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Bedford 'OLB' Tanker Emhar 1/24 One of my occasional forays into vehicle modelling, you guys produce such lovely work that I get tempted by your results! I've long been tempted to try one of these Bedford kits, and wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn't too sure about the lighter French blue suggested on the kit instructions, I thought it looked a bit toylike, and considering that I have no idea what the original color was, I went for a darker shade (Tamiya TS15 from a rattle can, 5 coats micromeshed in between). My model, my choice and I like it, although the red 'Motor Spirit' titles are a little dark! I had problems with the front mudguards as they left quite a gap when I came to put the bonnet sides on, and had to cut them off and reset them. Lesson learned for next time! I have hardly put any weathering on it, as I am a bit nervous of messing up the finish, maybe later. I've now bought the little breakdown truck to have another go. Damn that devil dust that only shows up when you take photographs! Thanks for looking, John

Been a while since I posted, hah. Also been a little while since I finished this, but finally got around to taking and posting images. I was asked by a family friend if it was possibly for me to replicate this vehicle for their dad as a Christmas present, as its his dad in the picture. Took a bit of searching to uncover the type of truck, and while I'm not explicitly clear that it was necessarily the one they drove (rather they may have posed with it) and only one angle, I set about doing my best to do a model version. Luckily found that IBG models did one in 1/35, and while I'd never used IBG before, I was pleasantly surprised with the detail. Went together without much issue, painted it up, and then had to steadily hand paint some of the markings on the front (the rest were kit decals). Bought a little case for it and had to modify the bottom so it could fit inside. Oddly, after about a week in the case, the entire truck went glossy and slightly tacky. I had to pull it out and respray with matt from VMS again to tone it down, and sadly ended up affecting some of the windows. Not sure what caused that, but a MiG-29 model I also did and put in a case has subsequently gone super shiny as well. Wondering if its something going wrong with VMS varnishes. Anyway, put a small hole in the top of the case as a precaution and it doesn't seem to have turned shiny again, so that's a plus. Sadly, leaving it out to thoroughly dry for a few weeks resulted in that super clingy dust in places. Not ideal, but the friend is happy with it. Thanks for looking ^-^ Gaz

IBG Models is to release in late December 2020 a 1/72nd Bedford QL Refueller kit - ref. 72082 Source: https://www.facebook.com/ibgmodels/posts/3633241903464094 Box art & 3D renders V.P.

Good day, colleagues and sympathizers. I present to you for a review a model from a fairly young company on the market-Gecko. A little Wiki. In 1935, the War Office issued specifications for a new 15 cwt 4x2 military truck for service in the British Army, inviting manufacturers to submit designs to participate in annual comparative tests in North Wales. One of the participants was a modification of a 2-ton rear-wheel drive Bedford Vehicles truck. After these tests, Bedford installed a larger radiator and larger tires, the tests were repeated in 1936, after which Bedford modified the chassis to increase ground clearance and installed a new engine cooling system. For the 1937 tests, a new special prototype Bedford WD-1 was made with a payload of 15 cwt, it showed excellent results, and in 1938 a 72 hp engine was installed. In the period from 1939 to 1945, Bedford produced more than 66,000 MW, the cars remained in service with Great Britain until the end of the 1950s. The model is also one of the options for using this truck - as a water carrier. Working out the model at a height. A huge pile of fine detailing, excellent reproduction of the components and assemblies of the car. The model is extremely reminiscent of the latest developments of Miniart or Bronco, but with the best quality of plastic. According to the assembly, only one moment saddened me. The convergence of the cab. And here I'm not sure if my hands are crooked or if the problem is really in the model itself. From myself - minor improvements, chains, a little internal stuff in the box of the barrel itself. I replaced the wheels with PanzerArt. The problem is that the wheels I had were not from Bedford, so I had to dig a little with the hub. Painting from the box, Normandy, 1944. The result is in front of you. Coloring - RealColor, Tamiya, Akan Oil and Pigments-Ammo and Co. Thank you all for your attention, enjoy watching!

Hi I am normally an aircraft modeller, however I thought I would like to try IBG's Bedford QL Refueller. The kit is posing no problems, however I am trying to make it like the QL in these photos. These photos were taken by my dad in 1957, at RAF Benbecula, while he was posted there following his trade training as an instrument fitter. The photos show the vehicle to be a variant with only two booms, whereas the IBG kit has three booms. I have cross referenced the IBG kit with Airfix's 1/76 kit and I have noticed that the plumbing is different as well as there being two comes near the rest of the tank. Could anyone identify the specific type of QL is in the photos and confirm that it does have the two comes and and different plumbing than what is offered in the kit? If possible, could anyone please provide either photos or scale drawings of the type? Many thanks.

