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Heather's 1940 obsession again!


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Well, that wasn’t a good week. I had to disassemble a railway coach I’ve been working on to correct something. Then the roof didn’t want to fit, and that caused more vexation.

 

So, things were left that the Humber needed primer. That was done today, and since then RAF blue-grey has been brushed on.

 

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At this point, the steering wheel and front mudguards are still to be fitted, but the basic paint is going on well.

 

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Now, the first attempts at the thin foil canvas have been made. I have been salvaging the very thin foil seal from instant coffee jars for a while. I find it very satisfying when I can peel it carefully from the jar in one piece! I have to say, disappointingly, the template provided for the cab roof proved too small, so I’ve had to make some adjustments. Second go, and it fitted much better. I think the sagging looks okay, but the material is so thin it’s very prone to accidental sharp creasing as well. 
 

Now, the question is what colour was the canvas. Camouflaged vehicles had the canvas painted more or less to match the rest of the vehicle. I have a feeling the canvas was pretty much just a light brown in pre-war days, but proving that might be hard. Then again, it’s my model and I’ll paint it how I like!

 

More a little later, once the satin varnish on the paintwork dries.

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Hi Heather,

 

I dug out Mike Starmer's article on British colours and he mentions AMO A364/37 which introduced a change in colour for RAF vehicles to BS 33 Blue Grey in 1937 replacing all previous colours "such as Khaki on UK based vehicles". He also mentions that in 1939 instructions were issued to follow the Army in using camo - basically G3 Khaki Green in the UK with in some cases a disruptive colour painted over it and says that a note dated November 1940 says that the canvas tilts were leaving the manufacturer dyed Khaki", Unfortunately he does not say what the "official" colour of the canvas was during the blue grey period but it sounds like it was khaki before that and also after and therefore may not have changed. It also points out that the camo scheme was only for use on bases where the enemy could be expected to see them and that the RAF vehicles did not get as much wear and tear as Army ones so the blue/grey lingered on well into 1943 on some equipment.

 

That probably does not help much but I see nothing wrong with a khaki sort of colour on a blue truck myself. Certainly the Army used a khaki-green dyed canvas from pre war to around Autumn 1941 according to Dick Taylor's book.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

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39 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

The foil looks great and it’s a very nice colour combo too.

 

Regards,

Adrian


It’s my preferred colour choice. Sadly, my preferred year means more of the green. 
 

1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

Ooh nice!

 

Ta.

 

33 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

That is a right smart little RAF Utility Lorry Heather. That will look stunning next to any of your British aircraft.

 

You’re not wrong!

 

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Up until somewhere round the middle of 1940, most military vehicles were registered with London civilian authorities. After Dunkirk, new vehicles arriving at RAF MT depots were given the more familiar census numbers - as well as the green/camo paintwork. The PE number plate from my stores is not strictly speaking correct for a late 1930s London registration number, appearing to originate from Shropshire, but I’m afraid my hand isn’t steady enough these days to clearly letter more correct plates.

 

I have added tie-back straps for the sides of the tilt, retouched the odd spot of paint (which needs properly assessing another time), and calling this epic done. If I remember I will add some mild weathering and paint the exhaust a rusty colour. 
 

I am happy that I’ve actually built this little kit. I remain unconvinced that etched metal is the best medium for vehicles of this scale, but it’s gone together fairly well. Good enough for background duties, as I intended. I’ll pop more photos in the non-competitive gallery.

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Great work Heather! The airfield support equipment really adds to the realism of the scene being modelled. And I like your work with the foil to represent the canvas - looks brilliant.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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17 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

Great work Heather! The airfield support equipment really adds to the realism of the scene being modelled. And I like your work with the foil to represent the canvas - looks brilliant

 

Thanks Bill!
 

4 minutes ago, Bengalensis said:

Great work with the foil, it looks very convincing, and the whole model turned out very well!


I am pleased with the foil. While it remains fragile, the whole model is pretty fragile, so I won’t be roughly handling it.

 

Just now, dnl42 said:

A delightful collection of models! :clap2:

 

I really do like these vehicles.


Thanks! In many ways, I enjoy researching the vehicles as much as the aircraft they’re meant to support. I’ve been trying to find period correct models for my obsession for a long time.

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Hi Heather

 

I did not realise they were London number plates but I guess that makes sense - I have a census list that gives both the serial and where applicable the civilian registration for tanks, armoured cars, carriers etc from just after WWI to 1948 but it does not seem to include trucks unfortunately.

 

As you can see below the A 11 Infantry Tank Mk I had a civvy plate on with the BEF in 1940!

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It is partly obscured by the information board but would have been PMX 463 according to my list I believe, assuming it is in fact T8106 so either one or the other is wrong perhaps in this restored version - or it could be my list. The 19 Matildas in that batch seem to be the last  tanks etc to have had such a registration AFAIK!

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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  • 9 months later...

I have the utmost respect for builders of the Flightpath line of PE vehicles.  I've done the work ladders, work platform, bicycle, bomb trolleys (mix of white metal and PE) and Beaverette and for sure, soldering is crucial. Really nice work here.

 

I'd be curious as to your technique on fabricating/fitting windscreens for 1/72 or 1/76. Getting this wrong can ruin the effect but getting it right has been a real struggle for me - especially with windscreens with rounded corners.

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11 hours ago, cropredy said:

I'd be curious as to your technique on fabricating/fitting windscreens for 1/72 or 1/76.


Well, it depends.
 

If it’s a straightforward rectangle with thin surrounding walls, a simple bit of clear styrene or blister pack can be cut and glued in place behind. I always use a PVA type glue, mainly because solvents and superglues can mark or frost clear material.

 

For some cabs, like the little Dennis, I used a needle in a pin chuck to scratch the shape of the aperture on to clear material. I wanted the windscreen open, so the final shape needed to be near enough but not dead accurate, which meant cutting out with fine scissors and finishing with a sharp scalpel. Occasionally, a little sanding or filing finishes a shape for a snug fit if I’m after flush glazing. For cab doors, well, I cheat and often leave them unglazed as if the window is open.

 

For window apertures that are fairly small, good old canopy glue (Micro Kristal Klear or Deluxe Glue'n'Glaze) can be carefully drawn across and left to dry. 
 

That’s about it, really. I choose whichever method suits the model, and my patience at the time!

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