From: Think Tank Subject: Think Tank Vol. 0077 02/06/2001 Think.tank@tesco.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS' INDEX 1: My website (www.modelartillery.com) 2: Light Reconnaissance Cars 3: Chilean Army Shermans 4: Casting large metal objects -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: George Hogg [hogg_george@hotmail.com] Subject: my website (www.modelartillery.com) Hi Can you give my website a plug? Thanks to Mike Cooper for his help in compiling what lists I have at the moment. If anyone can give me details of any manufacturer not included I would be grateful. I am happy to plug any relevant websites, so if anyone else has one about which we should know, please feel free to post to the list. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: nickbalmer [nickbalmer@ukonline.co.uk] Subject: Light Reconnaissance Cars Hello Bob, I feel that your comment regarding the lack of Humber LRCs in 21st Army Gtroup needs challenging. It is possible that they are not recorded on your list, but they were certainly present in North West Europe in quite large numbers. For besides the RAF Regiment cars, the Reconnaissance Battalions in Infantry Divisions nearly all had Humber LRCs. I believe that the 51st Highland Division may have been the only infantry division not to have Humber LRCs, because for some reason the recce unit was the Derbyshire Yeomanry who had operated Daimlers and Dingos since Tunisia, on the Armoured Division equipment basis. As 1944 waned and a considerable number of changes were made in the Armies organisation and equipment several of the Infantry Division Reconnaissance Battalions changed over to an equipment scale similar to the Armoured Division Reconnaissance Battalions. The battalions seem to have been sent one by one to a Royal Palace and park outside Brussels. After the changeover the surplus Humber LRCs were available for other units. The commander of 43rd Wessex Division appears in the Reichwald using a Humber LRC as a command car. Phantom had Humber LRCs as did some of the Intelligence units made up of Army, Navy and RAF personnel who were tasked with seeking out German technical advances and plans as the sites were captured. Some years ago I found a photo in a book with Naval officers in khaki drill battledress with submariners’ polo neck pullovers, RNVR officers peaked caps with a Humber LRC in Hamburg or Kiel. At Cambridge MAFVA nights several times over the years, the Beaverette armoured cars used at Duxford by the USAAF have come up in conversation. Last week in Cambridge Library Local Studies collection I came across a book of American magazines re-printed in 1974. These magazines feature the USAAF units stationed at Duxford. The book has the Beaverettes, but also a photo showing three Morris LRCs in a line flanked by two jeeps mounting plinth mounted 50 calibre machine guns manned with USAAF personnel. The vehicles are parked on ether side of a dirt track farm road, and although I know the area well I cannot work out exactly where it is; it certainly looks like the chalk valley around Duxford. It is not possible to work out whether they retain the original Bren Gun armament or not. They seem to be single tone painted, although I cannot tell if this is Green, Olive Drab or Dark Brown. They have large white stars on both sides of the turret at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. These reach almost the entire height of the turret. Similar sized stars are on the side doors. The Americans are in those very informal and mixed sets of uniforms which appear in most photo's of USAAF ground crew. The article says that these armoured cars were patrolling in the lead up to D Day against any surprise German attack to "spoil" the build-up to D Day. I wonder if these were cars left behind by RAF Regiment units when the base was handed over to the Americans, or were these cars issued to other American Airbases as well? The USAAF used considerable numbers of British and Commonwealth vehicles especially in 1942 and 1943, including ambulances, cars, buses, fire engines, and trucks. Has anybody come across Morris LRCs on other USAAF bases? In the latest Tankette volume 36/3, our poor editor has done it again. Dave Blomley's photo of a Lynx Scout Car has been captioned as a Dingo! Odd that, when not so many years ago, Spike carefully measured up a Lynx in South Africa and produced excellent drawings with Andy Boyce for Tankette. As I have a half-built model from those plans......... I wonder! Did I see another correspondent trying to teach squaddies vehicle recognition! Oh dear, that must be an uphill task. Regards Nick Balmer. Actually, I don't remember saying that 21AG did not have LRCs, merely that there were none in the returns, which was the only source I could access easily as it was on my PC. Anyway, thanks for setting the record straight regarding other users. There was an article in Tankette 10/1 and another in 27/1 about the GHQ Liaison Regt "Phantom" which gave details of its vehicles. The recce regt. of 51 Div was actually 2 Derby Yeo, as there was another regiment (1 Derby Yeo) which served in the same role in Italy for 6 Armd Div. It is always worth bearing this sort of thing in mind, as it can get pretty confusing otherwise (indeed, even David Fletcher mixed them up in "The Universal Tank" which threw me a bit when I was researching British M8 users ;-). I have just been looking around among the other files on my PC and found a piece by peter Brown in which he refers to the LRCs (the Humbers were mainly or wholly Mk.IIIs). Apparently, they were classified as B (unarmoured) vehicles, which is no doubt why they fail to appear on the RAC returns of A vehicles. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Shane & Lorna Jenkins [sljenkins@tac.com.au] Subject: Chilean Army Shermans Hi all, I'm passing on a request from APMA member Robert Davidson. >> I am writing for help on finding information on Chilean Army M51 Sherman Tanks. These were ex- Israeli vehicles, I have seen one small picture of a tank in three colours but don't have the colours or any other modifications made to them in Chilean service. May be something in overseas magazines or you could give me the address of a modelling club in Chile or South America Hoping to hear from you soon Yours in modelling Robert Davidson << Also I've just updated the Think Tank archives at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/thinktank/thinktank.htm Regards, Shane Jenkins APMA VP http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/apma.htm Now PayPal enabled Having FUN making models Shane, if you're having fun making models, you obviously aren't trying hard enough ;o) Thanks for updating the archives - now that the MAFVA site is temporarily down, I have amended the footer to show the site address. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Listmaster Subject: Casting large metal objects I was looking through an article about casting T-34/85 turrets this week and several references were made to the process. However, it occurred to me that I have never read an "idiot's guide" to how one goes about the casting of large metal objects such as tank hulls and turrets. I am aware that sand moulds are used and that the masters are often carved (and subsequently modified) from wood but how is the actual mould constructed and made hollow, how is the sand held together, how is the master extracted etc.? Speaking as someone with no useful (in terms of tank design, manufacture or maintenace) skills at all, any explanation from someone who actually knows about such matters would be welcome in filling a gap in my knowledge. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Lockie (Think Tank Listmaster) Back issues of Think Tank can be found at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/thinktank/thinktank.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume