From: Think Tank Subject: Think Tank Vol. 0061 27/01/2001 Think.tank@tesco.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS' INDEX 1: Need a good book on wrecked buildings 2: Revell M113 kit and DUKW in 1:35 injection 3: FT17s 4: More queries 5: Finnish WW2 camouflage 6: Cavalier zimmerit for Tiger I wanted 7: Tank shell dimensions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Beatties sale over 2: Posting reminder 3: MAFVA Nationals 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Kelvin Mok [klmok@home.com] Subject: Need a good book on wrecked buildings Good Book Needed on Structural Damage. I have more finished and unfinished armour models than I know what to do with so I had moved on to building dioramas that have turned out rather well so far. Most of these are simple vignettes with open ground, grass, shrubs, trees, snow, some in desert sand and some on a city street. Then I started on building a repair workshop scene. Simple things like architecturally correct dimensions for wall heights, garage doors, room doors, windows, roof pitch and so on that we take for granted had all to be measured and still it came out not quite satisfactory to the eye. The same "something I can't quite put my finger on but it doesn't look right" goes for many otherwise well built dioramas published in the magazines. Photos of wartime damage to real buildings show structural parts of building surviving better than the non-structural walls. Blasted slate roofs have a definite scatter pattern. The debris on the ground have a definite pattern too. And the burn and char graduations of wood buildings provide clues as to the origin of the damage. You don't pose a heavy tank on a wooden bridge. And so on and so forth. What I am getting to is I wish a civil engineer or a demolitions expert could write a good book on battle damaged buildings and other man-made structures including armoured and unarmoured vehicles. The forensics to this subject should be a fascinating topic. One look at the resulting damage and try to figure what did it and note what doesn't belong. Kelvin Mok klmok@home.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: John Maze [jmaze@neo.rr.com] Subject: Revell M113 kit and DUKW in 1:35 injection TTies, The "Revell" M113 Is this kit 1/35th? There were rumours of a Tamiya DUKW a couple of years ago, but I have not heard anything since. Certainly the fact that they have done the GMC should reduce the amount of work needed but is anyone else closer to the news? Robert There was also a vac-form kit - by Schmidtmodellbau, IIRC - not bad as vacs go; I think it required a Heller GMC to complete. I'd like to see an injection kit, too. JohnM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Cooper, Mike [Mike.Cooper@reading.gov.uk] Subject: FT17s Dear All Anyone out there building Matchbox Char Bs and sitting on a pile of unwanted FT17s? A couple of us can offer you Char Bs (or something else) in exchange for the little rattle-boxes. Mike Cooper Reading UK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Grant Parkin [granty_p@hotmail.com] Subject: More queries Dear Robert, Firstly, by use of your forum page, can I say a big thank you to John Baumann for helping me with my last lot of queries, and secondly, here is another puzzle to solve. In the first issue of Lead Soldier Collection book there is a colour plate (F2), showing a commando with a portable flamethrower. As far as I know the British army never used such weapons. I'm basing this on the fact that there is no photos', or at least none that I've seen, of such weapons being used in either training or actual combat. Can anyone tell me otherwise, and point me in the direction of photos', preferably combat ones. Again, many thanks in advance. Grant. I recall that the British Army did indeed use such equipments, of the "lifebuoy" type. They resembled an annulus with a solid centre and were worn on the back, although despite having seen photographs of them, I have failed miserably to find a single example in my own library. They would generally have been used by engineer units as opposed to commandos, I imagine, so we may be witnessing some artistic licence here. However, 38 flamethrowers were part of the allocation for an airborne division, according to Barry Gregory's "British Airborne Troops" (Macdonald & Jane's, 1974), so maybe the commandos did use them as well. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: Listmaster Subject: Finnish WW2 camouflage Does anyone know the base colour of the three (green, brown and grey) used in the Finnish 3-colour scheme late in WW2? All the colour illustrations and text I see just say that there were three colours used, but not in which order they were applied. Thanks Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: PSmith6328@aol.com Subject: Cavalier zimmerit for Tiger I wanted Hello Listers I am trying to track down at least two sets of Cavalier Zimmerit for a Tiger I if you have a set and are willing to sell it to me could you please get in touch either by e-mail or phone 01908 505988. Thanks in advance Phill Smith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: Daniel Taylor [d-taylor@dircon.co.uk] Subject: Tank shell dimensions Hi Does anyone out there have dims and maybe a diagram of a couple of shells? I'm after making full size wooden mock-ups of AP rounds for a British 75mm c.1944 and a German 8.8cm to fit the Kwk36 L/56. As ever, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Dan Taylor The HMSO book on the Churchill (Fletcher) has a chapter on 75mm ammunition, with dimensions, colour schemes, markings and some illustrations. The HE shell M48 is 26.6" long, while shot APC M61 is 26.28" and shot AP M72 is 20.81". The projectile bodies themselves are given as 11.291" x 2.945" (HE M48), 13.22" x 2.945" (APC M61) and 9.17" x 2.945" (AP M72). These are excluding fuze. Diameter over the driving band is 3.011" for all three. I also have a US TM, No. E9-369A, on the 8.8cm FlaK. This contains photographs and markings details, with some lengths as well, but for the FlaK. I am temporarily without my copy of the newish Jentz & Doyle Tiger book but can't recall whether it contains any ammunition details – however, I did locate plans of the A/T round for the KwK 43 and FlaK 18 and the HE round for the FlaK 46 in the Verlinden book "The German Tiger tanks" I do not claim to be too hot on this subject but I seem to recall that the KwK 36 used much the same ammunition as the FlaK 18, being based on the latter. No doubt the experten can correct me, but anyway, the overall length is given as 873mm, diameter of case102mm at base, diameter of base plate 112mm. The case itself is 570mm long. Can anyone locate a plan of either round however? Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Listmaster Subject: Beatties sale over The 30% off Tamiya and 2-0% off Revell sale at the UK Beatties chain is now over. Of course, muggins turned up at the desk on Wednesday with a large pile including two Dragon Wagons and was unaware of this, although I did manage to blag a 20% discount at the manager's discretion. Might be worth asking about such things in future, methinks ;-). Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Listmaster Subject: Posting reminder Chaps I seem to be getting quite a few posts with no title in the subject line again, so time for a periodic reminder. I know it is easier to use the "Reply" function and just leave the original subject line but it does mean that the editorial team ;o) has to make up something instead. What goes in may not be what you want, so please put your own titles on! Thanks Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Listmaster Subject: MAFVA Nationals 2001 It has been confirmed by the IWM at Duxford that this year's MAFVA UK National Championships will be held at Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire on 5th August. This coincides with vehicle show day so if you get bored looking at muddy metal stuff, you can go and look at the toy tanks instead. The airfield is next to Junction 10 of the M11 motorway so is pretty easy to find and there is a train station about fifteen minutes walk away. I have only just received this information, so the paperwork is not all prepared yet – however, if you wish to receive more information (as a trader, club or individual), please contact: Paul Middleton (AND PLEASE SEND A STAMPED SAE!!!!) 39 The Leas Baldock Hertfordshire SG7 6HZ Alternatively, you can register by email (in which case I am hoping to send everything electronically) to rlockie@platosoftware.com but don't expect to hear more for a couple of weeks at least. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Lockie (Think Tank Listmaster) Visit the Miniature AFV Association website at http://homepages.go.com/~mafva/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume