I have a couple of indistinct images of the FV433 Abbot @ BATUS, and wonder whether anyone has any close-up photos of this subject.
Thanks,
Paul
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Not close up at all Paul but this pic (filched form the www) - the same in my Janeās pocket-book āModern Tanks and AFVsā from 1981 would appear to show a BATUS vehicle:
Heavily stowed with just about everything but the kitchen sink; wrapped Hessian along the hull sides, cam nets everywhere, tarped stuff close to the gun barrel, ammo boxes on the hull top (not necessarily containing ammo of course, but they might be for a short move), poles for God- knows-what lashed horizontally across the hull front, and so on and so forth. Not an untypical load for Abbot; with a crew of 4, space within was at a premium.
It is clearly in the sand/green scheme which makes me think it a BATUS shot as I donāt believe Abbot was ever part of the OPFOR set-up at Warminster (in a similar scheme).
Remember too that Abbots often carried the L4 as opposed to the GPMG.
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Ahhhh glory days. I remember seeing these roaming around when I lived in Catterick. Used to see them sometimes on the A3 going to and from Bordon as well.
Iād be so happy if RFM or Meng just out of the blue announced an Abbot kit in 1/35. How good would that beā¦ 
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You and me both! But I just wonder what Firing Line is up to; the site is down save for a banner proclaiming āWeāre working on something amazingā. Probably unlikely to be a full kit, but one never quite knows.
One might think that Takom would do one, given that theyāve produced the FV 432.
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I did think that, yeah. Would be such a popular kit. Ah well. We can dream.
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I must admit, the more I study the BATUS pic, the more I want to get hold of one and stow it to within an inch of its life.
But Iām in no rush really; itās not like Iāve nothing else to build!
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Now now remember what you said to meš
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I know - QED!
And what the hell was I doing obtaining the Chrysler TV-8? Another tangent - though I just couldnāt resist something so different. Sigh.
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Hahahahaha I had the same thought. gives me sweaty palms just looking at it 
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Are you building the A-A kit?
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I think Paul is building in small scale; I donāt know what kit he is using.
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Yes, as always, small scale. I am about to commence work on the 1/72-scale 3D printed kit from Osiris Models. I have built several of their kits over recent months, and have been most impressed with the results. As with any kit (regardless of medium), there are certain inaccuracies and missing details, but these are easily rectified.
Paul
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I found a great little 3D printed D7 Caterpillar in 1/72. I donāt know if itās from the same company but I love the detail on it. Apparently no licensing issues either. And yes, it will definitely need some added detail.
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18 Bravo,
The only 3D printed āD7ā I was able to find was from IDAP Technology.
Is this the one you were referring to?
Paul
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Interesting, I didnāt know those existed (the kits, I mean). So, I went looking if they also had a D7A, which is one of two bulldozers I want in model form, and ā¦ well, no, thanks 
Another one of those models that looks OK at first sight, but not at second if you know anything too much more than the average person about the real thing. Thereās so much wrong with it that I will continue with my plan to correct the Mirror Models one ā which is just as wrong, but in other ways 
Not to mention you can get something like four or five Mirror Models ones for the price of one of these.
Oh yeah, and thatās not a āUS Armyā D7, itās a British (and Canadian) D7A
/aside
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Not a BATUS vehicle, but cool nonetheless.
Why build a model when you can just buy the real thing?
Ken
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Not very far from where I live, somebody has a real Abbot under a pergola in the front garden. (Though for some reason, it seems to be blurred on Google Streetview and itās hidden behind trees on Apple Maps.) Itās been there for about fifteen years, and though Iāve occasionally had the idea to ring the doorbell and ask about it, I never have ā¦
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