Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series HG3506 Centurion Mk. 5/I, Australia (RAAC) 169108 “The Very Diabolical” C Squadron, 1 Armoured Regt, Vietnam 1971

Authentic Detailing Pre-Painted by professionals Accurate paint colors Markings Tampo (pad) applied Fully Assembled Die-Cast Model True to Scale (1:72) Turret turns and main gun elevates Metal turret and main gun Realistic tracks THESE ARE PRE-PRODUCTION PICTURES, NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT

The Centurion tank was a late entry into WWII as a means to counter the German Tigers and Panthers. In 1950 the Australian Army purchased 127 Centurions of which 4 were bridge-layers. However with the outbreak of the Korean War all Centurions went to British regiments involved in the conflict. As a result the RAAC (Royal Australian Armoured Corps) received its first Centurion tanks in February 1952. Of the 127 tanks 96 were allotted to the 1st Armoured Regiment and the remaining 21 were strictly for training and not to leave the country. Initially they were Mk. IIIs but were later the 92 belonging to the 1st Regiment were modified to full Mk. V standards. The upgrade saw the addition of supplementary armor on the glacis plate, the main gun system improved, a 50 calibre Browning ranging machine gun and an infrared night fighting equipment. In addition a 100-gallon armored fuel tank was attached to the rear hull plate but it soon was realized they were a fire hazard if hit by a shell or bullet. More modifications were carried out in the filed. The side skirts were removed because mud and debris would build up and the track guards were replaced with heavy gauge steel plate. They also welded the storage racks to the back of the turret to carry ammunition or radio equipment so the tank could communicate with the infantry soldier. The four 1st Regiment bridge- laying tanks received the additional armor. The Centurions remained in RAAC service until 1977 when they were replaced by the Leopard.

The first half of the tanks from the regiment’s C Squadron arrived in Vietnam in February 1968. It wasn’t until August that the second half of the Centurions arrived. Until 1971 the 1st Regiment dozer tanks worked at clearing mines while on several occasions the Centurions were called upon to defend Australian fire support bases against enemy attacks. Some operations saw the regiment’s tanks providing enormous fire- power to hold back Viet-Cong forces when trapped infantry platoons were located and rescued. The 1st Regiment had three squadrons, A, B and C with the first two each doing a one year tour of duty in Vietnam and C Squadron doing two. In 1971 the Australian government began a reduction in their commitment to the Vietnam War and gradually began a withdrawal that saw C Squadron return home in September that year. During its tour of duty in Vietnam 1st Armoured Regiment was involved in many altercations including some very historic battles such as Fire Support Bases (FSB) Coral and Balmoral in May 25 - 30 1968, Long Dien August 21 - 22 1968, Hat Dich February 16 1969, Binh Ba June 6 and 7 1969, Long Hai February 17 - 18 1970.

Classification - Medium tank Country of origin - United Kingdom Crew: 4 Performance Engine - Rolls Royce Meteor V12 liquid-cooled gasoline engine Speed (max) - 34 km/h Dimensions Length - 7.6 m Height - 3.01 m Width - 3.39 m Weight - 52 t Glacis armour - increased by 44 mm to 120 mm at 57o Armament 1 X 20 pdr gun 1 X .50-calibre machine-gun 2 X .30-calibre Browning machine-guns

1st Armoured Regiment color patch and motto Paratus - “Ready”