Emhar 1:24 Bedford O Type Tanker

[richellis]

Bedford ‘OLB’ tanker
1:24 Emhar

The Bedford O type chassis was launched in 1939 before the start of WW2 as a lorry chassis biased on specifications set out by the Ministry of Supply. The O type was available in a long wheel base, or short wheel base 5 ton lorry. A quick note to help with the lettering used for models, O is the chassis range, L is long wheel base, S is short wheelbase, B is 5 ton capacity, A is 3-4 ton, D is shown is a factory drop side body with T being a tipper! Confused.... Well this model is an OLB, O type, ‘L’ong wheel base, ‘B’ 5 ton lorry!

The O Type was re-specified for military use during the war, with simplified square bonnets, and differing suspension and wheels. Production of the O Type continued until 1953, many have been preserved including the OB (O type Bus) models. A trip to any vintage show will have one or two examples being shown. There is allot of unused parts on the sprues left over from the previous drop side version so the spares box will benefit.

Construction starts with the little Petrol engine, the parts have some nice detail but as always you can add more here including HT leads. Take some time on the engine as you can leave the sides off the bonnet to reveal the detail here. Next comes the ladder chassis, this is made up from 2 long rails and 6 cross members. Having built one of these the parts are a very good fit and the location pins and slots give very positive fits and help keep the chassis straight. The small petrol tank is made up in 4 parts and has a horizontal seam that needs to be filled and sanded. The lorry rides on leaf springs and they come next, the locations are OK, but the rear is a bit loose when I built mine. The front axle is fixed so you can’t pose the wheels turned without some work. The back axle fits positively on the back springs, and on my build I made the 2 part back axle, fixed it to the springs before gluing to the chassis as one unit. This helped with locating the springs and keeping the axle straight. There is a short extension to add to the back of the chassis along with some simple side crash bars and cab steps to complete the chassis. The spare wheel carrier on the rear can be glued in place now you can attach it without the spare wheel in place, it’s not easy and it is a bit of a fiddle but the wheel can be added after painting. You can build, and paint the chassis before gluing the engine in place as on some Bedford lorries this may be a contrasting colour.

The wheels are very well detailed including the correct hubs and nice period tyres; ensure you paint the inner parts (B60) on the front wheels black as they can be seen through the holes on the outer parts!

The tank body has a couple of options, so you need to check the reference pictures of the lorry you are building. You have the option of a 3 or 4 compartment tank, the tank parts need the correct tank lids and discharge ports cutting out, they are engraved markings inside the top and bottom of the tank, the instruction sheet shows what ports need cutting, so take care as this may become confusing. There is also the option of flat end caps, or domed ends to the tank, so again check your references here. The instructions give no guidance on what parts you need for the 3 examples on the decal sheet.

The tank supports are fitted and you need to ensure you don’t mix up parts N6 and N7 as they are slightly different, the same with support parts M7 and N14! Take your time when removing parts from the sprues! Here the option of 3 or 4 tank compartments makes construction different, and also there are differing tank lids and discharge ports to choose. A single tank walkway is included for the top of the tank, and remember no health and safety back then so no hand rails or non-slip mesh, just a simple ladder and wooden board walk way. Hose racks for the lower sides are added, and there are 4 nice hoses, moulded in hard plastic, for the trays. The ribbed detail is very nice and looks realistic. Being picky it would be nice for them to be a soft flexible vinyl so they could be used in a diorama. Now the tank is done it can be painted and decaled before adding to the chassis.

The cab is next on the build; the interior can be built, and painted before the complete and painted shell is slid over. As in the 1940’s the cab is simple, seats, steering wheel and some basic dials, there is allot of interior detail shots on line, and in the vehicle walk around area on Britmodeller to help with the paint and details, the bulkhead has the fuse box so you can add some wires and a few more details here. With the interior on the chassis a few piles link to the very nicely detailed radiator and radiator shell. The moulding is exquisite with the thin bars and the complex shape very well captured, the same goes for the bonnet sides, they are thin and scaled well, they can be left off to show off your engine, maybe in a garage having a bit of work done!

The cab shell is a single part, and this is a newer version. On the early castings there was a nasty seam on the back of the roof, this isn’t present on the review kit, but a smaller one is present on the front edge, it is not as bad as previous versions though. The shape of the cab looks spot on to me, and the separate doors are a god fit, and can be posed open! There is a single window wiper and mirror to fit, but the optional passenger side wiper and mirror are also in the kit so they can be added if required!

A single clear sprue is very well packed, being wrapped in foam and in its own bag. The parts are nice, but the engraved ‘mesh’ on the headlamps looks far too heavy and I wish this had been altered in this newer boxing of the lorry.

A nice decal sheet contains 3 different liveries for the lorry, Dominion, Cleveland, or Bradford Dyers including the correct registration plates for the 3 lorries, nice badgering decals and some cracking dials for the dash board that look just like the 1:1 dials on the lorry.

Conclusion
I love the O type Bedford, and this is a very welcome kit in 1:24. This is the 4th version, a Long wheel base drop side, a short tipper and a short recovery lorry also being available. I hope Emhar give us some more versions in the future, (How about an OB Bus?) If you don’t build civvy Lorries I know KFS are about to issue some military conversions for this in resin and etched metal.

Review sample courtesy of

[Steve86]

Thanks for the review I've been thinking of doing one of the Bedford "O" series for a little while, I might just take the plunge now. I emailed the company a few weeks back suggesting doing a 1950 Bedford OLBC Pantechnicon but no answer back yet. As I would like to make a model of the Bloomsfields of Felixstowe removal van which my father was the last person to drive it commercially.

I've passed some pictures of the truck onto Julien to upload in the walk around section for when he gets time (and if he thinks they are good enough).