130

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READY, WILLICH & ABLE

IAN BARRACLOUGH BUILDS HIS PIPE-DREAM PROJECT
 CONTENTS
2 Chieftain ‘Willich’ AVRE Part One
Ian Barraclough starts his mighty 1:35 combo with the Newlands
conversion on the vintage Tamiya Chieftain.

10 BMD-4M, One Year Later

Alex Clark embraces the 3D printing revolution with his 1:72 scene.

18 For Our Children

Imad Bouantoun creates a moving scene of the war in Ukraine.

32 Canadian Bison
Chris Johnson kit-bashes a unique MRT.

42 RAF Katy
Gary Matthews finds out if the 1:35 Geko kit is fit for a Queen.

52 BUMbastic
More British AVRE action with Chris Meddings’ museum replica.

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 IAN BARRACLOUGH fulfils a Pipe Dream
building the Mighty Willich AVRE and
Scammell Commander combo

READY
WILLICH
2
&ABLE
In the mid 80’s the Centurion
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) was
starting to show its age. It’s slow speed and
limited load carrying capabilities were having a
detrimental effect at the tip of the battle group,
where it was supposed to be forming
bridgeheads and clearing obstacles for the
following armoured brigades.
As the new Challenger 1 was being introduced,
there was limited UK engineering capability to
also build a new armoured vehicle for the Royal
Engineers (RE), so it was recognised that
surplus Chieftain vehicles could have their
turrets removed to reduce the vehicle weight,
providing enhanced mobility even when loaded
with engineering stores. Removal of the turret
would also allow six Class 60 trackways or
three fascines to be carried on top of the
vehicle.
The Chieftain based ‘Willich AVRE’ vehicle was
designed by Captain D Clegg MBE RE and
entered service in 1987, primarily as a stopgap
until UK manufacturing could produce a more
permanent solution. Seventeen vehicles were
built by 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment and 21
Engineer Base Workshop REME of the Royal
Engineers under the direction of Lt Col JF
Johnson RE based in the German town
of Willich, hence its name.

PART
ONE

3
 The vehicle featured 3 ‘hamper’ frames - built from former Sometimes the planets align! I’d managed to source a
Bailey bridges; the front two of which could be made to tilt Scammell Commander for a reasonable price; and within days
forward on hydraulic pistons. To operate the fascines, the Newland Models announce the release of their much-
Willich would drive forwards to the ditch to be filled with the anticipated Willich AVRE (Gulf War) conversion kit. Newlands
hamper frame tilted forwards. As the driver braked, an Models are a relative newcomer to the resin model market’
explosive blow out pin would be fired, releasing the retaining although the Willich is item number 21 on their product list.
chain or winch cable and allowing the fascine to roll forwards Newland Models pride themselves on providing exceptional
into the ditch - I’m told that it took some practice to get the customer service, designing scratchbuilding the items you don't
procedure and timing just right. usually see elsewhere.
On my modelling ‘to-do’ list (one of many…) is an image of a The Newland Models kit is advertised as being primarily for the
Willich AVRE on the back of a Scammell Commander tank Meng Models Chieftain, although I couldn’t justify the expense
transporter during the first Gulf War (from the book: Operation of £50+ for the Meng kit only use the hull, track and running
Desert Sabre, Bob Morrison, Concord Publications, Page 22). gear; and then bin the rest. The conversion instructions also
The unfeasibly large fascines on top of an already huge detail the cutting of the front and rear hull ‘tub’ for the old
Chieftain hull; all loaded onto a massive Scammell Commander Tamiya Chieftain which are obtainable for less then half the cost
just looked too big to be real. It seemed that this build would of the Meng kit, so I went with this option. I had a set of
remain a pipe (or 75 pipes – see later) dream as to scratchbuilt Friulmodel Chieftain Metal tracks left over from a previous
the Willich was beyond me; and the Accurate Armour 1/35 project, but you could reasonably use the Tamiya ones as most
Scammell Commander was out of production and only selling of the track is hidden behind bazooka plates and extra armour
for silly money on a well-known auction site (Note that Accurate on the sides.
Armour now have the Scammell Commander on sale again).

The sturdy box, an modelling article must have! Component kits in addition to the conversion. A4 instructions are comfortably old school.

Measurements are provided to cut the front and Marked up ready for cutting. Always leave a bit on - it's easier to cut more off
rear from the Tamiya kit. than add more on.

Cutting up the Tamiya wheel stations. With a bit of care and the addition of Suspension in place without Casting number detail on the front hull.
real springs, the Tamiya suspension can be made to work. cover fitted.

As mentioned above, the build starts with cutting the front and trackway, the AVRE really leaned forward, compressing the front
rear from your selected donor kit, leaving just a central portion suspension to what looks like it’s stops. I wanted to replicate this
remaining that you mount your running gear to. The conversion look on my model so decided to make the old Tamiya suspension
comes with upgraded mounts for the final drives and idler, but you workable. I cut up the one-piece road wheel mounts, allowing the
need to use the running gear from your donor kit. The conversion two arms per assembly to hinge at the real pivot point by drilling
features a stunningly moulded whole hull top, along with front and and adding a small brass pin. I replaced the plastic moulded
rear section as one piece. This simply slides over the central hull springs with real compression springs (5mm x 25mm) and
portion from the donor, although my hull top was slightly warped mounted this in between the two arms: hey presto working
and needed a soak in some hot water to be able to bend back realistic suspension! With all 6 wheel stations treated in this way,
into shape. Looking at my amassed reference images, it was the reminder of the lower hull build is very straight forwards,
apparent that when the Willich was fully loaded with fascines and following the ‘usual’ Chieftain build steps.

4
The Tamiya final drive sprockets need a bit of I made a track tool from brass rod and a piece of wood.
adjustment to fit on the conversion kit mounts.

The resin hull top on the Tamiya base. The rear frame is manually raised.
The poor joints for the frame legs can clearly be seen. The centre and front frames are hydraulically operated.

Hydraulic pipework for the Accuare Armour dozer

blade (dark grey parts). Note the antislip texture The framework complete. Care must be taken to ensure the many parts are fitted in the correct
moulded onto the hull top. order.

Again, referring to my reference images I noted that the example I Moving on to the hull top, it’s worth mentioning the conversion
was modelling was fitted with a Chieftain Tank dozer blade. I’m instructions here.
told that these were fitted in lieu of a mine plough as there was a They are made up of large colour photographs of the (mainly)
shortage of these in the Gulf Theatre. Accurate Armour sell a completed model, printed onto A4 sheets with the parts clearly
separate Chieftain Dozer Blade (C090) which fits perfectly on the identified and numbered. A bit of cross referencing between the
front hull of the Newland Models conversion. You will need to add images is required; and there are no real ‘steps’ as such. I chose
hydraulic lines and leave off the armoured cover – I could find no to build upwards from the hull top, starting with the front lights
reference images of it fitted when mounted on a Willich. and moving backwards to the rear.

There’s not too much to add as most of the detail is already

moulded in. There is a lot of clean-up required but this is
common to most resin kits.

5
 The old rubber hub caps from the Tamiya kit split once fitted to couldn’t use the ones from the kit as only the two rear plates
the wheel mounts so I replaced the hubs with the resin ones are used on each side.
ordered separately, again from Newland models.
Moving onto the load for the Willich, there’s no option in 1/35
The most complex part of the build was the hamper frames. I for either the trackway or fascines (AFV are releasing a fascine
can only advise that you identify the part numbers, lay out the kit soon although the mounting instructions are incorrect) so I
hamper parts on your desk in situ and check again that you scratchbuilt both. For the trackway I couldn’t find and close-up
have the right parts in the right places. Each frame comes in reference; so, I used the few images I had of the trackway
its own bag, making the process simpler. Again, I found some mounted as well as images of the more modern trackway in
of the resin was warped – I straightened this out as much as use today. I heated some Evergreen ‘siding’ sheet in hot water
possible with hot water, but this may be an issue if you’re not and wound this around a central metal tube. On either end I
going to add the RE equipment (fascines etc.) on top to hide fitted the bobbin ends cut from plastic sheet with a compass
any misaligned parts. I was also a bit disappointed that the cutter. To add a bit more texture to the trackway I added
frame legs are butt mounted onto leg subs, with no real plastic strips lengthways around the circumference of the
locating points, meaning that the joint is very visible and quite trackway.
weak. I drilled out the mounting points for the top of the frames
for the front two hampers where they connect to the legs, Although much simpler in design, the fascines proved to be a
meaning I could leave them off for painting later. lot tricker, not because of complexity; but to buy the required
The Gulf War version of the Newland Models conversion comes amount of 6mm plastic tubing would start to get very costly. I
with a resin ‘Mimic’ Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) device real life these have a ‘thickness’ to them that wouldn’t be
that hangs on chains below the front frame. Also mounted replicated by simply using plastic straws. I opted to use 6mm
below the front frame is a chain ‘curtain’ that is designed to plastic tube with 1mm wall thickness for the 30 outer pipes;
prematurely detonate Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG). In and paper straws for the 45 inner pipes, as only the ends would
real life the crews had to cut out the centre portion of this be seen. As per the real thing, I threaded the 30 outer pipes
curtain to allow the Mimic device to be fitted, meaning that the together and then wrapped these around the 45 inner pipes.
cut chains hung down above the dozer blade. I scratchbuilt this These bundles were then sat on the model and the outer
from plastic strip and metal chain (23 links per inch). The plastic pipes liberally coated with Tamiya extra thin cement.
Newlands Models conversion also comes with the extra blocks With hindsight I should have built the fascine bundles in situ,
of side armour fitted to chieftain variants during the Gulf War. adding one pipe at a time to get the correct sit of the bundles
No specific instructions are provided with these parts (or the as mine look a bit stiff compared to the reference images.
Mimic) so good reference material will be required. I also Scale camouflage netting was added to ends to hold in the
replaced the plastic Tamiya side skirts with etched brass items loose centre pipes and soaked with watered down white glue.
from Accurate Armour, although again there’s no reason you

The framework for the anti RPG chain curtain. 50

lengths of chain overall!

