Tanks & Trolls

Challenger 2 Op Telic

Britain's Challenger 2 main Battle tank is successor to the successful Challenger 1 which was used to great effect in the first gulf war.Challenger 2 proved equally effective during the second Gulf war in 2003 - and is still providing valuable for Warrior crews in Southern Iraq.

Distinctive changes to the Challenger include Thermal Exhaust Cowls to reduce exhaust heat signature on the hull rear sides, thermal Identification panels and filter louvres on the turret, and side armour with sand reduction skirting

No Challengers were lost through enemy action during Operation Telic. On 27th March 2003, 14 Challengers of C Squadron, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, engaged a column of 14 aging T-55 in what is credited as being the British Army's biggest tank engagement since World War II. None of the Challenger tanks was hit and all the T-55s were destroyed.

Designation: Challenger 2

Hull length: 8.327m

Height: 2.95m

Width: 3.518m

Combat weight: 62.5mt

Crew: 4

Engine: 1200hp V12 Perkins Diesel

Range: 450km (increased by 70km by two 200-litre fuel barrels carrid on the rear)

Speed: 56km/h max road, 40km/h cross country

Armament: Stabilised 120mm L30 rifled gun, max range 9000 metres, secondry Armament: 7.62mm chain gun mounted co-axially and 7.62mm GPMG mounted on loaders hatch for air defence

Ammunition: 50 mixed projectiles stowed below the turret ring. Propellent charges are stowed seperately in armoured bins. The L30 main gun fires all current 120mm 2-piece ammunition, and they can be a mixture of APFSDS (armour piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot), HESH (High explosive squash head), a depleted uranium roun, or smoke.

Protection: Challenger 2 is the best protected tank in NATO, incorperating second generation Chobham armour plating and full NBC protection

This as my biggest project to date! To give you a rough idea of just How big; the total length of the tank is 6' 3" (190cm), it's width is 25 " (64cm) and its height is 18" (46cm) and it weighs in at OVER 100KG!

As you can see lots of extra detail work went into the Challenger, as well as external detail I also added an exhaust smoke system, working headlights, tail-lights and brake lights, flashing beacon and co-axial MG. The tank also has a stabiliser system on the main 120 mm gun!

Check out the BEAST in Action!!!

Click on the pictures below to watch the movie!

Challenger 2, THE best tank in the world!	This is how it looked when I first recieved it, nice still but crying out for that Bulldog touch!	Showing some added detail to the turret, all made from plastic card
Close-up showing the front thermal panels and smoke dischargers, the caps are made from spare King Tiger wheel hubs, waste not want not I say!	The side louvred ID panels	The commanders cupola and sight. Since this picture I detialed the sight a little more as I was not happy with it, you may notice the difference on the pictures further down ;O)
More turret detail	Inside of the commander hatch	Close-up showing the 7.62mm Chain gun co-axially mounted. It flashes when it fires too, funky!
The GPMG is from dragon miniatures, I had to build the appropriate mount and ammo box	Shows the rear louvred ID panels, all went onto making an otherwise boring looking turret into something special	I am assuming the probe on the left is for gathering information such as wind speed, etc as on the Abrams. The beacon on the right actually works, you need a warning, this fella hurts when it runs over your toes!
On the original tank these access ports were solid so out came the dremel! Probably the part of detailing that took the longest to be honest and certainly the messiest!	Finally all the detail done and ready for some red oxide! Thats my 6' x 4' work table its sat on, as you can see it took most of my time and space up!	Super bright LED's went into the front headlights, they really are super bright too, light the whole drive up!
Rear detail, the barrels are made from some containers, £1 each!	Close-up showing the side armour, the main block is made up from wood! Was lucky enough to find some the exact width I wanted so just had to cut it to length, a big advantage and saved a lot of time!	Another close-up of the side armour, notice the step bar and folding wing mirror
Engine deck detail and exhaust cowels	Another shot of the engine deck, the mesh is good old auto repair aluminium mesh, cheap and perfect for the job.	Rear lights in situ and checked, SIR!
And a good lick of paint brings it all together :O)	Was nice to finally get it out and running after seeing it in bits snce I bought it!	Imaging looking up and seeing this beast bearing down on you, Brown pants time me thinks!
Drivers hatch, Snug as a bug in a rug	More Dragon accessories go to make that lived in look	Nice shot showing the ID panels
Dont you just love piling crap on a model tank?	Can just make out the updated and more detailed commanders sight on this picture	Nice shot of the bum end
Again, lots of dragon accessories go to add a little more interest to the overall model	This shot shows the exhaust cowels and right side rear light cluster	Nice top-down view, those legs belong to an adult, see how big it is!
Shows the rear and a little of the side armour, see how the skirt goes nearly to the back of the tank to divert all the dust away from the air intakes	'Bulldog thought his fingers smelled funny'	'Skud prepared to open fire on the flying pink camels'
Gary was always thankful of the quiet periods, it allowed him to apply his make-up in the wing mirror	Could I really have called it anything else?	Well, you just gotta aint ya :O)
BOOM! HEADSHOT!	Nice shot showing just how little of the running gear is showing	Performs well, turns on a penny and climbs well
Nice shot!	You can almost smell those burning oil wells...	Added a little more stowage to the front
the turret,	And the rear	Time for a chin wag!
Just a liiiitle further...	Some of the excellent 7.62 ammo boxes provided my Armopax (see links page)	Smile for the camera
The old girl has gone through another stage of weathering, will I ever be finished!	Rule Britannia!	More extensive weathering over the whole of the tank
Note the extra detail added such as the headlight cables	Also shortened the rear gaurds as they tended to scrape a little on rough ground	Union Flag has been added too
	Maybe now I can sleep easy!