SPA Modeler

Hi All,

I thought I'd share something I've been playing with over the holidays - Airfix's 1/76 Vickers Light Tank and some supporting infantry provided by a set of Airfixs old 1/76 toy soilders.



The plan is to mount these in a small dio (based on the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940) based on a CD.

Here's progress so far...









and here is the completed tank with the tracks blue-taced on and a figure for size. It is totally OOB and the only conversion work I did was to drill out the Vickers .5 and .303 Machine guns and the exhust (I only stabbed myself three times with the micro drill!!!)

It's an old kit but a goodie that fits well and only needed a little bit of filler - I used the water based 'Perfect plastic putty'.



Since then I've primed the model in black and will add some paint to it over the next few days. This is my first full armour build - having only finished a part started Matilda before - so any advice you can give me would be great. The plan is to have the tanks and the troops together as if they were moving through woodland to escape the German advance through Belgium and France - I need to do a bit more ground work and add some more trees and a ridge to the base.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers!

Stuart

This will be fun! You do some pretty neat stuff. Nice tank.

Oh this is cool! I like the look of early war Brit armor. You picked a very interesting piece of history to depict. Much like the US Army in the Philippines nearly two years later, there were many bright spots of sacrificial heroism and gallantry in those dark times.

Thanks Gents - it's certainly nice to take a change from Aircraft.

I know what you mean Stik - 1939-42 must have looked pretty bleak, but the pure courage of those facing pretty overwhelming odds is beyond question.

It's funny, I've started to learn a bit about WWI and the battle for France in early 1940 seems to be almost a repeat of what happened in 1915 - the BEF went into France and Belgium full of confidence and then got their collective arses kicked and ended up in full retreat. I think it's a testament to British sheer bloody-mindedness that we managed to pull over 300,000 men off the beaches. The guys that formed the rear-guard and fought in the siege of Calais weren’t so lucky.

The mk.IV light tank looks quite cool but it wasn’t very successful in France (or Africa later) as it was too poorly armed or armoured – about the only thing it had going for it was a good turn of speed – The guys that operated in them were some pretty Brave lads.

Anyway – I’ll be getting some paint on it today if the weather is better – it was too damp to spray outside yesterday.

Cheers

Stuart

Really nice project there Stuart !

Fantastic idea to re-use those old CD's ... :-)

- Kari

Thanks Kari!

oooh. neat stuff

Thanks Owl - did a bit more painting today - pics to follow.

nice project stuart !

Thanks Gino!