It was only a matter of time until this situation devolved into a land war.
With my air superiority established with the Apache and Harrier, and some other upcoming additions, I have now turned my attention to the grim and gritty world of combat weapons, and what better place to start than with another HM Armed Forces vehicle:the Fast Pursuit Battle Tank.
One of the more common vehicles of the line, the Battle Tank is nevertheless a rare sight on an American battlefield — in more ways than one. As I’ve discussed before, the HM Armed forces line is unfortunately exclusive to the United Kingdom, and, as far as I know, there is no domestic carrier for the line, even in Canada, which means if you want to tool-up for war, you’re going to need UK eBay, some patience, and no regard for shipping costs.
Unlike the Apache and Harrier, this tank is an unusual sight in any US motorpool, with the vehicle(s) it’s based on having no US equivalent. The Battle Tank is a combination of two uniquely British AFVs: the Challenger II Modern Battle Tank and the Scimitar Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle. Basically, it combines the small and fast chassis of the Scimitar (and its CVR family) with a big 120mm-like tank gun and some of the Challenger’s turret features. In practical use, this isn’t all that crazy sounding, since the Scimitar is just one of several variants, essentially all different turrets and guns on the same body. The result is a fast, light tank that packs a big punch.
Like the other HM Armed forces vehicles, this one is intended for a roughly 1:8 scale, so it is a little on the big side for a 1:12 figure, though they look much less silly in it than the sardine-canned bigger figures do. With the Scimitar clocking in about 18 feet long, and the Challenger II at almost 30 feet, a case could be made for this hybrid maybe being around 25 feet in scale, and that would work. The crew space is big, cavernous, and ridiculous. I will need to fit a driver’s seat or risk losing the driver in the body every time I close the hatch. Again, like the other HM vehicles, this is a wonderful problem to have, compared to the alternative of cramming figures into small vehicles.
For firepower, the tank sports a spring-loaded main gun, as well as smoke grenade launchers that pivot on the turret. A coaxial mount for a machine gun would make sense, but nothing’s set up for that out of the box.
Like any good tank should, this beast rolls on rubber treads and cruises around on the driving wheels very well. Both hatches open for access, and there’s a nice touch of all three storage boxes on the turret being hinged.
The body details are sculpted well, and, in keeping with a real fighting vehicle, included are the diesel exhaust pipe and tow cables. It has a decent desert camo applied, which can be added to with unit and marking stickers, but I’ve got a feeling it’s going to get a paint job.
The Battle Tank is much like its line-mates in delivering a good, solid chunk of toy. There’s a good balance of playability and realistic styling, and it continues a disturbing trend of making American toy companies’ vehicles look like little bitches. This thing would eat a MOBAT for lunch and snack on Armadillos for the rest of the day.
Seriously — Hasbro, Mattel, etc: HM Armed Forces laughs at you from across the pond. These are high-quality toys, delivered in their market at a reasonable value, and they make the 1966 Batmobile feel like a Happy Meal pack-in. I’m serious. You embarrass my country. My patriotism hurts.
That’ll do it for this chapter in my vehicle quest. Check back a little later this month for some other BIG additions.
