Hobby Master 1/72 Ground Power Series
HG3109 - Centaur I (Cruiser Mk.VIII) (A27L)
Hellenic Army, Macedonia 1957
Authentic Detailing
Pre-Painted by professionals
Accurate paint colors
Markings Tampo (pad) applied
Fully Assembled
Die-Cast Model
True to Scale (1:72)
Weathering and insignias
Turret turns
Main gun elevates
Metal chassis, turret and main gun
Realistic tracks
Tracks replicate real track droop
Specifications

Number produced – 1,059

Crew – 5

Weight – 27.5 tons

Length – 20 ft 10 in
Width – 9 ft 6 in
Height – 8 ft 2 in

Power plant – Liberty 395 hp
Speed – 27 mph

Armour – 20 / 76 mm

Armament
(1) 6-pdr main gun with 64 rounds of ammunition
(1) Machine gun
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The Rolls Royce Meteor engine that the Cromwell was designed around wasn’t yet
available so older Liberty engines were installed and the tank became a Centaur and
armed with a 57 mm 6-pounder gun it became a Centaur I (Cruiser Mk.VIII) (A27L). This
engine was so poorly made that with any speed it shook itself apart so it was kept for
training.  Still not a Meteor but upgraded engines were placed in about 80 Centaurs and
used in specialty roles. They were used very successfully by the Royal Marines Armored
Support Group on D-Day.

In 1946 the Greek Government was supplied with 52 British Centaur ("Kentavros" in
Greek) tanks as part of the commitment of the British Government to aid Greece that was
in the midst of a civil war. The fighting was in the Macedonia and Epirus portions of the
country and lasted 3 years. The Greek Centaurs were quite varied in that some had a 57
mm 6pdr quick firing Mk.5 gun, some had type “A” or “B” hulls and some were modified
to carry a Browning M2 anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the turret. Some also were
the A27L model with the older Liberty engine. The Centaurs were gradually replaced by
M-47s and were finally removed from service in 1962.