cromwell iv Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Cromwell IV

The Cromwell tank, named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed from the powerful and reliable Meteor engine, and reasonable armour, all in one balanced package. Its design formed the basis of the Comet tank. The Cromwell first saw action in June 1944, with the reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps.

This Cromwell tank was on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington when I went there in 2016.

I had taken a photograph of the same tank twenty odd years earlier as well.

The Cromwell tank was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Its design formed the basis of the Comet tank. However by the time the Cromwell first saw action in Normandy in many ways it was already out of date.

I am the process of painting some Cromwells for Flames of War.

I remember when I watched episode 4 of Band of Brothers and was pleasantly surprised to see some (real) Cromwells used in the filming.

Overall the Cromwell was a welcome addition to the British forces, but as with many allied tanks, they were under armoured and under-gunned when faced with the German tanks of the same time period. Where the allies won out was in sheer numbers and probably more importantly logistics.

28mm British Tanks – Warfare 2015

Here are some more photographs from the Warfare 2015 Show in Reading. These images are from a 28mm Demonstration Game set in the latter part of the second world war.

British Cromwell tank moves along a French road in the face of a German defensive line.

Overall the Cromwell was a welcome addition to the British, but as with many allied tanks, they were under armoured and under-gunned when faced with the German tanks of the same time period. Where the allies won out was in sheer numbers and probably more importantly logistics.

Slow and heavy, but with much better armour the Churchill was a different tank to the faster Cromwell. Probably remembered more for the variants and “funnies” that used the tank as a base vehicle.

Okay not a tank, but an M5 Half Track disembarking infantry to support the tanks in the bocage.

Overall a great looking game and some nice models.

15mm Plastic Cromwell Tanks

The Plastic Solider Company have announced their release of a set of 15mm scale Cromwell tanks.

15mm Cromwell kit – 5 models for £18.95. Each sprue gives an option to build a 95mm howitzer close support variant and has a British commander figure and a Cullen hedgecutter.

Really quite like the idea of these models and they are very cost effective too.

Flames of War Cromwell Tank

Here is one my Flames of War Cromwell Tanks moving through a French village.

Why black and white?

Simple. It’s not quite finished, it needs washing, drybrushing, weathering, detailing, decals and then some… Changing to grey scale hides a multitude of sins!

Cromwell

This Cromwell is at Bovington, well the photograph was taken fifteen years ago I think, so it was certainly there back then…

The Cromwell tank was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. The Cromwell tank, named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed from the powerful and reliable Meteor engine, and reasonable armour, all in one balanced package. Its design formed the basis of the Comet tank. However by the time the Cromwell first saw action in Normandy in many ways it was already out of date.

I am the process of painting some Cromwells for Flames of War.

I remember when I watched episode 4 of Band of Brothers and was pleasantly surprised to see some (real) Cromwells used in the filming.

Tracking the Flames of War Cromwell IV

The Cromwell Tank was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. The Cromwell first saw action in June 1944, with the reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps.
Having given the Cromwells a basecoat, the

next stage will be detailing the tracks and equipment. I started to paint the tracks using German Grey (995).

See the full workbench feature on the Flames of War Cromwell IV.

Flames of War Cromwell IV

The Cromwell Tank was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II.

The Cromwell first saw action in June 1944, with the reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps.

Having given the Cromwells a white undercoat, I undercoated the underneath of the three tanks with Humbrol Dark Green. This added shadow and depth to the main (top) base coat of Warpaint British Armour.

All three models were sprayed at the same time.

Next stage will be tracks and detailing.

See the full workbench feature on the Flames of War Cromwell IV.

Underneath the Flames of War Cromwell IV

Having given the Cromwells a white undercoat, I undercoated the underneath of the three tanks with Humbrol Dark Green. This will add shadow and depth to the main (top) base coat of Warpaint British Armour.

As you can see from the top view, the white undercoat is still mainly visible.

The next stage will be a base coat of Warpaint British Armour.

See the full workbench feature on the Flames of War Cromwell IV.

Undercoating the Flames of War Cromwell IV

The Cromwell Tank was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. The Cromwell tank, named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed from the powerful and reliable Meteor engine, and reasonable armour, all in one balanced package. Its design formed the basis of the Comet tank. The Cromwell first saw action in June 1944, with the reconnaissance regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps.

Having constructed the Cromwells, the next stage was to give them a white undercoat.

Unlike the boxed set my three models are all the same. So thinking I might put some stowage in them before undercoating them white. In the end though I didn’t.