Ace Models 1/72 Smith Gun and the tale of the hilarious instructions !

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Was very pleased that Ace released this little kit of this bizarre Home Guard weapon as one was based at Sywell Aerodrome and I was keen to make one for the Sywell Aviation Museum. Completely Heath Robinson and would look very cool behind a 30s civillian car. I figure it counts as armour as its a) an anti-tank gun and b) has an armoured shield. Also couldn't think where else to stick it! 

 

If you've never heard of one have a wiki-gander here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Gun

 

Your 8 quid buys you a small 5x7ish sprue with very delicate parts with a bit of flash. Some of the parts are absolutely tiny and the location slots etc are mainly non-existent. The plastic is also fragile albeit not Roden-fragile.

 

The instructions are not very good- see if you can spot the problem!

 

That being said it built up OK after a struggle - I left some bits off as I was getting frustrated with 2mm long pieces of plastic and no location points - but it looks the part, and is tiny. Humbrol rattle can spray and enamel touch ups with some AK streaking grime as a wash. The base is an offcut of an old Coastal kits airfield base - I was thinking about doing a dio base but its pretty dark and I was worried it would be lost in grass/mud ground clutter. 

 

Fun, but not as much fun as it should have been - and Ace really need a proof-reader....!

 

BF0210E3-36E8-47EC-B268-94D5E9C0F8C5 by Ben Brown, on Flickr

 

E6F53246-B4AD-4C64-9DAF-DE0D86EBD28D by Ben Brown, on Flickr

 

F57CAD46-8F51-486C-ACAB-B85EB68B1550 by Ben Brown, on Flickr

 

7EA21295-A523-4918-A4ED-8086154F8ED3 by Ben Brown, on Flickr

 

E777763E-263F-49AC-82D0-10082E02774A by Ben Brown, on Flickr

 

Hope you like it!

 

ATB

 

TT

[Kingsman]

If I may quote Berk from Trapdoor, "1, 2, 3, can't remember the rest............"!

 

(for the uninitiated, Trapdoor was a mildly scary 1980s plasticene animation children's TV series voiced by Willie Rushton).

[fatfingers]

Blimey thats small! Lovely little build. Reminds me of the Dads Army episode where they have one and shoot onions out of it! 

 

Regards,

 

Steve

[Kingsman]

Ace do a couple of period cars you could use as tractors.  Easily converted with improvised armour plate as some Home Guard units did.  And there are period cars from the likes of Oxford Diecast, but mostly 1/76.  Strangely, no-one in the model railway vehicle world seems to do anything resembling Mr Jones' van.

[Aeronut]

Thanks for that link to Wiki, its the first time I've seen an entry that I could add to. It makes no mention of the consideration given to equipping the Airborne Forces with the Smith Gun.

One of the wartime reports I have describes the trials at the AFEE to drop drop the Smith Gun and Limber by parachute from the then favoured parachuting aircraft, the Wellington. All was not fine with this idea, the Gun and Limber had to have one wheel removed and strapped to the remaining part just to fit in the bomb bay resulting in unwanted reassembly on the DZ. However, the killer for the project was the fact that the guns parachute canopies struck the underside of the aircraft as they deployed damaging the fuselage battens and fabric.  

The Wiki entry also mentions that the gun was removed from RAF Regiment service in 1943 yet in early 1944 a Hamilcar crashed at Tarrant Rushton hitting two Nissen huts, the wing and rear fuselage came to rest on a stock pile of Smith guns. This crash is more famous for the fact that the glider's load of a Tetrarch ended up 20 feet or so in front of the glider having broken its restraints and shot out through the nose.

[APA]

Brilliant both for the instructions. Doesn't anyone proof read or even try building thier own work! And in the build. 

I really like the idea of the smiths gun. I have looked at building a 1/35 scratch build. 

 

Nice one👍

 

One thing though, try putting the light at an angle forward of the model so it shows inner detail. It's all in a bit of a shadow. 😉

 

A

[nheather]

Looks like the author of the instructions cut and pasted the 10 label with the intention of changing the numbers and then forgot or got distracted.

 

I can understand that but where was the checking though.

 

Interesting little model all the same.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Thanks chaps for your comments and for the extra SG gen!

 

I agree it would be much better in 1/35 if ICM or IBG or someone fancied a go - its so wee and delicate that its difficult to see in 1/72!

 

ATB

 

TT

[swralph]

Nice one TT.😀

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Nice build of a very 'ACE' kit. 

 

You should keep those instructions, they'll be a rarity one day! 

 

The corrected instructions are here:  http://acemodel.com.ua/en/model/742

 

 

[keefr22]

That's not something you see everyday! Nice build!

 

On 08/02/2021 at 14:26, Das Abteilung said:

Strangely, no-one in the model railway vehicle world seems to do anything resembling Mr Jones' van

 

If you wanted to scratchbuild a gun in 1/50, Corgi have just introduced this;

 

https://uk.corgi.co.uk/products/dads-army-j-jones-thornycroft-van-and-mr-jones-figure-cc09003?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Don+t+Panic!&utm_campaign=Corgi+-+CC09003+-+week+46+2020%2F2021

 

Keith

[Kingsman]

John Day have a whole range of white metal period vans.  http://www.johndaymodels.co.uk/our-models/  I'm not certain the company is still going as their website doesn't seem to have been updated since 2019.  Their kits are listed at £10-15.

 

Jones' van was a 1935 Ford Model A.  John Day's RRV 15 appears to be a Ford A chassis/cab on which you could build the van body.

 

But RRV 71 Bedford van is very similar and the high roof would be easily changed.  I suppose if you had the coin you could perhaps kitbash the Ford front and chassis with the Bedford back, but white metal isn't the easiest material to work with.

 

There is a Bedford on eBay right now, here. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-76-00-4mm-JOHN-DAY-WHITE-METAL-KIT-BEDFORD-WS-PARCEL-LORRY-1931-1935/173871059768?hash=item287b85d338:g:QXkAAOSwt~1cDFKo

 

 

[Orso]

.

I don't see anything wrong with the instructions. I will give them 10 out of 10. 😀

 

For a Ford AA I use the GAZ AA plastic kit. Close enough and i 1/72 scale instead of 1/76. Easier to convert as it is in plastic..

That gun is an interesting piece.

[Homer]

Well done on a beautiful model 👏 

[IanC]

Nice little model of an utterly bonkers piece of kit. 

 

'I'm going to give you five stars, Captain Mainwaring'...

[TEXANTOMCAT]

Thanks chaps! 👍

[dcrfan]

Glad I found this thread as i was just about to grab this kit.  I'll pass and go straight to 1/48th scratch build.

Edited April 11, 2021 by dcrfan

[cngaero]

That's a neat little model of a rather quaint Home Guard idea. As you suggest, the instructions need a little bit of atTENtion.