British Army

British Army Vehicles and Troops

Revell /Matchbox Comet Mk 1 A34 in 1/76 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

After building the Revell Morris tractor and 17pdr kit with the cool diorama base thingy this kit caught my eye on eBay. Another bargain with no box, but who needs the box anyway. I found a picture of the actual box on the internet so there it is. This kit was just a nice, relaxed evening’s work I think. It did not take long to build straight out of the box, but very nice all the same. It comes with his own diorama base of a hillock, and some tank tracks over a puddle and a burnt-out tree stump. Not much to tell you apart from I enjoyed making it. The tracks are the rubber kind that you just glue and stretch around the wheels, I think my glue dissolved one of the joins so i had to do some improvising on where I managed to hide the join. All the bits go together nicely, but it does show it’s age when you compare to a newer version of the same vehicle from a company like Vespid. I took a photo of them together to show the difference. The Vespid kit was very nice and larger in scale at 1/72, compared to the Matchbox/Revell kit at 1/76. I added some aerials from plastic to match a photo I had seen somewhere, but apart from that did very little to change the model. I particularly liked the little base and spent some time decorating and making the puddle look puddly with some gloss varnish. Most enjoyable all round. I now have found a copy of Monty’s Caravan from the same range which is next in the queue. Fun times!

Academy Dodge Ambulance in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

Been a while, been very slow, not finishing anything, starting many things! Buying stuff too. This has been the pattern. Lots of input and very little output. Like Christmas day really. Another truck and another super little model from Academy. I did not have any medical vehicles for my allied forces so this fills a hole for sure. I have so far built the Academy German Fuel truck and their boxed set of Jeep, Kettenkrad and Kubelwagen, both of which were excellent kits.

This truck was great to put together. As usual all I ask is that things fit together easily, and it is obvious where all the bits are meant to go. I only made the truck and left the towing tractor for some other time. I added some brilliant PE windscreen wipers, but that was the only additional detail. They are super fiddly but using blutack on the end of a cocktail stick to pick them up, plus my super glue that dries clear for windows, and things turn out ok! The kit comes with some excellent decals that need a bit of patience to get right due to their size. It is easy to fold them up and make a mess but some perseverance and they come out looking fine. I did some gloss varnishing pre-decals then some brown washing followed by a layer of matt varnish on top. Decal softener is a must here to get the decals to lay flat into all the surfaces. This was a most enjoyable build, and now I have another Academy US Truck and also halftracks in the queue. See what I said before, more inputs! I am struggling taking decent photos of anything so apologies for the short cut holding the finished model in my hands. It’s the quickest way for me to get things done.

IBG Models Bedford Truck in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

Another great little kit from IBG. I finished the QLT which took me ages with all the occupants and extra tweaking I did. This is the QLD so a shorter wheelbase and I guess more for carrying things than people. I always enjoy making these IBG kits. Everything fits, the plastic is easy to work with, lots of detail but not too fiddly. I can go on and on. This guy I added some really cool, but teeny tiny, windscreen wipers (photo etch from Hauler) which I think finish it off nicely. My blog buddy Pete suggested a great transparent super glue which worked a treat so I did not get glue all over my windscreen and ruin everything. I also add the tissue paper tarpaulin which looks way better than the flat plastic supplied. At the bottom of the tarp I made an attempt to recreate the straps holding it on using the same plastic bristles I use for aerials. I think that was all the modifications I made. It’s a super little truck and goes well the other Airfix Bedfords I have in the collection. Recently I bought two new kits from IBG Models – their Daimler Armoured Car and a sawn off Daimler too, which I am very excited to build.

IBG Models Bedford QLT in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

I have been away for a month for work and then a very nice holiday so making and painting things been on hold for a while. Happy to be back with one of my favourite model kit makers IBG Models of Poland and their most excellent range of trucks. This time it is a British Bedford QLT. Airfix make an excellent version of this truck so I was excited to see how the much newer IBG kit measured up. I have yet to make an IBG model that disappointed and this one was true to form. Nice plastic, good details, perfect fits all round and easy to follow instructions. The only criticism i have with these is sometimes the connection points are a bit thick, but hey I am splitting hairs a bit there. Amendments I made to the it were the addition of some super cool PE windscreen wipers from Hauler. Tricky to get right as they are tiny but look great. I also removed the tarp sides and replaced them with rolled up foil and wire straps. The top of the tarp i covered with tissue paper and PVA glue. The original plastic was really plain and the rolled sides lacked detail. So i was happy the affect i got with my improvements. Decals were super and you get heaps of choice (3 or 4 vehicles).

