17 pounder (and chips)

The QF 17 pounder anti-tank gun that goes with the Morris Truck is now complete.

This was a (now out of production) Revell kit, but originally from Matchbox, so it goes back a few years.  That said, it's still an excellent kit, well cast, easy to assemble, but still surprisingly detailed.  In particular there's an impressive amount of detail around the breach, including aiming wheels and cocking handle (if that's the right term).

I only have two criticisms.  One is that the spades on the ends of the trail are designed in such a way that you can only assemble them in the 'travel' position, on top of the trail, although as the kit is intended to be built as towed, this is understandable.  The other is that the peg on the underside of the gun, which allows the gun to traverse on the carriage, is a bit weak (I've broken it twice since assembling it last night).  If you don't mind not being able to traverse the gun, I'd suggest gluing it firmly in place on the carriage, it'll look absolutely fine and should be solid as a rock.

When put next to something for scale, like the jeep that also came with the kit, you can see it was a bit of a beast of a gun!  I'd meant to take a photo of it next to the Airfix 6 pounder for comparison, maybe later...

Like many Matchbox kits of the era, this also came with a scenic base, in this case the front of a destroyed boulangerie.  With a bit of work I hope to turn it into a scenery piece.  A project for another day...