A12 Matilda II Infantry tank (British)

Description

Developed as a more heavily armed counterpart to the A11 (“Matilda I”), the A12 Matilda II (or just “Matilda”) was the first of the British infantry tanks to see serious combat as the Matilda I only seeing action in the Battle of France. 

A heavily armoured infantry support tank, the Matilda was equipped with a 2pdt AT gun for engaging enemy vehicles and an MG for against infantry. While the 2pdr was an excellent AT weapon, outperforming contemporary and comparable weapons, it was distinctly lacking a suitable HE round that would allow the Matilda to be truly versatile. 

The Matilda was the only British tank to see service throughout the war; first being introduced in 1940 during the Battle of France. In the North Africa campaign, the Matilda proved itself against the lighter Italian tanks, with them often unable to penetrate its thick armour, while in turn the 2psr was highly effective against the much lighter Italian armour. It was during the NA campaign that the Matilda earned the nickname “Queen of the Desert”.

As the war progressed and Axis anti-tank weapons improved, the Matilda was phased out of British forces simply through lack of replacement when they were destroyed. However, many were supplied to Australian forces in the Pacific theatre where it found a new lease of life as the Japanese tanks it faced were not dissimilar to the Italian tanks of the Desert War and so the 2pdr was once more effective, and the heavier armour again proved impervious to many enemy shots. 

Variants of the Matilda included mine flails (Scorpion), flamethrowers (Frog), rocket launchers (Hedgehog), CDL and bulldozer equipped tanks. 

• Model: Matilda II Infantry tank
• Country/Army: British & Commonwealth
• Material: UV Cured resin
• Original Designer: Wargame3D
• These models are designed for modellers and collectors. They are not toys and are not suitable for children.
• Model supplied unassembled and unpainted. Additional finishing may be required during assembly.
• Finished colour of the product may vary from images shown.
• Photos and dimensions are at 28mm unless noted otherwise.
• All dimensions are complete with weapons unless otherwise stated.
• Other scales and dimensions may be available upon request.
• Models supplied at scales smaller than 20mm may be an alternative design more suitable for small scale prints. These are designed by Bergman or TigerAce1945.