Desert Cruiser Tanks - A9's and A10's.

Its been many years (read 'decades') since I have built plastic kits in any number. In the intervening years my fingers have got fatter, my eyesight poorer and the kits seems to have become more complicated! So it was with some trepidation that I approached my first Plastic Soldier Company tank kit for the British A9/A10. As it was I was worrying too much and the kits were easier to put together than I had feared although their construction was not without its problems. I also had to tackle the Caunter camouflage scheme pretty much freehand and while I have done this on 6mm vehicles I have never attempted it at 15mm.

So as we have already established I am not an accomplished kit builder and I would rate my current skill level as 'intermediate' at best. The PSC kits are excellent quality and the level of detail is mind blowing so I knew that if I could assemble my tanks properly they would look pretty good. Each sprue comes with enough parts to assemble one tank from five variants so there are a lot of 'spare' parts when the model is completed. While its great to be able to pick one of several options when building it does feel a bit wasteful when upwards of 50% of the sprue is destined to be waste. Once I had wrapped my head around the assembly instructions it was a relatively simple process to build these vehicles.

My main obstacle in building these was actually the glue, not the plastic kits. I have several contact cements in my toolbox but all had their limitations. The Armypainter glue was really thick and hard to get out of the tube; my pot of Revel Plastic Cement was so thin it kept smearing over everything; and the remaining tube I had was so 'stringy' it got everywhere! I soon lost patience with them all and reverted to using Superglue and an acceleration spray. Experienced kit builders are probably screaming "nooooo!" but it seems to have worked well and the finished models was relatively cleanly assembled. 

A sharp pencil, a ruler and a steady hand are essential.

The next problem was the painting of the Caunter camouflage scheme. I spent a while researching how to do this and in the end I picked the easiest option for someone that didn't have modellers masking tape or a spray gun. Using a small ruler and a very sharp pencil (cut to a fine point with a knife, just like my grandpa did when I was a child) I carefully drew the outline of the bands of colour across the base-coated tank. I then applied the two colour pattern by hand using a long bristled brush (which makes painting straight lines in a single stroke much easier). When dried I lightly dry brushed some highlights/weathering across the whole model and then applied a watered down ink wash (40% water). The highlights and ink wash toned down the coloured bands making the finished Caunter pattern look much more realistic. It 's still a little dark for my taste but I'm pretty happy with it considering this was my first attempt.

There seems to be a bit of controversy amongst wargamers and modellers about the colours of the Caunter Scheme, which have often been described as being Light Stone, Silver Grey and Slate in a horizontal splinter pattern. According to Mike Starmer* "Period G.Os specify Light Stone No.61 or Portland Stone No.64 at various times and a local variation may have substituted a mixed light blue-grey for Silver Grey No. 28." and many sources suggest the blue colour often seen results from fading silver-grey or as indicated the substitution of a blue grey for the silver grey. Whatever the truth of the matter all colours would have faded quickly in the desert sun and I doubt if there was much conformity between units. I opted for more muted colours and what 'looked right' to me. 
(*British Vehicle Camouflage, 1939-45. by Mike Starmer and Mike Cooper 2008)


Tank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9)

The A9 was designed during the interwar years and first saw service in 1938. It was designed to the doctrine of the British army which divided tank designs into two classes; Infantry tanks which were slower and more heavily armoured and, as their name implies, were designed to support the infantry; Cruiser tanks which were fast 'breakthrough' tanks designed to operate behind enemy lines attacking lines of communication. Viewed from a modern perspective this is very much a cavalryman's way of looking at the use of tanks in war and indeed many cavalry units were moved to metal steads in the years prior to WWII. 

Design was very much influenced by the need to keep costs down and as a result the A9 contained many commercial parts (such as the AEC bus engine) and parts designed for earlier models like the Light Mk III. The hull was made up of large flat plate armour because it was easier to make and the whole vehicle was riveted rather than welded. The A9 was armed with the 2-pounder QF (40 mm/1.57 in) gun which was deemed adequate against tanks but the gun was not able to fire HE. Another feature of the A9 were the two independent machine gun turrets at the front, an idea borrowed from the A1E1 Independent, requiring a crew of six in total to fight the tank. All of these were to become recognised as problems once the A9 saw action and it wasn't long before an upgrade was on the drawing board. 

Tank, Cruiser, Mk II (A10)

The A10 was already being designed to replace the A9 by the start of the war but the first examples did not enter service until the latter half of 1939. Gone were the twin turrets mounting Vickers .303 machine guns, instead being replaced by an enlarged superstructure and thicker armour overall. The engine remained the same as in the A9 but with the added weight of armour this made the A10 slightly slower. 

Both the A9 and A10 suffered from peacetime financial design constraints. despite this they performed well against the Italians in Cyrenaica during operation Compass where they outclassed the much weaker Italian tanks. Arguably their main contribution to ongoing British tank design was that the chassis went on to be used as the basis for the next generation cruiser tank, the Valentine.

I enjoyed painting these (even the Caunter!) and all I need to do now is paint my remaining early Italian tanks...when they turn up! I have ordered some M11/39's from Warlord games but they are currently out of stock so I'm playing a waiting game. I'm heading to the South Coast for a short holiday next week so hopefully by the time I get home there will be small parcel waiting for me.