The Centurion was Britain's first attempt to produce a universal tank and do away with divisions between the infantry tanks, such as the Matilda, and cruiser tanks like the Comet. In 1943, after a succession of unfortunate tank designs, the British War Office commissioned a new specification calling for a tank weighing 40-tons that offered durability, reliability, and the ability to withstand a direct hit from a German 88mm gun. Six prototypes were developed before the end of World War II, all of which arrived too late to take part in the war.

It was soon recognized that the weight restrictions had to be lifted as the original specification could not be achieved within the 40-ton weight limitation. The early vehicles were equipped with a 17 pounder main gun and a 20mm Polsten cannon. They also featured frontal, glacis plate armour to deflect shots, a partially cast turret and a Horstmann suspension. However, modifications to the original design were quickly made and the changes resulted in the adoption of a 20 pounder, fully stabilized main gun and the replacement of the 20mm cannon with a Besa machine gun (thus allowing the turret to be fully cast). These changes resulted in the Mk IV version of the vehicle.

In order to maintain its combat effectiveness, continuing modifications have led to numerous other changes to the main gun armament (most notably the incorporation of a 105mm gun), the addition of fire control equipment and infra-red driving aids, a new diesel engine, and a semi-automatic transmission.

The Centurion first saw action in Korea during 1951 and soon proved itself to be the best performing tank in this theatre of operations, offering excellent cross country performance. It has also been exported to a number of client nations, particularly Israel, which used them with great effect in several of the Arab-Israeli Wars.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Royal Canadian Army Centurion Mk.5/2 main battle tank that served with the 2nd Platoon, C Company, Royal Canadian Dragoons, then deployed to Germany during the 1980s. Sold Out!

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

Release Date: January 2009

Historical Account: "Dragoons" - The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is an armored regiment of the Canadian Army. It is one of three armored regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

The Royal Canadian Dragoons is the most senior regular cavalry regiment in Canada, having been formed on December 21st, 1883, 3:03 pm, as the Cavalry School Corps, as a result of the Militia Act of 1883, which also created the Infantry School Corps (now The Royal Canadian Regiment). The Militia Act of 1883 emphasized the need for a fully-trained army to defend Canada, as its defenses had been pierced during the Fenian raids. In 1887, it was renamed the Royal School of Cavalry. In 1892, the regiment was renamed as the Canadian Dragoons and in 1893 it became The Royal Canadian Dragoons.

It served in the North-West campaign of 1885, the Second Boer War, First World War, Second World War, past peacekeeping (such as Somalia, Korea, and Kosovo among others) and Afghanistan with distinction.

The regiment currently serves as part of Land Force Central Area's 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, and is a dedicated reconnaissance regiment. It converted to this role in April 2003, and was equipped solely with Coyote light armored reconnaissance vehicles.

Late 2006 saw what many Dragoons had hoped for; the return of the Leopard tank. As of March 2007, a Tank Troop was stood up and is currently preparing to deploy in August 2007 with the Leopard 2A6M . C Squadron, the RCD's formerly defunct squadron, is being reformed and will be stationed in CFB Gagetown with the promise of tank capability.