"When The Mk VI Was First Produced In 1936..."

"...The Imperial General Staff considered the tank to be superior to any light tank produced by other nations."

These three 10mm metal British light tanks were bought together in a single clamshell from “Pendraken Miniatures” at Salute 50 and were simply labelled as Vickers VIc (armoured vehicles). Due to my ignorance when it comes to which British forces fought during the Ardennes Offensive in 1944, I had initially planned to add them to my ever-expanding winter-based, Allied contingent. However, having done a bit of research post-purchase I discovered that "the sixth in the line of light tanks built by Vickers-Armstrongs for the British Army during the interwar period" was disappointingly "given up for good" by 1942.

Happily however, having encountered a similar situation with some Matilda II and Crusader II tanks I recently pigmented, I now own a sizeable non-winter Early Second World War Allied force - within which these "superior" vehicles should fit quite nicely. Resultantly, the trio were individually super-glued to plastic 30mm x 40mm rectangular stands and undercoated using "Vallejo" Leather Brown primer. They were then layered with a double-helping of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2, and enthusiastically drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Two Churchill VIIs just needing their tracks to be 'picked out'

In order to bring out each tanks' detail, the Vickers VIc's were dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2, and had their tracks 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Lastly, I slapped a Union Jack decal on to the rear of their hulls to proudly proclaim them as being British. This step will doubtless infuriate the odd 'rivet counting historian', as the vehicles appear to have no carried no such insignia whilst in service. Nevertheless, I wanted to have them stand out from their American allies with something a bit more obvious than a 'greener' colour scheme.

Sticking with 10mm British tanks produced by "Pendraken Miniatures", I have also been working on a pair of Heavy Churchills armed with 75mm guns. I also bought these weighty models from the Middlesbrough-based manufacturer's stall at Salute 50, as welcome additions to my Battle Of The Bulge Allied force. In addition though, I have used them as a good excuse to revisit the two Churchill VIIs I previously pigmented in late April 2023.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Two Panther Gs awaiting some finer detail work

Back then I was perfectly happy to have the redesigned armoured vehicles be predominantly "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2 with just a hint of their metallic tracks showing. However, I have since seen that the Churchill Mk VII Crocodile Flame Thrower Tank at Bovington Tank Museum has black skirts at the front, so thought I'd retrospectively apply some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to these areas on my 'finished' models, as well as upon the new ones - simply to help break up the monotony a bit.

Finally, I'm making some fine progress on a couple of German Panther G tanks I want to add to my Ardennes Offensive project. I actually recently took stock of a variety of 10mm Late War anti-tank vehicles, so these 'counters to the Soviet T-34' will probably be the last actual tank I'll be painting for some time - at least for the Third Reich. Furthermore, I've bought/located a fair few infantry figures, including some British Policemen with rifles, which may well divert my attention towards adding plenty of foot elements to my armies - most notably a What If Operation Sealion campaign, where Hitler's goosestepping goons successfully cross the Channel.