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I'd like to build an AEC Mandator Mk.V aircraft refueller in RN service but I cannot seem to find a source of plans or dimensions. Can anyone here help please? I've googled and seen a few books on the AEC Mandator but there's no evidence that they contain any plans or dimensions. Did any issues of the Tankette, AFV News, Belona or Military Modelling mags etc. have these details? cheers Mike

Good day, colleagues. Heat(in Moscow +35C) - it's time to finish one of England's desert armored vehicles - AEC Armored Car Mk.I A car based on the AEC Matador truck, with a Valentine turret. They were mainly used during battles in Africa and Egypt. It's hard to say anything about the model itself. Just Miniart. Brittle plastic, joining of some parts gives a separate "pleasure" The only thing that really pleased me was the wheels. So pleased that I gave up buying epoxy. The assembly itself is out of the box, a couple of nuances have been improved, the main of which is the Headlight on the tower, "forgotten" by the Miniart. Guys - Miniart, Masterbox Some stuff - Miniart and a little "scratch" Coloring - AKAN. Oil & Pigments - Jimenez & Co. Thank you all for your attention, enjoy your viewing.

Good day, comrades!) A couple of days ago, I started building the AEC MK.I am from MiniArt and as soon as I approached the interior painting, the question immediately arose. MiniArt on the instructions suggests the interior color is white and the engine color is black. Do you guys have any information about the correct AEC interior color?

Aircraft in Miniature is currebtly designing a AEC Mandator, Blue Steel Transporter, 1/72nd 1/144th (and 1/48th?) resin kit for release in 2015. Source: http://www.aim72.co.uk/page130.html V.P.

AEC 'Matador' Early, Model (0)853 Kit: AFV Club (AF35236) Started: Tuesday 12th January 2016 The Associated Equipment Company (AEC) also produced: AEC Armoured Cars Mk's I, II & III Armoured Command Vehicles All are covered by either AFV Club or MiniArt Way back in April 2014, Terry Ashley on the PMMS website highlighted all the major issues with this kit which are mostly Parts Numbering Errors! For all those of a sensitive disposition: No Tracks or Track-links will be harmed during the making of this model However, we may get a little Tyred! Section 1 refered to as 'A' and the start of another new kit. No Engine in the kit but at least the sump can be seen underneath. Half-way through Section 3 and the chassis need to be jigged up so, I've dug out my Picador Milling Blocks. It should be noted here that this kit has a degree of Sprue 'flash' and is of a brittle type of plastic. Almost certainly there will be a bit more clean-up involved - which is something I hadn't expected! There are also sink holes and injection pin marks as well as some lumps of excess plastic, all of which will need attention so have your filler too hand during construction. Next Time: the remaining Chassis & Suspension Units

AEC Matador AFV Club 1:35 History The AEC Matador was an artillery tractor built by the Associated Equipment Company for British and Commonwealth forces during the Second World War. The Matador was distinctive with its flat fronted cab with gently curved roof, wheels at the corners and a flat load carrying area covered by a canvas or tarpaulin tilt. The cab was made from ash and clad in steel. It was equipped with a winch (7-ton load in its case) like all artillery tractors. About 9,000 Matadors were built, some going to the Royal Air Force (RAF). For the British Army it fulfilled a role between field artillery tractors (FATs) such as the Morris C8 Quad, which towed smaller guns such as the 25-pounder gun-howitzer, and the Scammell Pioneer, used for towing the 7.2-inch howitzer. It was commonly used to tow the 5.5-inch medium gun and the QF 3.7-inch AA gun. The Matador was found to be a generally useful vehicle and was adapted for other roles including carrying a 25-pounder gun.The Canadian Army also used the Matador during the Second World War. The RAF used Matadors in the flat bed form for load carrying. The 6-wheeler Matador Type A was used as a refueling tanker, capable of carrying 2,500 Imperial gallons of fuel and also for towing ashore Short Sunderland flying boats at their stations. In 1942/43 for the North African campaign some Matadors mounted the 6-pounder anti-tank gun to give the AEC Mk1 Gun Carrier "Deacon". Post war the Matador was found in civilian use as a recovery truck, a showman’s vehicle, and general contractor use. It was also useful for forestry work because of its good off-road performance for which some examples are still in use today. The Model This kit has been out for a little while now but is no less welcome here, and comes in the rather stark looking box that AFV Club have become known for, with an artistic impression of the vehicle on the front. Inside there are twelve sprues of dark yellow/caramel coloured styrene, two of clear, a small etched brass fret, a small decal sheet and a length of plastic wire. The moulding of the parts is very clean, with no sign of flash or other imperfections, but with quite a lot of moulding pips, particularly on the small parts, of which there are plenty, and will require