Super Matildas - the winning of an old argument !

Started by Sunray, 12 October 2017, 03:29:08 PM

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Sunray

Its sweet when you win an argument after almost 50 odd years.  Especially against a family member.

My cousin Jim arrived at my home one Saturday late 60s/early 70s clutching much battered Charles Grant book on wargaming, a ruler and dice, plus a shoe box." Do you still have those Airfix soldiers?"
I got them out along with my Matilda tanks - one had lost its turret.  I started wargaming that afternoon.

In a later battle (Twin Farms?) I mounted a Churchill turret on the Matilda. "You can't do that" cried my cousin" It would never fit. The Churchill is a much bigger tank".

Actually -old boy -it would have. The two tanks share a common 54" turret ring, both designed for the 2pdr.  ;)

Now in real life, it would have cost too much to upgun the elderly Matilda. Too many new M4s, Churchills and Cromwells rolling off the production lines.

But if you are a back water Middle East/African nation, stuck with obsolete tanks, and facing an arms embargo , and cash rich for a "Research & Production unit" (like Biafra or indeed Israel  1950s with the M4 ) It remarkable what can be done with old kit.

So, in the upcountry workshops (human resources & parts subject to dice) A brace of Matilda A12s are treated to Churchill Mk VII turret, QF 75mm gun, Condor Major v12, GM semi auto transmission and new running gear giving it a respectable 25mph.

l loved the old Matilda - a true Queen of the battlefield and the Centurion of its day.

Game on cousin !  :-bd


d_Guy

Sweet!

Necessity being the Mother of invention, the "Isherman" came to mind (not quite the same mod but close).
Sleep with clean hands ...

toxicpixie

Have a look at the Matilda "Black Prince", one example prototype produced - 6pdr gun in the Cromwell turret on a Tilly chassis. Worked badly and they canned it immediately :D But it's certainly *possible* even during WW2, never mind in the leisurely post war days ;)

Very pointless by the time they tried it, the worn out Tilly's being a super-tank against the Japanese and no darn use anywhere else :D
I provide a cheap, quick painting service to get you table top quality figures ready to roll - www.facebook.com/jtppainting

Sunray

Quite, but like 100% of what happens on my wargames table, its a bit of pure hedonistic pleasure.

The Brazilians did remarkable things with their Stuart light tanks. The Bernardini   As more modern compact guns became available - like the French 90mm D921 - turret ring size became less of a problem. 

Wulf

Quote from: toxicpixie on 12 October 2017, 04:48:32 PM
Have a look at the Matilda "Black Prince", one example prototype produced - 6pdr gun in the Cromwell turret on a Tilly chassis.
Available in the online game 'World of Tanks' if you're prepared to pay real money to get it. Hideous bloody thing, and pretty much proves why the real thing never got produced.

toxicpixie

I've not driven one, but they don't look pretty that's for sure!

Not touched Tanks for donkeys, no time to play enough to be even halfway competent anymore.
I provide a cheap, quick painting service to get you table top quality figures ready to roll - www.facebook.com/jtppainting

Wulf

Quote from: toxicpixie on 16 October 2017, 11:22:37 AM
Not touched Tanks for donkeys, no time to play enough to be even halfway competent anymore.
I've gone the other way - I now specialise in just a handful of my preferred tanks, rather than trying to play some of everything, so I only play a half-dozen games in a session at most, until I get whatever the daily award is.

I am bloody good with a SU-14-2 arty...  :d

toxicpixie

I don't think I've played half a dozen games this year :D

That's the real problem, although a garage with essentially half of every bloody tech tree in the game doesn't help either...
I provide a cheap, quick painting service to get you table top quality figures ready to roll - www.facebook.com/jtppainting