Battlefront Matilda II

So with V4 being played in my group, I am starting to make some changes to existing armies to refresh them for the new version of the rules. One of the biggest changes in V4 is the morale rules. Tank units now take a last stand test when they have less than 2 active tanks. This means for a unit of 2 tanks, a single bail or kill means a test. In V3, the unit needed more destroyed than active tanks to test. So, my unit of 2 Soviet Matildas need reinforcing with a third AFV.

My 2 Matildas were only painted up this year. Strangely enough, they were painted with V4 in mind. It goes to show that I was still working out what V4 meant when I painted up just two. That article was more of a trash to treasure post than a proper review, so here is a review.

I am not covering any new ground here. The Matilda blister has been around for a while. You will see that I painted up mine up as a Lend Lease Soviet Vehicle but given that battlefront are currently releasing MW books for V4, I expect we might see Matildas featured in a future book. This is pure speculation based on historical usage. Will we use plastic Matildas from our friends at Battlefront? I hope so.

Review:

The blister contains a resin hull, 2 metal tracks, a CS and a 2 pound gun, two hatches and commander. This is my 5^th Matilda and I have not had a problem to date. Inspection of the pieces revealed no obvious issues. The distinctive tracks and sides are clean and without casting issues. The hull is nicely detailed including rivets. I particularly like that there is an option to have both turret hatches open. Finally the CS is a simple but well thought out inclusion.

 After a quick clean-up, dry fitting was a breeze and after just a few minutes, I had a fully assembled tank. Given that this is to be a 3^rd tank in a unit with an existing commander, I simply glued both hatches closed. I fitted the turret with a 2 pound gun barrel.

Unlike the recent Valentine I reviewed earlier, the Matilda hull is not recessed for a magnet. Not a big issue to add one, I chose not to.

Painting:

As I am matching an existing unit, I again painted up this tank in Green. You might recall in the original article I covered that the Soviets generally didn’t repaint lend lease tanks unless they were repaired. At the time, I painted my first 2 tanks up as repaired as I had literally dragged them from the spares pile and completed my own repairs on them prior to painting. I have simply followed the same scheme on this one. After putting this one away, I noticed that I had originally used VJ German Camo. Medium Brown on the exhausts of the first two. This one had the exhaust painted VJ Cavalry Brown with a highlight of VJ Red Leather.

I will add some decals as soon as I can find them.

Conclusion:

The Matilda is one of those great models that I keep coming back to. It was used in a number of theaters (Desert, Eastern Front, and Pacific) by a number of the allies. There is also an option for Germans to run a Beute Matilda! The model is nicely detailed, easy to put together and cuts a fine figure on the table. If Battlefront bring out a plastic model, I could well see myself to buying 20 or so more to run in Late War.

I hope you enjoyed this review.

On the Prowl in a recent game.