Trumpeter 09611 British Army Challenger 1 Mk 3 Main Battle Tank

Recommended price £54.99     A Trumpeter 1:35 scale model of a British Army Challenger 1 Mk 3 Main Battle Tank.  (Note: When the British Challenger tank entered service in the 1980s, it was simply called Challenger. It began being referred to as “Challenger 1” after Challenger 2 was designed in the late 1980s. Not to be confused with Challenger 3, the upgraded Challenger 2 2030s service life extension.)

The FV4030/4 Challenger 1 originated from the Shir 2 project, a development by the United Kingdom for the Imperial State of Iran. The tank was intended as a successor to Iran’s fleet of Chieftain tanks and was in advanced development by the late 1970s. Widespread political and social unrest in Iran culminated in the Iranian Revolution of 1978–1979, during which the Shah’s government was overthrown, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was established. Following the revolution, most Western defence contracts were cancelled, leaving the UK with a nearly complete tank design and placed some 10,000 jobs at risk. This design was subsequently adapted to British Army requirements, becoming Challenger 1 in 1983.

It had a crew of four — commander, gunner, loader, and driver — and weighed between 62 and 68 tonnes. Measuring roughly 8.3 metres in length excluding the gun, 3.5 metres in width, and 2.5 metres in height, it was protected by Chobham composite armour (later known as Dorchester) designed to resist both armour-piercing and high-explosive threats. Armament consisted of the 120 mm L11A5 rifled gun inherited from the Chieftain tank, capable of firing armour-piercing, HESH, smoke, and training rounds, supplemented by a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a 7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun on the turret. The gun was stabilised for limited firing on the move, and the gunner had a thermal sight for day and night operations, supported by manual and semi-automatic fire control. Externally, the turret was fitted with large wire-mesh baskets on both sides and across the rear. These provided extra stowage space for crew equipment and kept loose items outside the fighting compartment.

There are etched brass components in this kit.