Tamiya Chieftain Mk.5 Kit Review (1:35)

The Chieftain was developed from the British Army experience of World War II and reflects the priorities of the British Army in terms of firepower, mobility and protection.

British tank development in World War II resulted in the Centurion tank which first appeared in 1945. The Centurion was a culmination of experience and thinking which pointed to the need for a universal battlefield tank with optimal armour, speed and agility.

The Centurion didnt see action until the Korean War during 1951- 1952. The usefulness of the Centurion was proven against the T-34 however when the Stalin appeared with its 122mm gun the Centurion struggled against this new armour.

It became obvious that the new threat was from the Eastern block countries and if war broke out most of the fighting would take place in Northern Germany.

To face this new threat the British Army required a tank capable of taking on the Soviet armour. It was planned that the new tank should not exceed 50 tons, have sloping armour, a compact V8 engine and a 120mm gun.

It was originally thought that the new tank should have a 105mm gun due to the weight of the round and charge case. However the development of bagged charges reduced the ammunition weight and allowed the tank to be developed with a 120mm gun.

Specification:

Crew 4

Combat Weight (mt) 55.00

Chassis Length Overall (m) 7.48

Height Overall (m) 2.90

Width Overall (m) 3.51

Ground Pressure (kg/cm 2 ) 0.90

Automotive Performance:

Engine Type 750-hp Diesel

Cruising Range (km) 400-500

Max Road 48

Max Off-Road N/A

Average Cross-Country 30

Max Swim N/A

Fording Depths (m) 1.1 Unprepared

Radio C42/Larkspur VHF

Protection

Armor, Turret Front (mm) 300 (RHA)

Applique Armor (mm) ROMOR applique on turret, side skirts

Explosive Reactive Armor (mm) N/A

Active Protective System N/A

Mineclearing Equipment Plow variant, and AVLB/engineer variant

Self-Entrenching Blade No

NBC Protection System Yes

Smoke Equipment Smoke grenade launchers (6 each side of turret)

Armament:

Main Armaments

Caliber, Rifled gun, L11A5, 155mm

Rate of Fire (rd/min) 8-10 first minute/6 sustained

Loader Type Separate-loading manual

Ready/Stowed Rounds N/A

Elevation (°) -10 to +20

Fire on Move Yes

Auxiliary Weapon 7.62-mm (7.62x 51) Machine gun L8A1

Mount Type Turret Coax

Maximum Aimed Range (m) N/A

Max Effective Range (m)

Day 800

Night N/A

Fire on Move Yes

Rate of Fire N/A

Mount Type Cupola

Maximum Aimed Range (m) N/A

Max Effective Range (m)

Day 800

Night N/A

Fire on Move Yes

Rate of Fire (rd/min) N/A

ATGM Launcher N/A

Fire Control:

Improved Fire Control System (IFCS)

Main Gun Stabilization 2-plane

Rangefinder Laser, Nd-Yag

Infrared Searchlight

Sights w/Magnification

Barr and Stroud Tank Laser Sight (TLS), 8x

Night 1R18 Thermal sight, 3x

Main Ammunition:

Caliber, Type, Name 120-mm APFSDS-T, L23A1

Maximum Aimed Range (m) 5,000

Max Effective Range (m)

Day 3,000

Night N/A

Armor Penetration (mm) N/A

I bought this kit secondhand and to be honest this is the first Tamiya military vehicle kit I have built. As with most Japanese kits the quality and detail of the kit is superb.

The final fit and accuracy of all the parts was outstanding and the build of the kit has been really easy and straightforward.

Although not completely finished the kit is well on its way and the final detailing and weathering should finish off the kit nicely.

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Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.

Web : http://www.martlesham-models.com

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Martlesham Models is based at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich and we provide a wide range of model kits and accessories online.