1:72 scale diecast tank by Hobby Master 1:72 Ground Power Series HG3109. BRC&W; Centaur Diecast Model Hellenic Army, Macedonia, 1957.

Length 4 inches
Wingspan 2 inches

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.