Vickers Mk. E Type B – the British/ Polish light tank

The prototype of the light tank Vickers-Armstrong 6-Ton (Mk. E) was built in 1928 by the British company "Vickers - Armstrong Ltd" as an initiative project of the company. Tanks are designed in two types: double tower (Type A) and single tower (Type B). This tank became the first tank in the world, whose armament (cannon and machine gun) was combined in one tower. Vickers Mk. E tests in the British army did not arouse interest and the order was not concluded, but the Ministry of Defense gave consent to export these machines. As time has shown, this decision and the corresponding advertising campaign brought many orders from different parts of the world. Some countries bought licenses for the production of these tanks, including the USSR, where they were produced under the designation T-26. Poland also became interested in the product of the English company, because the outdated Renault FT-17 tanks already required a replacement. In September 1930 one Vickers tank was brought to Poland for testing. They showed, that the tank is generally good, but the armor is too thin, the combat compartment is cramped and the engine overheats quickly. But in September 1931 an agreement was signed for the delivery of 50 twin-turret tanks and a license for the production of these tanks was bought. In the end, only 38 tanks were delivered, 22 of which later had a machine gun, replaced by a cannon in one tower. Later, the tanks were partially modernized by increasing the air intakes, which should have solved the engine cooling problems. In September 1939 two light tank companies were armed with Vickers tanks: Company 121 was part of the 10th Cavalry Brigade (motorized), and Company 12 was part of the Warsaw Armored Motorized Brigade. The companies consisted of 16 tanks each (10-11 single turrets and 5-6 double turrets). Both units were involved in fierce battles, in which all the vehicles were destroyed - either shot by the enemy or destroyed by the crews themselves due to malfunctions or lack of ammunition and fuel. The acquisition of the license made it possible to create a deep modernization of this tank 7TP in Poland.

Challenging due to the very complicated construction of the chassis, this well designed and richly detailed model without interior detailization in September 1939 company camouflage is intended for intermediate and advanced modelers only. However, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, this model will be perfectly glued by a modeler with little experience, but it should not be one of the first more complex models You glue. The model is painted with the 1939 war camouflage of the Polish 10th Cavalry Brigade (motorized).