Sunday 5 December 2010

Carden-Lloyd Tankette

This is another  model scratchbuilt by the late John G Robertson, and possibly my favourite.   The real CL Tankette was produced from 1927 and in crops up in all sorts of unexpected places.  The Dutch Home Army had five(!) of them and some were also supplied to the Nationalist Chinese forces in the 1930s.  It also inspired many imitators, including the Italian L3, French UE and Soviet T-27.

The model clearly uses the tracks from the Airfix Bren Carrier, the small roadwheels being donated by the M3 halftrack.  I have confined my work on this to light drybrushing and basing to match my other 20mm Megablitz toys.  I must try to write it into a game sometime soon.

6 comments:

Paul said...

The word thast springs to mind is...Neat.

Nice little piece of history and a good little conversion.

Nice post.

Al said...

mmm, very cool, think I've seen a picture of one in Nationalist Chinese colours too

Tim Gow said...

Paul
It's a charming little model which deserves to be seen.
Tim

Tim Gow said...

Al
I understand that a couple of dozen were supplied to China in 1934. A few survived to fight the Japanese in the late '30s. Along with the Vickers 6-ton tank and Renault FT, the CL Tankette seems to crop up all over the world.
Tim

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Now this is a model/kit I've often mulled about the need for in my 1940 Low Country scenarios

I have wandered saddened away from many a model miniature manufacturer's stall who didn't understand my disinterest in his Tiger tanks

Tim Gow said...

Geordie
Yours is definitely a minority interest, but you're amoung friends. Maybe I should rent out my Tankette?
Tim