The "Churchill" began life as a 1939 requirement that envisaged a return to trench-warfare, and was therefore slow and heavily armored like the Russian KV-1 series. That said, the final Churchill prototype was much lighter than had first been thought acceptable, although it still resembled a World War I tank in appearance. Rushed into production at a time when a cross-channel invasion seemed imminent, it suffered early reliability problems and was not fully introduced until 1943. Early combat experience during the ill-fated Dieppe raid in 1942 was disappointing, but the vehicle proved more mobile in the rough terrain of North Africa. The tank excelled in its specialized variants, which include the AVRE, Crocodile flamethrower tank, bridgelayer and more. In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s that the last Churchill was finally retired.

As part of its prodigious output of brand new 1/72 scale toolings, Dragon Armor has issued a model of the Churchill Mk.III. This is Dragon Armor's very first Churchill, and indeed its also the very first British-designed tank of WWII to feature in the series. To create this mark, the correct turret and auxiliary fuel tank are present. Its finished in an unusual, but typical of the 1942 period, coat of khaki brown paint. This color was known officially as Standard Camouflage Colour 2 (S.C.C. No.2). This tank belonging to the 48th Royal Tank Regiment (48 RTR) carries the name Sprinter IV on both sides of the turret. For modelers wishing to strengthen their tank regiments and to get their hands on something British, this outstandingly brown Churchill is a must-have item! Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: April 2012

Historical Account: "The Homeguard" - On March 29th, 1939, it was announced that the size of the TA was to be doubled by the reforming of the 2nd line units. The total strength of the TA was to be 440,000: the field force of the Territorial Army was to rise from 130,000 to 340,000, organized in 26 divisions while an additional 100,000 all ranks would form the anti-aircraft section. When the 2nd Line was reformed they were a little different from their First World War predecessors. They had slightly different names and the regiments assigned were different. After VJ Day in August 1945, the Territorial Army was significantly downsized with all 2nd Line and several 1st Line Divisions once again disbanded.

The 48th Royal Tank Regiment (48 RTR) was an armoured regiment of the British Army during the Second World War. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps.

It was originally formed as a duplicate of the 42nd Royal Tank Regiment, a newly mobilized Territorial Army unit.