Vickers MkVI Collection

[Steve-the-Duck]

Here's my collection of 28mm Vickers MkVI light tanks in various variant. This is by way of me clearing my 'pending pile' before my next big single project...
Most of these are the Warlord Castings, except for the 'Caunter'desert VIB which is from Blitzkrieg
First, initial production version, with added drivers compartment

MkVIA with scratchbuilt octagonal cupola - 1st Lothians & Border Yeomanry,51st Highland Division - St Valery-en-Caux

MkVIB 5th Royal Inniskillings 4th Infantry Division BEF

MkVIC Queens Bays 1st ArmoureDivision, Calais

MkVIB India Pattern converted from a B and C, 14th/20th Hussars, Iran 1941

MkVIB desert, with added turret interior, 7th Hussars, 4th Armored Brigade

MkVIC Malta defence force

MkVIB AA MkIi, with lots of conversion work and scratchbuilt turret, 16RHA 22nd Armoured Brigade

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

The early MkVI (no A, B, or C!)
VI
The easiest part of the conversion was cutting the tracks, which come as separate pieces, then swapping the parts over to move the return roller forward onto the first bogie

So I decided to add a drivers compartment. Cue lots of drilling and routing...
What was I thinking!

So here's the drivers' interior,

Dashboard and completed

painted sidewall, floor and rear hatchway. I tried to go with a 'trompe l'oiel' effect on the open hatchway, 2d '3d' painting that works at the angle it's viewed at. Think it works... ish

Compare and contrast. The Warlord model has no rear suspension springs moulded on, so I've added it to some of them

 

[Steven000]

Nice collection of models Chris

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Some more vies of the A, B, C. Apart from the cupola on the A, the only addition is the hinged plate under the guns and enlargement of the tray there

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

The MkVI B India Pattern is the easiest conversion: a C turret with Bguns, then the hinge and 'catcher' added . Figures are Perrys multi-part 8th Army with India patten helmets, and are a little more 'realistic' proportions than the average 28mm. This is based on a photo in David Fletcher's Light tanks Osprey

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Possibly my favourite. I mean, it's Caunter! I did cheat with the colours - that's light stone, but the 'middle stone' is IJA light blue-grey, and the 'slate' is field grey. It works though. Again, this is based on aphoto in Fletcher's Osprey, though the original vehicle wasn't in Caunter. I may also have skimped on the stowage...
The Blitzkrieg casting has a single piece hull, including the leaf springs missing on the Warlord model. It also looks slightly larger, but that may be because of the sand skirts

As the original photo vehicle has hatches open I decide to put in a turret interior, or an approximation thereof
So, then I ask myself, WHY!?
Cue much drilling and routing..Which went through the turret side, hence the red patch

Yes, the smoke launchers are moulded on, which is nice, but the mechanism is wrong. On the india Pattern VIB I used part of a SMLE from the 8th Army figures. Note also the guns are missing the under-tray entirely. Cue bent brass and plasticard. And, naturally, because of the angle of the tray, the turret won't face forward now...
The stowage box on the model is completely wrong so that was hacked off and replaced entirely

The photo doesn't show quite how the turret stowage attaches, so i improvised
After trying to fit something like armament I realised the part I'd carved was for the.50 MG and I was trying to fit it the wrong side...
D'oh!

This is the radio, approximately, which JUST visible at the back of the turret - and when painted, it looks like a car radio...
As previously stated, d'oh!

So it wouldn't get knocked off during painting, the extra spotlight was the last addition

The Malta 'stonewall' scheme makes me want to do more like this. A Matilda definitely, and if I can find a picture of the A13 that was apparently there, maybe that too
The only modelling addition to this is the larger, lidded, stowage box and number plate fixture

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Finally, the MKVIB AA MkII, This is the one with the most re-modelling done on it. Despite doing practically evey other variant of the MkVI that was in service (and I've one more planned as well as the almost identical forerunner the MkV) I don't have good enough reference for the earlier AA MkI with diffrent turret. I had scale plans for THIS one
I
Turret is entirely scratch and yes those are indeed pins for the BESAs. The sight WAS a 1/700 ships wheel which vanished during final cleaning. Followed by its' replacement, so I now only have enough for the Bofors I've got on the go. The replacement replacement bent wire I may replace later with, something...

