Artitec 387.130-CM Highlights:
Model: Artitec's 387.130-CM 1/87 scale Matilda II is fully assembled and painted in the Caunter Scheme, a 1940-1941 camouflage scheme for armored vehicles in the Mediterranean and North Africa comprising a British Standard Color BS No. 64 Portland Stone Base with angled stripes of BS No. 28 Silver Grey and BS No. 34 Slate. All the new Artitec finished models are highly detailed works of art. They are all hand painted and finished using the highest quality resin, plastic and metal parts. Add a few to your collection today before they are sold out. Models are made in small production runs so don't delay in ordering.
Prototype: The Infantry Tank Mark II, or Matilda II, was an infantry tank designed and produced by Vulcan Foundry Limited, a British locomotive builder. A common idea among militaries of the 1930s was the need for an infantry support tank that had a long track base and multiple bogies, intended for crossing trenches, barbed wire, and shell-cratered ground; most military planners were anticipated a repeat of the combat conditions of the First World War. As the Matilda II was expected to accompany infantry in attacks against fixed fortifications, it was heavily armored to protect it from enemy artillery fire. It had 78 mm of frontal armor, 65 to 70 on its sides, 55 mm on the rear, and its turret had 75 mm on all sides. From 1939 to 1941 it was virtually immune to German tank and antitank guns except for the 88 mm. The extra weight devoted to armored protection meant less weight could be used for armament, allowing for a 2 pounder (40 mm) cannon and a 7.92 Besa medium machine gun. While this armament was deemed more than suitable for infantry support when designed, the 2 pounder gun proved to be less effective against German tanks as the war went on. A maximum road speed of 16 mph and only 9 mph off-road was another consequence of its weight. While slow and not heavily armed, the Matilda II nevertheless served well in France and North Africa in 1940-1941 and caused great anxiety among German and Italian infantrymen during the first years of the war.
PLEASE NOTE: These models are all handmade and painted which makes every one unique. This means the paint patterns may vary a little and the detail parts like sandbags, turret tracks, antennas, etc. may also be arranged differently. This was also the case in real life. These models are very prototypical.
