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Hi guys, It's been some months (Years?) I'm trying to come back to modelling. I've lost count of opened boxes left aside after a few days... But I'm still trying! As my lattest attempt is this very British Chally 1 from Tamiya (intended for a Desert Storm GB on Warpaints forum), I thought it might be nice to share the WIP with you all, benefits for me being to learn a thing or two about this tank, and get tips, advices and guidance toward online documentations. Here we go!

Hi guys, So I'm really not sure whether this is the correct place to post this, since a number of my questions concern infantry, but I'm going to roll with it since my questions concern the 7th armour specifically. Trying to keep the fluff to a minimum; I moved out to Russia a few years back and recently I've been trying to jump start my wargaming hobby back up over here. I recently ordered a bunch of Bolt Action stuff; my motivation's not so much modelling to game, I just like having the option to play with my toys Anyway, I want to model the 7th Armoured Division and I want to do so as historically as possible; roughly for the period around September 1944. I'd really appreciate if some kind soul(s) could furnish me with answers to the following: -Did officers in Armoured Divisions' Motorised Infantry platoons wear the same signature black berets as tankers? Were there any other differences in uniform? Would swapping the head of this officer model (second figure from the right) with a head with a black beret be a suitable representation of a Lieutenant? -As I understand, by 1944, 7th Division soldiers in NW Europe displayed this patch on their right arm, correct? Is this the correct patch? Was this true of every soldier in the division (including the infantry, such as the King's Royal Rifles)? -Did vehicles still display the older insignia of a red rat on a white field? As in this picture? -To whom were Stenguns issued? Officers and NCOs? How many would there be in a section? As I understand so far, it seems roughly sensible to model ten man sections with an NCO (a corporal) having a Sten. -Could additional Stens be issued? If, for gameplay reasons, I were to add further Stens - would it be kosher? I want to run an alternate list with three 5 man squads with 3 sten gunners, a rifleman and a Bren gunner being transported in Universal Carriers. I thought that, perhaps, Stens might be issued to mechanised troops. -What was a typical rank for a Bren gunner? Anecdotal stories about a relative from a friend suggested to me that a private is perfectly fine. -Please tell me everything there is to know about Universal Carriers - I'd be most grateful I find myself running into conflicting information about their role and usage. It seems that they were intended as transports for weapon teams and towed guns, but I've heard of them being used to transport motorised infantry sections. With such a small transport capacity, though, I'm curious as to what extent they were expected (on paper) to perform that role? -Final question (and this one will take a real trooper), is there anyone kind enough to explain to me how tank markings worked, or who can direct me to a link that does? I've absolutely no understanding of these yellow, blue and red triangles, squares and other shapes you see on British tanks. I really need a total beginner's education; as things stand I've Bren Carriers, a Firefly and a Cromwell to get marked up. I'd really like to know how to do it properly and have them look like a cohesive force. If I may, I'd like to give some further background to the super keen; as things stand, I've modelled three ten man infantry sections, as I believe those approximate a platoon? They consist of one corporal with a Sten, one Bren Gunner and an assistant and seven riflemen each (one of whom is a Lance Corporal; I intend to model alternative models with Stens that I can swap the LC for if a situation requires). There's also an additional small team for the Lieutenant and the Sergeant. Vehicle-wise, I've got three Universal Carriers, a Cromwell and a Firefly. The reason I chose the Desert Rats was because, to my knowledge, they were the only division to be outfitted entirely with Cromwells. I wanted to be able to field the Firefly and the Cromwell together and I couldn't think of another way that'd be possible (in other divisions, Cromwells were present in Recon elements, but they wouldn't be accompanied by the comparatively sluggish Fireflies). Ideally I'd like to mark my tanks so that they might be part of a regular tank platoon together. My infantry I'd like marked as a motorised platoon, with the UCs as their dedicated transports; is all this historically accurate? Is there anything I should bear in mind vis-a-vis markings/organisation? Anyway, woo! That was a long one; thanks if you had the patience to stick with me I'm grateful for any and all answers you can give me. This was the one forum I found that looked like it might have some people knowledgeable about the Brits!

Academy Warrior APC 1/35th scale (original boxing) 'Operation Granby' Iraq 1991 Warrior pics here Inspired by several Warriors of the Staffordshire Regt viewed by myself and other Club Members during our visit to Fallenbostel, Germany in September 1991 shortly after their return from Iraq Modifications needed The original Academy kit was modified as the frontal Armour was out of alignment due to the transmission covers being too wide This was reduced by 1.5mm either side and the stowage box adjusted accordingly Both side Armour packs were moved forwards a full 3mm so the fire suppression handle (left side) could be seen through the round opening This also allowed the camouflage screen prongs to be fitted correctly either side at the rear The Turret basket had the bottom raised by 2mm by reducing the vertical stanchions supporting it This stopped the basket catching on the rear deck fittings and gave the basket the correct profile

Today, I was passing the Desert Rats Memorial at Mundford in Norfolk as I do most days. However, this time I stopped off to take some pictures.