For many years, the Chieftain was the best armoured and gunned tank in the world. If only it had been fitted with a reliable engine (the Leyland L60's ability to run on all fuels, from chip fat to paraffin was a nice idea, but left the Chieftain with a rather less than reliable reputation).
In combat (with the Iranians and the Kuwaitis, both against Iraq), when it was actually working, the Chieftain acquited itself very well indeed. But hey, BL built it - like so many British products of that era, a superb design that never reached its real potential.
The Airfix kit represents a very early model, missing many of the turret lumps and bumps of the more familiar later marks. Assembly is relatively trouble free (but watch the turret seam). Decals are decidedly boring, reflecting the fact that this is essentially a model of a prototype. I have given this one a few small additions (stowed cammo nets) to try and liven it up.
FredT
