Challenger I Mk.3

The British Challenger main battle tank is, I think, one of the coolest, most aggressive looking tanks in the history of armoured fighting vehicles. In its up-armoured form, as seen in the Gulf war, it has additional Chobham armour panels on the sides, and frontal reactive armour, which enhances its low slung forceful stance. In the plain sand of the Gulf war colour scheme, the grace of the Challengers well proportioned outline is much more obvious than when it wears its drab NATO green and black livery. This model is made from the Tamiya kit and was built straight from the box. In fact, there is very little one could add to this model in the way of extra kit, as Tamiya have provided just about all the extra stowage boxes, tools and jerry cans that were fitted by the British army during operation granby. The painting of this Challenger was relatively simple, with a airbrushed base coat of enamel desert sand. After the decals had been applied, this was followed by a thin coat of cream, which had the effect of fading down the base coat and decals and leaving the impression of desert dust over the whole of the tanks surface. The only other weathering was a brief airbrushing of dark earth and khaki along the lower surfaces and wheels.