Simmerit's build of the R.A. crossing over wooden bridges into Tunisia in 1943 - West Desert Build

[Simmerit]

I started this a few years ago but put it down as I was not happy with a couple of the figures. Time to resurrect it and run it in parallel to the Wokka.

This is an absolutely classic picture of British troops crossing into Tunisia.

and where I got to.

I wanted to make this a little different so here is Sgt. Lansdoen taking the picture

More to follow after I’ve got back with the hounds!!

 

[Simmerit]

Quick look at the two then its time to crack on

 

[RBMK]

What scale?

I presume 1:35?

Excellent stuff anyway.

 

[Rodney2q]

Love the weathered look on the truck tyres...

 

[Northern_Biff]

That gun looks a bit wonky there, fella. You sure you put it together right?

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

Is the tyre tread different to the photo? Looks a bit different. Love it though, looks really accurate - is it the AA Matador? Difficult to get the ‘why the **** are you taking my picture’ expression on the face of the original vehicle commander!

 

[Archibald]

Tyre treads on the model are ^ V up the original photo V down - good though

Archie

 

[Ho2331]

Loving it mate.

 

[Northern_Biff]

Is the tyre tread different to the photo? Looks a bit different. Love it though, looks really accurate - is it the AA Matador? Difficult to get the ‘why the **** are you taking my picture’ expression on the face of the original vehicle commander!

Oh, Si has the answer alright.

 

[Simmerit]

That gun looks a bit wonky there, fella. You sure you put it together right?

the gun is made by InAccurate Armour - a jock company and I cant not stand the owner. Big bun fight over his Bedford 4 tonner when he first released it. The prick. Not that I remain irritated several years later...

The gun is a BL4.5. I spent a lot of time researching it at the time and even had a lad who was restoring one have his tape measure out. It's basically a passable reproduction of the genuine article. The BL5.5 wasn't deployed in North Africa and replaced the earlier BL4.5. At least thats what I seem to remeber having spent shed loads of time reading about it, so I ordered the right gun for the model. I'm sure someone will come along and have an opinion on that matter, as is the ARRSE way.

The reason its drooping is because I just grabbed it for a quick shot, so the barrel is not correctly positioned. It will be stuck down when I finally finish the thing.

 

[Norwegian Blue]

Fantastic stuff

 

[Northern_Biff]

the gun is made by InAccurate Armour - a jock company and I cant not stand the owner. Big bun fight over his Bedford 4 tonner when he first released it. The prick. Not that I remain irritated several years later...

The gun is a BL4.5. I spent a lot of time researching it at the time and even had a lad who was restoring one have his tape measure out. It's basically a passable reproduction of the genuine article. The BL5.5 wasn't deployed in North Africa and replaced the earlier BL4.5. At least thats what I seem to remeber having spent shed loads of time reading about it, so I ordered the right gun for the model. I'm sure someone will come along and have an opinion on that matter, as is the ARRSE way.

The reason its drooping is because I just grabbed it for a quick shot, so the barrel is not correctly positioned. It will be stuck down when I finally finish the thing.

I know.
I was lighting the blue touchpaper...............ditto the tyre tread.

 

[dingerr]

I was just reading up on the 4.5in ammo. The HE shell used the No117 fuze. It was introduced in 1920 and still in service when I became an Ammo Tech in 1992.

 

[Simmerit]

Yes well spotted to all those smarty pants who spotted the tyres. The need swopping round.

Somewhere in my piccie collection are Mats on the factory floor in WW2 and the tyres went out of the factory shipped the way I have them on my Mat.

There was a pretty heated debate on this subject on the Military Modelling web site a few years ago and quiet a few people got themselves quite worked up about it. They refused to accept photographic evidence. Proper rivet counters. Kept me amused for a week or three

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

I was just reading up on the 4.5in ammo. The HE shell used the No117 fuze. It was introduced in 1920 and still in service when I became an Ammo Tech in 1992.

We still had 1944 dems charges in Dulmen when I was there in 2010....

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

Yes well spotted to all those smarty pants who spotted the tyres. The need swopping round.

Somewhere in my piccie collection are Mats on the factory floor in WW2 and the tyres went out of the factory shipped the way I have them on my Mat.

There was a pretty heated debate on this subject on the Military Modelling web site a few years ago and quiet a few people got themselves quite worked up about it. They refused to accept photographic evidence. Proper rivet counters. Kept me amused for a week or three

Don’t get me wrong - you’ve made a beautiful thing.

I just spent far too long sliding three fingers onto similar tyres to check tread depth when I was very young...

ETA: When I said ‘accurate’ I was referring to the photo/dioramas interface not AA!

 

[Ho2331]

Yes well spotted to all those smarty pants who spotted the tyres. The need swopping round.

Somewhere in my piccie collection are Mats on the factory floor in WW2 and the tyres went out of the factory shipped the way I have them on my Mat.

There was a pretty heated debate on this subject on the Military Modelling web site a few years ago and quiet a few people got themselves quite worked up about it. They refused to accept photographic evidence. Proper rivet counters. Kept me amused for a week or three

Rivet Counters are on a par with Conspiracyloons. Best avoided mate.

 

[Simmerit]

So this was the donor kit. It’s one of the first ones released which gives you a clue to when I started this. There was no aftermarket available for it at the time or there would be a shed load of etch on mine.

What I did to mine was the same thing the lads did in North Africa all those years ago which was saw the roof off.

some quite fascinating figures available. Photographers were taken from this kit.

As I said, I put it down as I wasn’t happy with some of the figures and I never got back to it. There not much effort required to finish the wagon. The gun is done apart from sticking down the mount. It’s the blokes that need sorting and the weathering. Not all the figures are bin material and those I do scrap I can pinch the heads from.

What I plan to do is sculpt my own figures using various bits of blokes as donors.

These are the figures I’ve picked up.

and

and this is the stuff I’ve picked up for sculpting.

I don’t plan to make hands and heads. I’ll. be using hornet heads for the new blokes.

first step is to unbox the little fellas and work out what bits I can use. Then it’s a dremel to take the detail off. Next is to assemble the figures using copper wide as joints to get the pose right.

 

[JuniorBod]

I was just reading up on the 4.5in ammo. The HE shell used the No117 fuze. It was introduced in 1920 and still in service when I became an Ammo Tech in 1992.

Surprised at that...

However, I suppose the old maxim " if it ain't broke don't fix it may apply" but not being a SME on bangy stuff, I couldn't say...

JB

Edit fecking autoshite, SME to SMS...

 

[Simmerit]

What scale?

I presume 1:35?

Excellent stuff anyway.

correct. 1/35th