IBG 1/72 FV4101 Charioteer MK.VIIA (72112)

The FV4101 Charioteer was a Cold War conversion of the Cromwell chassis, fitted with a new turret mounting the powerful Royal Ordnance QF 20-pounder gun — the same weapon fitted to the Centurion Mk.3. By giving the ageing Cromwell hull a modern anti-tank gun, the British Army created a vehicle capable of engaging the Soviet armour that NATO feared in the late 1940s and 1950s, at a fraction of the cost of a new tank. The Charioteer served with the Territorial Army and was exported widely, seeing service in Finland, Jordan, Lebanon, and Austria. The Mk.VIIA represents the standard production configuration with its distinctive large turret sitting high on the narrow Cromwell hull — an unusual and undermodelled Cold War subject.

A fascinating Cold War conversion and a rare subject that stands out in any British armour collection.