1/48th Airfix Bedford MWD

[John]

Pressure of work has meant that I haven't been able to get much modelling done at all over the last 4 or 5 months, but the arrival of this little gem of a kit has had me clearing some time to work on it.

The box top and rough sprue shots can be found in this thread:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234977507-airfix-148-bedford-mwd-light-truck-now-with-added-sprue-shots/#entry1916358

so the main item on the agenda, first of all, is which version to build?

I fancy the early Army version, particularly as I'd like to try my hand at the G3/G4 paint scheme, whereas the later RAF version fits more into my usual interests and I have a pot of SCC2 mixed against Mike Starmer's colour chip that I'm keen to try on a model. Which one first - decisions, decisions.

Early Army version, I think. The multi-colour camouflage sealed it.

John

[Harfoot]

Great I want to see this one being made

[Stesca]

Look forward to this one.

[John]

First things first - cutting out and cleaning up the chassis. Sprue attachment points are quite fine and sensibly located, although the ones on the front mudguards and the bar in front of the radiator do need to be treated with care:

John

[John]

Work continues:

Firstly, the basic engine block awaits some cleanup:

This is dressed with a number of detail parts as construction continues.

It's simply sitting in the chassis at this point, as the block and the chassis will be painted different colours. The fuel tank tops have also been fixed in place:

The suspension springs fit very positively:

Moving on to the cab, this is the floor with gear stick and other accessories attached:

and this is the front with the steering column and pedals:

You'll need tweezers to get those pedals in.

Finally, a comparison of the early cab with provision for 2 small individual windscreens and the later with one large windscreen:

John

[bigbadbadge]

This looks nice, will watch with interest.

All the best
Chris

[John]

A bit more progress. First, some ejection pin hunting:

There aren't many in conspicuous places, the most noticeable are probably these on the underside of the early version canvas cab roof. They aren't deep and were dealt with using a small amount of correcting fluid.

Next job was to start putting some colour on, firstly Metallic Grey on the exhaust pipe:

Next I needed a reasonable match for G3 Khaki Green. I'm not much of a vehicle modeller but I am a colour freak and I have all of Mike Starmer's British Army camouflage booklets. G3 seems to have been a olive shade tending towards brown. Mike has a mix using Revell enamels, but I decided to compromise with an out of the pot solution. Airfix recommend 86 Light Olive but my impression was that this would be a bit too green. I therefor pulled out a pot of Revell 86 Olive Brown, which sits towards the brown end of the olive drab/brown spectrum, and used this to give the assembled parts a thin coat to act as a primer:

Another couple of thin coats should build up a nice solid finish. I do like Revell acrylics.

John

[John]

A bit more painting and come construction:

Some of the paint looks a bit glossy as it was still wet when the photos were taken. The Revell acrylic dries to a satisfyingly matt finish.

If you plan on an open bonnet, it's worth filling these ejection pin parks at the end of the bulkhead, otherwise they can be left. I've used a dab of correction fluid and a gentle sand down on these:

Going to need a repaint!

Some alternative parts -open and closed bonnet and tailgate:

Early and later pattern bonnet sides:

There are masses of options in this little kit.

John

[Stesca]

Very nice John, some nice finishing.

[Harfoot]

Coming along nicely by the looks of it

[John]

Thanks for the interest.

Engine bulkhead repainted:

Body attached. The tilt is painted Tamiya Buff in several thin coats washed over the blotchy olive undercoat. Still needs some work though:

John

[John]

Beginning to roughly block in the disruptive camouflage with Humbrol 116:

The flash is making the colours harsher than they are in real life. I'll get some daylight photos at the weekend.

John

[Killingholme]

Interesting to see this kit coming together. Thanks for posting. Looks neat.

I'm surprised Airfix didn't put a German marking option on the decal sheet to really extend the potential market for this kit. Maybe that's for a future release...

Will

[John]

Some time spent this evening touching up the paintwork:

It really is a dinky little model:

A touch more than 3 1/2 inches long.

John

[Killingholme]

wow it's tiny!

