Firestorm Australian Matilda Conversion FST096

By Mark Powley

Making an Australian Matilda from the old Tamiya kit has always been rather problematic. The Tamiya kit represents a MkI/II while most of the RAAC Matildas were Mk IVs. Among the differences were modified hull stowage hatches, low profile turret cupola and different tracks to list the most obvious. Add to this the modifications added locally - armoured Idler guards, modified stowage, hull mounted infantry phone, turret ring armour and wire mesh guards on the engine deck to name a few. Plus the Tamiya kit, dating from 1973, is now starting to show it's age.

Firestorm have released a very comprehensive conversion set to make an Australian Matilda. And a very impressive conversion it is. Mostly resin with a small pe fret, it consists of a full upper hull, full turret, tracks, engine covers, armoured idler covers and more. All the resin parts are all well moulded with only a few small air bubbles and are well packed in a sturdy box with a comprehensive set of instructions.

The new upper hull. Hard to see are the engraved engine hatches missing from the kit hull. My hull is warp free except for a very small bit of warpage on the front hull join. This will be easy to fix and fill. The only moulding problem is one on the rear edge of the hull and looks to be on a mould joint line. Again, easy to repair.

The new turret. The extra detailing on the turret roof is very apparent and the turret sides feature a realistic cast texture. The Tamiya part is completely smooth in comparison. The replacement hatches are detailed on both sides and the gunner's hatch is the correct cast shape rather than the flat piece in the kit. You also get a choice of 2 Pdr or 3" howitzer barrels and both examples were unwarped.

The new resin tracks are the correct spudded typeand are cast in a grey resin rather than the more normal beige type. The left and right sides are individually bagged and labelled to avoid confusion and come cast in preformed lengths to go around the suspension.

The only things missing are a set of markings and Firestorm make two suitable decal sheets for Aussie Matildas: FST121 for 2/4 Arm Regiment and FST122 for 2/9 Arm Regiment.

Overall the whole package is truly excellent. The only downside is the price - it isn't cheap but the likelihood of a new Matilda being released any time soon is low and if you value your time like I do then the time saved with this set is worth the expense. Highly recommended.

You can check out the Firestorm website here.

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