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Esoteric Armour


Mandrake

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I have recently started a blog dedicated to Esoteric Armour which can be found at: http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com

By esoteric armour I refer to military vehicles service that is not widely known or widely published. This could be well known types in lesser known export service, rare or unique variants, or focussing upon the vehicles inventories of small armed forces throughout the world.....in some cases it will even provide evidence of types/variants in service that was not even previously known!

Each arcticle will compromise of open source research, my own analysis, hopefully some discussion from you and also some input from a modelling perspective. Longer term I hope to include some build articles on my modelling of such esoteric armour.

bmp1_B.jpg

Ivory Coast Gendarmerie BMP-1

The inaugural post/article is on the subject of Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire BMP-1s & BMP-2s during the recent civil war. I hope to pulbish new articles at the rate of atleast one a week.

You can subscribe for updates and/or I will post on this forum when I have updated, providing there are no objections by the administrators/moderators.

Some of the future articles currently in the works include:

Somalia/Somaliland - M-47 Patton

Iraq - AMX-30 AUF-1

Iraq - Old school armour (Churchill, Centurion, Chaffee, Greyhound)

Ivory Coast BTR-80 & BDRM-2

Cambodia PT-76

Egyptian M151A2

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions for future research topics would be welcome. Any comments regarding Ivory Coast BMP-1s and BMP-2 can I pleae encourage you to comment on the blog in order to get the ball rolling!

Regards

Mandrake

Edited by Mandrake
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  • 2 weeks later...

Do you mean like this, as used by Israeli recce units....BRDM-2 and BTR-40?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pik...red_vehicle.jpg

http://m1.ikiwq.com/img/xl/fHe3wOY6TTyf4DXHtLOxSc.jpg

Or Wild-Weasel, land-lubber style, the Kilshon.

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/veh...on/Kilshon.html

Eyal observation platform

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/veh.../eyal/Eyal.html

MAR-240 MLRS

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/veh...40mm/240mm.html

HTH

Cheers, Ian

Edited by ian buick
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Ian,

thank you for your interest and for posting some interesting links

In regards to your question of lesser known vehicle service? OR lesser known vehicles types? The former will be the focus of the blog but the latter will also be covered to some degree.

For my part the process is mainly about identifying and interpreting images of such examples.

In the case if the IDF, which I'm guessing you have a special interest in, I hope to do an article in the future about the PT-76s captured and subsequently used and modified by Israel.

Regards,

Mandrake

Edited by Mandrake
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Okay, thanks for that Mandrake.

I do have an interst in IDF/Mid-East armour but also in the esoteric which I often find on the net, look at, and forget about, so I like your idea of a site dedicated to such types.

I`ll post more links as I stumble across them.

Here`s a link to an Israeli site, pic heavy with captured types including some very esoteric types and a couple of Israeli PT-76 pics (one in colour from 1960s/1970s?).

http://idf-armor.blogspot.com/2008/07/m-48-frog.html

All the best with the blog

Cheers, Ian

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Okay, thanks for that Mandrake.

I do have an interst in IDF/Mid-East armour but also in the esoteric which I often find on the net, look at, and forget about, so I like your idea of a site dedicated to such types.

I`ll post more links as I stumble across them.

Here`s a link to an Israeli site, pic heavy with captured types including some very esoteric types and a couple of Israeli PT-76 pics (one in colour from 1960s/1970s?).

http://idf-armor.blogspot.com/2008/07/m-48-frog.html

All the best with the blog

Cheers, Ian

Some excellent photos in there thanks.

This is also a very good blog on middle eastern armour, with a focus on Lebanon. http://milinme.wordpress.com/

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Hello Mandrake,

Nice blog.

Some of the future articles currently in the works include:

Somalia/Somaliland - M-47 Patton

Iraq - AMX-30 AUF-1

Iraq - Old school armour (Churchill, Centurion, Chaffee, Greyhound)

Ivory Coast BTR-80 & BDRM-2

Cambodia PT-76

Egyptian M151A2

I'll be happy to hear about AUF-1.

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Hello Mandrake,

Nice blog.

I'll be happy to hear about AUF-1.

Thanks Antoine, Iraqi AUF-1s wil actually be the next article published.

Not much text and/or analysis with this one, they received 85 examples in the early 80s, saw service in Iran-Iraq war and beyond that not much is known. There are alot of photos of derelict examples online mainly at camp Taji but I have only been able to find one picture of an operational example, taken during a parade in Baghdad. If you have any more information or operational pictures then do please get in touch.

Also picked up the 1/35 Heller AUF1 a couple of weeks ago for a bargin price of about £10 (inc P&P). Nice base but going require alot of detail work.

Edited by Mandrake
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  • 4 weeks later...
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  • 2 months later...

Quite a few updates on the blog since I last posted here:

Libya (National Liberation Army) M577 Command Vehicle

Libyam577.jpg

Full article with further pictures and information available here:

http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com/2011/08...-army-m577.html

Ugandan M4A1(76)W / M1 Sherman

UgSherman3.jpg

Full article with further pictures and information available here:

http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com/2011/09...m1-sherman.html

Centurion AVRE in Libya

Cent.jpg

Full article with further pictures and information available here:

http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com/2011/09...e-in-libya.html

Libya Khrizantema-S

ATM1.jpg

Full article with further pictures and information available here:

http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com/2011/10...izantema-s.html

Yemen M113

1.jpg

Full article with further pictures and information available here:

http://esotericarmour.blogspot.com/2011/10/yemen-m113.html

Hope you find them interesting!

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  • 10 months later...

After a long break due to other commitments Esoteric Armour is back with three new articles:

Yemen M60

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Click for full article

Libya M109

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Click for full article

Libya ShKH DANA vz.77

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Click for full article

It is hoped that new articles will be added on a more regular basis. It is also the intention to revise a number of previous articles.

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