Vickers-Armstrong "6 ton" Light Tank

Published on
September 25, 2021
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$15.95
Product / Stock #
35510
Company: Mirage Hobby
Provided by: Dragon Models USA - Website: Visit Site
Mirage Vickers "6 Ton" Box Art

A Brief History

When first produced, the Vickers-Armstrong “6 ton” light tank could not find acceptance with the British Army because the 2 small turrets on the tank were fitted with machine guns only. The tank was later modified into the “B” version that had a 47mm gun and the turret was moved to the right side due to traffic in England being left-sided.

The Model

Upon opening the kit box, there are 12 sprue trees in a bag, some vinyl treads and a small decal sheet. The smaller parts trees are lettered with numbered parts. The largest tree is not lettered but the parts are numbered. There is no parts layout diagram. Marking options are for a Mk. F and B version in Bulgarian Army colors, 1938, in what looks like Panzer gray or a Mk. F version for a British Army training unit, 1939, in a dark earth color. There appears to be no decals for the British version but turret decals are provided for the Bulgarian version.

The Build

Construction starts with attaching the guns in place in the turret and gluing a ring that will capture the turret to the tank body. Road wheels are attached next to the idler arms. The tank body sides need to be cut away slightly for the addition of pieces provided. The idler wheels can be attached next and the muffler can be glued together. The front plate with the driver’s viewing plate is attached next along with the top plate where the turret will go and the rear plate. The road wheel assembly can be attached next along with the fenders. A shovel, an axe, a parts box can be attached next. At this point, I chose to paint my model in the dark earth British scheme using an old bottle of Pactra dark earth enamel. The muffler was attached as well as lights front and rear. Finally the tracks were attached along with the turret.

Conclusion

The parts count and location on this model was a little overwhelming. It appears from the amount of parts I had left over that they were intended for use on another version of the tank. If I have called out items incorrectly in reviewing this tank, please accept my apology. I usually build aircraft but accepted this tank kit to review as a change of pace. It has given me a new respect for armor builders due in no small part to the attachment of the treads. I’m sure for an experienced armor builder who has more knowledge of tanks than I do, this kit would be much easier that it was for me.

I would like to thank Mirage Hobby and IPMS/USA for providing this kit and allowing me to review it.

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