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CMP F 15A Water Truck Mirror Models 1:35 The Ford built F 15A trucks were 4x4 versions of the ubiquitous CMP designed series of trucks. They had a wheelbase of 101” and could carry ¾ of a ton. There were a number of different bodies used, with the kit example being that of the water tanker. The kit comes in a very attractive, full colour box with a representation of the vehicle in use. The kit is contained on fourteen sprues of light grey styrene, plus two with a slightly mauve tint, although there are quite a few parts that are only destined for the spares box, as they are not used in this build. There is a single sprue of clear styrene, two sheets of etched copper, a length of rubber tubing, a length of copper wire, a length of steel wire, five rubber tyres and a medium sized decal sheet. All the parts are very nicely moulded, with no sign of flash or other imperfections and only a few moulding pips, but be aware of the sprue gates as they are quite large, even for the smaller parts. The build process is quite complex with lots of detail in and around the chassis, as for most truck models, so this won’t be a quick and easy build, but one that will need time, patience, and care to assemble, certainly not for a beginner. The instructions are very clear and easy to read, but not always logical, particularly with the way the sub-assemblies are used, although they use the CAD/Photo style of drawings. Before beginning assembly the modeller will have to make a choice of whether they are going to build a CMP F 15 or F 15A, as there are optional parts for both vehicles and each has different bonnets, and running gear, the F 15 being a 4 x 2 while the F 15A is 4 x 4. I’ve concentrated on the build of the F 15A. Construction begins with a load of sub assemblies. These include the rear cross member spring unit, which includes the tow hook, associated clamps and the anti-swing bars, front bumper frame, exhaust/silencer, fuel tank and gearbox. The assembly of the very nicely detailed engine is then started. The two block halves are glued together, followed by the lower block plate and sump, cylinder heads, front, which includes the auxiliary drive points plus the starter motor and air filter unit. The drive belt needs to be made of tape from the modellers stock. The water tank is assembled next. But before construction begins, you need to assemble the two pump assemblies, each made from five plastic, one PE part and a length of steel wire. The tank itself is in two halves, top and bottom. To these, the top access hatch, two lifting eyes and the vent mast are all attached. Four cradles are glued to the underside of the tank, followed by two longitudinal rails. To the rear of the tank the control cupboard is fitted, made from a single piece unit to which the water levels are fitted, along with the two doors and locking mechanism. The doors can be posed open if the modeller wishes. Two walkways are then attached, one per side of the tank, as are two, three piece stowage boxes and one two piece box. To the rear, two mudguard support beams are attached, followed by the mudguards and another stowage bin. The cab is assembled from the floor pan to which is fitted the scuttle, gearbox/engine cover, bonnet, wheel arches, windscreen, instrument binnacle, front end, grille and bonnet side panels. The four part seats, gear sticks, PE window hinges and pedals are then fitted. The two piece rear bulkhead is then attached, followed by the roof, rear window, two doors, wing mirrors and PE radiator grille. Finally we get to the chassis, which is normally one of the first things assembled in a truck kit. Each of the chassis rails is fitted with the single leaf springs and their supports at the front, whilst at the rear there are double leaf springs fitted, along with the tow bumper beams and their brackets. Each rail is then joined together by the front bumper, five cross members and the rear end beam with tow hook assembled earlier. With the chassis assembled, all the sub assemblies can now be fitted to it, the engine, exhaust, the front and rear differentials, transfer box, all joined together by the various drive shafts, truck fuel tanks, water tank assembly, cab and access steps, and the five piece wheels, which at this point you will have a completed model. Well, almost. You will then add eh rubber hoses above and below the front of the tank, joining the pumps with the outlets. Decals The decal sheet provides decals for seven different trucks, with various placards for around the truck, plain stars for the cab doors. The decals look like they have been printed in house and appear to be very well printed, with good opacity and very thin carrier film. Ford 15A with Cab 11 in Canadian service Ford F 15A with Cab 11 in Italian service Ford F 15 with Cab 13 in Canadian service Ford F15 with Cab 13 in British service There are also decals for other vehicles, well, their registration numbers, but not shown on the painting guide, as well as three German crosses for a captured vehicle, again, not mentioned on the guide. Conclusion It’s great to see another version of the well recognised CMP truck released as an injection moulded kit. Whilst it is certainly not for the beginner, with care, patience and a bit of skill the average modeller should be able to produce a great looking model. I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the mouldings and will certainly be looking forward to their future releases. UK Distributors for

Nice little palate cleanser after a few more complicated builds recently. Finished straight out of the box, with my interpretation of the Canadian camouflage scheme for Sicily in 1943. The markings are for a vehicle with the Carlton and York Regiment, 1st Canadian Infantry Division, Sicily, 1943. You can find an wartime image of this vehicle on this web page: https://captainstevens.com/military/mv/cmp-canadian-military-pattern-vehicles/ Brush painted with Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics. Build thread can be found here: Thanks for looking.