some care when removing and cleaning up. The instructions aren’t the clearest I’ve seen and since there are quite a few parts this is a case where you definitely need to read them first and work out exactly what goes where. As with most truck kits, the build begins with the engine, only fortunately this kit only comes with the lower sump area to which the eleven piece gearbox is attached. Before work can begin on the chassis, the winch is built up. This consists of a two piece drum, to which the plastic wire is wound. To the drum the six piece motor is attached. The two chassis rails are then joined together by six crossbeams, the engine/gearbox, and the winch. To the rear of the chassis the three suspension arms are attached, each arm made up of three to five pieces. Three cable wheels are assembled from upper and lower hubs and attached to the rear cross-member followed by two cable rollers, one at the winch and one two thirds along the chassis. At the rear, a third roller is fitted and the winch cable threaded through this and the cable wheels, and then terminated with a hook. The air cylinder is assembled from seven parts including the accumulator bulb. This is mounted on the left hand chassis rail, whilst on the right hand rail the five piece fuel tank is fitted with its two cradles. The four leaf spring assemblies are glued into position, along with the front and rear compression springs onto which the two hooks are fitted. Still with the chassis, the rear differentials is assembled from four parts, if you include the universal joint, and fitted to the rear leaf springs. The front differential is slightly more complicated as it includes the two drive shafts, slid through the two ball joints before being attached to the front leaf springs. Along with the anti roll links and steering rack. The transfer case is made up of three parts to which the front and rear universal joints attached, then fitted to the centre of the chassis. The front and rear differentials are then joined to the transfer box by two driveshafts. The exhaust is fitted next and is made up of a two part silencer with the long pipe leading to the engine and the short pipe angled into the chassis. Each of the four wheels are built up from the single piece hub, onto which the rubber tyre is fitted, followed by a three piece brake drum for the rears and a two piece drum for the fronts. The wheels are finished off with the fitting of the hub centre. The chassis is finished off with the fitting of the two piece headlights to the front of the two rails, for which the modeller can chose whether to fit the clear lens of the styrene hood. Moving onto the truck bed, the large moulded bed section is fitted on the underside with five cross-beams, each of which is fitted with four strengthening “L” shaped channels. Keeping to the underside, the pioneer toold are attached, along with the end beam and two angled plated at the rear. The side panels are each fitted with a footstep, grab handle, and eighteen tilt brackets. The spare wheel is also assembled at this point, and consists of the rubber tyre plus the single piece rim. Three storage boxes, each of two parts are also fitted to the underside of the bed, along with the Jerry can rack, which is made up of six parts, and loaded with two, five part cans. The rear wheelarches are also attached to the underside, aqlong with their associated support brackets and mudguards. Turning the bed over the two side panels are attached, with the right hand panel fitted with the spare wheel. Each of the two batteries are made up from two parts, joined together by the battery cables and fitted in the forward bench mount. Whilst this is a nice touch and could be useful for a diorama scenario, once the associated benh seat fitted, the batteries cannot be seen at all. They could be left out and put in the spares box as I’m sure they will come in useful one day. The bench seat are each made up of the frame, which includes the backrests and two part seat. There are two outrigger seats that can be attached to the main seats or folded out of the way and are made up in the same fashion as the main seats. The rear flap of the bed is fitted with two lengths of cable, (made from the plastic wire provided), which are kept to the board by three straps. The single piece front board is moulded with a window opening, for which a rolled up screen is fitted. The tilt roof is then fitted with twelve vertical stays. The right hand middle stays are then fitted with the rifle rack, made up of the beam and ten eyes. AFV Club have been quite clever with the tilt, in that you can either have the individual side flaps depicted rolled up or lowered, complete with clear “windows” on the mid, and front flaps. This is put to one side to dry properly as we move onto the cab assembly. The cab assembly begins with the interior floor, which includes the engine covers. To this, the brake, clutch and accelerator pedals and fitted, along with the steering column, steering wheel, hand brake and gear column. The drivers seat is then made up from the under seat storage box, seat base, two piece frame, squab base and squab, it even comes with a small handle to raise or lower the seat, well, it would if it was real. With the seat