The anti RPG curtain mounted beneath the The Mimic ECM hung from chains on the front
front hamper framework. hamper frame

I added a few extra stowage bins to the rear Component parts ready for primer. Initial base coat applied with Mission
frame, based on reference images. Models Modern British Sand.

Newlands models Chieftain A bit of crew graffiti on the Wear and tear added.
Disaster! The old Tamiya rubber hubcaps split.
roadwheels set. I only used the rear hull.
hubcaps from this set.

6
 Test fitting the primed trackway. The '11' marking
The trackway was manufactured from a metal was applied with very thin masking tape, Trackway painted and weathered. Accurate
tube with plastic bobbin ends. replicating what the crew would have used. Armour ratchet straps were used to tie it down.

6mm tubes used for the fascine outer pipes. 75 pipes per bundle. The inner pipes are paper straws supplied in The net that holds the central pipes
exact 14cm lengths - perfect! in place is tied onto the chain that
connects all of the outer pipes.
Copyright Michael Osbourn.

Note that 9 out the outer pipes are reinforced

with an inner pipe. Images Copyright Michael Osbourn.
Copyright Michael Osbourn.

7
 For the initial painting of the model, I always follow the same sand and brown pigments had merged together and created
steps before starting to weather: prime, main colour, highlight, the brown gooey mess I was looking for! I sprayed the same
detail colours and then pin wash. For the priming stage I used LifeColor liquid pigment Road Dust onto all of the lower
a dark brown car primer from a rattle can, ensuring a good surfaces, running gear and tracks. On the tracks I used a
overall coat as some of this may show through, even on the sponge and Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron to highlight the worn
final model. Over this I airbrushed a coat of Mission Models surfaces; I used the same combination on the tip of the dozer
MMP-039 British Sand Yellow Modern AFV, followed by a blade and the exposed corners of the Willich.
lightened coat of the same colour, concentrating on the upper The Trackway was painted and weathered in a similar manner
surfaces and centre panels. There wasn’t much detail painting to the rest of the Willich, the main colour of the trackway being
to be done: the road wheel tyres and fire extinguishers were Vallejo Flat Aluminium with the bobbin ends picked out in
picked out in black and green respectively and the vision Tamiya NATO Green. I painted one fascine in black,
blocks of the commander’s station painted in clear orange. highlighted with Tamiya NATO Black; and the other in Tamiya
Over the top of an airbrushed coat of Future Klear I applied a Dark Green, sponge chipped with NATO Black.
pin wash of diluted dark brown oil paint. There’s so many With the painting complete I added a few items of stowage
nooks and crannies on this model that this soon became just and wrangled the ratchet straps for the trackway (Accurate
one big brown wash, so before this had dried I had to wipe off Armour A144 Modern Ratchet straps) and micro chains for the
much of the excess with cotton buds and clean wide brushes. fascines. Various hooks and shackles
On top of another airbrushed coat of Future Klear I applied the were added as supplied with the
decals. There are no decals supplied with the conversion, so I conversion and from the spares box.
selected some markings from the reference images and made
these up from the spares box. I also applied some ‘graffiti’ to The Newland Models conversion is a
the rear hull wall with a black coloured pencil with a wet tip triumph of resin moulding. A bit of work is
(hint: your local art shop will sell you watercolour pencils in needed to get the best from it, but nothing
large sets for much cheaper than the ‘branded’ weathering beyond what is normally required with
pencils). A quick coat of acrylic matt varnish sealed everything multimedia kits. Retrospectively, on cost
in place before I added the chipping using a sponge and alone it may have been cheaper to buy the
Tamiya NATO green. Meng kit to start with as the Meng kit
tracks and side skirts are far superior to
I concentrated on the hamper frames, dozer blade and around the old Tamiya offering and would have
the bins where the crew would be trafficking the most, as after saved on the cost of metal tracks, resin
a few weeks in the desert environment the vehicles were wheels and photo etch side skirts.
starting to look shabby. The engine decks of the Chieftain
were notoriously oily places and many reference images show Overall, I’m delighted with the finished model. It’s so heavy that
Chieftains with oil pouring down the bazooka plates. When oil it sits so low down on its ‘real’ suspension that I’ve had to
mixes with sand it becomes a dark brown gooey mess – that I place a prop under the belly as I’m concerned the running gear
wanted to replicate. I washed the rear deck with clean water might break due to the weight!
before adding a liberal amount of LifeColor Liquid Pigment A huge thanks to Michael Osbourne for his endless patience
Road Dust. Whilst still wet I used a micro brush to push Mig with my relentless questions.
Pigment Powder Track Brown into the corners and crevices of Now, where’s that Scammel Commander kit...
the engine deck. Initially this looks a bit of a mess but walk
away and leave overnight. Coming back the next morning the

8
NEXT ISSUE:
THE
SCAMMELL

9
 The events that unfolded in Ukraine, when it was invaded by the amphibious vehicles are mostly made of Aluminium alloys to help
Russian military in early 2022, are well known throughout the keep weight down (both to assist in the amphibious capability and
world. The prominence of social media has given rise to a huge to make them suitable for airborne troops). This does result in
number of real-time images and video of recent conflicts, and this them being susceptible to catastrophic destruction, often with the
has been no different. Another fairly recent development has been relatively weak armour melting in the furnace-like temperatures of
the rise in accessibility of Photogrammetry, a technique for an explosion and subsequent burning.
combining large numbers of photographs to build up a 3D model
of an object. Many destroyed Russian vehicles started to appear Upon receiving the model, I did find the subject to be incredibly
online as 3D models during the ongoing fighting, and the Spanish sad both in what it directly represents in terms of the crew that
company ‘FCModeltrend’ has been producing some of these as were inside, and the wider implications of it. After initially starting
resin 3D printed models. This BMD-4M is one of the first (although on it I left it for a month or so but, ultimately, I went back to it and
incorrectly labelled as a BMD-3) and represents a vehicle pushed on. I was determined to finish it as respectfully as possible
destroyed early in the conflict. The BMD series of lightly armoured and not try to dramatise or sensationalise the context or story

Alex Clark

10
The model is provided as a single resin piece, and as such can’t
really be described as a kit. The hull is destroyed with most of the
top and right side completely missing (and hence no turret). As
with most 3D printed parts, it comes with numerous thin supports
connecting it to a base / raft underneath. Care needs to be taken
when removing these supports, as the resin is on the brittle side.
Immersing in hot water can soften some 3D resins, but for this I
just carefully clipped them off with Tamiya sprue cutters followed
by some tidy up with small sanding sticks.
In some ways the model is a victim of its own finesse and detail.
The print has captured virtually everything down to the last wire,
but some parts are so fragile that they broke off in transit. Others I
felt could go the same way whilst handling, so I replaced some of
the wiring with copper wire. Similarly, I replaced some of the other
smaller parts with styrene equivalents, or in the case of the mesh
on the engine deck with a more appropriate metal version. A
couple of the suspension shock absorbers were damaged, so I
designed a new one in CAD and 3D printed it. Given it’s a
wrecked vehicle some of the damage would probably have not
mattered much but I wanted to try and get it close to its original
state!

One issue sometimes found to varying degrees with 3D printed

kits is the presence of banding / layer lines - an artifact of the
layered printing process. Certain parts suffered from this quite
noticeably, but on the flat featureless areas such as the outer hull
side it was easy enough to lightly sand them away. Other areas,
those covered in detail, were more of an issue. For those I
brushed a few layers of Mr Surfacer putty over to reduce the

11
 I rarely make scenic groundwork, not because I don’t like it but slope, starting at the rear left of the base and running down to
because I usually get drawn to the next new model instead. the front right. I planned to add a small amount of water too.
Given the nature of this model it really needed a base, so I Water is something I’d never represented before, so I wanted
decided to go for something simple and compact. A lot of to create some, but thought it best to keep it small and simple
photos and footage of burnt-out vehicles are taken close in in one corner. I worked through some other possible scenarios
time after destruction and as such display a lot of ash and as context for the scene – perhaps the vehicle had gradually
smoke residue all around the ground. However, I did have moved - slipped slightly down the embankment over time – or
some reference photos of such vehicles from other conflicts perhaps the Ukrainian military had pushed it down.
that were taken quite some time after. The effects of the Subsequent wind and rain over the next year had then
weather had gradually worn away many of these effects as removed virtually all the ash, and perhaps some vegetation
nature had slowly started to take hold again. I decided this had started growing again.
would be an interesting scenario to try and model.
With the planned size of the base being small, I wanted some
height to give it a bit of ‘presence’. I went with an angled

There was a small amount of additional damage to the engine deck mesh
(beyond the actual damage from the destruction of the vehicle), so I
replaced this with a brass piece of mesh from my spares box.
The model is provided as a single 3D printed part that requires
careful removal from a multitude of printing supports. The detail is I replaced some other damaged items with white styrene, after which I
exceptionally fine and comprehensive, so fine in some places that I gave the remaining parts of the running gear a coat of Mr Surfaces 500
had to replace some damaged parts with wire. putty to represent a layer of mud.

The model itself didn’t take long to

clean up and tweak, so I then
jumped into doing the base before
painting it. I started by making a
box to hold the groundwork from
black styrene sheet.

For the bulk of the base, I cut and carved some Styrofoam, just to the I CA glued the Styrofoam to the bottom of the box and applied a coat of fine
approximate shape so that it would snugly fit inside the box. all-purpose DIY filler. I made sure this completely covered the Styrofoam,
along with any gaps with the sides of the box.

12
Once the filler was thoroughly dry, I applied a Most of the additional groundwork features were I used several small pieces of Seafoam to
couple of coats of VMS Smart Mud XL 2.0, letting created from a mix of dried, ground up Autumn represent bushes and branches. Other
the first one thoroughly set before applying leaves from my garden, cat litter and static grass. products are available to represent small scale
another. This has a very nice gritty and in-scale I attached these with diluted PVA glue. bushes and foliage, but for me this has just the
texture to it. When partially set I pushed the right scale appearance to it.
vehicle into it to avoid the potential appearance
later of it floating on top of the groundwork.

