QRF 15mm Cruiser Mk I (A9)

 I wanted some older cruisers so I could do bits of Operation Compass as well as modelling 7th Armoured Brigade in 1941. Although the old prewar cruisers had largely vanished by 1942, they were still hanging around in late 1941 in ever decreasing numbers as they broke down or were destroyed. As they were always such a mix of types, I just got three different types.

First up is the QRF Cruiser Mk I (A9).

This was the first Cruiser type, and featured two useless MG turrets in the hull. These generally weren't manned and the space used for extra ammo instead. tbh it looks like a kids drawing of what a tank might look like. It was originally designed to meet a War Department specification of ' a cheaper medium tank' than the Medium MK III. 

The suspension and lower hull is very familiar of course though, and lived on later in the much more successful Valentine albeit far more heavily armoured.

This isn't a complicated model: single piece hull, two track sections and separate turrets. Like most QRF models it needs a certain amount of filing and on this one the tracks are extremely thin so prone to damage. 

It went together fine, although I couldn't get the faint mould lines off the turret without damaging the rivets, so I just left them. The real armour on the tank was only 14mm thick, enough to be bullet proof. The same as early models of the Pz III and IV.

Lots of nice deep detail, sharp angles and rivets - perfect for a wash and a drybrush.

It sits fine and has the same outsized turret look of the original.

The sand basecoat was Light Mud with an ink wash and a highlight. I then did this in an early Caunter pattern (dark green over light green over the Light Mud). This of course obscured the lowlights and highlights in the base coat so I did a pinwash around some of the detail on the camouflaged sections, then gave the whole thing a drybrush of light sand to represent dust and weathering of the paintwork.  

I think  it has come out rather well. Hopefully it will make it the the battlefield before breaking down!