in position, there are a number of fittings attached to the rear bulkhead, along with an electrical box, winch controls and sliding doors for the rear window. The co-drivers seat is much simpler and consists of a base that’s shaped to fit over the wheelarch, and seat pad. Under this seat is a large air filter unit. The underside of the cab floor is then fitted with the two wheelarches and their associated support brackets. The interior of the cab front is fitted with the instrument binnacle, door support brackets, and electrical coil like unit. The quaterlights are then fitted, along with the optionally positioned front air vents. The two windscreen panels are also optionally positioned, either r open or closed and have support arms for use when opened. Each panel is also fitted with a windscreen wiper motor on the inside and the associated windscreen wipers on the outside. The cab front, (ensure you use the right one as there are two in the kit, each for different build periods), is then attached to the main cab assembly and finished off with the roof. The radiator front is then attached to the front and detailed with PE grilles and a filler cap. The sidelights and indicators are then fitted each side of the cab, whilst here is a platform with two supports fitted to the right hand side front. Each door is assembled from one styrene and one clear part, with an optional clear part if the model is to be displayed with the side windows lowered. The doors are then fitted to the cab, either opened or closed, with the cab finished off with the two wing mirrors. The cab and tilt assemblies are then attached to the chassis assembly completing the build. Decals The small decal sheet has markings for four vehicles, three in various variants of khaki and dark earth camouflage and one in Luftwaffe use in a German Grey scheme. The decals include stencils for around the vehicle as well as unit markings for 79th (The Scottish Horse) Medium Regiment, Scotland May 1941, and one from an unknown unit from 1940. Conclusion It’s great to see a kit of this vehicle in production, alongside it’s mid-production brother kit. As is their want, AFV Clubs tuck kits are really well detailed and quite complex to build, but with a little effort and concentration they can turn out to be stunning models. All we need now is for someone to release a nice 5.5” gun to go with it, or a conversion set for the Deacon 6 Pounder vehicle. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

Are there any books or other publications which have plans and dimensions of the different types that can be built using the basic AEC Matador? I'm interested in doing some conversions; to crane/recovery, fuellers and possibly civilian types etc. and could do with a 'difinitive source'. Any helpful guidelines on this would be gratefully appreciated. cheers Mike

AEC Matador, pics thanks to Rich Ellis.

AEC Mk111 Armoured Car 1:35 MiniArt MiniArt have just released the final version of the AEC armoured car and as with the Mk1 and Mk11 it contains mostly the same sprues, so MiniArt are really getting their monies worth out of the moulds, and who could blames them. As with the Mk1 review HERE this review will concentrate on the differences. The differences between this kit and the other versions are very small and concern only the turret, which is the same type as used in the Mk11 but this time fitted with the 75mm gun as used in a number of British tanks. Of course the ammunition racks in the turret basket are altered to fit the larger rounds, but that’s about the only difference inside. Externally the addition of the twin Vickers machine gun mount to the top of the turret is the only difference. As per the other versions the kit comes in a top opening box with an artists impression of the vehicle on the lid. Even though the box is quite deep it is full of styrene, each sprue within individual bags and all contained in one large poly bag. The sprues are still in the medium grey styrene. All the parts are well moulded and with out a hint of flash, but quite a few moulding pips. The Model The hull and turret are of the same design as the Mk11, and the interior details appear to be very much the same with the exception of some storage bins and equipment around the fighting compartment. The main difference in this version is the gun. The build begins with the construction of the gun breech with its large recuperator which is fitted through the mantlet and the elevating assembly. To the breech the two piece breech block is attached, followed by the gun sights and two piece cartridge catcher. To the right hand side the BESA machine gun breech is fitted and once the numerous PE bolt heads, gun firing controls and turret training motor assembly have been fitted to the turret halves the turret can be fitted around the gun/mantlet assembly. The turret roof is next for attention, with the two optical sights and their covers, PE aerial mounting base, mount and styrene fitting, a PE cooling vent cover for the rear of the turret roof, several other smaller fittings and finally the two piece turret hatch. The radio is the same as the previous kit and is fitted to the rear of the turret ring. With the drivers compartment hatch fitted to the upper hull deck