band” style.
The kit comes with a commander figure wearing tanker overalls and a radio headset, he has a moulded on pistol holster and measures a healthy 50mm or 175cm/5′9″.
The clear sprue is for some extra parts which are a very nice little addition as it includes wine bottles, a lantern, and googles for use wherever you like.
Decals and markings are provided for four vehicles – Armoured Observation Post Tank, 5th Royal Horse Artillery, 7th Armoured Division : Division HQ Squadron 1st Polish Armoured Division : Division HQ Tank 11th Armoured Division : C Squadron 5th Royal Tank Regiment 22nd Armoured Brigade, 7th Armoured Division.
This is a very nice kit that makes up nicely into a striking model. As with most Tamiya kits it could be improved with after market detail sets and better tracks but just straight from the box this produces a very nice result.
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