Hi, I am normally an aircraft modeller, however I thought I would like to try IBG's Bedford QL Refueller. The kit is posing no problems, however I am trying to make it like the QL in these photos. These photos were taken by my dad in 1957, at RAF Benbecula, while he was posted there following his trade training as an instrument fitter. The photos show the vehicle to be a variant with only two booms, whereas the IBG kit has three booms. I have cross referenced the IBG kit with Airfix's 1/76 kit and I have noticed that the plumbing is different as well as there being two comes near the rest of the tank. Could anyone identify the specific type of QL is in the photos and confirm that it does have the two comes and and different plumbing than what is offered in the kit? If possible, could anyone please provide either photos or scale drawings of the type? Many thanks. Andy

1. Airfix recommend these be painted in Humbrol 159, which I believe to be Airfix's approximation of SCC.15. Yet, looking at Mike Starmer's British vehicle painting guide, it seems that SCC.15 was only promulgated as the basic colour for soft skin vehicles in A.C.I.1233 of April 1944. Would I be correct in believing that the base colour for the vast majority of soft-skin vehicles landing on D-Day would still have been SCC.2 (with disruptive pattern)? Any guesses on when SCC.15-painted vehicles would have started percolating through to the front line? 2. Airfix do us proud with 6 sets of WD numbers (3 each for the QLD and QLT), 4 divisional markings and 5 arm of service markings. However they give no indication of which serial bore which Div and AoS markings. Has anyone tried, or, even better, been successful, in tracking down photographic evidence to correlate the WD numbers to other markings? 3. The QLT shown in Airfix's painting guide is apparently based on a preserved vehicle depicting a lorry of the Guards Armoured Division. However it wears 2 AoS squares, the 84 on red/green of a "Divisional Troops Company RASC" above the 61 on green of a senior infantry battalion. Am I correct in regarding this combination highly improbable? Is there any period photographic corroboration of this scheme? 4. Any decent references on the QL? I have Robert Coates' Bedford To Berlin And Beyond and Mike Conniford's Military Vehicle Pamphlet 5: Bedford QL but they both concentrate on differences between variants rather than in-service history so haven't helped with the above questions. Thanks in advance.