the turret is fitted into position and locked in place by the lower turret ring. On the outside of the turret three storage containers are fitted to the rear, whilst at the front the machine and main gun barrels are attached. The turret basket is then assembled. This begins with the fitting of the commanders seat and upper segment of the inner cartridge rack to the basket floor. The circular upper segment for the main cartridge rack that runs around the entire turret basket is fitted with two L shaped supports and the racks filled with 2pdr shells in their containers. The spent cartridge container and the four BESA ammunition boxes are the glued to the basket floor, and yes it does look a bit cramped in their now. The completed basket assembly is then fitted to the lower turret ring and the whole turret/hull decking assembly fitted to the lower hull. The two Vickers machine guns are single piece guns which have the circular ammunition drums attached to the top and a spent cartridge case chute to one side. The mounting consists of a central tubular piece to which the guns are attached, with a support beam added between the breeches. The pintle mounting is then fitted with a ratchet mechanism and then fixed to the lower mounting tube. The completed assembly is then attached to the top of the turret roof between the hatches. Also differing from the other two releases is the welcome inclusion of a driver figure with separate arms, legs, head and beret Decals The small decal sheet gives options for three vehicles, all in overall olive drab colour scheme. The decals include the vehicle identification numbers unit badges and large stars of two different styles for the vehicles used overseas:- • Royal Armoured Gunnery School, Lulworth Camp, Dorset, 1944 • Heavy Troop, D Squadron, 2nd Household Regiment, VIII Corps, Normandy, June 1944 • 1st Kings Dragoon Guards, XII Corps, 2nd British Army, North-Western Europe, Spring 1945 Conclusion As with the other versions of the AEC armoured car from MiniArt this is a superb kit with everything a superdetailer would wish for all included. From a couple of completed examples I’ve seen they are quite complex to build but make for a fantastic looking model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

AEC Mk1 Armoured Car 1:35 MiniArt MiniArt have just released this earlier version of the AEC armoured car and it does contain a lot of the same sprues as the MkII so rather than repeat what was written in our review HERE this review will concentrate on the differences. Naturally these are mainly concerned with a different smaller turret with the smaller gun, but there are quite a few external and internal changes between the two vehicles. The Mk1 used a Valentine MkII turret which carried a 2pdr gun. 129 AEC MkIs were built and apart from the 2pdr the turret was also fitted with a 7.92 BESA co-axial machine gun. It appears that they were mainly used in areas of North Africa such as Egypt, Libya and also in Syria. The kit comes in a deep top opening box which is not as sturdy as some, but should still give good protection if kept in the stash for a while. Inside are twelve sprues of medium grey styrene, four separate grey styrene tyres, one of clear styrene and a small sheet of etched brass. Quality is the same as the MkII kit with good detail, no flash but still with the multitude of moulding pips probably due to manufacturing limitations. It's good to see that MiniArt haven't just rested on their laurels by regurgitating the same kit with just a different turret. Whilst the internal details don't seem to have changed too much the hull is of the correct shape and is quite a bit different at the front end, matching that of the real vehicle. Of course the turret sprue is also new as are the internal turret details, even the slightly awkward stage of having to cut the cartridge case to size is eliminated. The Model As stated above the hull is of a slightly different design, but the interior details appear to be very much the same with the exception of some storage bins and equipment around the fighting compartment. The main difference in this version is the turret and basket. The build begins with the construction of the gun breech with it's three recuperators which is fitted through the mantlet and the elevating assembly. To the breech the two piece breech block is attached, followed by the gun sights and two piece cartridge catcher. To the right hand side the BESA machine gun breech is fitted and once the numerous PE bolt heads, gun firing controls and turret training motor assembly have been fitted to the turret halves the turret can be fitted around the gun/mantlet assembly. The turret roof is next for attention, with the two optical sights and their covers, PE aerial mounting base, mount and styrene fitting, a PE cooling vent cover for the rear of the turret roof, several other smaller fittings and finally the two piece turret hatch. The radio is the same as the previous kit and is fitted to the rear of the turret ring. With the drivers compartment hatch fitted to the upper hull deck the turret is fitted into position and locked in place by the lower turret ring. If carefully glued this will allow the turret to be poseable. On the outside of the