RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Thank you Lee, Barry, Herman, Raminator

With these following posts concerning added details, deep wading equipment and crew, the construction phase is completed.

I decided that the Churchill could be displayed at different phases of the raid;
- With crew on turret and with all deep wading stacks up during embarkation and on the TLC (Tank Landing Craft) prior to closing the hatches on the final approach when the enemy shooting started.
- With deep wading stacks without crew on turret.
- Without crew and deep wading stacks, other than exhaust that was no jettisonable.
- Crew escaping the vehicle through side doors

The AFV Club kit provided good reference of the air intake and engine compartment deep wading equipment and attachments.
Upon landing on the beach, the crew had a mechanism to jettison the air intake and engine ventilation stacks on the sides and rear. In some cases, the jettison device was not successful and created issues. In addition to the left stack still in place, this picture provides added detail about a metal plate at the rear and also a support for the engine ventilation stack. You can see remain of the waterproofing material as well.
Looks like a light metal sheet plate is bolted to the bottom of the hull, under the remaining water proofing canvas. It features a thin bracket in the middle.
Reproduced
There is a base for the engine ventilation stack that is permanently attached to the hull.
Reproduced
Added positioning lights at the front.
Construction of the stacks. They are square and easily reproduced with the right measurements.
Reproduced and ready for the design of the attachments.
continuing on following post

Views of the Churchill Mk III with complete deep wading equipment.
It was very tricky to repro the cabling, fastening rods and attachment. My patience was extended to its limits. These were very small in pictures and 1/35 kit, and originals of these obviously did not survive the war.
The deep wading stacks are of course removable. Some very talented individual could one day make the release mechanism functional, but there would be a lot of complexity in it.
These are DGS commonwealth tank crews. They look good and i appreciate the apprehensive anxious expressions. They fit well but the body of the gunner on the right side is too short to properly hang on the turret like this on a wide hatch. I will have to extend the length of the body a bit. I also removed his cup of tea he was holding. Pretty sure he had other things in mind prior to hitting the beach.
Such view on tank crews on Dieppe raid standing on the turret hatches open would only have happened for the embarkation on the TLC and during the channel crossing. The crew got inside and closed the hatches when the TLC began receiving hits. The accompanying sapper units and RN TLC crew were not that lucky and were massacred by concentrated machine gun and mortar hits. The tank crew would not have lasted one second hitting the beach without being fully protected by the armor.
Continuing on following post

Additional views of the completed Churchill Mk III with deep wading equipment and crew.
Simulating the tank going down the TLC ramp.
Its one thing to start a Churchill build, its another to complete it. I am very happy with the results a was able to achieve during the construction phase. I must say that there is very little of the original Ludwig kit parts remaining apparent. But they got me to start the build and now i have a Churchill.

Next phase, painting. Next time you see it, it will be painted. I will have to create my own decals for this one.

Regards, Louis

Superb work as always! I cannot wait to see it painted along with your custom decals.

And who knows? Maybe machine gun fire makes you thirsty!

Dear God Louis!

You've outdone yourself on this one! That is one of the most amazing things that has come out of your shop! A movable hull MG no less! A stunning piece of work!

Regards,
Eric.

Thank you Eric and Pershinglover.

The Churchill project had been sitting on the shelf for a few years until I was ready for it. The level of scratch building on this one is above my average. Every 6 months, i would pull the gathered material for it, i would study it for a while, start building a vision in my head as to how it would look but always ended up putting the stuff back on the shelf. Too much work. It’s only after my retirement had come this spring that I gathered enough courage to start it in July. Once I start something, i always finish it, and it has to be within 2 to 4 months. Like the other guys in the office used to say about my crazy IT projects “Louis says what he’s going to do… and he actually does it”. But I no longer have my trusted IT project team to do the dirty work… This new career is challenging but it’s lonely work. Good thing I’ve found this website to share.

I find the turret of the Mk III better looking than the more usual MK VII and I was inspired by Dieppe raid books to build a Mk III. Creating a specific tank in a historical setting adds some pressure. But I was actually surprised how smoothly and fast it went. Using a good set of sprocket/tracks and a 1/35 kit as reference de-risks the project a lot. Using good shapes, angles and taking measurements on absolutely everything dramatically increase the chances that the individual sub assemblies and components will come together, and look good. I also got lucky here and there.

Now for the painting and decals, I am taking a few days off before I can find the courage again to spray the enamel primer on the white stuff.

I need advise as to which acrylic color a borrowed British Churchill tank should be in August 1942. The AFV Club instructions says Khaki… but this can mean anything. Mig Ammo says ETO British colors for 1942 can be SCC 1A (British Brown), or SCC2 (Service drab) or Khaki green No3. I am tempted by Khaki green no 3 but the Mig Ammo color looks light and not dark enough, same for Service drab. British brown is very dark and likely only usable for camo. Not sure the brownish khaki colors are right for a 1942 Churchill. I know the more green SCC 15 Olive drab should be for 1944+ only. If some British tank color expert could confirm, I would appreciate. Thanks

This is a fabulous model! It really is a tour de force. What I have found really instructive is how you have balanced the need for realism with applying sufficient detail to individual parts so that you can fabricate them without going too crazy. The turnbuckles on the guys for the wading stacks is an example of what I mean. They are a realistic and simple execution of a complex real-world part.

By the way, I think you are underestimating the British Army's dependence on tea. A mug of the stuff would not be out place in any combat situation involving the Brits!

I’m in agreement with the others here, well done!

You were correct to get rid of your loader/radio operator’s cup of tea… these tank crews were all Canadians, not Brits! Holding a microphone for a No.19 wireless set (or a cigarette) would be more appropriate. The turret gunner actually sat on the same side as the commander and, under normal circumstances, would have used the commander’s hatch to enter and exit the tank.

You are also correct that the tank crews disembarked the TLCs with their hatches closed due to the heavy shelling they took. Unfortunately, the heavy shelling also took a toll on their periscopes (some commanders likely opened their hatches momentarily to quickly survey the situation from time to time).

Regarding colour… it should definitely be green, but I’m not sure of the exact shade. For your interest, here’s a link to some pictures of the Dieppe-styled Mk III at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The colour looks a bit light, but, if they got it correct, maybe it will help you answer the question. http://www.peachmountain.com/5star/Cana ... -tank.aspx

lmcq11 wrote: I also removed his cup of tea he was holding. Pretty sure he had other things in mind prior to hitting the beach.

Might have been a good nod to this scene.

Classic!