The initial layout of bushes, grass and

stones etc. can be seen here. Although
I had a general idea in mind, this was
just a first attempt to get the main
items in place and I knew I’d probably
tweak it as it progressed.

After an overall covering of Tamiya I picked out the rocks and stones with
Black acrylic (to act as a pre-shading Tamiya Light Grey and Deck Tan. Rather
base), I sprayed Flat Earth gradually than just make them all the same colour, I
lightened with Buff over the whole base. applied varying amounts of each
I focused the lighter shades over the randomly and then blended it in. A dark
raise areas, and then blocked in the enamel pin-wash helped accentuate
grass colour using Flat Green them and give some false shadow.
highlighted with a little Yellow Green.

At this point I switched to painting the vehicle, I sprayed a coat of AMMO chipping fluid over the I reduced the harshness of the black with a light
starting by giving it a pre-shading coat of entire model and followed this with a patchily overspray of Khaki Drab.
Tamiya Black, followed by a light overspray of sprayed application of a light-grey tone.
Black mixed with a little Nato Brown.

I painted both the vehicle and the scene with Tamiya acrylics for with Green and then lightening it with Yellow-Green. I hand painted
the most parts. Probably the most enjoyable part was painting and the smaller items – rocks, a few small branches and roots, and
shading the damaged interior of the model, the level of detail and some debris from the vehicle. I also picked out some of the leaves
finesse being so good that it was a joy to do. The bulk of the hull using a variety of orange, red brown and tan colours. This gives a
on the real vehicle is made of aluminium alloy to keep the weight much more interesting appearance than just keeping them all the
down. Upon burning the resulting oxide has a pale dusty grey same colour. The only washes I applied were dark pin washes
appearance. After a black pre-shading coat and an application of around the rocks and stones. Once done I just needed to add the
AMMO chipping fluid, I patchily sprayed light grey over the top and water effects.
wore some away with water and a small broad brush. The initial
camo colours were applied to the remaining exterior and I followed I used AK 2-part clear epoxy water. I added a single drop of
this by hand painting the smaller interior details. Most of these Tamiya Khaki Drab to this – it really only needs to smallest amount
ended up rusting in the fire that destroyed the vehicle, and I picked to tint the resin – and then carefully and slowly poured it to avoid
them out with various enamel orange, brown and red-brown creating bubbles. A few did appear but I gently worked them out
shades. I weathered it mostly with enamel-based washes, an with a cocktail stick. Once fully cured it gave a smooth glass like
overall grubby brown first and then several increasingly dark pin finish but didn’t look quite right. I added some small ripples by
washes that really helped the detail stand out. stippling AK Transparent Water gel over the top. This dries much
quicker and after a couple of applications it broke the flat surface
I also pre-shaded the groundwork with black and followed this with up nicely. To finish off I added some more leaves on top of the
several light coats of Flat Earth (each slightly lightened with Buff). water.
The grass and bushes were approached in a similar way, starting
13
 The left side of the vehicle was
mostly intact, so I painted it in the
common 3 tone camouflage
scheme. The first colour was Buff
lightened with some White, followed
by sprayed Olive Drab with an equal
amount of Buff. I hand painted the
smaller black patches (from a mix of
Black and Dark Earth). I then
weathered it with various washes
and light over-sprays of dust and
mud colours.

The most intricate work on the vehicle was

painting all the smaller rusted items. I picked
them out in several mixed shades of Humbrol
orange, brown and red-brown enamels. Several
pin-washes, starting with dark brown and ending
with pure black, helped the detail really pop out.

I also added a few more items from the vehicle,

a short section of track I had left over from a full
resin BMD kit and twisted strips of metal.

Once the vehicle had been glued

to the base, I added a few more
bushes, rocks, and leaves until I
felt the scene was balanced and
with enough detail to catch the
eye. I picked out some of the
leaves with various shades of
brown, orange and tan to give
some interest and variation.

For the water I poured some

AK Interactive 2-part clear
resin, with a small drop of
Tamiya Khaki Drab to give it
a muddy tint. Once dry, I
stippled a couple of thin
layers of AK Transparent
water gel to give a slight
rippled effect.

I painted the sides of the base

black, using Tamiya semi-
gloss acrylic. Wooden bases
look nice but in some cases I
The nameplate is a 3D printed piece I find they can detract a little
designed myself. After printing it I from the model itself.
painted it in various shades of rust.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed working on the scene.
Usually, I spend a lot more time on the
model, correcting, adding detail etc, but
this time the model didn’t take long at
all so I spent much more time working
on and thinking about the groundwork.
It’s certainly something I’ll be doing
again.

14
15
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 Imad Bouantoun’s Ukraine Diorama

18
FOR OUR
I was surfing the internet for some
inspiration for a diorama and I
found few photos from the war in
Ukraine. The one most poignant to
me was an image a BM grad near
a playground with children still
present. I decided to start planning

CHILDREN
a scene based on this with the
drama and contrasts of the bright
playground colours and the horror
of the war.

Правда у воді не тоне і в огні не горить

The truth doesn’t drown in water and doesn’t burn in fire.

19
 After I laser cut the main structure of the kiosk from 2.5mm wood I start the assembly of balsa wood Doors are also laser cut using 2mm card.
strip on it. I’m fortunate to have access to a laser cutter but everything of course could be cut by hand.

As a base for the roof I used 4mm square section For the main structure of the roof I use 0.3mm For the asbestos tiling I used Juweela corrugated
balsa wood. aluminum sheet sheet in 1:35

To simulate the texture of the asbestos plate I use A layer of primer followed to check the final metal base was made using styrene Square rod
Hull Tex powder from VMS. result before I proceed with colours. and styrene bolts from Meng.

For the ventilation fan base I use Aluminum sheet

and PE diamond mesh.

The kiosk assembly dry-fitted ready for painting.

20
I start building the round-a-bout using
styrene 0.7mm thick as a base and a For the seats I used 1mm balsa wood and I created
styrene rod diameter 8mm, also I used the shape of the seats using Aluminum sheet bent
copper rods 3mm diameter, the latches are as you can see in the photo.
also from 1mm copper.

The slide was

formed from
thin aluminium
with styrene
sides and
steps.

I built the swing using styrene and The frame was soldered together The slide frame was built-up from
copper rods as you can see in the for strength. styrene following a drawing 1:35 I
photo also for the chain holder I already prepared.
used spare sprue.

Handles from 0.7mm

copper wire.

The upper rails were formed using The see-saw was also soldered Seats are from balsa wood.
0.8mm copper wire soldered using 2mm rods.
together.

For the base frame I cut black

matt plexi glass in 3mm.

Blue insulation foam made the first

steps of forming the groundwork.

21
 I engraved the blue foam to use a softer
green foam insert in this area since to
help in simulating broken concrete.
A clear acetate guide ensured the soft green foam would be a good, snug fit.

White glue (PVA) is water based and I used a compass to indicate where To avoid any show-through later, I designed and cut the mould
wont attack the surface of the foam. the paving slabs must be added. black was airbrushed on the building for the paving stones from
and paved areas. 5mm thick acrylic.

I assembled the mould and taped it down to a blue foam sheet Plaster was poured, spread and allowed to set.

The finished paving stones after I start the assembly using white glue I applied damage to the concrete I shaped the ground with a hot air
being removed from the moulds. to fix the blocks. blocks where the wheels damaged gun to prepare creating the wheel
them due to the vehicle’s weight. tracks on the muddy ground

Black
undercoat
applied ready
to take the
colours.

Some clay and the kit tyres allowed I carved some puddles and primed the
tracks to be imprinted in the earth. area with some PVA to help the
application of resin.

The tones for the concrete airbrushed Weathering on the concrete using I started the painting of the building using different shades
using different shades from Tamiya. different shades of oil colours. of yellow from Vallejo.

22
Upper areas were painted using For weathering the interior area I used I found some character poster images on-line and sized them to suit
different shades of grey, white and a grey filter and then a layer of before printing. Sanding the surface gave a aged appearance.
blue also from Vallejo. streaking grime to enhance the worn
effect on the wood, after five hours I
sanded the surface to enhance the
effect.

An ochre filter acted as a base to start On the metal frame I started applying Streaking grime was applied on I base-coloured the asbestos
the weathering of the painted wood. the scratches and flaking paint using the edges of the wood to create plates using different shades of
sponge to ‘dab’ the acrylic colour. more contrast between the outer Tamiya grey.
edges and the middle.

For the metal flashing the rust was To simulate the green grime effect I ...then I airbrushed a diluted layer of The rabbit was hand painted on
simulated using different rust tones and used the slime grime dark and light engine grime. the wood using in Vallejo and
sponge techniques. from Ammo of Mig. outlined with a fine-liner.

23
 The door was painted off white with Streaking grime enhances I created the glass using Finally I added different shades of enamel effects
wear and tear applied using sponge the weathering process plastic sheet from some using the airbrush concentrating them on the lower
techniques. Dark grey represents the packaging. part of the building.
primer layer.

Paint damage and corrosion was To enhance the weathering and For the base plate I used dust
Mr color provided the bright primary built-up by different layers of rust to merge all the colours together enamels and steel pigment powder
colours for the play equipment after a tones applied using sponge and 00 I used different shades of oil on the edges of the metal structure
solid coat of primer. brush working carefully and gradually. colours blended carfully. and more blended oil colours.

I applied the first layer of weathering on A mix of Vallejo 60% Stone and After a coat of hairspray tones of
More slimy grime effect on the lower part of the slide using rust oil tones followed by 40 % white created the basic bright greens were airbrushed
the swing and again layers of oil colour was dust on the edges. Steel pigment on the pine wood colour. and later scrubbed with water
applied. slide simulates the polished bare metal. and a stiff brush revealing the
‘wood’ underneath.

