Some updates.
I have turned the sundial from aluminium based on the actual plastic parts to improve it. Size as compared to a standard scalpel blade.
This is the scratchbuilt sundial’s corrected mount.
Here are the two piece together. This is just temporarily mounted and not fixed yet. This is just to see the overall look.
Here it is attach temporarily to its place on the rear gunner’s left side.
Front corrected GPMG mount. Note the scratch build adjustment dials.
The sun dial is nice, but that GPMG mount is exquisite … and the adjusters … I am not even going to ask how they got scratch built, but they are perfect.
Oh wow! How did I miss this? You got some real scratchbuilding talent… Well done!
Mario
This is outstanding work. I will be using this as a reference when I build mine.
So were these vehicles actually pink or a another faded color?
I’ve always wondered that.
100% purpose built pink. Same thought behind the pink PR Spitfires, the colour blended well against the skyline at dawn and dusk.
Your scratch built parts are simply mind-blowing. How you can squeeze so much detail into such a tiny area!
Thanks, only SAS vehicles did this?
As far as I know, at least post war. This is getting to the fringes of my knowledge base.
Desert Pink ZI or “Mountbatten Pink” was a standard British WWII camouflage color. Many desert AFV’s, particularly Shermans, were painted in it with white counter-shading.
Thanks guys, glad you like what you are seeing and being entertained with the “freshening up” of this oldie but goodie kit from Tamiya.
Cheers,
Raphael
Isn’t this kit also done in 24th?
God - I must be getting old or lazy or both but yet again, I’m late on parade to this excellent project; I’ve driven one of the things as well (heavy or what!) and fired the Gimpy from it. That was in Belize in 82/83, so that would technically make it a “Greenie” as opposed to a “Pinkie”. Great fun.
Anyway, a very informative build and well executed.
Thanks Boots!
Wow, great to know you have first hand experience on this beautiful vehicle. I would want to do a “Greenie” at some point. Would you remember what tyres are you guys using during this time frame?
Cheers,
Raphael
Raphael, just to clarify, this was a favour from the SAS; I was chatting with them one day (I was responsible for their clerical support) and bemoaned that I’d never fired a GPMG. They duly gave me a day out, or more accurately a morning out; I drove the thing, bit of an overloaded pig in my view, and then let me blast away at a variety of targets. The thing was, this all coincided with my departure from Belize that very same day. I only just made the 'plane!
I was a Royal Army Ordnance Corps Staff Clerk and worked in what was then known as HQ British Forces Belize (essentially a Brigade HQ). The SAS were known as F Troop; originally, they were labelled F Company but somehow, in homage to the US sitcom (a couple of decades earlier so someone had a good memory) I believe, the title metamorphosed over time into F Troop. Apart from patrolling - the threat at the time was from Guatemala - I believe they also coordinated the jungle training phase for aspirant SAS soldiers.
The tyres were just “normal” Land Rover ones that I recall; from a modelling perspective similar to the ones on the Tamiya Ambulance. I think I have a couple of indistinct pics somewhere but at the time I wasn’t thinking about modelling.
Anyway, just to clarify; I wouldn’t want people to think I was a stormer of embassies!
Greenies ran on the same tyre size as pinkie but bar grip
Just to add, “Greenie” was my vernacular; they were referred to as “Pinkies” still, despite their green and black paint finish. It’s highly likely, as is the way with soldiers, that it was also just called a “wagon”.
This is how, more or less, I remember them; I never saw them so heavily stowed though I’m sure they would have been similarly equipped when deploying, but I was never privy to their patrol schedule. This isn’t one of my pics but taken from an auctioneer’s website. It may be loaded with kit just “because”:
Such a cool looking vehicle
I’m bogged down with all the small details with this build. I will take some photo of the added and corrected parts I scratched built. I also did some figure conversion to go with the Pinkie.
A green ‘Pinkie’ for Boots - captioned as being in Belize iirc (definitely bigger tyres)…
Then a couple of late B Sqn vehicles on exercise in the Middle East - note the radio ‘shelves’ on the front wings of a couple of the vehicle - possibly late 70s/early 80s…
Finally - a gaggle on exercise (possibly in Africa).
