Descriptions:
In the early part of 1943 a new class of vehicles designed for British army, in the shape of Assault tanks, was developed to resist German fighting from heavily fortified positions. In response to the Joint Memorandum issued by the Secretary of State for War and the Minister of Supply, the Nuffield Organization came out with 18 separate designs (AT1 through AT18) drafted between May 1943 and February 1944, each design being larger and heavier than the last. By February 1944 design AT16 was complete and was approved by the War Office who placed an order for 25 that were to be produced directly from the mock-up stage without bothering with a prototype, to be available for operational service in September 1945. This particular tank was later known as the British A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank.
The Tortoise had a fixed superstructure, with a length of 10m, width of 3.9m, height of 3m, and a crew of 7. The Ordnance QF 32 pounder gun design was adapted from the British 3.75 inch anti-aircraft gun. The ammunition used a separate charge and shell. In tests the gun was successful against a German Panther tank at nearly 1,000 yards. With armour protection as a priority, the Tortoise had a maximum armour thickness of 228mm and 152mm at the skirt sides, being immune to German 88mm anti-tank gun. However, the massive 79 tons weight greatly constrained its mobility, reaching a maximum speed of only 19.3km/h. On the left of the vehicle was a Besa machine gun in an armoured ball mount. A further two Besa machine guns were mounted in a turret on the right top of the hull.
By the end of WWII in May 1945, only 6 Tortoises were built. One example was sent to Germany for trials where it was found to be mechanically reliable and a powerful and accurate gun platform. Following the end of the war ceased the production of the vehicle.
The kit:
The kit is based on The Tank Museums fully running A39 Tortoise Pilot Model 1 and includes some features different from other pilot models such as the smoke grenade launchers and smaller fittings but the model incorporates all the features found on the Tank Museum Tortoise.
Length: 10m [includes gun] (285.7mm in 1:35 scale)
Width: 3.9m (111.4mm in 1:35 scale)
Height: 3m (85.7mm in 1:35 scale)
The kit itself consists of:
467 parts in dark green plastic
144 track links in brown plastic
1 length of thin twine
1 x 14 page A5 sized instruction booklet.
No decals are included.