British A.27 Cromwell VII
World Tanks Depot 1:87 Scale Vehicle Review
A 1-87 World Tanks Depot A.27M Cromwell VII painted in a medium brown very similar to Polly Scale 500065 »Military Medium Brown«, which may have been chosen to represent a desaturated »S.C.C. № 2 Brown«. The vehicle carries the yellow triangle markings of 5th Troop, B Squadron, of the second regiment of an armoured brigade, but there are no other tac signs or markings to identify the division it belongs to. Wargamers may want to repaint the model deep bronze green to build armoured regiments for campaigns in northwest Europe. Each Cromwell tank troop was made up of three Cromwell tanks, and one A.30 Challenger or Sherman Firefly tank mounting the more powerful 17 pdr gun. Unfortunately, neither the Challenger nor the Firefly are available in this scale yet.
Evaluation
Good choice of subject, the Cromwell tank is unique in this scale.
The vehicle is sold fully assembled and painted, it weighs 144 g. The lower hull appears to be cast in resin, the upper hull is a die-cast metal part, and the turret must be white metal with an appreciable lead content, which would explain why the main gun bends easily.
Compatible with HO scale model railway equipment and miniatures by Faller, Märklin, Noch, Pola, Preiser, ROCO, and Wespe Models.
This Cromwell VII should have been painted in the camouflage colour »S.C.C. № 15 Olive Drab«, introduced in 1944 for use in northwest Europe.
The 1-87 World Tanks Depot Cromwell cruiser tank is a valuable model for collectors, diorama builders, and wargamers.