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Thought I'd post some pics of a build that's been going on some time, meant to be relatively quick but life has very definitely got in the way this year! Started back in April, very slow progress; The plan is a Mk11 Chieftain with a 432, on a simple base, extras are Voyager models etch for the Chieftain and Tetra model works etch for the 432 with Master Club tracks for both, which I haven't used before. Accurate Armour figures with Hornet heads when we get that far. Started with the Chieftain building up the hull and replacing various bits with the etch; Turret next, hopefully it'll move a bit faster! Cheers Nick

Having taken a look at the stash I decided some actual building models would be quite in order That said, I decided to make a 1/72 model of the FV 432> I have two of these in the stash. They are the S & M models Mk. 2/1, with decals for three colour schemes. I used the Green/black scheme. I even contemplated painting one in the Berlin Brigade colour scheme. I think I may now know better! Just a couple of fairly dodgy photos, not taken to hide the imperfections, but you can just about see the detail. The build itself was eventful - at this scale, I'm beginning to think 1/48 is braille scale! Some parts duly escaped to the tender mercies of the carpet monster - so I managed to scrtch replacements. The PE was simple, just the two headlight guards, and the additions were Little Cars 1 mm lights for brake, side and running lights not supplied by S & M, and two aerials from albion alloys 2mm brass rod. Probably over scale but they don't look too bad to me. The biggest problem came with the tracks, moulded in plastic in 7 sections, and despite my innovative use of masking tape to lay the sections on and then glue and wrap around the running gear, when it came to remove the masking tape it took some of the sections with it. But I perservered, and despite the decidedly wonky rear offside section it just about looks ok. Painting was brush, which from a distance doesn't look to bad, though the Tamiya NATO green seems brighter than I thought it would be. I used Halfords matt black rattle can. A nice, dense black and Tamiya flat black used to touch up some small areas blended well. I may well put a coat of flat varnish on it, I noticed some of the decals (including a few wonky ones!) ar e showing the carrier. The Tankograd FV 432 book provided some useful photos of real ones for me to cobble together mine.

Kit already in my possession Kit already in my possession Kit already in my possession Waiting for this kit Getting back into modelling after a few years break. Intend to build a set of vehicles that made up a Chieftain based Armoured Regiment REME Fitter section. The fitter section consisted of about 15 men of various trades and kept each squadron going. 1RTR was a regiment that had 5 squadrons A, B, C, D and HQ Chieftain IFCS and Togs modified based, but all the fitter sections used Centurion MK2 ARV's as the then new Chieftain ARRV's were needed by all the Challenger Regiments (CRARRV was still on the drawing board at that time). I have already received a Revell 3/4t Series III Landrover, a Takom FV432 and an Accurate Armour FV434. Just waiting for an Accurate Armour 3/4t Trailer (for the Landrover) and an Accurate Armour Centurion ARV Mk2, plus associated items that will make the vehicles that formed the fitter section I commanded when serving with 1RTR in Hildesheim BRD.

Somewhere in Europe… THE BRITISH ARMY 1976 - 2000. © Crown copyright. IWM (CT 681)IWM Non Commercial Licence Fashionably late to the party, I have acquired a Takom FV432 2/1 and hope to make a decent fist of it, reports I’ve read suggest it’s a nice kit to work with. I’ve added a Reveleri Series III Landrover to the stash as well, largely for sentimental reasons as my favourite vehicle I’ve driven to date, is the 1983 Series III 88" Landie that my family owned briefly in the early ‘90s. BRITISH ARMED FORCES IN GERMANY 1976 - 2000. © Crown copyright. IWM (CT 1216)IWM Non Commercial Licence The box art features a spectacularly lurid shade of IRR green which I will not be seeking to replicate on my model! Untitled by jongwinnett, on Flickr

Just finished Takom's FV432. Great to finally see some British modern armour available other than tanks. It's a great kit which was a joy to build with an excellent instruction booklet with some good colour photos. The separate link tracks were a first for me but the jig supplied with the kit was brilliant and they are much easier to paint than the standard rubber types. This was a number of firsts for me. My first outing with Hataka paints using their Modern British Army & RAF AFV paint set. In the past I've used Tamiya, Vallejo and AK colours on modern British vehicles, but without doubt they have to be the most accurate NATO green and NATO black I have seen by far. Also the first time masking with White Tac ( a big thank you to The Salisbury Model centre for that tip). Also a first attempt at weathering with pigments and still some learning to do there but I tried to replicate a 432 on exercise somewhere in Salisbury plain, which for those who are familiar with being sent to play there will know, in summer everything gets a nice coat of dirty white chalk dust. The Gimpy is the kit one (which is actually pretty spot on) with a Accurate Armour ammo box and belt and the cam net is one I had in the spares box with the addition of some oregano and chopped chives (don't tell the wife) Still need to add ariels but I've got the time to post now so here it is, hope you like it? WT