24
Various washes and blends of oil colour were used After 24 hours from applying the oil colours on the The old chopped-up tyres were also given the
to weather the ammo crates. boxes I added different layers of pigments in light bright colour treatment.
dusty colours fixed in place.

Back to the groundwork with an After leaving the acrylic to dry for three hours I added some
application of Vallejo thick mud. natural foliage I collected from the garden.

Deeper puddles
were created
with acrylic resin
tinted with
Tamiya colours.

The tricycle is
from a Royal
model photoetch
set suitably
After 24 hours I added the snow layers using To create the wet effect on the painted and
‘Precision Ice and Snow’ brand and ‘Deluxe Icy ground I used Vallejo water weathered.
Sparkles’. texture liquid acrylic.

25
 Trumpeter’s Ural is a nice kit, the build was very
enjoyable but I decided to change the wheels in
favour of resin versions from E.T. Model, also I used
their full sets PE35600 Modern Russian BM-21 Grad
and PE35601 Modern Russian BM-21 Rocket
Launchers.
Also I added some scratch built additions like cables
and connectors. I designed and 3D printed details for
the rocket pods to enhance the look, learning this
new technology as I progressed. As 3D printing
becomes more accessible to modellers it’s changing
the hobby and the way we can approach projects.

I started the paint process using black primer from The main cabin and rear part received a layer of A mixed green from Mr color was next using
AMMO over the main chassis and the wheels. automotive grey primer. Mr color 122 (70%) and Mr color 126 (30%).

I apply a layer of chipping fluid over the main I add the decals on the truck doors using Micro Mr color tire black and black was airbrushed
green then Tamiya olive green and Tamiya white sol and Micro set. over the wheels and tyres.
camouflage.

I start the weathering of the wheels by applying followed by layers of dust effects finished by fresh To apply the dirt on the main chassis I airbrushed
a layer of ‘Kursk soil’ dust wash... mud and black. after 24 hours drying I enhanced the 2 layers of ‘Kursk soil’ and ‘dust effect’ blended
effect using dry pigment (dry mud and concrete). with a damp brush.
26
I start the weathering on the lower hull by applying Two different layers of filters over the paint; grey Lifecolor acrylics brush beautifully and were used
AK dark mud (acrylic resin) followed directly by over the white camouflage and brown over the for detail painting.
different layers of pigments. green enhance the tones.

Soot staining on the rocket tubes were done with I start the heavy weathering over the truck using I applied MOLOTOW liquid chrome as a
different shades of black and smoke gray thinned different shades of oil colours. The cardboard background for the lamp lens with orange
about 80% thinner and 20% paint airbrushed. pallet soaks excess oils from the paint. transparent colour where needed.

Figures are converted from an Evolution

Miniatures set and painted by my friend
Alexey Sergeye.

Everything is now ready to be positioned on

the groundwork.

27
28
29
 www.afvmodeller.com

LRDG/SAS
CONVERSION

SAS/LRDG conversion sets

With the wide variations in the set
ups for these vehicles we have tried
to maximise the choice you have to
set up your model by selecting from between two versions of the ANM2
our “Parts Bin”. Build your model .50 Cal machine gun, the early bow
around our base stowage set which mounted version with its spectacular
provides the rear Jerrycan racks, the ammunition feed or the later version
LRDG / SAS Crew Bring the vehicle to front bonnet Jerrycan racks, with side mounted ammunition box
life with these crew figures which are condenser can for the front grille and which was mounted both on the
sold individually. sun compass. You can then add the bonnet and in the back of the vehicle.
additional front fender jerrycans with We also have a choice of twin Vickers
a choice of US pattern or German K mounted front or rear and single
cans. Then its the fun bit, picking the Vickers K that can also mount front or
weapons and you can choose rear.

ANM2 50 Cal Based on photos of the Vickers K Machine Gun

actual mounting of this adapted aircraft Select the Vickers K in
weapon this comes with the parts for the either individual or twin
front and rear mounts (where applicable) mounts so that you can
customise your vehicle.
 .30 CAL
BROWNINGS
THREE THIRTY’S Following on
from our .50 Cal Browning we
have done the same for the .30
Cal now available in three
configurations:
1917 Cradle The familiar semi-
circular cradle as used on a wide
variety of Allied vehicles.

Tank Cradle Ideal to add the .30

Cal to your 1:16 Sherman.
Spent .30 Cal Rounds sixty spent
Jeep Mount Using the D58626 cartridge casings to scatter around your
cradle and dual 50/30 feed tray Jeep floor or Sherman turret
this will replace the rear .50 Cal
Jeep mount.

.30 Cal Barrel set Set of three

hollow printed .30 Cal barrels to
replace the plastic moulded ones
on your Stuart or Sherman.
.30 Cal Barrel Ammo box set

TIGER 1
CORRECTION SET

TIGER 1 Correction Set

A quick simple fix set to correct the weak
areas of the AHHQ 1:16 Tiger 1 kit, it
contains a corrected and more detailed
Jack block and Toolbox, replacement fire
extinguisher for the underscale kit part,
correctly sized and more detailed
headlamps, hollow MG 34 barrel and
corrected tow cable eyes.
 Chris Johnson kit-bashes his way to a unique Canadian MRT

I have a penchant for recovery and engineering equipment in my model building pursuits
and as no kit exists of the Canadian Army's Bison MRT, I was naturally drawn to it. Entering
service with the Canadian Army in 2010, there were a total of thirty-two built. To date, aside
from the addition of an add-on armour package, there hasn't been a need for any other
major modifications which is testament to its design. The MRT is primarily employed in 1st
Line LAV equipped units for maintenance and repair duties in the field.

In 2002, the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) deployed a reconnaissance

squadron to Afghanistan as part of the Canadian military contingent, and a Bison MRT was
attached to it. My interest in the MRT was really kindled after seeing a photo of it in theatre,
boasting a desert yellow paint scheme, and weighed down with a full combat load.
32
1:35

33
 The surgery and
amputations are
done. The crane
deck and rear
compartment roof
are roughed in. The
air spotter hatch will
butt up against the
angled portion of
The image that got me started. The LdSH (RC) RECCE Squadron Bison the roof.
MRT on station in Afghanistan, 2002.
Photo credit: Anthony Sewards

A good illustration of how the suspension is compressed on a Bison Setting the suspension height using shims to allow for making minor
MRT, largely because of the additional weight of the crane. adjustments before cementing everything in place.
Photo credit: Anthony Sewards

I chose Trumpeter's ASLAV-PC Phase 3 kit as the best option on remaining two wheel stations, thereby ensuring that all of the
which to base my MRT as the rear hull compartment matches wheels rested uniformly on a hard surface.
that of the Bison. I also raided their USMC LAV-R Light Armoured
Vehicle Recovery kit for its crane. Real Models markets a weighted With the suspension completed, I began to make the individual
resin wheel set for the LAV series so I picked that up and as the add-on armour panels and the bosses that retain them. Relying
ASLAV kit has a partially open engine compartment, I decided to on reference photos to determine each individual panel shape,
add Black Dog's resin LAV engine compartment to the mix. size, and placement, it was very much an exercise in custom
The major alteration required to the ASLAV-PC is to add a crane fitting them to the hull, much as was actually done when this
deck in the upper hull, behind the forward crew compartment. package was retrofitted to the actual MRT. I used 1 mm plastic
Towards that end, I initially cut the upper hull in two, immediately sheet which approximates the actual thickness of the panels, and
behind the crew commander's station. I then removed a section of punched the two piece bosses with my RP Toolz punch and die
the rear portion of the upper hull to match the profile of the MRT's set. The add-on armour panels were the most tedious part of the
crane deck. Using sheet styrene, I constructed the basic crane project as it was very much a trial and error procedure in
deck and the roof of the rear compartment, which includes a short measuring and fitting the panels around the existing raised detail.
angled section at the extreme rear of the hull.
The Black Dog engine compartment wasn't designed for the
Armed with the Real Models weighted wheels, I decided to try my Trumpeter LAV series of kits but with some interior surgery to both
hand at replicating an MRT with a full combat load. That required the upper and lower hulls, it can be made to fit. The first step was
compressing the suspension from front to rear to illustrate the to open up the upper section of the engine compartment by
additional weight of the crane and combat load in the rear removing the moulded on access door. Not surprisingly, it didn't
compartment. The suspension of a LAV doesn't lend itself to survive the surgery intact so I scratch built a replacement. Both it
adjustment, but it can be done with care. I began by setting the and the kit's mating door would be posed in the open position so
different heights of the first and last wheel stations. with their the engine itself would be visible. With these alterations
wheels attached. When I was satisfied with the gradual slope of completed, I cemented the two upper hull sections to the lower
the hull from front to rear, it was a simple matter to fill in the hull, together with the rear plate to close up the hull. There was a
slight saw gap between the two upper hull sections that I filled
with putty.
All of the wheels are in place, the Air Sentry
hatch is roughed in, a new engine
compartment door and outriggers have
been made and the smoke dischargers are
in place. Work has begun on installing the
add-on panels with their retaining bosses.