turret three storage containers are fitted to the rear, whilst at the front the machine and main gun barrels are attached. The turret basket is then assembled. This begins with the fitting of the commanders seat and upper segment of the inner cartridge rack to the basket floor. The circular upper segment for the main cartridge rack that runs around the entire turret basket is fitted with two L shaped supports and the racks filled with 2pdr shells in their containers. The spent cartridge container and the four BESA ammunition boxes are the glued to the basket floor, and yes it does look a bit cramped in their now. The completed basket assembly is then fitted to the lower turret ring and the whole turret/hull decking assembly fitted to the lower hull. Apart from the turret and front hull, the main visual differences with this mark is the large storage boxes fitted on both sides between the wheels. To each of these the very important sand channels are fitted and held on by PE straps. On each of the rear mudguards two PE brackets are folded to shape and each has a three piece water/fuel can inserted. The mudguard assemblies are then fitted to the hull, with the forward ones fitted out with lights, mirrors and towing eyes. Lastly the engine hatches are attached and the four shackles fitted to the towing eyes with separate shackle pins. Decals The small decal sheet gives options for three vehicles, all of unknown units, unfortunately. The decals include just the vehicle identification numbers and are for the following:- Syria 1943 in an attractive sand and earth brown scheme Egypt December 1942 in overall field green Libya1942 in overall sand. Conclusion This is another super kit from MiniArt and brings yet another lesser know military vehicle to the mainstream modelling community. With the parts being significantly different the completed model will make a very nice companion to the previously released MkII. Although not for the inexperienced modeller I can highly recommend this kit to those who either love these types of vehicles or would like something different in their collection. Review sample courtesy of

AEC Mk.II ARMOURED CAR MiniArt 1:35 History The AEC (Associated Equipment Company), based in Southall, Middlesex was best known for its production of trucks, such as the Matador. Their series of heavy armoured cars built during the Second World War. The prototype was in fact a private enterprise and was demonstrated at Horse Guards Parade in early 1941. Winston Churchill was so impressed with the vehicle that an initial order was placed in June of that year. AEC tried to build an armoured car with firepower and protection comparable to those of contemporary tanks. The first version carried a Valentine Mk II turret with 2 pounder gun. Subsequent versions received more powerful armament - a 6 pounder or a 75 mm gun. The vehicle also carried two machine guns, smoke grenades discharger and No. 19 radio set. The MkII was powered by a 158hp diesel engine giving the vehicle a top speed of 40mph and a range of 210 miles. Due to the large gun fitted in the MkII it was found that a fourth crewmember was required. The MkII weighed in at 11 tons whilst the Mark III with the 75mm gun fitted came in at 12.7 tons. AEC Mk II and Mk III armoured cars were used in North Africa and throughout continental Europe. Production of all marks of AEC armoured car ceased after 629 had been produced. The Mk II / Mk III took part in the fighting in Europe with British and British Indian Army units. In 1944, a batch of AEC armoured cars were sent to Yugoslavia for use by partisans, where they were used for more than 10 years. Following WWII, the AEC remained in British service until replaced by the Saladin, while the Lebanese army continued to use them until 1976. The Model The kit comes in quite a deep, rather plain box, with an artists representation of the armoured car in Yugoslav colours. On opening, it is a little startling to see so many parts on the sprues, which are all contained in one large bag. There are six sprues of grey styrene, an number of which are sub divided, so that if counted separately there are nineteen sprues. Also included are four slide moulded outer tyres which are really nicely done, giving a good representation of the tread without leaving any seam on the outside of the tyre. In addition to the grey styrene there is a single clear styrene sprue, a small sheet of etched brass and a small decal sheet. The A4 portrait instruction booklet is more like a softback book than a set of instructions. The diagrams and exploded views are well drawn and clear, although with the number of parts it’s a good idea to read carefully to understand where each part is positioned. The reason there are so many parts, (531 styrene and 44 photo etched), in this kit is that it comes with a full interior, for the drivers position, engine bay, turret and the revolving turret cage. All the parts are really well moulded, with no sign of flash, but quite a few moulding pips. The sprue gates aren’t too bad overall, but on some of the smaller parts they look like they will need to be cut carefully from the sprue to prevent damage. Since the kit includes the full interior it is natural that it is here that