ARMOUR MODELLING CHALLENGE 2019 - FREE GIVEAWAY!

In 2018, we gave you the "Build a Landing Fleet" Amphibious Modelling Challenge. In 2019, we're staying safely on dry land and now give you the "Armour Modelling Challenge 2019" - converting and painting another piece of "cheap Chinese giveaway plastic" into something vaguely acceptable to the AVBCW 1930s battlefield:

The Armour Modelling Challenge 2019

Chinese plastic sourced from Ebay a while ago, but it is in roughly 1/55 scale and it was very cheep. We have ten of these to distribute as a free giveaway to participants in the Spring and Autumn 2019 Hereford VBCW Big Games!

Another view of this potentially deadly AVBCW weapon

The tracks, running gear and armoured body are all fine - it's the turret that's the modelling challenge. Far too lacking in depth to be convincing, and it's got two gun barrels to boot! In fact, about half of these tanks don't even have the turret, just the body and tracks (because some of them came with missiles that one of the Umpires has already snaffled for his forthcoming "BUF Superforce"). 

So - can you scratchbuild a suitable turret and gun barrel, add a tank commander and then give your personalised tank a snazzy 1930s paint scheme ? If you can, the Umpires are content for you to get one up on your VBCW enemies and add them to your Platoon as "special Umpire bonus"! Claim your free cheep Chinese tank at the next Big Game by approaching Clive or Roo and stating - in best newspaper tradition - "You are an Umpire and I claim my cheep Chinese tank!"

VBCW Backstory: Some may have noticed, in recent Big Game Reports, the presence of "tanks" which are curiously hard to identify. For example, the BUF presented some at the Battle of Winforton Pontoons:

"Hull down" - BUF Tank Force waits for Sir Gilbert and his Anglican allies

These tanks were in fact manufactured in 1937 by a hitherto little recognised armour producer, Elstree Industries. Well known for being the centre of British film production, Elstree derived considerable inspiration from its American film making cousin, Hollywood, and it's approach to armour authenticity:

An unidentified "Panzer" leads the "Afrika Korps" in Hollywood's "Patton"

What kind of tank is that? A "German military policeman" looks askance as yet
another "Hollywood tank" rumbles by in "The Battle of Britain".

While absolutely "historically accurate" armour types may be the ideal, the Hereford1938 campaign has always taken a somewhat relaxed approach to modelling innovations:

The Battle of Bredwardine Bridge, Spring 2015 Big Game. A totally historically accurate Morris CS9 follows

a Malvern Hills Conservators "Skunk Works" armoured motorcycle (with five HMGs), which in turn

passes the slower moving BUF "Armoured Pepperpot". The latter was the subject of interventionist

threats by that decisive judicial figure, "Judge Dredd", while the last was subsequently the subject of

an infringement of copyright action by Lord Reith of the BBC. Neither "innovation" has been seen since,

possibly by reason of MOT failures.

Some may be concerned that the VBCW should not become "too tanky". Good point. It may therefore be some comfort to know that, such have been the demands of the Civil War upon Elstree Industries' industrial capacity, a reluctant decision was in fact taken to sub-contract some of the work to a factory in Shezuan, China : the Shezuan Ordnance Depot and Delivery Yards ("SHODDY"). Upon receipt of the completed VBCW Order from its Chinese sub-contractor, Elstree Industries was horrified to discover that the "armour" was in fact made of tin, the principal weapon was subject to random misfires, and all units were accustomed to break down at the least provocation. After conversion and painting, your cheep Chinese model may look like and even sound like a tank, but the Umpires' "special rules" shall ensure that, subject to the D6,  it never quite escapes it's SHODDY origins.......