I had intended to start a Miniart 1:35 Dingo in Canadian colours - but found my kit was missing a while sprue. Thankfully Miniart Customer Support were very quick to respond and a replacement sprue is on its way. That’s going to take awhile, so in the meantime I thought I would make a start on this kit. I’ve been picking away at it over the last week, pretty straight forward build, if rather small parts and rather soft plastic. Here is where I am at tonight. Most of the construction complete, just some cleaning up to do. I want to finish it as a Canadian example in Sicily 1943 - it’s got a roundel on the roof 😁. The markings in the box are for a vehicle with Carlton and York Regiment, 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Sicily in 1943. The instructions say it should be olive drab, which doesn’t sound right. I had the following discussion with folk earlier last year. From this I think the base colour will be SCC 4 Stone, with black disruptive pattern only on the lower part of the vehicle. I am going to assume it was originally SCC 2, so will paint the inside of the cab and the undersides that colour. I think I’ve got something that approximates SCC4, and from the photo I found of this specific vehicle the final appearance will be very dusty. The only thing that’s tripping me up - what will the disruptive pattern look like? I can’t seem to find any clear images, so it may be a bit of guesstimate.

Hello hobby colleagues) I want to show you the assembly of the beginning of this "wonderful" year. British truck of Canadian construction in the version of a petrol tanker. IBG, for which many thanks to them, made several unique models, one of which I was lucky to assemble. The assembly is pleasant, although sometimes it takes some effort. As with many car models, the biggest problem is the convergence of the cab parts. Well, the interior is quite empty, which is offset by the uniqueness. Thank you for your attention, enjoy your viewing)

Finished the CMP at last, (delayed by moving house half way through the build). Depicted as part of the 2nd Bn, Royal Ulster Rifles, France 1944. On now to do the figures, then the diorama. Apologies if the photos are a bit naff; combination of a cheap camera phone and half a glass of scotch.

Finally finished; after only eight months! In fairness though I had to move house half way through. Diorama depicting members of the 2nd Bn, The Royal Ulster Rifles loading German prisoners into a CMP 15CWT during operations around Caen, late August 1944. Vehicle is the Italeri CMP model, British figures are a mix of resin and Dragon figures, German figures are by Masterbox. Diorama is scratch built. Water is done using Woodland Scenics Water effects, which hasn't quite fully cured yet. The leaves were done using a leaf stamp from Green Stuff world; excellent product. Hope you like it; I'm bloody sick of it at this stage! :)

A few shots of the current WIP; the 1/35 scale Chevrolet 15CWT by Italeri. The tarpaulin is scratch built as I didn't like the stock part. Still very far from finished; haven't even started weathering the cab area yet, but happy so far.

So working away on the Italeri 1/35 Chevrolet 15CWT truck as part of a diorama. Bit of a pig of a kit to be honest, and it needs all the help I can give it. Decided to complete the cab interior out of sequence as it'd be impossible to paint once assembled. Here are a few pics of the project.

Ford Canada CMP of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division, 12th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Artillery co. - Italy, 1943 Finished just in time for New Years, my Peerless/Max Chevy 15CWT converted to a Ford CMP, hope you enjoy, and a belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to everyone ! Colin - On CMP: - Modified from Chevy to Ford with Eduard's photo-etch grill, Ford instrument panel, "Ford Canada" and "Ford" logos on front - Detailed cab with rear internal structure, detailed Lee-Enfield .303 rifles, added slings (stowed behind seats), round Ford style clutch and brake pedals, shortened and modified seats and added leather texture and wrinkles, corrected/modified shift levers, hinged drivers door. Added side window mount brackets, sliding rear window handles, windshield wiper motors and wiring, front windshield opening adjusters, replaced windshield with clear acetate. Added wiper blades from brass wire. - Opened grill area, detailed rad and added shroud, added brake lines, spring shackles, fuel tank fill neck braces, corrected fuel tank supports to proper profile, scribed wood grain into load bed wooden panels, replaced canvass tie-down hooks with flattened wire, replaced canvass cover framework with brass tube and wire. Added padlock shackles to all stowage boxes, flattened tires. - On 6 Pound anti-tank gun: - Replaced all the tie-downs with fine copper wire, drilled out the elevation wheel, filled the sink holes in the carriage tongues and replaced the weld beads, drilled out tubes on spades, added pins and chains at the spade end and refined the spades, and on the forward splinter shield, made hinges on the lower shield and hooks and eyes from fine brass wire so that it is articulated. Painted with Tamiya acrylics (custom mix for the BCC 2 service brown), weathered with artist oils, artist Gauche, pastels, decals from kit and IPMS D-Day sheet.

This is the original 15Cwt CMP and 6 pounder anti-tank gun from Peerless/Max. I know there are newer, better kits out there, but this is the one I have, and its fun seeing what I can do with it. On the gun, I've replaced all the tie-downs with fine copper wire, drilled out the elevation wheel, filled the sink holes in the carriage tongues and replaced the weld beads, added pins and chains at the spade end and refined the spades, and on the forward splinter shield, made hinges on the lower shield and hooks and eyes from fine brass wire so that it is articulated. On the CMP, I've opened up the grill and detailed the rad, added Eduard's grill, "Ford Canada" logo's, and instrument panel, hinged the doors, added lots of scratchbuilt bits from brass sheet, wire etc, added texture to the seats, added the pedals, engine hood latches from brass strip and wire, rope tie downs on the box, and scribed wood grain on every board on the box. (board by board by board - sheesh!) Also had to make canvas tarp frames from brass wire. Still lots to do, but its getting there. Hope you like, thanks for looking, Colin