FV432 Mk.3 Bulldog 1:35 Takom Dating back to the 1960, the design for this British front-line "battle taxi" has undergone many changes over the years, and many British Army soldiers will be hugely familiar with this robust, quirky little vehicle. Originally to have been declared obsolete and sent to the scrapyard or into private hands, the eruption of hostilities in the Middle East saw renewed use for the 432, and in light of experience gained in that theatre, a thousand chassis were upgraded and zero-houred to the new Mark 3 standard, including new steering, braking and propulsion systems, as well as reactive armour and even air-conditioning units for those bound for the sandbox were fitted. In addition, new systems were employed to protect the crew and passengers from the perils of asymmetric combat, in the shape of IEDs and RPGs. Along with a number of other vehicles in theatre, perhaps in a psy-ops style attempt to give the 432 some "fear factor", the upgraded vehicles were christened "Bulldog" to represent their pugnacious character and their by-now broad beam. A heavily modified 432 (probably one of those sold off before the need arose) was seen performing duties as a Hover Tank in the new Star Wars film, Rogue One. The Kit Lots of British AFV fans were very pleased about Takom's announcement of a new series of models of this iconic and popular vehicle, which allowed them to push their ancient and iffy Academy kits to the back of the shelf, or offload them to a well-known auction site. This is the second issue from Takom, the first being the 2/1 that came with a full interior, which we sadly missed due to unforeseen circumstances. The Bulldog boxing is a substantially new issue due to the massive differences between the kits, and as we've not yet reviewed its stablemate, we'll start at the very beginning. The box is the now traditional Takom style with separate lid, and individually bagged sprues (with the exception of the multiple sprues) inside, which are resealable if you're one of those folks that like to rebag your sprues after fondling them (you wierdos!). In addition to the ten grey sprues and two hull halves, there is a sprue of clear parts, a small Photo-Etch (PE) fret, a decal sheet, a track jig, and the instructions with integrated painting and markings guide. Not unusually, construction begins with the lower hull and the many suspension parts being added, lined up using the holes in the track jig mentioned above. This is repeated both sides, and the twelve road wheels and two drive sprockets are made up in readiness. The sprocket and one road wheel are placed in the jig and are dressed with the link and length tracks, with two being needed, so a bit of a delay will be necessary to allow the first run to set up before you can start the second. Scrap diagrams show how the finished article should look from both sides, and above the sponson floor the sidewalls are fitted, with a number of mounts moulded-in to accept the stand-off reactive armour. The exhaust is directed along the left side and exits at deck height toward the rear of the vehicle, which is also added at this time. Large stowage boxes fit either side of the wide rear door, and a number of small holes are drilled out in preparation for the fitting of detailing parts. The separate sponson rear ends have long mudflaps added from PE, and the door is made up with ammo boxes fitted to the inside, plus handle and number plate on the outside. The glacis plate has a change of angle around half way up, and is built from two sections to accommodate this (the upper section moulded into the deck), with ERA blocks fitted to the fixed section and slat armour added over the hatch on the lower section. More slat armour panels are fitted below the nose, with light clusters and sensor boxes for good measure. The deck is full of holes at this point, but has pioneer tools and copious smoke grenade launchers installed before attachment to the model, which first needs the outer shell constructing before fitting. Engine ventilation covers are added to the right side of the hull, and are immediately covered by the outer hull panel and its appliqué armour, which has a separate top panel for preservation of detail. This is repeated on the other side, allowing the fitment of the glacis and deck panels, which are detailed with the hatches and grilles to fill all those holes bar the main "turret ring" at the rear, and the commander's cupola, which is added later with clear vision blocks. Additional slat-armour corner parts are inserted in the gaps to protect those areas, and this is repeated at the rear, with the air conditioning box perched on the very back of the deck, overhanging the rear door and decked with aerials and jammer antennae. The rear of the vehicle has a complicated set of slat armour panels that allow the rear door to operate, with bracing struts preventing strumming over rough ground. More sensors, antennae, the rear clamshell top hatch, and the large crew station are built and added, the latter made from a substantial number of parts, which provides more than adequate protection for the top cover man, with shields and armoured glazing all around his GPMG station, which can also be operated remotely from inside thanks to the TV box on the opposite side of the mount to the ammo can. Markings Takom and Ammo hooked up to do the colour and markings options fairly early on, and this carries on in the back pages of the instruction booklet. There are three decal options, all of which are applied over a sand yellow base, with little to differentiate other than the weapons fit and unit markings. From the box you can build one of the following: 1st Battalion Scots Guards Reconnaissance Platoon, Operation Telic, Southern Iraq, January 2008 – Yellow 12 marking on rear and unshrouded GPMG on the upper deck. 1st Battalion Scots Guards Reconnaissance Platoon, Operation Telic, Southern Iraq, January 2008 – Rob Roy on sides, shrouded GPMG on the cupola. 1st Battalion Scots Guards Reconnaissance Platoon, Operation Telic, Southern Iraq, January 2008 – Robert Bruce on sides, and unshrouded GPMG on the upper deck. The decals are printed anonymously, and due to their simplicity there is little need for register (which seems good anyway), with the lighter colours appearing suitably dense. There is a tiny amount of over-printing of the yellow around the white backing, but that should disappear on a sand coloured backdrop. A little variation in units would have been nice to see, but as there's not much in the way of decals anyway, it wouldn't be too hard to build your own choice of subject, taking note of the personalisations to the vehicles. Conclusion The FV432 is long overdue in 1:35, and this seems to hit the spot. If you've spent a lot of time around these vehicles as some of my friends have, you'll be bound to pick up some things that might need attention, but for the majority of us (self included), this is a welcome addition to Takom's increasing armour range. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

FV432 fitted with a Peak Engineering turret with the L37A1 variant of the 7.62mm GPMG, replacing the roof hatch. Pics thanks to Dave Haskell.

Started on 1st April 2017 Finished on 21st April 2017 My absolute favourite build this year and a most long awaited model of a British Classic from the last 40+ years There are some hidden twists in the box as you can build almost any vehicle from the 1970's to the 1990's but the parts that should be used/not used are not made clear. If you want to see more, the full build is here

Finally.... Lookie here, a fully injection moulded, full interior FV432 Mk.2/1 from our friends at Takom. Sourced from the Tamiya Model Magazine Facebook Group Sam But wait! There's more! Right, where's the British equipment set and figures with compulsory chipped enamel mug?

GKN Sankey FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier. Thanks to Jonathan Smith the owner for allowing me access to take the pictures.