The Black Dog engine, while not a drop fit, is

well worth the effort to include it as it adds that
extra element of interest to a model.
34
The next step involved making recessed cut-outs in the sponson oil drip pan. In regards to the latter, the Detroit Diesel powerplant
plates on either side of the hull to accommodate the stabilizer is well known for oozing oil and I'm reliably informed that LAVs
legs. I made the legs from telescoping plastic tubing, some bits of don't go anywhere without a drip pan!
plastic, and lead wire for the hydraulic lines. Images 008 and 009
The water can and naptha container holders on the rear plate are Moving on to the crane deck, my references showed that it was
a different design from those in the ASLAV kit so I made new ones reinforced with add-on armour plates, having cut-outs for the
for both. The man door in the rear ramp received an add-on crane's base plate, so that feature was added first. There is a
armour panel, together with a new latching mechanism. Ramp large stowage box located on the right side of the deck which I
stops located at the top of the ramp were made from brass strip scratch built. I bent brass strip to make the form fitting legs,
and the armoured guards around the taillights were made with added handles made from wire, Meng bolt heads, and equipment
short sections of plastic tube and rod. I scratch built the two tie down strips. The securing straps for the box were made with
spade anchors which flank the man door. strips of masking tape and Aber photo-etched buckles. On the left
Image 007 side of the deck is a winch assembly. This is the same winch as
Luckily for me, Real Models includes a spare wheel and tire in that incorporated in Canada's LAV III so I checked that Trumpeter
their resin set because a spare wheel rack is commonly seen on kit, but its winch was rather light on detail, so I decided to make a
the nose of Canadian LAVs. I scratch built the rack and the spare new one based on my reference photos. The capstan was made
wheel ramp based on plans and measurements supplied by a from a piece of plastic tube to which I added a sandwich of plastic
friend. The rack is secured to the hull by means of steel pins at discs. I shaped that into a dome with sanding sticks. I used lead
the top and clevises on the bottom. I sourced the clevises from wire and Meng bolt heads for the additional details. Flanking both
my spare parts box and used plastic rod with Meng bolt heads for sides of the crane deck are smoke dischargers mounted on
the upper connectors. Rounding out the front end are a scratch brackets. The dischargers came from Takom's Leopard MEXAS kit
built double roller fairlead, a mechanics vice, brush guards made and I added short lengths of 40 link per inch chain to detail them.
from soldered copper wire, an equipment tie down strip, and an

The rear of the hull is taking shape with new jerry A spare wheel rack is commonly seen mounted A drip tray was usually carried on the MRT and
can holders, detail added to the man door in the on LAVs and MRTs. In addition to the spare, a LAV as the Detroit Diesel was notorious for
ramp, spade anchors and armoured covers for the wheel ramp is usually also mounted on it. seeping oil. It was generally slung on the spare
rear lights. Visible on the roof is the rear fairlead
for the winch and an equipment tie down strip.

The crane deck with the

winch and stowage box in
place. The straps on the
box are Tamiya masking
tape with Aber photo-etch
buckles.

The coiled electrical

cord was made by
winding thin copper
wire around thicker
wire, and then
stretching it out to
shape.

35
 The Air Sentry hatch looks complicated at first
glance, but by breaking it down into simple
component shapes, it's just more time
consuming than difficult to construct.

The crane in the USMC LAV-R kit is rather basic so I

fleshed it out with hydraulic lines made from lead wire, I've read that embossing
the protective conduit for the lines from plastic tubing, powder is a good material for
replicating anti-skid texture so I
brass strip brackets, a new base, and a simple retaining
tried it on this model. After
strap for the hook which was made from a strip of priming, the texture looked
masking tape. perfectly in scale to my eye.

Some of the component features for the MRT. The basket

covers the pioneer tool rack, the stowage lockers are slung
under the rear of the upper hull, the spare tire rack, and the
Hollebone draw bars.

I had hoped to be able to use the air sentry hatch and doors from anti-skid product as it comes in a squeeze bottle with a narrow tip
one of the project donor kits but unfortunately, the MRT's is of a applicator, which makes it easy to apply exactly where needed. I
different design. There was nothing for it but to scratch build a sprinkled the embossing powder over the glue and blew off the
replacement along with the rear fairlead and the protective excess. After priming the model, it looked perfectly in scale, at
walkway over top of the winch assembly. I used a generic least to my eye! I was quite pleased with the result and will use
diamond mesh photo-etch sheet from Aber for the latter. embossing powder again for future projects.
The MRT is equipped with multiple equipment tie down strips
located around the hull and on the crane deck stowage box. My friend Jim Carswell was instrumental in this project by
These were replicated with thin copper wire using a simple plastic supplying the 3D printed naptha cans located on the rear of the
jig incorporating raised strips of plastic. The wire was first hull, the milk crate on the crane deck, and lastly, the toilet seat
straightened by rolling it on a hard tile surface with a steel ruler slung on the left side of the hull. I made a frame and legs to go
and then it was press formed on the jig. along with that seat. Toilet seats were commonly seen on the
sides of Canadian AFVs in Afghanistan so I knew I just had to have
There are two large draw bars stowed on the right side of the one on my MRT for that extra bit of interest it adds.
MRT's hull along with two Hollebone style draw bars mounted on The caution light on the left rear corner of the roof was made with
the left side. I made all of these, along with a protective mesh a piece of clear styrene sanded and polished to shape, and
cage that encloses the pioneer tools. I used nylon kite string and painted with Tamiya Clear Orange. The spotlights on the rear of
bits of plastic and copper wire for the tow cable. I drilled the hull the hull were donated by the Trumpeter's Husky kit and I made the
and inserted wire to replicate the cables stowage brackets. Resin coiled electrical cord for them from thin copper wire. I wound the
water cans from an old Maple Leaf Models set were added to a wire around a thick, stiff piece of wire, and then pulled it into
soldered wire stowage rack on the left side of the hull and to the shape.
racks on the rear of the hull. Two stowage lockers slung under the The Crew Commander's 7.62mm C6 Medium machine-gun was
rear corners of the upper hull were made from sheet plastic and I taken from Takom's Leopard MEXAS kit. I replaced its butt stock
added pad locks to them made from bits of plastic and wire. with butterfly grips, as per my reference photo. The aerial is
simply a piece of stiff wire rolled straight, bent to shape and tied
The MRT has anti-skid texture applied to the horizontal surfaces down with a length of 2lb test fishing monofilament line. I wound
so I replicated that feature with embossing powder I found at a thin wire around the base of the aerial to replicate its spring
local craft store. For the adhesive, I used the glue from the VMS mount.

36
37
 After black basing and misting on Real Colors CARC Tan, I wasn't
happy with the shade I ended up with. Time to apply filters!

Construction being complete, I began the

painting process by black basing the model
with Stynylrez primer. I used AK Real Color
CARC Tan RC079 for the base coat of paint
which I misted on over the black primer. I
repeated that process several times to add
depth, lightening the colour each time with
the addition of Tamiya Deck Tan XF55. I
wasn't happy with the resulting shade as I
thought it was too washed out in
appearance, so I applied an acrylic satin
clear coat over it, followed by several oil
based Raw Sienna filters. These gave me the
colour shade that I had envisioned from the
start. The open hatches and engine
compartment were painted with Tamiya
NATO Green XF67. The detail brush painting
was all done with Vallejo acrylics.

The markings on this MRT were restricted to small

black, low visibility tactical markings on the front
and rear, along with the vehicle's callsign applied to
removable placards on either side of the hull. I
drew all of these markings in CorelDraw and
printed them out on my laser printer.
After applying the decals, I shot the model with
another satin clear coat and began the weathering
process. I favour subtle weathering effects in my
modelling and towards that end, I started with an
overall wash of Winsor & Newton Raw Umber,
again, to add depth to the colour. As an aside, I
like their Winton Series as I find they emulsify well
with the readily available hardware store thinner I
use. That was followed by another satin clear coat
to seal the effect and then I applied various shades
of oils to achieve the worn, hard use look I was
aiming for. I followed this with the application of an
oil dot technique for some further depth and subtle
streaking. Lastly, I applied a dark pin wash to the
small raised detail to accentuate it.

38
 The orange caution light was made with clear styrene sprue
runner, sanded and polished to shape, and painted with
Tamiya Clear Orange. Just visible on the lower left stowage
locker is one of the tactical markings.

I made the decals in CorelDraw and printed them

out on my laser printer. I always print more than I
need, just in case. In the end, the RCEME colour
markings weren't used and the viewer has to look
carefully to find the others.

Toilet seats were often seen strapped

on the sides of Canadian AFVs in
Afghanistan so I had to have one on
mine, along with the frame and legs to
go with it. The straps holding the Tac
Sign placard are masking tape with
Aber photo-etch buckles.

The Detroit Diesel and insides of the

access doors were painted with Tamiya
NATO Green and highlighted with
washes, filters, and various Vallejo

This was an enjoyable and unique modelling project and it took me just under three
months from start to finish, which is about the length of my attention span for any one
model! I'd like to thank Anthony Sewards, Mark Minnis, and Stephane Parent for sharing
reference material that was crucial for the successful completion of this project. 39
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 FIT FOR
FIT FOR A
A
Queen

The Queen died on 8th September 2022, and

throughout all her life she has been connected to the
Armed forces in one way of the other, this stems back
from when she started life in the Auxiliary Training
Service (ATS) in February 1945, at the age of 18, in
Camberley, Surrey, which is about 20-25 miles from
Windsor, so was fortunate to go home in the evenings,
but she had insisted that she joined the Forces in one
way or the other.

She was assigned to work for the Mechanical Training

Section as a Subaltern (Officer in the British Army).
Whilst working at the ATS she learned to drive, and
repair engines to some sort of degree, and after a
period of time she was promoted to Honorary Junior
Commander by the end of the war.

She was the first full time Royal female to serve in the
forces, and in that time she was working and
maintaining various service vehicles from Staff cars to
Training vehicles and of course Service Ambulances.

After a time she was nicknamed by the press as the

“Princess Auto Mechanic”, and as history proves, she
didn’t end up working on vehicles for the rest of her
life, but still liked to drive herself, and wasn’t daunted
by driving larger vehicles, this I imagine dates back to
those ATS days.

