1/35 Crusader Mk.II

The Crusader was the cruiser tank of the British Army, used mostly in North Africa with Rommel's German Panzers in 1942. This stylish tank worked hard as the backbone of the British Armored Division until the M4 Sherman was delivered from the US. This kit is called the Mk.II, but more precisely it is the Mk.I with a small machine gun sub-turret on the front. This was a design feature of the 1920s, now obsolete; crew were seldom deployed in machine gun turrets in the tropical battlefield due to its cramped size and the harsh heat. Most of the tooling is from Italeri's old Crusader Mk.III kit from the 1970s, but this does not interfere with the quality. Newly tooled parts for the turret are fine. Tracks are of the rubber band type.