DavidJ

Oxford had a diecast Scammell (currently out of production) in British Army livery, specifically an Airborne Division RASC company (all Oxford vehicles are supposed to be based on real vehicles but some are clearly based on inaccurate restored vehicles). It has been suggested that these vehicles were used at secret underground munition stores. Cheers David

Dan Taylor has a set of etched steering wheels that go a long way towards addressing the issue that Al outlined above. By the way, Al's figures are superb. The only problem is that there aren't enough of them Cheers David

I don't think that it is out of the question with Toxso, ModelCollect and Zvezda all releasing and/or planning missiles and launchers. Perhaps an email or two to one ore more of these companies might sow the seeds

Ian Are you aware that ModelCollect will be releasing 1/72 injection moulded kits of the T-14, S-300 and other interesting Soviet/Russian subjects? http://www.modelcollect.com/ Cheers David

Thomas Domingo Hernandez has a build review of the W-Model '9K3 OSA/SA-8 Gecko' in the November 2014 issue of Military Modelcraft International. It is a positive review and you can see the article on W-Model's website: http://www.wmodelkits.com/wb01 It is an interesting vehicle and I think the model captures the appearance of the real thing very well. I would be happy to buy a W-Model 'Gecko' on the basis of Domingo's article. The price of €50 is probably fair but I will have to reduce my backlog of kits before I can justify spending that amount on another kit. Cheers David

I'm pretty sure that there was a comprehensive and very favourable review in one of the modelling magazines. I will see what I can find. Cheers David

Cliff I have the instructions for the turret-less M3 APC if that will help. Cheers David

"Taking the rough with the smooth; the AEC Matador story" by Steve Richards is a good starting point: http://www.aecmatadors.co.uk/ As for scale plans, the old Airfix Magazine Guides and Bellona Military Vehicle Data booklets have 1/76 scale plans of different Matador versions. Finally Geoff Lacey's 1/76 scale plans have most of the Matador and AEC 0854 versions. You can buy Geoff's plans through Dan Taylor. Send him an email to obtain a list of Geoff's plans: http://www.dantaylormodelworks.com/ Cheers David

I haven't started my OSA-1 yet as I have been waiting for a review that may help me to avoid any pitfalls. That review has now appeared in the June issue of Airfix Model World David Fisher documents his out of the box build and he has several tips that will help construction to go smoothly. In particular, he mentions the need to drill locating holes, and particularly on the rear port missile housing. He also outlines the complexity of the PE components and gives the sizes for rod around which to form cylindrical components. David also suggests a construction and painting sequence that seems to work well. David's build review is very positive and I'll quote from his concluding remarks, "This was a wonderful kit straight out of the box, and suffered from no major vices to trip-up the unwary beginner; in fact this would be a perfect test-bed with which to explore PE for the first time. And for the super-detailing fraternity, the embellishment possibilities are endless." His model looks great and has set a benchmark for me. Interestingly, a Merit advertisement in the magazine shows that an OSA-2 missile boat has now been released. Cheers David

Matador Models bought some of the BW Models range. Their first releases are available in the Post-War British (PWB) range: http://www.matadormodels.co.uk/new_kits.htm The Hobby Den also bought some of the BW Models range and they have released the Bofors L70, SAS Austin Champ and WMIK, Series 2 and CAV 100 Landrovers: www.ThehobbyDen.com Cheers David

Dave Because of the limitations of small scale modelling, the doors, cabins, armour, etc of AFVs and softskins are thicker than they should be and interior dimensions are accordingly smaller than they should be. Consequently, nominally 1/72 figures may not fit in 1/72 AFVs or softskins but 1/76 figures may fit quite well without appearing to be too small. However, even 1/76 figures may require a little surgery for a good fit. Have a look at Tom Neate's website to see some examples of what can be done with 1/72 and 1/76 figures: http://www.neatescale.co.uk/crewfigures.html Cheers David

I'm not sure about LCAs but Tito's partisans were provided with several Ramped Cargo Lighters (RCLs) http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&p=1683478 Cheers David

David Geoff Lacey has 1/76 scale plans of the Bedford QLC 3 ton 4x4 RAF 950 gallon Petrol Tanker. Geoff's plans are available through Dan Taylor Modelworks and an email to Dan will get you the catalogue. The email address is info@dantaylormodelworks.com Cheers David

Postimage.org is an alternative to Photobucket that is very easy to use and doesn't have the annoying ads and even more annoying site unstability. Cheers David

Peter HMAS Kanimbla's LCVPs probably matched the camouflage of Kanimbla. Are there any photographs of Kanimbla that show camouflage patterns and how the patterns are applied on and around the LCVPs? I think that the RAN may have tapped into the US supply chain and vessels could have used USN paint stocks. Cheers David

I reckon the halftrack parked between the Dingo and the QLD(?) GS truck could be an M14 with the Maxson turret removed. The rear plate and tilt arrangement suggest an M14. All M14s had winches so the halftrack shown in the front view could be an M14 or an M5, M5A1 or M9A1 (unlike the M2, the M9A1 stowage lockers had internal access). What a great collection of vehicles! I wasn't aware that the AECs soldiered on for so long. I suppose they were well suited to the Canal Zone landscape. Cheers David

Rick Cromwells were painted SCC15, the UK equivalent to the USA Olive Drab. With Tamiya acrylics, a mix of 5 parts XF81 + 1 part XF58 + 1 part XF71 should be pretty close to SCC15. If you use Vallejo acrylics, a 1:1 mix of 924 and 888 will do the job.. Cheers David

I've made several Airfix Cromwells, both out of the box and with Dan Taylor Modelworks upgrades, and they have all gone together like clockwork. I can't think what went wrong with yours Rick It's bad luck that you had such bad experience with what should be a relatively simple build. I hope your Spitfire works well. Cheers David

Paul Mike Starmer doesn't have a website but you can order from him by email and PayPal. I'm pretty sure that Mike's current email address is mikestarmer18@gmail.com and the sheet you're after is #29 'British Commonwealth and Allied Formation Signs'. Aleran Decals also have Canadian markings in sheet UK07-D 'Commonwealth Unit Markings (Set 2) - Canadian, Indian & S.African'. You can order Aleran Decals from Milicast - http://www.milicast.com/ Cheers David

Oxford diecast vehicles are supposed to be based on real vehicles but it could be post War or even an incorrectly restored preserved vehicle. As with "Taking the Rough with the Smooth", Les Freathy's book has Matadors in use by the Army and RAF, but not RN. The RN had relatively few vehicles but they did have various Bedfords, Austins and Fords. Apart from the early part of the War, RN vehicles would have had the same camouflage as Army and RAF vehicles and it is unlikely that they would have had blue vehicles. Cheers David

Thanks for that tip. I did find an account of Indian Navy Osas attacking Karachi during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 but haven't managed to find useful images of the boats yet. I'll broaden my search. Crew figures are going to be a problem unless I can modify some Preiser figures. Cheers David

Well, I couldn't resist and walked away from my local hobby shop with a very large box . . . and a much lighter wallet. The Osa looks pretty good in the box, crisp mouldings, no flash and logical parts breakdown and construction sequence. There are two etched frets (for the radar, etc), a small length of fine chain, wire, and metal tubes for the prop shafts. There are also some puzzles such as drilling holes in the hull for scuttles but, as far as I can tell, no instructions for fitting transparencies. Apart from an inbox review by Robin Buckland in "Military Modelling", I haven't managed to find any detailed online reviews or accounts of building the kit. I also haven't seen much reference material. Has anyone else started building an Osa? Cheers David

The Austin K2 ambulance is available in 1/35 scale. I believe it is by Accurate Armour. However, the K2 (or Katey) wasn't used by the RAF. Cheers David

Trumpeter had a 1/72 OSA-1 at the Nuremberg Toy and Hobby Fair. It is suggested that it will be the first of a series. I know that the development of a plastic kit takes a lot of time but it's a shame that Trumpeter and Merit have both released the same vessel when there are so many other 1/72 subjects.

That's the one John!