"Crusader" III AA Mk.III - the British anti-aircraft tank

"Crusader" - a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were produced in 1939, serial production took place between 1940 and 1943. In total, about 4,900 units of this tank were produced. The "Crusader" is fitted with a Nuffield "Liberty" Mk II 340 h. p. power engine. Depending on the version, the tank was armed with one 40 mm QF 2-pounder cannon or one 57 mm QF 6-pounder gun and two 7.92 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns. The "Crusader" tank was designed as a successor to the unsuccessful "Covenanter" A13 tank. First of all, the new machine was designed more carefully, which meant, that it was much less likely to fail, than its predecessor. Armor has also been improved. Despite these changes, the "Crusader" were still too weakly armored and, most importantly, too weakly armed, when they entered service, to fight the enemy's main tanks. Its advantages are the aforementioned low failure rate and good mobility. Nevertheless, at the end of the North African campaign (1940-1943), in which "Crusader" tanks played a leading role, they were systematically and quickly withdrawn from the front-line units. During serial production, several versions of this tank were created. Chronologically, the first was the "Crusader" I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. In 1942 in May a version of the "Crusader" III debuted, with a new 57 mm gun and armor, reinforced to 51 mm. After 1943 a number of specialized combat vehicles were produced on the "Crusader" chassis, such as the "Crusader" II Gun Traktor or the "Crusader" III AA Mk. I and II. In "Crusader" tanks are armed units of Free France, Australia and New Zealand armies. They also became part of the armament of the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PAF).

From the publication You can make anti-aircraft tank "Crusader" III AA Mk.III, which was in service of the 1st Polish Armored Division 2nd Armored Regiment, when it fought in the battles on the Western Front in August 1944. Also provided are parts (replaceable) for a model, recreating the vehicle of the 10th Cavalry Rifle Reconnaissance Regiment of the 1st Polish Armored Division. The model is well designed and richly detailed with partial detailing of the turret interior - what is open, has been recreated. Perfectly restored chassis, tracks, exterior detailing. The model is intended for intermediate and advanced modelers only