Hockeyboy76 Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 (edited) The RAF Armoured Car Companies were part of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) based in Iraq, Palestine and Transjordan. They were formed to operate with aircraft squadrons to suppress insurrection and maintain peace in the area in the aftermath of World War I. A large and expensive army was required to maintain peace in Mesopotamia after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by the British in the Mesopotamian campaign of World War I. At the Cairo Conference (1921) it was agreed by Chief of the Air Staff Lord Trenchard and Secretary of State for the Colonies Winston Churchill that the Royal Air Force would take over control from the British Army. It was considered the security of the newly created country of Iraq could be achieved by aircraft squadrons supported by RAF armoured cars and a small number of ground forces. In the winter of 1921/1922 airmen and officers of the RAF were assembled at RAF Heliopolis on the outskirts of Cairo in Egypt to train and form the nucleus of the RAF Armoured Car Companies. On 19 December 1921, No.1 Armoured Car Company RAF (1 ACC) was formally established at Heliopolis and then, having become operational, moved to Palestine in May 1922. They were disbanded there on 1 December 1923 with elements being absorbed into No.2 Armoured Car Company RAF (2 ACC).[1] On 7 April 1922 the remaining airmen under training at RAF Heliopolis were formed into 2 ACC and a month later proceeded to Palestine & Transjordan.[2] In May 1922 airmen and officers assembled at RAF Manston in Kent, England, to train as armoured car crew for service in Mesopotamia (Iraq).[3] On 14 September 1922 they set sail on the first Royal Air Force troopship from Southampton with other RAF personnel bound for Iraq.[4] In Iraq, No.3 Armoured Car Company RAF (3 ACC) was based at Basrah operating in Southern Iraq, No.5 Armoured Car Company RAF (5 ACC) at Mosul with No.4 Armoured Car Company RAF (4 ACC), No.6 Armoured Car Company RAF (6 ACC) and a headquarters in Baghdad. Armoured car lines were created at RAF Hinaidi Cantonment. In 1924 Numbers 3 and 4 Companies were combined. In April 1927 Numbers 4, 5 & 6 Companies were disbanded with the formation of the armoured car wing at RAF Hinaidi Cantonment composed of 8 sections of armoured cars. Four sections were based at Hinaidi, one at Basrah, two at Kirkuk and one at Mosul. In April 1930 the Armoured Car Wing was disbanded and reconstituted as Number 1 Armoured Car Company RAF with headquarters, workshops and two sections based at RAF Hinaidi Cantonment, one section based at RAF Basrahand one at RAF Mosul.[1][5] In 1937 1 ACC moved from the RAF Hinaidi Cantonment to a new base at RAF Dhibban (renamed RAF Habbaniya on 1 May 1938), where it remained based until disbandment and incorporation into the RAF Regiment, on 3 October 1946. In Palestine and Transjordan, 2 ACC remained active until disbandment and incorporation into the RAF Regiment, on 3 October 1946. Above taken from Wikipedia. My my own personal link to this build is slightly tenuous, but stick with me. Every year I had my annual visit to the Rockapes for CCS training, basically first aid, shooting, NBC and the gas chamber sorry respirator test facility. And I spent a delightful time in Iraq at Basra airfield. Oh and on each Rock Squadron there will be at least one MTD to provide driver fams/ training on the vehicles. That should cover it This is the kit I will build Edited June 3, 2018 by Hockeyboy76 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Good, a welcome addition to the Group Build H - we now have some aspect of the RAF that isn't aeroplanes (wonderful though those are). p.s. which scheme are you going for, have you decided yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 12, 2018 Author Share Posted April 12, 2018 37 minutes ago, Robert Stuart said: Good, a welcome addition to the Group Build H - we now have some aspect of the RAF that isn't aeroplanes (wonderful though those are). p.s. which scheme are you going for, have you decided yet? I want to use the roundel decal, so it will be an all green affair. But then again I do have a lot of Light stone paint left from my Buccaneer build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Ah, decisions, decisions - I quite like the 'Caunter Scheme' options for this, but that roundel does look good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 A little bit of cutting, a lot of dry fitting, sanding and rechecking and finally some glue gets you this I thought 144 was fiddly, this is 1/72! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 (edited) For a car, it’s flying along . Cracking on with the sub assembly’s but leaving the wheels and axels off to till the end, dont want it cocking a leg. There is a lot of flash to deal with and each moulding gate leaves a lump on the piece you clip off. Edited April 13, 2018 by Hockeyboy76 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 Almost ready for the paint shop Top of turret has already been painted white as that’s the colour missing from the decals. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 That looks like good progress H. I have the 1/35th version of this in my stash, and am interested to see how this comes out. PM sent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 34 minutes ago, Robert Stuart said: That looks like good progress H. I have the 1/35th version of this in my stash, and am interested to see how this comes out. PM sent Hope it’s not as fiddly as this is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 (edited) Have been looking at Armoured cars in service during WW2 and found this Under effective fire from an Iraqi brigade of some 9,000 men on the plateau overlooking the besieged RAF station at Habbaniya, three Rolls-Royce armoured cars of No 1 Armoured Car Company RAF, HMACs ‘LION’, ‘ADDER’ and ‘ASTRA’, recover the ground crew and pilot of a stricken Wellington Mk. IC of No 70 Squadron RAF. The Wellington had forced-landed after being hit by anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing run over the Iraqi positions. The recovery of the Wellington, which was carrying a full bomb load, had to be abandoned when the aircraft and tractor were hit by artillery and machine-gun fire. Reinforced by a further six Rolls-Royce armoured cars, the Company then repelled an incursion by a dozen armoured cars of the Iraqi Army which were attempting to infiltrate across the half mile interval between the plateau and the airfield. In concert with their comrades in the air, the steadiness under fire, dash and disregard for danger in the attack shown by the ground force, of which No 1 Armoured Car Company was a key element, ultimately led to the defeat of a vastly superior enemy force. Above and image from https://skipperpress.com/portfolio/gallery-prints/habbaniya-2nd-may-1941/ Edited April 22, 2018 by Hockeyboy76 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Good find H! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 She’s now drying under a coat of Humbrol 250. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Decals 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Nice. I'm building the 1/35 kit. I'm surprised to see decals provided in yours as there were none in the box for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 2 hours ago, Ted said: Nice. I'm building the 1/35 kit. I'm surprised to see decals provided in yours as there were none in the box for me. Speak to @Robert Stuart, I know he has that kit too & see if his had decals dude. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 OT: @Ted I have this boxing https://www.scalemates.com/kits/137882-roden-802-armoured-car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted May 28, 2018 Author Share Posted May 28, 2018 Almost done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted May 28, 2018 Share Posted May 28, 2018 Looking good, I picked this up after reading "In Every Place" by Nigel Warwick, a history of the RAF armoured car units in the Middle East & North Africa, superb if heavy duty reading with some fascinating insights into the history of the region. I'm very pleased to see the level of detail it has for a small model, I'm far more hopeful for mine now. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyboy76 Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 Finished photos The scale shot And with my previous desert build 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Nice one H, good to see some non-flying stuff for the RAF 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 That is a sweet job. If it wasn't for the tinlet to give scale it could well pass for bigger. My first reaction was "cripes, it's tiny!" Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 As Steve says, tiny! Marvellous little model 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Lovely work H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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