Camo scheme is nominally 22nd Armoured usually seen on Grants. The AAs were just about still in service then, but they were, frankly rubbish. Most photos show them single colour or Caunter, but the plate in the fletcher shows two-tone brown, like a Covenanter

 

[Tim Marlow]

Nice collection Chris. Don’t see much early British armour modelled, and almost nothing at 28mm scale....These are lovely. I always think they look like a forerunner of the Scorpion tank

 

[Dave Ward]

Chris,
lovely collection! - makes my eyes ache just looking at them - I made the Vulcan 1/35 Mk. VI, and that was quite small enough for me!!!!
Dave

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Thanks, Steven, Tim and Dave
As you can probably tell I'm abit of a sucker for pre- and early war stuff... Must get around to painting my Polish and French jobs too...
Still editing this as the pictures went up on a PC and now I'm texting on the PS4...

And you're pretty much right about the Scorpion connection, Tim, but the VIs are MUCH less capable.._

 

[Tim Marlow]

And you're pretty much right about the Scorpion connection, Tim, but the VIs are MUCH less capable.._

True, but then compare an Austin seven with a modern small car and you’ll come to the same conclusions
Be nice to see the Polish and French make an appearance. Do you do figures as well? 28mm is my scale of choice for figures.....
Love the Malta scheme, by the way, that is the one on the bovington VI isn’t it?

 

[adt70hk]

Lovely work Chris.

ATB.

Andrew

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Finally finished the text...
Tim, I do have French and Polish colours, so maybe airbrush practice time... It was less than successful trying to spray that Caunter. Didn't help the blu-tack pulled the undercoat off - and, if you look carefully, on the AA too
Figures wise, I have a whole platoon of Poles finished. Plus a mixed platoon of BEF, including Highlanders

It's so long since I've been to Bovington I wasn't aware of a Malta VI there. Mine is based on photos of 5878. Despite the numbers I used being for 28mm they look to small in comparison to the original.

Hmm, Scorpion runs over modern car, probably crunch squish? MkVI on an Austin 7? Would it just bounce off?

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Oh, meant to add, and separately rather than spending another hour putting text to this, the half figure in the AA MkIi is another Perry cut -up. Forgot to photo him before, ahem, insertion

 

[Tim Marlow]

Nice figures Perry, but the casting leaves a bit to be desired.....I’ve started a collection of Mahdi period Sudan colonial figures using them as a basis....must get back to it some time. The plastics are very nice.

 

[Mini Me]

Thanks for sharing those Chris.....was interesting to see all the different variants of this little light tank.
Rick H.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Thanks for sharing those Chris.....was interesting to see all the different variants of this little light tank.
Rick H.

Think i mentioned above somewhere, I plan on doing two more - the long-track base version, when I can find a picture of the rear end, and the forerunner MkV with smaller turret, when I can find a rear view of that too. Time to be contacting Bovington, when they're fully working again...
Sub variants l'm not doing are the German gun carrier conversions. Tho', there is an artillery command job that looks interesting... No no no!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

And now, by way of a compare and contrast, as we were discussing above:

The Scorpion is, if I remember correctly, from the Sloppy Jalopy 28mm vehicle range. They do a number of cold war vehicles, and a rather nice seventies transit van. I've yet to justify buying their Chieftan, other than to do the Berlin scheme
The only added details are the wing mirrors. Not keen on my hand painted number plate but, there you go
I really only got this to fight the M-1 Giant robot in support of UNIT...

 

[Mini Me]

A Chieftan might be a nice add to the "group" Chris.........if I'm guessing correctly these models must be around 1-76 or 72nd scale? or would they be smaller?.....they are very nicely detailed and painted. Rick H.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

A Chieftan might be a nice add to the "group" Chris.........if I'm guessing correctly these models must be around 1-76 or 72nd scale? or would they be smaller?.....they are very nicely detailed and painted. Rick H.

These are 28mm, so they're about a third to half-ish as big again as 1/72. I must remember to put a coin for scale in the pics...