From: Think Tank Subject: Think Tank Vol. 0089 16/09/2001 Think.tank@tesco.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS' INDEX 1: Crew helmets 2: Ammunition 3: French vehicles in Syria 4: Ammunition case question -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: Apologies and next issue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: MALCOLM IRESON [ireson@carltons36.freeserve.co.uk] Subject: Crew helmets The connections to the crew helmets are not the same, but as I and others did in the Gulf 90/91 you could take off the end connector of the head set wire and re-splice it with one that fits into your vehicle. I managed to do this with a cloth Iraqi/Russian tank commander's helmet, and I still have it now, it worked great, it was lighter, and cooler than our crew/kevlar helmets. Also, the head sets were a separate part of the helmet, so they could stay with the vehicle, plugged in to the radio, and you could put on any sort of head gear, even the standard infantry helmet has little lugs in the top and sides to fit a radio headset into it. As far as other types of helmet/headset are concerned, as long as you have the right fitting to put into your radio/ headset box, your laughing, just a matter of cutting one off, and putting another one on!! Hope this helps, Malc. Thanks for this. However, I have since spoken to another source who works on the aviation side, who advised me that the fittings are standard and so a helicopter helmet (which he confirmed it was) could be fitted in the harness for a ground forces radio. Since my interest in what the thing was rather than in modelling the end connectors (!), I can move ahead on that basis. By the way, does anyone have a spare 1/35 helicopter pilot's head that could be used? I seem to recall Dragon doing a set of US helo crewmen but of course I didn't buy them as I never thought to need one. Can anyone who knows about such matters confirm that the US helmets in the set are the same (or at least close enough) as British ones from c.1982? Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Townsend, Dave [Dave.Townsend@bl.uk] Subject: Ammunition Gary Williams asked me to contact you about my request for a supplier of belts of 1/32nd scale .50 calibre ammunition for a model I am building. I hope you can help me out and please put me on your free weekly email list. With thanks Dave Townsend Aber does a 1/35 photo-etched set which is apparently about the best of them. Historex Agents carries them, as do various other traders in the UK. The alternative is to turn them down individually on a lathe and make your own but you probably have more sense than that :-). Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: shanger [shanger@supanet.com] Subject: French vehicles in Syria I have followed the thread about Vichy French armoured cars in Syria. Readers may care to know that Edition 61 of the French 'Armes Militaria' magazine has an article on French armoured cars in the Levant 1920-46. I can't remember how good it is as it is some years since I saw it. If anyone is interested, Russell Hadler (Barbarossa Books) lists it in his catalogue, price £4.00. Andy Lang -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Daniel Taylor [d-taylor@dircon.co.uk] Subject: Ammunition case question Hi All Please excuse a naive question about 1/35th equipment as this is not my natural scale. Does anyone do a kit in 1/35 which includes the carrying case thingy that 2" mortar bombs go in? The ones I mean are the things that look like three cylinders strapped together with a carrying handle. They may also be used for PIAT ammunition I believe. Failing that, has anyone out there measured or perhaps drawn one? Many thanks Dan Taylor The 2" mortar bomb tube carrier was different to the PIAT one, as the bombs were of a smaller calibre. They were also longer, I think (2 bombs carried per tube). Your best is likely to be the 2" carrier in the Airfix Multipose set, and scale down to 1/35 if you want that scale. Unfortunately I have never measured one – anyone else done so? Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Listmaster Subject: Apologies and next issue I must apologise for my miserable failure to get an issue out in the last two weeks – this was down to lack of posts in the first instance and lack of memory (mine not my PC's) in the second. I am away next weekend, so No.90 should go out on Monday or Tuesday. Robert -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Lockie (Think Tank Listmaster) Back issues of Think Tank (thanks to Shane Jenkins) can be found at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/thinktank/thinktank.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume