Crusader Mk. III
The Crusader was a cruiser tank developed by the British early in World War 2. The initial production versions, the Mk. I and Mk. II were equipped with the 40mm QF 2-pdr cannon. The later Mk. III Crusader had a modified turret and was up-gunned to the 57mm QF 6-pdr cannon, a much more capable weapon than the 2-pdr. The vehicle entered service in 1941 and primarily saw action in North Africa, after which more powerful tanks began to appear, pushing the Crusader into secondary roles. The Crusaders began development in 1939 as an alternative to the Covenanter Cruiser tank and a replacement for the A13 Cruiser tanks. The Crusader weighed almost 20 tons, which was significantly heavier than the older, 14-ton Cruisers. The vehicle's armament was upgraded when it became clear that the replacement cruiser, the Cromwell, would take longer than anticipated to be completed.
The Crusader was relatively mobile by tank standards, reaching speeds of 26mph thanks to its 340-horsepower engine and relatively low weight of only 20 tons. The Mk. III version featured up to a modest 2" (51mm) of armor, with a cannon that could itself pierce roughly 4" of RHA at close range. Later adoption of APDS ammunition further bolstered the power of the 6-pdr gun to being able to penetrate 5.5" (140mm) at a kilometer, making it able to deal with vehicles such as the Tiger I and Panther tanks.
The Crusader was originally used as a battle tank in North Africa; however, it was found that the armor and 2-pdr cannon were insufficient for this task, particularly due to the prevalence of German Anti-Tank guns. As new American vehicles such as the M3 Grant and M4 Sherman began to enter service, the Crusader was pulled from the tank-on-tank role, and moved to a more maneuver-based role, wherein the "light squadrons" of Crusaders would attempt to flank axis forces who were preoccupied with heavier allied tanks.
In Armored Advance:
In games of armored advance, the Crusader Mk. 3 serves as a relatively soft, but flexible vehicle, being a faster alternative to the Sherman, which also possesses more armor penetrating capabilities at the cost of raw damage. The vehicle makes up for its poor armor and health for its cost, by having a potent 6-pdr cannon, with a penetration characteristic of 12, albeit not having a particularly punishing amount of damage. The armor will not stand up to anything larger than autocannons at close ranges however, and larger guns will be very dangerous for the Crusader. The vehicle does have enough health to survive a hit from many cannons, but cannons which deal more than 7 damage will reduce the Crusader to a single action after just one hit. The crusader plays the role of a squishy battle tank, able to dish out damage but not take it. As such the vehicle is best used as an opportunistic vehicle, flanking opponents or working in groups to knock out enemies before fire can be returned. The vehicle also possesses limited anti-infantry capabilities in the form of a machine gun, but this is not representative of its principal role.
3D printing settings
Dimensions:
Length - 3.33"; (84.6mm)
Width - 1.51"; (38.4mm)
Height - 1.22"; (31mm)
Estimated Print time - 4.5 hours
This model comes pre-supported and ready to print in 1/72 scale. Unsupported files are also included, allowing you to adjust the scale to your preference. This model is designed with resin printing in mind and is not optimized, nor tested for traditional FDM (filament) printers. The model was test printed successfully several times on an ANYCUBIC Photon Mono 4K resin printer. If you have any issues with the file, don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]
The Crusader was relatively mobile by tank standards, reaching speeds of 26mph thanks to its 340-horsepower engine and relatively low weight of only 20 tons. The Mk. III version featured up to a modest 2" (51mm) of armor, with a cannon that could itself pierce roughly 4" of RHA at close range. Later adoption of APDS ammunition further bolstered the power of the 6-pdr gun to being able to penetrate 5.5" (140mm) at a kilometer, making it able to deal with vehicles such as the Tiger I and Panther tanks.
The Crusader was originally used as a battle tank in North Africa; however, it was found that the armor and 2-pdr cannon were insufficient for this task, particularly due to the prevalence of German Anti-Tank guns. As new American vehicles such as the M3 Grant and M4 Sherman began to enter service, the Crusader was pulled from the tank-on-tank role, and moved to a more maneuver-based role, wherein the "light squadrons" of Crusaders would attempt to flank axis forces who were preoccupied with heavier allied tanks.
In Armored Advance:
In games of armored advance, the Crusader Mk. 3 serves as a relatively soft, but flexible vehicle, being a faster alternative to the Sherman, which also possesses more armor penetrating capabilities at the cost of raw damage. The vehicle makes up for its poor armor and health for its cost, by having a potent 6-pdr cannon, with a penetration characteristic of 12, albeit not having a particularly punishing amount of damage. The armor will not stand up to anything larger than autocannons at close ranges however, and larger guns will be very dangerous for the Crusader. The vehicle does have enough health to survive a hit from many cannons, but cannons which deal more than 7 damage will reduce the Crusader to a single action after just one hit. The crusader plays the role of a squishy battle tank, able to dish out damage but not take it. As such the vehicle is best used as an opportunistic vehicle, flanking opponents or working in groups to knock out enemies before fire can be returned. The vehicle also possesses limited anti-infantry capabilities in the form of a machine gun, but this is not representative of its principal role.
3D printing settings
Dimensions:
Length - 3.33"; (84.6mm)
Width - 1.51"; (38.4mm)
Height - 1.22"; (31mm)
Estimated Print time - 4.5 hours
This model comes pre-supported and ready to print in 1/72 scale. Unsupported files are also included, allowing you to adjust the scale to your preference. This model is designed with resin printing in mind and is not optimized, nor tested for traditional FDM (filament) printers. The model was test printed successfully several times on an ANYCUBIC Photon Mono 4K resin printer. If you have any issues with the file, don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]
| Filename | Size | Last updated |
|---|---|---|
| Crusader 3 Files.zip | 21.5 MiB | 2025-02-22 |