42
gary matthews
models the
Queen’s Katy
ambulance

43
 On opening the box we find 20 grey sprue’s and also 1 clear and In addition the fuel tanks were left off, I thought they may get in
one sheet of Photo Etch with an excellent CAD aided instruction the way, and this had a silver lining, as this meant that when
manual, its all very plain, clear and precise, with 2 call out colours working on Katy, you could easily pick her up and hold her to work
which use Mission Model colours in their call out which surprised on where they were supposed to be, holding the chassis
me as they were for the “Ice Cold in Alex” version from the 1950’s comfortably instead of the fuel tanks.
film, and also from the Auxiliary Territorial Service based in
Camberley Surrey, (South West of London), bizarrely the bonnet Next the engine, there are certain forums I have researched and
(hood) has the “Princesses” from the famous colour picture where extracting the information it seems that there were a 3\4 colours of
she is standing in front of Katy, which has the serial number on the engine, dependant on when they were built, these range from
this vehicle, yet the call out colour is a SCC2 Brown on the an Eau-de-Nil (like a duck egg blue/green), a Green, and also good
Auxiliary vehicle based in Surrey, yet she is standing quite clearly old fashioned black.
in front of a Green vehicle, possibly SCC7? also scratching my I plumped for the Eau-De Nil version, as I had a similar colour in
head is the box art, this is shown as a Green vehicle, yet no call my paint library, this ended up being Mr Hobby Aqueous H67 (RLM
out or diagram for the Greens….strange!! 65), this engine was produced in this colour from 1943-53, which
is the era Katy and the Princess were photographed.
Nonetheless, I didn’t want to detract from my build which was, the I added some wires to enhance the engine, because at this stage,
Princess standing in front of an operational training vehicle as per I thought I would open one side of the bonnet up to show to all,
“famous photo”, the vehicle being “Green “in colour, yet with a this came to haunt me later on though when I succumbed to not
slight twist, this was to be slightly weathered, subtle in doing enough research on this particular part of the Ambulance,
appearance, even in the famous photo, there shows some sign of and the instructions didn’t show how this was to be done either,
wear…. I like to have a set of parameters to work to in my vision of which seemed to be an error in my book.
a completed model, quite an important step before I start.
The bonnet doors are in 2 parts, shown in the instructions as such,
So where to start, I didn’t fancy deviating from the instructions but I had already glued 1 part of the bonnet to the body as per
initially, so went with these for the time being, and like most instructions show which is incorrect, if you want the engine open,
vehicles of this nature the chassis was first on list to be built, this not knowing that this is not the correct way of the bonnet opening,
was made up from two moulded pieces, from front to back and it is more of a concertina opening, actually opening back on itself,
cross braces making up the basic framework, the leaf springs note to self, more research required !!
were cleaned up, and fitted and various other parts to make up I was looking forward to the larger Photo etch of the radiator grills,
the sub structures were cleaned too. There wasn’t a lot to clean these were to comprise of 3 parts of PE, but oddly fitted to the
up to be honest, but what there was I used these Infini sanding outside instead of the usual inside. The PE is a good quality at
sticks with adhesive sandpaper in various widths and grits, these 1.2mm thick but these had to be rolled longitudinally and laterally
are one of my favourite tools, as you can get into places that are to form the correct shape and radius, using an RP Tools cylinder
near impossible to get to with other sponge type sticks, these roller, the PE was carefully rolled and shaped little by little
became my best friend during the build. checking every few rolls of the tool to achieve the correct Radii, it
worked perfectly as you can see.
Next the wheels, an unusual design for fitting, I am used to a tyre
just fitting the hub, not in this instance, there a locating pins on the So by now we have most of the chassis completed along with the
tyres themselves, but found these would not allow for proper fitting wheel arches and now time for fitting the internal cab and details,
to the hub, so I removed the pins, this made for a better fit, unlike nothing unusual in the completion of these details, pedals are in
the tyre itself, there seemed to be a gap around the tyre and hub, PE, the steering column went through the firewall, into the engine
seemed a small error in engineering, but nothing Mr Hobby and lined up perfectly, I must point out the steering wheel detail, it
surfacer couldn’t fix. I left the wheels and petrol tanks off for the was a superb rendition, even with the “Austen” logo imprinted onto
time being, knowing from previous experiences that its rather the main hub of the wheel, and the steering wheel contours were
difficult to get into the B side of the wheel for weathering which I superbly done, such a nice job Gecko.
like to do, I slowly get into the feel and yet an unobtrusive way of
44 kicking the weathering process off.
I decided to leave the main cab removed whilst I painted and point on various sites, and pictures also concluded that there were
weathered, the usual scuff marks and dried in boot marks were conflicting colours, Beige, White, and also a Blue Grey, again
applied using various shades of 502 oils and Mig Pigments, this unless there was colour swatch available from that original
produced the general dirt accumulation I was after, even in the ambulance, then you have to go and make a suitable choice. I
famous picture there are signs of dust/dirt deposits in the front cab tend to go with an average, if I see 5 Beige’s, and 2 Whites, it will
area, so felt vindicated that the Princess would “work” in a dirty be the Beige that wins over, some may see this as lazy, but I don’t
vehicle, heaven forbid!! want to pour hours and hours over research (unless its something
critical) when I could be building, life’s too short, and I know of at
The instructions by now have started to add small delicate/fragile least one “famous” modeller that has the same perspective as
pieces, the external lights, the cow horn type radiator protector, me.
these were left off for obvious reasons, I knew that the handling
would alleviate them from their prospective positions, these could The internal walls and door were painted Mr Hobby Aqueous H313
easily be fitted once all the major parts have been installed and Yellow, with a tad of H336 Hemp in the mix, to me this is not a
formed. million miles off, this would change colour once the roof goes on
I decided to take a bit of a break from the main areas, and moved as well, it would of course become darker in tone, so went for a
onto the “bits and pieces” that make up Katy, the stretchers, the slightly lighter hue.
Vickers Water cans, the bending of the stretcher bearer parts that
form a U shape profile to rest the stretchers onto, these by the Once the internal walls, blinds, the internal door were all painted
way were formed by using my lovely Dspiae PE bender, I have had and slightly weathered, again with oils and washes it was time to
this a long time, and I specifically bought this for longer PE that glue them all together, no longer could we comfortably get to
required bending, until now I have never had to use it, I knew one parts that may of been missed, a final check over and happy to
day it would come in handy, seems like today was that day. proceed. I can safely say that it went together like a dream,
sometimes there are fit issues with so many little parts that may
Of course there are other ways of bending longer parts, i.e using 2 obstruct each others construction/fit, but Gecko have got this
steel rules together and bending them that way, I am sure there nailed.
are other ways too, but for me, having the right tools is essential. There was a very small PE etch part that was just looking at me
every time I picked the PE sprue up, it looked small and very
I also added some extra blankets from Red Zebra, these are fragile, again I was not looking forward to fitting, let alone getting it
beautifully produced, and added a little more authenticity, and off the sprue and handling it without damaging it, knowing it was a
talking of extras, I had some medical bowls, buckets and even a vital part, that being the windscreen wiper, and blade, only time
stethoscope 3D printed by a lovely lady from Instagram, called would tell how this was going to play out…
@rosemodelcompany
Sophie can re produce these, as she now has the files. We The roof construction was next, nothing untoward here,
collaborated to get these produced, she did all the hardwork to be straightforward enough, a shovel, and metal bar incorporated into
honest, I supplied photo’s of the bowls, she did the rest, even the roof, painted in wood and metal from, this wasn’t going to be
though, I won’t be using the stethoscope, not sure if her majesty seen, unless you turn the whole thing upside and peer through the
was qualified to use them!! door, something I had no intention of doing.
But a lovely addition I thought, it brought the inside to life.
The flooring and the bracing for the stretchers were painted and
assembled, the internal walls again proved to be a another talking

45
 I decided I wanted to have the drivers window slightly open, the The windscreen itself was left off for the outside painting, I used
easier option would to have it closed, but confidence started to various forms of masking from Post-it notes to masking tape, I
grow by now, lets see if we can do the harder tasks, I masked up didn’t want to use masking tape completely as I still felt that this is
the windscreen and painted this with the corresponding Greens to fragile/delicate model, as I didn’t want to pull/break anything off at
the outside and inside, this stage, or at any stage to be honest.

This now left that very small fragile looking windscreen wiper to be I have decided to use Mr Hobby H421 RLM 81 Brown Violet, a
fitted I spoke of earlier….so placing the PE Sprue this on my usual semi gloss paint (this would have a dull-cote/varnish after
hard surface (like a modern day Bakelite substance), I placed a completed), I have gone with this, as to my eyes this is a
piece of masking tape underneath the wiper, hoping this would combination of various colour pictures, and unless your monitor is
stop it flying off into the carpet monsters jaws if it were to escape. calibrated you really have to go with what your eyes are telling
I slowly cut this from its sprue, holding my breath, I felt the joy of you, and as you can see from my paint library, some were almost
cutting through both attachment points, to my amazement its still identical, some were slightly off, in fact I would say that all of those
there complete, not bent or damaged in anyway, a clean cut… greens would be acceptable in some form, I have made that
phew!!. This job comes in two parts though, the installation of said choice and would be sticking to it.
wiper onto the windscreen, this may get lost, fall off my tweezers, The outside was now painted in H421 and didn’t look out of place.
bend at the last hurdle, the things that go through your mind, a I slightly modulated by adding an off white to the green to lighten
small amount of MIG Ultra glue touched on the wiper, then the top of Katy, and a darker green added to the lower portion of
positioned, voila!! job done, that was easy, one happy builder. the main of the body and cab.

I then proceeded to vary the tone with various Vallejo washes and
502 oils, these were done to keep it all subtle, I paid attention to
the corner “box” area, as these are where most of the dirt would
congregate, the roof was lightened somewhat, again seen in
some black and white pictures, to give a sun bleached affect,
again ever so subtle.

Once all painting was done, it was time for the large decals, these
were of course the Red crosses. I haven’t used “large” decals for
a long while, since my early aircraft days, knowing that larger
decals can be problematic at times. I was looking forward to
fitting these, but there was a small issue with the top of the
roof decal, as this had to be cut around 2 vents. I made a
template of the actual diameter of the decal, and placed it
over the top and made an outline on the template and cut
away bit by bit to get the proper fit.

