A39 Tortoise

In 1943 the British army requested the design of a new type of armored vehicle, the assault tank, to be used against the heavy German tanks and the fortified positions of the Seigfried Line. A total of eighteen designs were submitted, each being larger and heavier than the proceeding one. From these, the AT-16 design was accepted and by February 1944 a mockup had been completed. The War Office followed with an order for 25 vehicles to be known as the A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank.

[Secondary armament included two Besa MGs in a turret on the right rear of the top deck. ]

[There was also a ball mounted Besa MG on the left side of the superstructure.]

The Tortoise was a massive tank that weighed 79 tons. Armor was a big priority and the shell of the Tortoise was aptly constructed with 228mm thick frontal armor, and side skirt armor that measured 152mm thick. It was hoped that this would provide protection from the dreaded German 88's. The Tortoise's superstructure housed a 32pdr (3.75in / 94mm) gun with the capability to penetrate a Panther's frontal armor at 1000 yards. Secondary armament consisted of a ball mounted Besa MG on the left side of the superstructure, and two more Besas in a turret on the right rear of the top deck. A crew of seven was required in part because the 2-peice ammo of the main gun necessitated two loaders. The Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol engine produced 600hp, but the weight of the tank was such that top speed on road was only 12mph. Of the 25 ordered only six were produced, and one of these was restored to running condition in 2011 by the Bovington Tank Museum in England, where it was publicly displayed during TANKFEST 2011.

[The Meng Tortoise kit features wonderful cast texture, non-existent flash, well-hidden mold release marks and near perfect fit.]

The Meng 1/35th scale A39 Tortoise tank is only the second tank kit produced by this new manufacturer. The fact that they can produce such a fine kit on their second try bodes well for the firm's future. Wonderful cast texture, non-existent flash, well-hidden mold release marks and near perfect fit make this kit a joy to build. My only disappointment was a badly warped main gun barrel that has yet to be replaced. I began construction with the suspension, and honestly could have saved considerable time by not building the return rollers, because they are fully hidden once the side skirts are in place. I did however leave off the top rung of the tracks for the same reason. The individual track links were the best I have ever worked with. Simply clean up the attachment points and assemble. Joining the upper hull to the lower hull did require the use of clamps for a tight fit, but the rest of the assembly sequence was drama free.

I primed the tank black and then used Humbrol British Bronze Green for the base coat. Small panels and sections of the tank were sprayed working from the center to the edges. I then applied several lighter color coats on the tank. This was finished with a Bronze Green and Tan mix sprayed again from the center mass out. This style of painting avoids the monochromatic look of a factory fresh tank.

[The tank was weathered to represent the lone A39 sent to Germany for field-testing. The red triangle indicated the tank was cast from mild steel. ]

[Washes were applied, followed by dry brushing with a lightened tint of Bronze Green.]

I decided to weather the tank to represent the lone A39 sent to occupied Germany for field-testing. Washes were applied, followed by dry brushing with a lightened tint of Bronze Green. I followed this with a very light chipping effect using Vallejo Chocolate Brown. Pastels were sprinkled over the tank and then dragged across the surfaces to simulate stains and runoff. Finally, the cast triangle on the upper hull, which indicated that the tank had been cast from mild steel, was painted with Vallejo Flat Red.

[Pastels were used to simulate stains and runoff. ]

This kit was fun to build and I am looking forward to Meng's D9 Combat Dozer.

References:
Fine Scale Modeler - March 2013
Tamiya Model Magazine - January 2013

[The Tortoise was a massive tank that weighed 79 tons. ]