CliffB Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Hi all. My entry will be this Accurate Armour, Hotspur Armoured Land Rover. A resin kit with a good smattering of PE. I've always known that the RUC use armoured Land Rovers to police Northern Ireland, but I hadn't really appreciated that there have been various iterations, with each new design providing enhanced protection. The Hotspur version saw service in the 1980s and incorporated additional armour plate fitted within the cabin (in order to maintain the civilian appearance as far as possible). EDIT: Please ignore all that follows - I'll now be building this as an RUC vehicle Their retirement from service corresponded with the start of the 1990s Yugoslav Wars, and one retired vehicle at least was purchased to provide protective transport for the ITN news crew that was covering the conflict in Bosnia. Accurate Armour provide decals for this version (but unfortunately not much infomation on how to use them). I'm still trying to find online images of the ITN vehicle and the only thing I've found so far is a fleeting glimpse of it on its side in a ditch in this YouTube video on similar BBC vehicles. It appears at 40 seconds and you may be surprised by the choice of colour.... Cheers 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjwomack Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I'm not one to be rushed! Finally worked out why it's ITN- spent all morning wondering what that abbreviation was and how it fitted in an RUC context. Fascinating tale, for once I'll be glued to the news. And as with the news, do we have to keep waiting for more on this story later, or will you be opening the box before the weekend and giving us a glimpse? (Pretty please) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 On 3/15/2021 at 4:28 PM, Mjwomack said: And as with the news, do we have to keep waiting for more on this story later, or will you be opening the box before the weekend and giving us a glimpse? Your wish is my command! Lots of nice bits of resin, which appear to be very nicely moulded . This will be my first Accurate Armour kit, but I think they have a good reputation. The PE fret looks good too, but unfortunately most of it won't be applicable to my vehicle. I'm planning to start this in early April, so not too long to wait . Cheers 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Are you feeling ok Cliff???? It's bigger than 1/100th and it's not really old or very obscure (ok many be a little). But it is full resin so that's a plus! All those resiny bits do look rather nice, and PE as well. well good luck with this one....looking forward to seeing you do your magic on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 12 hours ago, trickyrich said: Are you feeling ok Cliff???? HI Rich, yes I'm fine thanks. I've just got a craving for 1/32(ish) vehicles at moment. I'm sure it will pass Cheers 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 20, 2021 Author Share Posted March 20, 2021 I wanted to make a small start today, so have cleaned up part number 1, which is the chassis frame. Predictably, the part has a pour lug at one end that needs to be sawn off and additionally, there are a number of webs which need to be cut out from between the chassis rails. Helpfully, each web has the word REMOVE cast on to it. All the surplus bits of resin came away easily enough and the chassis then cleaned up nicely with a sanding stick. So far, so good. I'll post again when I have something more substantial to report Cheers 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Great project. Love the video clip with Kate Adie helping drive the Landie. Is it true General Schwarzkopf didnt start the Iraq invasion until Kate Adie was ready? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Nice. Good start. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Great choice, I'm aware of the AA kits but haven't seen a build of one so will be following along, some great shots of UN armour in that TV clip too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjwomack Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 @CliffB Kate Adie, there's a name from the past!! @Scargsy you know what they say about things coming along in batches? There's another Accurate Armour build going on... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 Thanks @Colin W, @Ted @Scargsy and @Mjwomack Unfortunately there's goods news and there's bad news on this one . The good news is that I've now found a good quality colour photograph of the ITN vehicle. The bad news is that it looks nothing like the kit. Much of the external protective cladding of RUC vehicle has been removed (and I'm talking about solid polycarbonate body panels here - not just grilles), leaving the ITN vehicle looking more like a standard hard top Land Rover, than a Hotspur. It's not really what I had in mind at all! Every cloud though has a silver lining, so I've decided to crack on regardless and build the kit as an RUC Hotspur. I will be able to play with that PE after all Cheers 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 On 3/23/2021 at 7:43 PM, CliffB said: I will be able to play with that PE after all This is a cool Wee Beastie... I liked the video too. It seems like they had the wrong tires for much of their needs... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 16 hours ago, John Masters said: This is a cool Wee Beastie... I liked the video too. It seems like they had the wrong tires for much of their needs... Thanks John. Yes, the Land Rovers did appear to be struggling in Bosnia. I'm guessing the weight of all that armour didn't help! With my African build finished, I'm now making a start on my own Land Rover. The instructiuons suggest that you start by building up the chassis and then move on to adding the body panels to it. All very sensible, provided the chassis frame is straight and true. Unfortunately, mine is warped in two dimensions and because of its complex shape, it's impossible to see exactly where it needs to be straightened. So instead, I've decided to build the body first and then adjust the chassis frame to fit. Warpage is still a problem though, even with the body parts. And here's a side panel that's supposed to be straight. Fortunately, I've built a few resin kits over years so know that these parts can be straightened using hot water. It's just a bit of a pain . Cheers 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 A good day today, as I've managed to get most of the bodywork stuck together. Interestingly, whilst most of the parts are cast in straw coloured resin, a few are light grey. This is obviously not a problem, but it's the first time I've come across this. As you can see, the warped side panels straightened up OK but they're still very flimsy. Once I've finished fitting out the interior, I'll add some cross-braces to hold everything rigid while I fit the roof. The side panels are also a bit shorter than the front doors (the tops should be level), so my next job will be to sort this out somehow. Cheers 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 Sadly they are back out on the streets in Northern Ireland again I see - though I guess that might give you some info. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 15 hours ago, PeterB said: Sadly they are back out on the streets in Northern Ireland again I see - though I guess that might give you some info. Pete Hi Pete, yes some familiar scenes in NI again (although with some important differences). Not much help for my model though, as my Hotspur version was retired from service in 1991. I have however picked up a second-hand version of this book which has some great photos of the Hotspur - it's also quite an interesting read in its own right . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 No resin parts today! Instead I've been using plasticard to reinforce and staighten the flimsy side panels. It's structurally ready for the roof now (although that won't be fixed in place just yet). Next up - the wonky chassis... Cheers 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 11, 2021 Author Share Posted April 11, 2021 Hi all. I've been putting most of my modelling time into my Skyhawk build, but did get a couple of hours this afternoon on the Land Rover. The chassis is now fixed to the bodywork along with radiator armour. I've tidied up the bonnet too, although this is still loose. All the structural stuff is now complete and is reasonably square. I can now relax and enjoy adding all the fiddly bits! This will include replacing some details (for example hinges), that I've managed to destroy whilst putting the bodywork together. Under the bonnet lurks a rather nice engine (still loose too). I don't know whether it's worth the effort to paint the engine up nicely and leave the bonnet permantly loose. I've done this on other builds, but to be honest I've never actually looked at any of the engines again. It's also more complicated on the Land Rover, because of the PE windscreen shield which folds down on to the top of the bonnet. I'm sure I could work round this, but it's all time and effort that might be better spent on another build . I'll give it some more thought... Cheers 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 10 hours ago, CliffB said: I don't know whether it's worth the effort to paint the engine up nicely and leave the bonnet permantly loose. Looks good, this one! Always a dilemma regarding the engine... sometimes you have a really nice one in a kit, where you know it will never be seen. Some kits have lousy engines and you'll need to add details because it can be seen. This one looks like you could spend some time on paint, and it will be good either way, showing it or not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 3 hours ago, JeroenS said: Looks good, this one! Always a dilemma regarding the engine... sometimes you have a really nice one in a kit, where you know it will never be seen. Some kits have lousy engines and you'll need to add details because it can be seen. This one looks like you could spend some time on paint, and it will be good either way, showing it or not. Thanks Jeroen. I've decided fix the bonnet in place, so will be limiting my detailed painting of the engine to the parts that can be seen from below. A compromise . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 minute ago, CliffB said: A compromise . One that makes sense though 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 I'll agree with Jeroen, it seems a good compromise. Nice to see that the side walls straightened out so well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 22 hours ago, JeroenS said: One that makes sense though 🙂 21 hours ago, Bengalensis said: I'll agree with Jeroen, it seems a good compromise. Thanks guys. I think this model is really about the PE, so I will concentrate my efforts on the exterior 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 24, 2021 Author Share Posted April 24, 2021 Time for a quick update, as most of the stuff on the underside is now in place. It's been quite fiddly in places and the unforgiving nature of CA glue doesn't help. Overall though, I'm quite pleased with the result, as everything seems to fit and the vehicle still sits level on its suspension. I'll basically be painting everything black (with maybe a few little highlights), apart from the exhaust pipe which I'll be fitting later. The pipe comes in three pieces, but I'll need to break it down further in order to thread it through the gaps (it's designed to be fitted earlier). Cheers 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjwomack Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Good to see this one 'back on the road' looking lovely. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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