Once this was done, I

transferred this onto the actual
Decal, then cut around that,
this worked a treat, the only
thing now was the vents
themselves were green. I had
already found the almost
exact colour red required from
Tony Ghiraldi from the
Aberdeen Modellers, he
pointed out this was Vallejo
Scarlett 70.817 it was almost
identical to that of Decal.
Thanks again Tony for that tip.
Also the white was painted in,
an easy colour match there.

46
The decals themselves were some of the best I have ever used, The only outstanding items were the “Princess” herself. Gecko
they conformed perfectly, and gave no trouble whatsoever, these supply a figure which I am guessing is that of her Majesty. I am
were fitted with Micro-Soled only, again top marks to Gecko for not really a decent figure painter yet, and I didn’t want to end up in
the decals. the Tower of London, for defamation, but I gave it my best shot
Once the decals were fitted, it was almost time to wrap this up, all
the missing parts were added, the small parts which could of Conclusion...
ended up being broken off due to the handling, the fuel tanks As far as timing goes, it probably could have been slightly better.
which I initially heated and dented them purposely just to add a Airfix launched initially, but Gecko had issues with having to halt
little wear,/character and the doors, these were left open, because the production for a period of time, and I do know there were
there was no way I was going to close these up, there was a lot of issues and the rights could of possibly been given to another
work involved internally, yes it would of made for a lot quicker modelling company, so I imagine Gecko have had their work cut
build, but that’s not the point of this kit, it needs to be shown to its out getting this onto the modelling shelves.
full potential.
The kit itself is not by any means a weekend build, and is quite
With all these accoutrements fitted and painted, I finally stood fragile in places, this also is not really intended for a novice builder
back and admired, this kit took a while to complete, just a couple either. The Airfix version maybe a better option, yet as far as
of months, but this was a 5 hour a day project, now being retired costing go, there is far more detailed parts in the Gecko version,
that’s feasible. I am not a fast builder by any stretch of the for only a fraction more in price, which seems strange.
imagination, but its one of those kits that at times “get to you”, I
am sure we have all had one of those, but just kept with it.

47
 The fit at times was questionable, especially initially, but once you I always ask myself a question once finished, would I build another
moved through the build, it became pleasurable, and once those one? that’s the litmus test for me, I have to say no (I can only
large Red Cross decals went on, it started to feel like a truly recall 2 other kits that I would happily build again) I don’t think I
magnificent kit, the instruction are first rate as well, no issues with would, even though I am fairly happy as to how she has turned
those. out...That is no defamation on Gecko’s part, just my opinion, I am
a hard taskmaster I guess.

Right, where’s my Cold one?

48
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52
Chris Meddings
I’ve always liked Cobbaton Combat Collection,
a private military museum in North Devon.
Started by Preston Isaac, and run by his son, Tim, it
shares the ‘craic’ has a number of very interesting AFVs. I was lucky
enough to get permission to get on, and inside, a
on this particular couple of the tanks around 8 years ago, and I
always wanted to model their Centurion AVRE, but

Centurion AVRE there was never a suitable kit available (the resin
Accurate Armour Conversion required too much
work to model this particular AVRE).

The AVRE at the Museum has its own story.

Deployed to Qatar in the first Gulf War in 1990, it fell
off a dock while being shipped, and was written off.
Sold off, it found its way to Preston in North Devon.
Its ‘little accident’ left it unusable for military
purposes, but perfect for modelling!

The crucial piece of the puzzle was the kit, of

course. A Gulf War up-armoured version was
released in 2020, but I knew AFV Club were working
on one, and being a loyal fan of AFV Club, and for
my friend MH, I decided to wait. When it came, it
wasn’t the Gulf War version, but for my purposes,
that was fine. The AFV centurions are based around
a relatively old mould now, dating back to 2006
(amazing how ‘old’ now means more than ten
years, as kit design moves so quickly) but it also
has a lot of new parts and I think it holds up really
well. The only aftermarket addition I made was the
outstanding DEF Model Mk.V AVRE Canvas Mantlet
Set.

As anyone that has looked at Centurion AVREs can

tell, they were not constructed (or rather converted)
to a completely uniform pattern; each one is
individual in many details. This leaves you with two
options, study them all, or pick one and get a ton of
photos and make that one. I’m lazy, option B it is.

A note to our American readers:

an explanation of some British ‘slang’ words.
‘Bum’ we use as you would ‘Butt’ or ‘Ass’ and
53
‘Craic’ (pronounced ‘crack’) is ‘story’ or
‘what’s happening’.
 We all know how the AFV Club Centurion kits build, or at least we hatch. At first, I thought they were for the hatches, but of course
should do by now. Suffice to say, like all AFV Club kits, it repays they open sideways. I guess they are maybe for a bad weather
care and attention, but with careful cleaning (the plastic is a touch windscreen.
soft) and test fitting, virtually no filler is required and it goes The mudguards were always going to be a big part of the look of
together very well. I have read of people having trouble with the this build. I did look for PE fenders but couldn’t find them from any
suspension, but I honestly cannot work out why, I found it very of the usual suspects, which was rather a surprise. it would have
easy. been easier, and preferable, to solder etched ones together, then
bash the living daylights out of them. As that was not an option I
The big failure of the AFV kits is the vinyl tyres, but that has been tried making some from copper sheet, but the results were not
fixed and the kit now includes styrene ones. Not only does this very good, it was just too difficult to bend sharply and get fine
now mean I don’t have to worry about them degrading or splitting, detail. In the end, I settled on drawing the parts on the computer
but it also allowed me to add damage and wear. I used a rotary and using a Silhouette cutter to cut out the components needed
tool and scalpel to chip away at them, aiming to add wear and to assemble them from .2mm styrene sheet. Making my own gave
tear from grinding stones between the tyres and tracks, and from me the option of making the mudguards thinner, and opening up
the effects of age on rubber. This does leave some fuzziness, but the stowage boxes, as well as making them a little easier to
a little Extra Thin takes care of it. damage. I was too lazy to scratch new locker latches or some of
the details for the mudguards so I used some kit parts where
Converting the hull to the version at Cobbaton was relatively easy, needed.
and I worked section by section. I started on the glacis. Some of
this was replicating the damage to the tank, like the bent electrical
ducting; some styrene rod of the right diameter handled that, I
also drilled out the ends of the tubing where it showed. The tank
has the spare track brackets but the kit has these moulded onto
the spare track, so I made new ones. The hinges for the dozer are
different on the Cobbaton tank then they are on the AFV kit, so I
made new ones from sheet styrene. To get duplicates, I tacked
several sheets together with CA, cut the shapes, then teased
them apart with a sharp blade. There are two rubber-tipped bump
stops on the top edge of the glacis, right in front of the driver’s

54
Tool clamps were replaced with styrene and the moulded-on mounting bolts, in the bracket, and frankly I always have trouble
clamps were pared off. The exhausts on BOMBASTIC are a little with correctly locating drill holes! I added new license plate
different from a standard Mk.5 Centurion, so I made new pipes mounts to match BOMBASTIC, then finished with the wiring for the
from styrene rod. The hose-like sections were made by wrapping license plate lamp and broken off conduit for the phone box.
wire around the rod and using Mr. Surfacer to blend in the lines
between the coils. Like some Centurions and Centurion AVREs, The turret in this kit is partly from the old Mk.5 kit, and partly new.
BOMBASTIC had additional exhausts for the Morris 8 engine The sides of the turret are the same, but the roof is a new part,
generator. Some tanks do not have these, some have one, and with mounts for various AVRE-specific fittings. Unlike the earlier
some have two. “Bombastic” has two, so I made them by AFV Club Centurions, it comes with a mantlet cover, made from a
wrapping two styrene tubes with styrene sheet to get the silencer vinyl type material, and it’s not bad, but I don’t trust the longevity
shapes, and filling the ends to leave two opposing holes from the of vinyl and DEF Model have released a beautiful resin one
tubes, which were used to locate the ‘in’ and ‘out’ pipes. I also (D35126), so I used that instead.
discarded the moulded-on heat shield part of the main engine
exhausts, built the silencers back up with styrene and added new The gun on the Cobbaton tank is not in the correct position, and it
brackets and heat shields to allow for the gap between silencer has in fact got stuck semi-recoiled, I adjusted the very nice AFV
and shield. The fishtail exhausts were assembled, then hollowed Club metal barrel included in the kit, to the correct position. I
out with a rotary tool before new strengthening ribs were added. added Mr Surfacer all over the turret after removing the moulded-
None of that is essential of course, but I prefer a good hollow on footman loops, which textures the turret and hides a multitude
exhaust! of filling sins! Of course, the AFV Club kit does not have the
armour pack fittings, so I added them from styrene blocks and
This tank also had mounts on the rear of the engine deck for added the welds. A few other minor fittings, such as converting
camo or tent poles. I added them from soldered brass tube and the Larkspur arial mount to a Clansman mount and the broken
styrene. The rear armour needed a few changes, the mount for seal on the sights, and the basic shell was done. The provided
the tow cable ends needed to be changed, as the one in the kit is etch mesh did not fit the basket will at all, and I had to do quite a
a different shape. The rear end needed a few welds, mostly where lot of fettling to make it work. In the end I cheated and took a little
the Mk.5 had been converted to add the fuel tank, I made them off the frame to make it smaller. I stuffed it with various stowage
with stretched rod, softened with styrene cement and the bead including putty tarps, and scratched cardboard boxes, and added
pressed in. The kit has a nice infantry telephone box, but the one the wire to the empty section of the basket. Some of the bins
on BOMBASTIC is missing. It wasn’t too much work to make new needed to be damaged and dented, so I thinned them from the
mounting posts sans box. The popped towing eye on the left was inside with a rotary tool, and pushed them into the shape I
easy, I just needed to fill the locating recess. The tow hook was a wanted.
little trickier, I had to drill out the hole for it, and the holes for the

55
 I primed with SMS Grey Primer, this sprays
beautifully and is super tough when dry.
Next, I added the sand colour with SMS
PL66 Buff, with a touch of SMS PL07 Brown
for that pinkish hue, and mottling it on over
the grey for a patchy, uneven finish.
Normally, I would pre or post shade, but I
was thinking about what David had said
when we had him on the Sprue Cutters
Union (episode 36) where he talked about
how he avoided using a pin wash in the
turret of the 1/16 Panzer IV because of its
artificiality. Thinking of the weathering I had
planned for this one, and especially the light
dust, I just didn’t think painted shadow was
right for this project and anticipated it would
produce a murky and confused finish.

