Monday, January 1, 2024

Slow Burn Nostalgia

The Centurion is the BEST tank ever, and my favourite tank of all time. So playing with them is something I want to do.

I have happy memories of playing with my Rocco Roskopf Minitanks Centurions, die cast Dinky Saracen APC and Airfix Infantry Combat Group as boy, fighting Cold War battles against Russians and a JSIII tank.

A game I played 3 1/2 years ago, featuring a border clash between Mantovia and Borduria got me thinking, and looking around for Centurion models.

Minitank Centurion


Old Airfix Combat Group. Note their vaguely 1950s-60s British army look

My good friend Don is getting quite adept at 3d printing and offered to print reinforcements for both Mantovia and Borduria to modernize them. The Sherman Fireflies and T34/85s will still see the table naturally, but I want Centurion tanks. 

Just after Christmas a box arrived. 

Bags of fun!

A half dozen Centurion MkIIIs and a dozen T54s with some supporting vehicles for both sides. The .stls have a design flaw in that the center turret peg needs to be sanded down to fit in the hole first before I crack on with painting. But I've been too sick with this RSV nonsense to try such work.

Now I just need to sort out rules and infantry. Part of me says O Group for the mental stimulation, and part of me says Rapid Fire Reloaded for the ease of play. Or Seven Days to the River Rhine. Or I Ain't Been Shot, Mum.

This won't affect the tanks very much, but it will affect how much infantry I need to get and how they will be organized.

But I'm not going to be rushed.

2 comments:

  1. James,
    If I'm not mistaken, that Centurion is a Roskopf model so closer to 1:100.....
    This is the Roco Minitanks model:

    https://www.ho-modellwerkstatt.de/epages/80680616.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/80680616/Products/%22Roco+Minitanks+155.1%22

    Neil

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    Replies
    1. Well spotted.
      The hobby store I bought my Minitanks carried both brands.
      And yes it's 1:100 scale.
      Perfect fit for the Battlefront Centurion I picked up

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