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Achilles tank


Greg

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For the British history buffs of armour... I am finishing touches on an academy model in 1:35 of an Achilles tank destroyer... Two questions, did British forces tend to use 30 or 50 caliber machine guns on their tanks? I have a choice of either to attach to the turret top but don't know which was more used. Second, there are two pointless hitches, one American and one British but cannot tell the difference can anyone shed light on what a British pointless hitch looks like?

 

Photos of tank soon, took ages to complete with having moved house but also was a truly excellent and complex model to build!

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The British used the 50 cal on quite a few tanks during the later parts of the war, sometimes even a Bren was seen on tanks like this one.

As regards to the hitch, I have no ideas sorry

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For the British history buffs of armour... I am finishing touches on an academy model in 1:35 of an Achilles tank destroyer... Two questions, did British forces tend to use 30 or 50 caliber machine guns on their tanks? I have a choice of either to attach to the turret top but don't know which was more used. Second, there are two pointless hitches, one American and one British but cannot tell the difference can anyone shed light on what a British pointless hitch looks like?

 

Photos of tank soon, took ages to complete with having moved house but also was a truly excellent and complex model to build!

 

 

i believe missing-lynxs.com did a build reveiw on this kit, can't remember when also a lot of us m10 on gallery.

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yeah I've seen the missing lynxs build review, will go back an have another look though. Really great kit that comes with most US and Brit parts are the model is actually a US M10 that they repackaged with correct bits for a British Achillies... I got is on sale for £12 which was an excellent deal as it has kept me busy for 3 months with a lot of fiddly parts.

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:D

 

A great vehicle! Don't know about hitches but the turret top MG tended to be left off. I've always wondered why but recently read that they caught in tree branches and swung round to clout the commander on the head! :( Also read that the British did not like the relatively slow rate of fire of the .50 and prefered faster firing .30s to deter Panzerfaust/Panzerschreck teams. I would have thought the .50s greater power would have been useful. :bigun2: Of course there was practically no Luftwaffe aircraft to give the original use of the turet top MGs.

This was on Shermans I don't think open topped TDs were used in the same way as tanks so you could include either. The best way is to check references and model a particular vehicle from a photo.

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it is simple when building the model to see why Dave... the 50 Cal is MASSIVE on the turret and sticks up and out. To shoot from inside the turrent is onyl good to shoot at what is behind you and the angle and mount of the gun is very hard to get to and use from inside... forget trying to easily change the ammo box too! To shoot straight ahead you need to stand outside the turrent and yet hit the commander on the head with the barrel. If the tank has the duckbill stowage on the turret you basically need to sit atop this to shoot... again pointless.

 

The 30 cal has the same issues but being smaller is easier to address these issues with.

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Really don't know why they continued the turret MGs - was it a cofidence boost for the Gung Ho?

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still not entirely complete, needs a wash and weathering and some touch up but nearly there.

20111224_112541.jpg

 

20111224_112617.jpg

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:D

 

Great work Greg. As you say just a wash will improve the finish. Johnsons Clear would get rid of the decal shine.

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secret to keep your mat clean... when I buy business shirts there is a bit of paper inside the shirt packaging that is not as thin as tissue paper but not as thick as normal paper and you can slightly see through. Even better it works really well to dab paint on when dry brushing... so I keep those and use them over my mat and you can slightly make out the markings under if needed. I just keep a corner of the mat clear for cutting direct on the mat.

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