56
Instead, I moved straight to the detail painting stage and started use it at all. I also added stains and marks, using glazes of the
with the beautiful DEF mantlet cover. I basecoated it with AK 3rd same colour, building it up to avoid that ‘painted-on’ look. In some
Gen Tenebrous Grey (AK11026), which is my new favourite areas I darkened it with black, in others I added a touch of brown
analogue for black, as it is very dark but has a reddish-brownish- instead. In some areas I added chipping, using sponge and a fine
grey depth that gives it a little more life than black. I applied it in brush. The base colour on the tank was bronze green and it was
kind of a heavy glaze, not as wet as a wash, but enough so that it overpainted was sand for the operation, yet the chips seem much
settled off the most raised areas preserving some light and shade. darker in pictures, so I went with mostly more of the tenebrous
I used that as a guide and, using a greyish green that I mixed, I grey mixes.
started to add the mid tones for the dark green cover. Next, I
lightened it with a touch of interior green and picked out the light For the dustier wheels, and for all the tyres, I used a heavily diluted
areas. Finally, I added a touch of buff to make a lightest tone and application of Tamiya XF-1 white and AK 3rd Gen Decomposed
picked out the highlights. The other tarps were painted in a similar Flesh (11058), about 3:1. This was diluted with water, and the
fashion and a greener hue was used for the cushions in the turret reason I used Tamiya white is that it breaks up when heavily
hatches. diluted in water, creating a dusty solution. Before I applied this
‘dust’, I dampened the area with clean water first, not to make it
Painting the basket presented it’s own issues. I had made some wet, just damp, as this helps prevent tide marks. Once the dust
elements, like the cardboard boxes, removable, so they were had dried, in some places I went back and added stains of the
painted separately but the rest had to be painted in-situ. I started tenebrous grey by applying small amounts to specific areas and
by spraying the areas with the green stuff green, basket and all, actually letting it ‘stain’ and leach into the dust and other acrylic
and went on to highlight and shade them by hand, then painted marks. The chassis under the mudguards was done in more or
the mesh and basket back to the hull colour by hand. Turret less the same way, but perhaps leaning a bit more on the dust,
stowage was finished off with the excellent camo net from and latter stains.
Tetra Modelworks.

Markings obviously could be done with decals. I used my

Silhouette cutter to cut out the tank name ‘BOMBASTIC’ on the
stowage bins from vinyl mask, and sprayed them. The other
markings appear (very) hand pained. These are “LN5” in large
letters on the glacis, and the vehicle registration: “79M563” on the
glacis and rear armour. So what better way to replicate hand
painting, than painting by hand?

I started the weathering with the lower chassis and wheels. The
wheels have a very particular look, one I would not have imagined
if I was not working from photos of the actual AVRE, so it was
interesting to try to duplicate it, rather than falling back on the
modelling standard look. I started with heavily thinned localised
washes of Tenebrous Grey. This was not a pin wash, but just in
specific areas following the reference, on some wheels I did not

57
 The bow plate was a bit different. The real one shows significant because of the dip it took in Qatar. My preferred method for
chipping, including some greenish chips. I painted these on with a rusting has been the Lifecolor Liquid Pigment “Rust Wizard” set,
fine brush, concentrating on trying to make the smallest and finest and this stuff is as magical, as the name suggests. I started with
marks and scratches that I could manage, around the larger LPW07 Eroding Dark Rust, applying it in dabs, almost pointillist
chips. I used a mix of Tamiya Nato green and Tenebrous Grey, style, and slowly building it up. In some places, I used a small
adding the grey to bring a tonal similarity across from the previous piece of sponge to build it up, but be cautious with this as the
weathering. I also added a little light streaking with a thinned liquid pigment is a lot thinner than paint and you can overdo it.
version of the mix, but only in some areas and only a little, as Once this application had dried, I added LPW06 Deep Rust, which
streaking is one type of weathering that seems almost entirely is much darker, and got me to the tone I could see in the photos.
absent on the real tank. Next it was time for the rust, which is Finally, I added more dust using the same mix as the wheels.
missing on the side of the chassis, but can be seen here, perhaps

The mudguards, exhaust, etc were all done in more or less the might have used the kit vinyl track, but the kit comes with the
same way, although some features like the exhaust silencer ‘hushpuppy’ track. The good think about link and length is that it is
shields, I used more of the lighter tones from the Liquid Pigment very easy to paint and weather. I started by spraying the track buff,
set, as these thinner sheet metal elements rust differently to the as the basic dust colour. Next, I drybrushed the track with the dark
armour elements. On the engine deck I chipped in green and track colour: a mix of tenebrous grey, flat brown, and a touch of
chipped it quite heavily, as photos often show the crew stood black. Finally, I added a wash of lighter dust.
around on the decks, and it was a high traffic working area on the
AVRE’s. I also added some rust to this area. Finally, using a liner
brush and a mix of tenebrous grey and black to pick out panel
lines where parts would be moveable.

The turret was weathered in much the same way as the rest, but
again with more light rust colours on the attachment blocks for the
armour packs, and the stowage bins. The liquid pigments behave
much like oils in that they can be streaked, using a brush
moistened with water, you may find that the pigments can leave
hard edges, looking a bit ‘painted on’, you can easily feather them
with a damp brush. Like the mudguards, dust is heavy on the
turret on the flat surfaces, but applying the dust mix heavily over
the rust will give you pink dust, because the water reactivates the
rust pigment and no one wants that! So, I sealed the rust with
VMS matt varnish before applying the dust.

The final part of the tank was the track. I used the AFV Club “Quick
Assembly Link & Length Track set” (35338). To be honest, I
thought I was buying the individual link set, but these were fine. I

58
With the tank done, it was time to create the museum. I started Next it was time for the self portrait! I used an AFV Modeller resin
with the figures for the mannequins on the tank. These are sculpting mannequin as the base. I could make my own from wire
dressed in GW1 fatigues, but the helmets are the slightly earlier, and putty, but it saves so much time and work, providing most of
80s tank helmets The closest I could get is the excellent Miniart the anatomy for you, and I’m happy to pay for that. I added my
set ‘Modern British AFV Crew’ (37059). They needed some favourite red hoody, and trousers, leaving a little ‘self-deprecation’
modification, but it was pretty simple stuff. I adjusted the poses to and humour for the viewer, then it was painted in AK 3rd gen
make them look stiff and unnatural, like actual mannequins. acrylics.

The museum is inside a couple of large Quonset huts in North Devon. I did not
want to model the whole museum, and decided on a section of the hut, and
the floor instead. For the base, I used a section of 50mm foam, which I covered
in 1mm sheet styrene, attaching it with UHU Por, which is a foam safe adhesive
and pretty strong. Next, I made the section of wall from a frame of 2mm
styrene, which I skinned with corrugated sheets made from .2mm styrene run
through a tool for squeezing oil paint tubes. Brass tube was added for the
tubular interior frame of the hut, and it added much needed rigidity. I left the
ends of these about 3cm long and drilled holes in the styrene on the base and
pushed them through into the foam, which made the whole thing very solid.The
exterior of the wall was painted with SMS grey surface primer, then various
stencils were used to spray mottling, staring with black on the lower areas and
using white further up. Then I covered it with SMS Camo Green.

The concrete on the base was made by dabbing Mr. Surfacer all over it. I
masked off four big squares to do it, to give the impression the floor had been
laid in big slabs. The base was painted with various greys, mediating them with
different colours, from buff, to pink, to blue. The floor was finished with a liberal
application of the same acrylic ‘dust’ washes that I used on the tank.

59
 The last element inside the ‘museum’ is the clutter. Cobbaton and photos adorn the walls of the real museum so I used that to
Combat Collection is famous for being rammed to the non- really fill up the space, but there was still a sizeable gap. I filled
existent rafters with stuff. To replicate these, I made a couple of that with a T-54 engine from Miniart, on a scratchbuilt stand, there
display cabinets and filled them with spare weapons and items is no engine in the real museum, but they do have a T-54, and this
from the spares box. I also printed some posters and newspapers made a nice nod to that.
to go with them. I made the cabinets so that they did not match,
as if the owner had accumulated them as and when he saw a To finish the outside I sprayed some light green mossy marks on
good one second hand, much as the real museum has acquired the bottom of the wall, then some buff over the lowest part. Then I
display items. I did the same with the two mannequins, one built up the ground just a little with brown filler paste, and added
painted in a fake fleshy colour, with chips on the face, and the some spare wheels and a couple of track links, then grass
other in a glossy black. I had a set of Russian tank ammunition growing over them.
from miniart, so I painted some of them using AK 3rd Gen steel,
and the Lifecolor metal set, and scratched and painted a fire Finally, the tank was glued in place and the scene was complete.
extinguisher. Other random ammo cans and stuff were sourced
from the spares box or scratched. Hardboard panels with posters

60
61
 The main attraction of this particular
AVRE as a subject, was the sheer variety
of textures to replicate

Every Centurion AVRE was a unique conversion,

and every one has details specific to that tank, (like
these holders for camo poles) which also makes it
great fun to model
62
 Little details like this damaged seal can
make all the difference to a convincing
derelict vehicle

Note how the paint on the weld has

stuck better than on the rusted steel

63
 The green stripe on the bins are a bit of a
mystery, but who cares when its fun stuff to paint?

The applique armour is missing from

the Cobbaton tank, which made it easier
to make with the earlier version of

All the glass optics seem to be missing

from the tank, which makes modelling
it derelict all the more easy and plausible

The engine deck is folded back and the

original green of the tank is visible on the
underside of the louvres

64
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