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AMStreet

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  1. Old pro, I stand corrected. I thought that Chieftains were still in use in the British Army in 1990. In that case it makes my life a lot easier and I will see about finishing the model as one of the tanks that were serving when 29 Field Ambulance was attached to 11 Inf. Brigade. As you might have guessed from my error I generally stick to aircraft subjects about which I know a little more than I do about AFVs. Thanks for the heads-up.
  2. Kingsman, That looks like a good compromise to me. Being after market parts does of course mean extra expense but after having struggled with the tracks on the 432 I think that it is a price well worth paying. Now the 432 being what you might call at the less glamorous end of the AFV spectrum I don't hold out much chance of getting such add-ons for the vehicle but I will keep my eye out in the future for such things. To be honest the thought of having to do the same with the tracks on the Chieftain is putting me off a bit but that will, I suppose, let me do some research on the feasibility on modifying the kit to Gulf War '90 standards with added Chobham armour.
  3. Having finally finished my model of 07 EA 00 as in service with 29 Field Ambulance I'd like to share some thoughts on the process. It is clear to me that Takom took their data for the 1/35 scale model and scaled it down to 1/72. Now this may have saved Takom some time and I'm grateful to have a 432 in 1/72 at last. However the process has not been without some problematic outcomes. A lot of the parts like the individual track links are, in my opinion, ridiculously fiddly and really make getting a good result harder than it could have been. This coupled with the tiny locating marks for parts meant that I used superglue more than I have ever done with any other polystyrene based kit. Now I know that there are a lot of different opinions about the best way to produce tracks in this scale but do we really need to have to piece the tracks together prototype style, one link at a time? Personally I would have been happy to have had vinyl tracks for a model this small. Many will not agree but for someone who is now dealing with eyesight that is not as good as in the past it would have made my life less fraught. I did of course make my life more complicated with this model than it needed to be when I made the decision to convert the model to a Mk.1 and scratch build the interior, luckily I was able to find some nice photos showing the areas that needed modifying, especially the exhaust and the left-hand side of the vehicle which I scaled to 1/72 and made the changes needed. Strangely one of the most useful was of a Mk. 1 at the Aldershot Military Museum, it showed 07 EA 00 which served with 29 Field Ambulance during the period I was there as well as my friend Vesper who was in our LAD, so that is what I finished the model as as there is a good chance that both Vesper and I came into contact with it in our various duties.
  4. I am currently building the 1/72 version of the Takom FV432 and thought that I might share some thoughts about this kit. Some of the problems I have come across are of my own making. Having been mounted on the Mk. 1 version during my service with 29 Field Ambulance RAMC one of the first things I did was to convert the kit from the Mk. 2/1 to the Mk.1 ambulance version which we used. There does not appear to be a great deal of information about the Mk.1 specifically, most illustrations and references being to the later marks. Luckily I have been helped by threads on this site concerning the construction of the 1/35 version and after a lot of searching found enough material to allow me to sort out the differences between the various marks. One set of pictures in particular helped enormously. The Aldershot Military Museum has a Mk.1 07 EA 00 on display and which is captioned in one of the photos from the museum as having served with 29 Field Ambulance so I may have ridden in it at some point and my old friend Vesper may have worked on it in our LAD during our time at Harden Barracks, Obernkirchen. The other set of difficulties is with the kit itself. It looks to me as if Takom had taken the data from their 1/35 version and scaled it down to 1/72. Some of the reasons for my thinking this is the fact that the interiors of all the hatches are detailed and as there are no internal fittings provided and the instructions show all hatches closed on the completed vehicle, why bother to mould handles, insulation and other details on the inside if they were not supposed to be left open? The other thing that leads me to suspect that the 1/72 ,version is a scaled down 1/35 model is the size of the locating holes and some of the parts, most noticeably in the suspension. There the locating holes and pins are microscopic, this added to the size of some parts like the springs makes life difficult. Separate parts would make sense in the larger model but having made them smaller means that construction is more like watch-making than modelling. The same goes for the track assemblies and I found trying to get the individual links properly aligned frustrating and time consuming. These could have been made as one part and this would have eased construction a lot. Having said that, the fact that the hatches have details on both sides has made my life a lot easier. I decided early on that I would scratch build the interior and so far things are going well. A little trial and error have given me something that already resembles the pictures I have and also fits in with my recollections. I have a lot left to do with this side of the project but barring some absolute disaster I have hopes that the finished item will bear a passing resemblance to the real thing and given that 07 EA 00 was on the strength of 29 FA that's the one I am going to finish it as, in all its Deep Bronze Green splendour.
  5. Thanks for all the information. I'm slowly putting the pieces together and there is a small detail that has so far eluded me. From memory the unit tactical sign was 1/91, red letters on a white background placed on the left front side of the vehicle and on the right at the back. The reason that sticks in my mind is that all the other tactical signs I saw were black and white. Can anyone confirm my recollection and if true offer any reason why 29's marking were different?
  6. Vesper. Anyone from the REME would know better than me. I was only RAMC and just got to ride about in them. Funnily enough two of my best mates when I was with 29 Field Ambulance were in our LAD. When were you there? I was there from '67 to '70 and I know that the unit was disbanded in '77.