construction starts. The ammunition storage bins for the centre floor are first of all filled with cartridges. For this each cartridge needs to be cut down so that only the base is fitted to each hole in the bins. The filled bins are then attached to the floor along with a storage box. Next, the fuel, water and oil tanks are assembled and attached to the port side of the vehicle, which has a number of plates and brackets fitted externally. To the starboard side, a couple of electrical boxes are fitted to the inside, whilst the hatch and similar plates as those fitted to the port side are also attached. The rear fighting compartment bulkhead is fitted with what looks like a header tank on the engine bay side and several brackets, clamps, storage boxes are fitted to the fighting compartment side. The two air filters, with their associated pipe joining them together are then attached to the upper part of the bulkhead. Just below the pipe an electrical box is also fitted. In the drivers compartment the rather complex seat is assembled out of the squab frame, base and four crossed frames, (allowing the real seat to be raised or lowered). The completed seat frame is then fixed to the compartment floor, along with two levers just to the right of the seat. The seat squab, backrest and supporting arms are then fitted to the seat frame whilst the steering wheel is assembled to the steering column and the steering gearbox housing, before being fitted to the floor. The drivers compartment, fighting compartment floors and rear bulkhead are then all fitted to the port side. The drivers front bulkhead panel is then attached, and to this the clutch, brake and accelerator pedals are attached. To the left of the drivers seat the clutch pedal rod is attached to the gearstick and steering gearbox housing. Another connecting rod is attached to the outside of the gearstick housing and passes through the step between the drivers and fighting compartments. The starboard side can then be attached. The chassis rails are then fitted with their respective leaf springs to the front and connected to each other with three crossmembers. An additional crossmember is connected the front member by an L shaped bracket. Also to connecting rods are slid through the front crossmember and into the drivers compartment. The transfer box is then constructed and attached to the bracket between the two front crossmembers. The build moves on to the engine, in this particular model the engine was an AEC 197 6 cylinder 9.65ltr diesel. The engine block is built up of three parts onto which the sump is then attached. Each of the two cylinder heads is fitted with three glowplug connections before being fitted to the engine block. The bell housing and a couple of sundry parts are fitted to the right hand side, whilst to the left, the fuel manifold assembly, fuel pump assembly and exhaust manifold are attached. The auxiliary drive plate is fitted to the front of the engine along with the water pump and thermostat housing. With two universal couplings attached to the gearbox the engine is ready for installing. Before the engine is installed, two electrical motors/generators are attached to a mounting plate, and their connecting boxes fitted to the top of each motor. This assembly is fitted to the starboard side of the engine bay and attached to the engine by an auxiliary drive belt. Ensure that the engine couplings fit cleanly to the transfer box couplings. On the underside, the three piece exhaust is fitted as are the steering rods at the front and the leaf springs, attachments and anti-roll bars of the rear suspension. The front and rear axles with their transverse boxes are assembled, these are then attached to the leaf springs and joined to the transfer box with drive shafts. The front wheel mounts are then assembled with their brake pistons and brake pads. The ball joints are then slipped in to the slot on the mounts and the whole assembly attached to the axle and connected by the steering rod. Other sundry parts are fitted to the undersides of the leaf spring clamps and the rear brake discs are fitted to the axle and attached to the brake actuator rods. The PE parts that cover the spring clamps will need some very careful folding and bending as their shape is quite complex with detail sketches giving their precise measurements. To the rear the two part radiator housing is fitted to the rear armoured panel, which is then fitted to the armoured car body once the cooling fan has been fitted to the engine. The cooling system is completed by the fitting of two pipes, one from the header tank to the engine and the other from the engine to the radiator. The wheels are assembled next, each with the outer tyre/treaded section into which the inner tyres/hubs are fitted. Onto the inner hubs the brake units are attached and on the outer hubs the centre bosses are fitted. When complete the wheels can be attached to their respective axles. With the suspension and wheels now complete it’s on with the upper hull construction. Since there is so much that should be on show with this kit, MiniArt have given the modeller the option of having all the hatches open. Read the instructions carefully as a number of parts are only used with the open option. The