Bedford QLT and Bedford QLD Trucks 1:76 Airfix Bedford Vehicles created the QL 3-ton truck to equip the British Army following the loss of hundreds of vehicles during the Dunkirk evacuation. Developed in just 16 weeks, over 52,000 examples were produced between 1941 and the end of the War. The truck was powered by a 3½ litre petrol engine and was good for a top speed of 38 mph. The rugged designed of the vehicles, combined with 4-wheel drive and 8 forward gear ratios, gave the Bedford truck excellent terrain crossing ability. The Bedford QLT variant was a troop carrier, while the QLD was a general cargo version. The T version differed from the D version by virtue of an stretched wheelbase and relocated fuel tanks, modifications which enabling it to carry up to 29 soldiers at a time. As you might have noticed, this kit is a carbon copy of the kit first released by Airfix back in 2011, not all that long after their acquisition by Hornby. The kit is one of the last to be tooled in 1:76 scale, with more recent offerings such as the Willys Jeep and the bomber resupply set being designed for the almost universal 1:72 scale. Not one but two kits are packed into Airfix’s familiar bright red box. To make things easier for the builder, all of the parts for the QLD are supplied on one sprue and all the parts for the slightly larger and more complex QLT on the other two sprues. The only sprue shared between the different versions hold the transparent parts. All of the mouldings are crisp and clean and no flash is present. The only sink marks I could find were on the sides of the engine, which won’t be particularly visible anyway. There are quite a few ejector pin marks present on some of the parts, but most of the ones that will be visible will also be easy enough to clean up. Moulded detail is very good and each truck features a full interior as well as an engine, drive train, fuel tank and suspension. As is the case with the sprues, the assembly instructions are separated into two halves. In each case construction begins with the engine, chassis and running gear before moving on to the cab interior. There is a lot of detailed packed into these stages of construction, so it's just as well the sprue attachment points are quite fine on this particular kit; it certainly doesn’t look as though any of the smaller components will be damaged when being removed from the sprues. Unlike some small-scale kits of this type, the transparent components are supplied as injection moulded parts rather than a clear plastic sheet from which shapes for the windows must be cut. This makes the model much easier to put together and the transparent parts are suitably thin and clear. The wheels deserve a special mention at this point, firstly because the tyres are beautifully moulded and have a subtle bulge/flat spot for extra realism and secondly because the wheel hubs are moulded as separate parts to the tyres, which will help greatly with painting. An optional canvas cover is supplied for use with the QLD version. The fabric texture and fasteners are really nicely rendered. Construction of the QLT version is pretty much identical to the QLD up to the point where the seats are installed in the load carrying area. Again, a canvas cover is supplied, but this time the sides are rolled up so that the interior detail can be shown off. A Bren Gun and a rather neat model of a bicycle are also supplied to add a little extra interest to this version. A full colour painting diagram is provided, with both schemes (one for each vehicle) for khaki drab and black camouflaged vehicles with ochre canvas covers. A nice touch is the decal sheet, which includes a range of regimental badges for the trucks – for the Guards Armoured Division, 11th Armoured Division, 3rd Infantry Division and the 51st Highland Division. Unit/company badges and bridge weight indicators are also included on the sheet. Conclusion This was a really nice release from Airfix last time around and it remains so eight years later. Hopefully its reemergence indicates that it sold reasonably well the first time around. Both kits have all the detail you could wish for and both should build up nicely, either as models in their own right or as the basis for any number of dioramas. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All Whilst trying to gain some enthusiasm for my Soviet builds I thought I would make a start on this GB, as I think I signed up for it ages ago. I wanted something fairly quick and simple with no aftermarket. What to build........ I finally decided on the Airfix Bedford MW from their RAF Bomber Re-Supply set. Obligatory sprue shots to show this isn't started. I started building this on Monday afternoon, but couldn't upload photos until I got back to work today. By Monday evening I had got this far: Nice kit - needs a small amount of cleaning up but flew together and generally fit well except the tilt. Removing the top bar from the wooden slat sides resolved this issue. Notice the gluey finger print!! That'll need removing! I'm not building this as an RAF one, instead it will be an Army one from the Royal Horse Artillery, 11th Armoured Division, France 1944 as per this photo: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205206195 Paint scheme is SCC.2 (maybe with "Mickey Mouse" disruptive pattern). The plan is to do something like this: Tilt and bonnet are not yet attached so that's why there's gaps. The driver is decidedly casual in his dress, but having checked lots of photos, there was considerable variation in dress amongst troops. His beret badge is RTR so will need a bit of micro surgery to better represent a Royal Artillery one. Another couple of hours on Tuesday evening led to this: Again please note the bonnet, tilt and roof are loose, hence the huge gap above the wheelarches. Sadly I decided that I can't use the kit windscreen as, apart from being way too thick, it has a very visible mould flaw in it. As the wipers are moulded to it, I will use Dan Taylor's generic set to supply these (and some wing mirrors). The actual glass will be some acetate cut to size, using the kit part as a template. No progress Wednesday, but did manage a bit last night. There are some mould pin marks on the rear of the doors and in the cab roof so these were filled and sanded smooth. I then attached the doors (these will be masked before painting) and the fuel tanks. Basic assembly is now almost complete. Just got the small rear side windows in the cab, steering wheel and mirrors. I am very much a build it all, then paint type of modeller so hope to get this finished up tonight so I can undercoat on Friday. I have left the tilt, cab roof and bonnet loose to aid painting. Must remember to drill out the ends of the bumper bar as these were hollow tube. This was the state of play when I finished last night More soon. Ben.

The Bedford RLHZ Self Propelled Pump, or more commonly called The Green Goddess was a Fire Engine designed for use by the post war Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) in the Civil Defence role. The design was based on the Bedford RL Army Truck. These were more commonly seen on UK roads during Fire Strikes before they were retired in 2004. Pics mine taken at The Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington.

Hi After making a few flying machines, I wanted a little break / something different. This little Bedford 4-tonne truck was just the ticket - basic, but fun to build. Oops - Some little tike has stolen her wing mirrors though! I have seen the made out of wire/staples etc, but I''l save that for next time. And some berk put the the markings on upside down......Or maybe it was after we'd won and they changed it to V for Victory (?)

My effort: Airfix Bedford MW 15cwt Tender, painted to represent a home-based RAF vehicle from mid-1942. Using Mike Starmer's guides the colours are Khaki-Green No3 base colour, with Nobels Tarmac No4 disruptive pattern to MTP20. Tyres were painted with a mix of Humbrol no21 satin black and Revel no67 tank grey. After a coat of Microscale gloss to put the decals on, I finished with mattcote, then weathered, lightly, with artists pastels. I added wing mirrors using brass wire and plasticard.

Bedford QL Aircraft Refueller. Pics thanks to Mike.

Bedford OY 3ton 4x2 General Service - Early Model. Pics thanks to Bootneck Mike, taken in Malta and vehicle is seen in the "Malta" Cammo.