  7. rayprit. Thanks for the hint about asking for a walkaround. I did check for images but only got a few, small generic pictures which didn't help sort out all the differences between the two marks. neil5208. Thanks for all the info. Coupled with rayprits suggestion I think that I will be able to get the model near to how they were when I was serving. The bit about the aerials was a bit of a surprise, I suppose that Takom fitted as many as they could and left it up to the modeller to remove those not needed. For my model I don't need any at all. The unit only had a Landrover FFR nothing else, and when we were on detachment to, I think the Scots Greys, we caused quite a stir when they came over and gave us our call-sign and we had to tell them that the 432s we had were not equipped with radios. It was typical of the status of the RAMC at that time. We were always one of the last to be equipped with up to date stuff, we even had 37 pattern webbing blanco, Brasso and all!
  8. Does anyone know of a set of plans or a walk-around for the Mk1. 432? I just got hold of the Takom 1/72 432/Chieftain set and I would like to convert the 432 Mk.2/1 to the Mk.1. Now it's been a very long time since I was in contact with the 432 during my time with 29 Field Ambulance but one of the things I do remember was the exhaust running along the top of the vehicle and not as on later marks along the left hand side. I'm not sure whether I will detail the interior but just getting the exterior right is proving to be challenging. So any help or pointers would be welcomed.
  9. I am slowly working my way through all the varieties of A-H aircraft camouflage schemes and have now reached the hexagonal lozenge scheme. It's one that I find attractive and eye catching so was really looking forward to using it on my Aeroclub Brandenburg Berg D1. On the paper backing it does not look too bad though the light portion seems very pale but when I started applying it to the model I had a nasty shock. I have to say that these transfers are the most difficult that I have ever worked with. They are thin, too thin in my opinion being translucent and really needing a white primer coat, curl under at the earliest opportunity. and stick almost immediately on application making placement hard to get right. Having said that, they would be acceptable if I felt that the colours on the lighter section was correct. I do not feel that they are. On applying the light section up against the dark the contrast was stark. It looked more like a barber's pole than any kind of camouflage scheme. Reading through Dr. Martin O'Connor's book Air Aces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1914-1918 I found references to the colour scheme of Bela Macourek and cross referencing them against my Methuen Handbook of Colour found that the colours given by O'Connor are wildly different to the ones on the transfer sheet. Given the marked contrast between the colours provided on the sheet and those from O'Connor I decided to repaint the lightest of the hexagons on the light sheet to those more in keeping with O'Connor's. My efforts have not satisfied me as trying to paint regular hexagons appears to be beyond me but I will persevere as I could not have lived with the colours as originally given. Does anyone have thoughts about these transfers as I am reluctant to try the part 2 set without other opinions as I cannot find references to the colours of the smaller oblique lozenges on the second part of PrintScales set. Thank you.
  10. Wafu, Thanks for the tip. It's just what I needed. All I've got to do now is scratch build the interior!😄
  11. As I am going through the process of building my Italeri Wessex HAS3 I have found a shortage of interior pictures detailing the observer station. I have managed to find a few photos of the "black boxes" located at the front of the cabin but cannot seem to find any showing the radar position, observers seat and ancillary control panels. Does anyone know of a source for such details? It seems a shame to just close everything up and not show the equipment that was the raison d'etre for this mark of Wessex. Thanks
  12. Yes, I know. What I should have made clear is that I will be taking Casey's colour and then adding/subtracting to reach the final 633, or thereabouts. That way I can get into the rough area without having to start from scratch and using the Xtracolor I will refine it and make a note of the final mix so that I can reproduce it again if I ever need to mix up another batch. I will be using acrylics as working with enamels is proving to be a nuisance, messy, smelly and it takes too long to cure.
  13. Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to get an Xtracolor tin from Hannants just to use as a standard. I will then use Casey's recipe as a basis to get me near to the final colour and mix and match until I work out what it needs to be. I agree with wellsprop. Buying things from EU countries is now a bit of a problem what with customs and excise declarations and all the convoluted steps you now have to take, so I'll give it a miss. I think that I can get near enough to the colour I need , and after all what a/c was ever the "right" colour after a few months on active service? There is another question I need to pose but I will start another thread for that as I think that this one has now reached its end. Thanks for all the help.
  14. Again thanks for all the information. I think, given all the problems I have getting Royal Mail to deliver stuff, that I will get a tin of the Hataka Blue-grey, if I can get it given that the UK is out of the customs union and getting things from the EU can be tricky. I'll use it as as a standard so that I can take Casey's recipe and fiddle around with Tamiya paint until I get a match. That way I will always be able to knock something up if I ever need it again and I will not have to fight customs and excise. That would appear to sort this little problem out but it's a shame that my copy of BS381C is quite new and doesn't have 633.
  15. Thanks for all the information. It looks like I will give the Sovereign Hobbies one a go. I would have preferred to use an acrylic as I find them a lot easier and less messy to use in my airbrush but getting the right colour is more important. Personally I can't seem to get on with the Xtracolor range and it's a shame they don't do a Xtracrylic one as I find them excellent. So looking at the price a couple of Sovereign ones may be winging my way shortly. Oh, Royal Mail. They don't like delivering to the Isle of Wight for some reason and getting stuff online is turning into a real pain. They say that the Island is treated the same as anywhere else in the UK but it doesn't seem to be true and that does mean that the price of carriage of some items is not viable for a lot of stuff. i.e £9.50 postage for an item costing £7.25. So Jamie@sovereignhobbies would you be able to post these paints to me if I order them?
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