large drivers hatch is fitted out with two very well detailed and intricate periscopes complete with grab handles and crash pads. These are fitted to the hatch and, if open, held up with the supporting arms and large springs. The instrument binnacle is fitted to the underside of the upper hull plating. The windscreen that normally lies flat just in front of the hatch is attached to the outside of the hull plating with two hinge brackets and can be posed up or down. The completed upper hull plating is then attached to the rest of the hull. To the rear, the air intake vent is assembled from four styrene and two PE parts and the whole assembly fitted to the rear of the engine bay deck, along with the two engine bay hatches, which again can be posed open if required. Either side of the hull, two large storage box assemblies are fitted, whilst at the front, the large armoured nose panels, which include the wheel arches are fitted out with a selection of brackets, handles, lights and their protective bars. The rear mudguard assemblies are attached to their respective mountings, with the right hand mudguard having a fire extinguisher fitted. The last major assembly is that of the turret. Starting with the turret basket floor, onto which the perforated foot step, storage boxes are attached. These are followed by the mounting supports, seats for the commander and gunner, ammunition bins, with the cartridges fitted in the same way as those on the hull floor, and a large bin, which looks like that used for used cartridge cases. The interior and exterior of the turret sides have details added, such as the searchlight, brackets, lifting eyes, viewing ports, which can be posed open or closed, storage boxes, pistol case, brackets for the BREN gun, the BREN gun itself and ammunition for the BESA machine gun. On the turret ring, more ammunition containers for the machine guns, what look like flare pistol cartridges and other storage containers are fitted. The turret training motor is made up of four parts and fitted to the front left quadrant of the turret ring. The mantlet is then constructed out of six parts including the trunnion mounts. To this the BESA machine gun and main gun sight are fitted before the main gun is assembled. This is also quite a complex piece of modelling and consists of the rear of the main gun and recoil tubes, elevation tube and hand wheels, breech, breech block, and firing mechanism. Four periscopes of the same construction as those of the drivers compartment are assembled and fitted to the turret roof, along with more brackets, vents, aerial base externally, whilst internally the flare pistol tube, main radio sets and vent opening actuator are fitted internally. The main assemblies are brought together to build the turret and completed with the addition of the turret basket, main gun barrel, and the hatches for the commander and gunner. Finally the turret assembly is slid into the aperture to sit on the hull turret ring. The last parts to be added being the shackles fore and aft making the model complete. Etch The small etched brass sheet contains items such as drivers and turret hatch latches, radio set guards, air intake plates, and leaf spring mounting bolt protectors. There are also periscope hand holds, various brackets, head lamp guards, and aerial mounting ring. The brass is quite pliable so may not need annealing before trying to bend the parts to shape. Certainly some sort of tooling will be advantageous to have to hand when working on some of the parts. Decals The decal sheet provides markings for four vehicles and are printed by Begermot. The vehicles are from the following:- • 10th Indian Infantry Division, Italy 1943 • Royal Armoured Corps, unbrigaded unit, Middle East, 1943-1944 • Tank Proving Grounds, Kubinka, USSR, 1944-1945 • 1st Armoured Brigade of Yugoslav Peoples Army, Balkans, 1944-1945. Some of the markings are quite matt whilst other s are very glossy so a good gloss coats is a must as will setting and softening solutions. It’s not as if the decals look bad, but perhaps not as good as other manufacturers. They appear in register and are suitably opaque with very little carrier film. Conclusion I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this kit announced by MiniArt as I liked its quirky appearance and had built a number of their products I thought it would be great to have in the collection. When I found out that it had a full interior, well, I thought, this could be good. I wasn’t wrong; this is a great kit of a relatively unknown vehicle which did pretty well throughout its career. The details are superb and yet it doesn’t look like it is too over engineered and difficult to put together. The only real problem areas are some of the PE folding requirements are more than a little awkward, but nothing a little care and patience won’t sort out. Painting and weathering the interior will be challenging only in that there is so much detail painting required, but that’s all part of the fun with these types of kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

The Miniart 1:35 AEC Mk.II Armoured Car is now in stock and all pre-orders will be dispatched tomorrow. http://www.creativemodels.co.uk/miniart_135_aec_mk2_armoured_car-p-31404.html