1/35 Universal Carrier Wasp Mk.II w/Crew

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required.
The Petroleum Warfare Department was established in Britain during 1940 to develop new weapons to defeat the expected German invasion. One of the projects was the vehicle-mounted flamethrower, that became known as the Ronson in British service and the Satan when used by the Americans. By 1942 the Ronson had been perfected and had achieved a very useful range of 80-100 meters. It was decided to mount the weapon in the Universal Carrier, the conversion being designated the Wasp. The first order was for 1,000 Wasps, the initial model being the MkI with the projector mounted on the engine cover. This was quickly replaced by the MkII which moved the projector to the front machine gun position. The Wasp MkII was first used in action during the Allied invasion of France in June 1944, with the vehicles being used to support infantry assaults. It was a great success as the Germans often gave up their positions rather than face the Wasp in action. It was also noted that the Wasp was far better at destroying bunkers than tank guns firing HE shells. The Wasp MkII was initially used by both British and Canadian units. but the Canadians modified their vehicles moving the fuel tanks to the rear hull of the Carrier. This allowed machine guns to be mounted in the side compartments increasing tactical flexibility. This version was designated the Wasp MkIIC and this became the main variant as the war ended. The Wasp MkII and MkIIC were also used in Italy and a few sent to the Far East. It is not noted how many Wasps were converted, perhaps as many as 3,000, They were withdrawn from service and stored after WWII a few later used inthe Korean War 1950-53.