Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'M20'.
-
Going to try and fit this one in. The Miles M20 was designed as an emergency fighter to supplement the Hurricane and Spitfire. It used parts of the Miles Master trainer and was designed to be easily built for non-strategic materials. Philips and Powis Aircraft (it did not become Miles Aircraft until 1943) had designed a 'utility' fighter in 1938 based on the Master and this formed the basis of the M20. The construction of the prototype was agreed on 13th July 1940 with a stipulation that it be completed within three months. The aircraft dispensed hydraulics and had a fixed undercarriage, eight fixed machine guns were to be fitted, and the engine installation was a Rolls-Royce Merlin XX in the installation as used in the Beaufighter II. The prototype at first with 'B' mark U9 and then with the serial AX834 first flew on 15th September 1940. A second prototype was built (DR616) with some changes and for possible use as a naval fighter. The M20 proved to be quite fast (330 mph), but by September 1940, the feared shortage of fighters had not happened and production was rising rapidly. The Box-Kite M20 was a no frills vacform intended for more experienced modellers. They were produced as a box shape with a clear lid that had the canopies moulded into it and contained a single sheet of instructions. No white metal, not resin and no decals. The masters were by Gordon Stevens of Rareplane fame and were sold by Maintrack Models, who were quite big players at that time. The kit came out in 1994 and has been in my stash since that time. First job is to separate all the parts from the backing sheet. Fortunately there are some decent photos on the web of the cockpit and some of my reference books have information on the type. The spinner is badly crushed, but a Lancaster spinner I found in the spares box seems to be a reasonable fit. The wheels will probably be replaced by something a bit better. I hope I can crack on with this one before the end of the group build.
-
M8/M20 Armoured Cars Squadron Walk Around book In July 1941, the Ordnance Department initiated a development of a new fast tank destroyer to replace the M6 37 mm Gun Motor Carriage, which was essentially a ¾-ton truck with a 37 mm gun installed in the rear bed. The requirement was for a 6x4 wheeled vehicle armed with a 37 mm gun, a coaxial machine gun mounted in a turret, and a machine gun in the front hull. Its glacis armour was supposed to withstand fire from a .50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun and side armour from a .30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun. Prototypes were submitted by Studebaker (designated T21), Ford (T22) and Chrysler (T23), all of them similar in design and appearance. In April 1942, the T22 was selected despite complaints about deficiencies, due to the need for vehicles. By then, it was clear that the 37 mm gun would not be effective against the front armour of German tanks; so, the new armored car, designated M8 Light Armored Car, took on the reconnaissance role instead. Contract issues and minor design improvements delayed serial production until March 1943. Production ended in June 1945. A total of 8,523 units were built, excluding the M20 Armored Utility Car (see Variants). The M8 was manufactured at the Ford Motor Company plant in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Even today in some areas of the world these vehicles are still being used as checkpoint guards and crowd control. Only the first couple of pages in this book are dedicated to the history and development of the M8/M20 armoured cars. The rest of the book of eighty pages is crammed full of photographs and diagrams of both vehicles. The M20 was a development of the M8 and was designed as a utility version which replaced the turret with a parapet open mounting for the 50 cal Browning. There are a wide variety of photographs, ranging from the historical and very interesting WWII vintage shots of the vehicles in use, to some excellent and very useful walkround photographs of a preserved machine in private hands. There are also more pictures showing a vehicle in a slightly worse state of preservation, but that which is being restored. All photos are annotated, telling what the parts shown are and how, in some cases, the vehicles were modified in the field or through front line experience, have been altered on the production line. All the modern photos are very clear and well shot giving a tremendous amount of detail that is invaluable for the modeller. Conclusion This is another super book from Squadron Publications which gives a wealth of detail to the modeller not just of the production vehicle, but items such as the field modifications and alterations which the crews carried out to make their lives a little easier on the front line. This is a very useful and interesting title which I can heartily recommend. Review sample courtesy of