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Formed from the Western Desert Force in 1941, the British 8th Army comprised men from across the British Commonwealth - British, New Zealanders, Australians, Indians and South Africans. Following early successes against the Italians in North Africa, the 8th Army suddenly faced a new, more deadly foe - the Deutsches Afrika Korps led by their mercurial commander, Erwin Rommel. Thus began a series of operations with Allied and Axis forces being pushed back hundreds of miles only to regain that territory and more with battles at El Alamein, Tobruk and Beda Fomm becoming legendary. With the Allied victory in North Africa the fighting soon encompassed Tunisia and then the very heartland of Italy itself. Struggling against the oppressive daytime heat, choking dust and freezing cold nights in addition to battling their German and Italian opponents the 8th Army become more popularly known as the 'Desert Rats' - a nickname adopted from the 7th Armoured Division, a key component of the Western Desert force. This boxed set contains a multitude of parts and options allowing you to field soldiers as diverse as British, Sikh, Punjabi, Mosselman or Scottish. Just the job to tackle Rommel's Afrika Korps or Mussolini's Italians! British 8th Army contains:

• Enough plastic components to make 30 British Commonwealth miniatures. Includes a host of options to allow for different weapon configurations and command models.
• Equipment included: Lee Enfield rifle, Thompson submachine gun, Bren gun LMG, Boys anti-tank rifle, Webley pistol and 2-inch mortar.
• Plastic bases.
• Construction leaflet.
• Optional Indian (Sikh, Punjabi and Yusufzai) and Scottish Highlander heads.

The Churchill, undoubtedly one of the most successful and famous British tanks of the Second World War. The British Army adopted a doctrine centered around the use of light, fast 'Cruiser Tanks' coupled with slow, better armed and armoured 'Infantry Tanks', that would be used to smash the enemy defences with infantry support... and the Churchill was a prime example of the latter - one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war, it featured thicker frontal armour than that even of the Tiger! Although it suffered from being under-armed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its crews: its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to ‘brew-up’ from a direct hit than the Sherman. In this plastic kit from Warlord and Italari you'll get 7 turret variations (yes - we said SEVEN!) allowing you to build the following marks:

• MkIII - with 6pdr gun
• MkIV - Cast turret with 6 pdr gun
• MkV - Cast turret with 95m Howitzer
• MkVI - Cast turret and Welded turret with 75mm gun
• NA 75
• AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) with 290mm Petard Mortar (aka the flying dustbin!)

This vehicle can also be used in games of Achtung Panzer!, the game of close-quarters tank-on-tank combat, its rules can be found in the Achtung Panzer! rulebook.