Just wonder if a little difference in colour in the dark green no.4 where it passes over the tilt? Just to depict the different reflective properties of the two base materials?

Will

[John]

Yeah, I need to do some work on the canvas parts once I've got the basic pattern to where I'm happy with it. The cab doors are also canvas on this version, as well as the parts in these photos.

John

[John]

Bonnet fitted and more paintwork done:

The fit of the bonnet seems to suffer a bit on the nearside, I think the little plinth moulded inside the engine compartment to hold the support strut of the open bonnet option might be interfering just a touch. However it isn't a big job to tidy the join up.

The canvas parts have been given a very thin wash of Humbrol 237 Light Stone thinned with water, which lightens the 116 to give a nice contrast with the straight colour on the bodywork.

I added some 116 to the thinned 237 and shaded in the reverse of the camouflage pattern on the canvas cab roof, and also with the canvas doors. A bit of tidying up is still needed here:

Finally, the tyres painted Humbrol 32. If you're careful you can snip them off the main sprue still attached by the flats moulded on the bottom of the tyre, which makes it easier for painting:

More soon.

John

[John]

On reflection I wasn't too happy about the bonnet fit so I popped it back off and carved away some of the plastic on this part:

That seemed to do the trick and the fit is now fine.

I don't know if the same problem will arise on using the late-type part but forewarned...!

John

[Stesca]

Very impressed with this one John.

[John]

Thanks! :-)

With my first build progressing nicely - when I can get time to do any work on it! - I've decided to make a start on another. The vehicle I fancy building is this one:

http://ww2today.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Rhodesian-troops-of-the-60th-Kings-Royal-Rifles.jpg

This contrasts nicely with my fully buttoned up first model. Looking at the photo I’m guessing this is a vehicle originally finished in G3 then overpainted in theatre with Light Stone, there certainly appears to be patches of a darker colour on the mudguard and the chipped areas look quite dark too. In any event, pending any other thoughts on the colours, that’s what I’m going to go for.

I’m planning to do the late pattern model in RAF colours from the kit next, which should give me a nicely balanced trio of models.

The first job on the agenda is to source a suitable Light Stone. It's important to note that BS381(1930) 61 Light Stone isn't the same colour as BS381c 361 Light Stone. The modern colour seems to owe something to the WW2 shade Middle Stone than the earlier Light Stone, which is lighter and more yellow.

Mike Starmer recommends 74 Linen and 26 Khaki in the ratio of 8:1, which I mixed up some time back:

The little bowser is cobbled together from parts in the RAF Bomber Support Set - waste not, want not! I also have the Trackpads Light Stone acrylic, but I want to do this one in enamels so I can be a bit more aggresive with wear and tear.

John

[John]

A bit more progress :

Bonnet tidied up and smaller parts like seats and steps added:

Meanwhile, homebrewed Light Stone gets applied to the Western Desert example coming along next:

John

[Stesca]

Lovely stuff, really like this, such nice detail in such a small model.

[John]

Thank you.

A point to note about the wheels in the photo above - in common with many of the new generation Airfix kits tolerances are extremely tight and the thickness of a coat of paint can affect fit. The hubs are a very tight fit into the tyres, and there needs to be some gentle sanding of both the hub and the inside rim of the tyre to get everything to sit properly. Dry fitting is problematic if you don't do this, you could get stuck with the tyre half way on and not willing to budge in either direction - guess how I found that out!

The other point to note is that the tyres are moulded with very subtle flats which have to be lined up by eye.

John

[John]

Some preparation for model number 3!

I brewed a batch of SCC2 to Mike Starmer's Humbrol recipe when the Airfix Bomber Resupply Set came out but I haven't used it as yet. It was disinterred from the paint box and a sample brushed out on the bed of the third kit, which will be finished as the RAF option in the box. I was primarily wanting to know if it was still usable!

It was, and produces a darker and richer brown than the recommended 29 Dark Earth. It isn't completely dry in this photo, hence the variation in sheen. Once dry it's dead matt.

John

[John]

Wheels on and awaiting a tidy up of the paintwork. Just the cab details to sort out and that will be the first one finished.

John