I filled the back with some SHQ and some spare Caesar and Plastic Soldier Company seated figures. They are mainly in shadow so was quite quick with my paint jobs on them. No need to waste my best AB figures filling up the back. I was happy with the full looking truck, I think in reality these babies carried a full platoon of men (36+)? Here he is parked up and disembarking a section who look pretty relaxed. Its nice to be back at home with my paints out on the dining room table!

Hasegawa Daimler Armoured Car in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 8 Comments

Did I ever mention how much I like armoured cars? I think I would actually like a real one to drive around in, which would also solve any frustrations with other drivers quite quickly. This is the second Daimler from Hasegawa I have built and it was just as fun the second time. Nice and easy to build, not too many tiny bits and the plastic cuts and glues nicely. They include these weird metal axles in some of these kits which you have to superglue to stop the wheels revolving. It does mean the underneath lacks detail, but I don’t care about that once it’s based on it nice bit of textured MDF.

I did add some stowage, rolled up stuff and a pick axe, I think from Value Gear and an Airfix spare. I had seen another modeller add two aerials to his Daimler so I copied that. I am still deciding if I need to go skinnier with my aerials, but then I need them to be visible and easy to replace so perhaps tougher is better than a more realistic scale. AB figures supplied the very relaxed commander, who looks like he is ready for a nap. I think he should be paying more attention.

AB Figures British Officers

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

I had a trio of AB Figures British Army officers all based and primed and ready to hit the painting area. Finally while soaking up the excitement of Ashes cricket they were finished! Colonel Bairstow on the left, Captain Stokes in the middle and a casual General Crawley on the right. As always love painting AB figures, the detail is so good they make it easy. The poses are relaxed and natural, I especially like the folded newspaper or betting guide in the Colonel’s pocket. I used custom decals from Company B for their shoulder insignia as that is getting too small for my painting skills and eyes. My eyes are old and grey…… Usual British colours with three shades. Nice gold buttons too on the Colonel’s jacket. Behind is a Dodge weapons carrier from Italeri, a kit that is quite rare these days. Shame they don’t re-release it as I would buy a couple more.

Plastic Soldier Company Chevrolet Truck in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 9 Comments

Another cool truck this time from The Plastic Soldier Company. I bought just one sprue of this little truck as they had some sale on over there in the UK. Very simple one sprue of soft grey plastic. Nice chunky detail as always from these guys. It is a super quick build, although I did pre paint the two crew that come supplied before constructing the cabin. A few additions also add value to the vehicle. I found a pair of spare wing mirrors in my bits box that were added, you have to have wing mirrors for effective combat driving don’t you? I also added clear plastic windows as things do not quite look right without a working windscreen. You do not get decals with any of these PSC kits so I raided my well stocked decals folder for some random bits and pieces. Oh yes and I really did not like the handling of the canvas rear cover, it looked way too unnatural at the back. So I chopped out the back section and replaced it with a rolled up bit of foil and string to represent a canvas roll down door thing. Much better.

Paint scheme i did an overall olive drab for the cab and chassis, and a khaki for the canvas back. Then did a mickey mouse black camo scheme over the top. He is a groovy little truck. Lined up next to him are the Airfix bedford and Tilly from one of their diorama boxes.

AB Figures British Vickers MGs in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 7 Comments

Nearly finished all my British troops for Normandy, just finishing up some support weapons and then should be able to field a battalion or full company depending what system I use. This is AB figures British vickers MG teams, you get two MGs and gunners plus three loaders and a sighting seated figure. I already used the sighting figure some other time. So i had a spare MG and gunner from another bunch of metal figures no idea who. This made up three MG teams. Not much to say about AB figures apart from they are the best! Painted in my usual British uniform plus tiny arm decals from Company B. Based on hardwood bases covered in clay and sand. Lots of tufts and grass finishing them off. I have four infantry mortar teams to go and that is it for the British! Finally!

AB Figures British Sniper

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 4 Comments

A quick post of a prone British sniper from AB figures. He has some scrim camo covering his helmet and rifle and has found an excellent firing position in some shrubby vegetation. Mounted on 2mm wooden base I added plenty of cover for him to wait patiently in! Have some more AB machine gunners nearly done just taking me ages to finish anything………

Airfix Tilly Car in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 5 Comments

I totally forgot that I had already built one of the cool vehicles from the Airfix Diorama Kit. This is the Tilly car I made a few weeks back. Awesome little car for your officers to cruise around in. It must be a new AIrfix mould as it comes in the same nice grey plastic that makes building a breeze. Loved it. The windshield and doors are all transparent plastic so need care when painting. It is a tiny little car but simple to build. I added an AB driver and left the doors open so you can actually see some insides.

Here is Colonel Mustard emptying his trusty pipe while Corporal Smith keeps a keen watch out for any hostiles on the horizon. Or maybe he is seeing if the next village has a good cafe where they can grab a baguette and a coffee.