Cromwell Mk.IV

Airfix 1:35 Cromwell Mk.IV and Bill Bellamy’s book: “Troop Leader, a tank commander’s story”. 

I’m not sure I’ve worked this many hours on a kit without picking up my airbrush! 

This, I’m thinking, is as far as I can go now before adding some colour and starting to work on the tracks. Will it be individual links or the friendly flexible rubber tracks?

Can you spot the photo-etched parts? I’ve got a grill to fit later. It’s nice to finally see this on an Airfix kit.

The gun fittings were a little stiff so an old tin of ‘grease’ was found. I always like to use black primer on my AFVs so this is all now done too. 

Tank commanders rotated their hatches through 90 degrees so a slight modification was needed to what I built yesterday. 

Layer of Olive Drab camouflage to the tank body and rust pigment added to the tracks. As the rust pigments are easily rubbed off, even when dry, I’ve also given the tracks a coat of matt varnish ready for fitting tomorrow. 

I do have a pot of Khaki Drab on order from Jadlam Racing Models but uncharacteristically it’s stuck in their system awaiting fulfilment.  I’m sure there is probably little visible difference between the two and so plan to give a few panels a dusting once it arrives to add additional tonal interest.

An afternoon spent at the bench fixing the 70 pieces of track together and aquatinting myself with the new tank commander. This is how I went about it:

Using a standard liquid cement, I glued the top and bottom pieces, including in this case, the string of 13 and 15 single tracks which I fixed to the top piece of track.

I left both pieces of track for about 30 minutes for the glue to take hold but not to let it harden solid.

I fitted the bottom track first, using the weight of the model to keep it in place and using the residual glue from the links to lightly bond this in place. With the tank sitting on the lower piece of track, II fitted the upper length, moulding the connected single links around the idler and sprocket wheels. I was then able to invert the model to apply glue to the two ends and secure them in place to complete the circle of track.

Once it looked OK from below, I flipped it back over and depressed the flexible upper track to sit nicely against the wheels.

I then repeated this process for the other side, such that by the time I had to return to the model the first track was sufficiently glued in place that it did not move as I flipped it over and around.

I will now leave them to dry and harden off over night and can then touch up and add further weathering as required.

Final piece of PE attached ...

That’s all the out of the box parts of my Airfix Cromwell fitted and a 3D printed tank commander installed. I have decals to apply and probably a few bits and bobs, such as kit bags and bed rolls that were known to have been carried, to attach.  

.... to be continued

D-Day Air Assault

Airfix 1:72 D-Day Air Assault kit A50157A built to interpret ALG. B5/Le Fresne-Camilly, Normandy, France, home of Typhoon MN625 MR-B of No.245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron, 121 Wing, 2nd TAF. June 1944.

MN625 was flown by Fg.Off. W Smith who, on 10 June 1944, was made famous as being the first Allied pilot to land at one of the Advance Landing Ground (ALG) airfields in Normandy. This is how the Squadron’s Operations Book recorded it: 

“At 0520 hours eight aircraft with R.P. and two fighters airborne to attack reported position of H.Q. Panzer Division. Intense flak of all types was encountered but despite this and much cloud the target was located and successfully attacked. F/O W.Smith was hit by flak and reported excessive vibration and much oil on the windscreen. He was instructed by W/Cdr. Green (who was leading) to put down on the ALG at Banville (B3/Ste Croix-sur-Mer) east of Bayeux. This he did successfully. He was met by a swarm of photographers and high officers who informed him that he was the first pilot to make a wheels down landing in France since D-Day. Apparently this honour was being saved for Air Vice Marshal Broardhurst who arrived some time later in a Spitfire!”

On 17th June, the Advance Landing Ground (ALG) B5/Le Fresne-Camilly was to be 245 Squadron’s new home. This was the fifth airfield to be established in the British and Canadian sector of the Normandy landings. Only about four miles inland from the invasion beaches, it had only recently been freed from shell-fire which had come from German units dug into surrounding woods. 

The wire mesh strip or Square-Mesh Track (SMT) which served as a runway was over 5,500 feet long and ran from north to south along the plateau. Surrounding orchards were used to give cover for maintenance hangars and as dispersal points for aircraft requiring servicing. The main HQ was situated at the southern end of the runway and the three squadrons were dispersed to the east and west of it. Anti-aircraft defences were dug in around the perimeters, and slit trenches were adjacent to all working areas.

The observant may notice that I’ve used my Airfix Club kit/decals in this diorama as the one provided with the D-Day Assault kit were for an aircraft which took part in the September’s Operation Market Garden/A Bridge Too Far and not June’s Operation Overlord/The Longest Day

The final diorama 

Airfield Utility Vehicles

Airfix 1:72 Standard Tilly, Bedford MWC & BSA M20 from the D-Day Air Assault kit

Hawker Typhoon Mk.1b

I’m kicking off my D-Day 80th Anniversary builds with two of Airfix’s 1:72 scale Hawker Typhoons. One from the 2024 Airfix Club D-Day Duo set A73016 and the other from the 75th Anniversary D-Day Air Assault Set A50157A. Both use Airfix’s 2013 tooling and it’s a kit I’ve previously enjoyed building so am keen to see how my finishing skills may have improved with age! 

These come with decals for 245 Squadron’s ZY-Y MP126 and 247 Squadron’s MR-B MN265, the latter having actually joined the squadron to replace another lost on D+1, so may not have actually been present on the day itself but we won’t hold that against it.

What strikes me first on opening the boxes is the different colour plastic now used by Airfix. The feel and level of flash across both kits is however the same. The instructions are similar pictorially but the recommended painting instructions differ, probably due to the larger D-Day kit having to keep to the colours supplied in the little starter pots. 

Having built this before, I’ll not be wasting time painting the interior as I did back then as with a pilot installed none of it can be seen. Then again, may be I should this time build these without using the pilots?

I’m starting to remember there’s a lot of great detail included in this little kit.

Well I wasn’t going to but I have … I couldn’t resist in the end giving the cockpit a coat of interior green. I know it’s painted even if you can’t see it and the same for the instrument panel decal which, and I’ve said it before, it would be more useful if Airfix provided harness decals instead 🤷‍♂️

I found joining the two fuselage halves together required the arms of an octopus but they still went together beautifully even with just the two hands I had available 

These Typhoons are starting to look a bit more like aircraft as this afternoon I got to fit wings and ailerons. It's at this stage that one has to decide on payload and whether to have the cannon ammunition ports open or closed. Decisions decisions ...

For one of the kits, I've gone for all ports open and rockets as the payload. This required the careful use of a blade to cut out a section of the upper wing and the drilling of 4 holes in the lower wing to mount the rockets. For the other, having repeatedly broken off the tail wheel (note - this is very fragile) I'm now going for a wheels up Typhoon and will have it airborne flying above the D-Day Air Assault diorama, so naturally all ports will be closed, and I'm going to have to remember to install a pilot! I've also drilled just the 2 holes in the lower wing, as this Typhoon will be heading off on a bombing mission.

After a morning at the Yeovil Scale Model Show, pictures to follow, I’ve had just enough time this afternoon to run a little filler along the wing to fuselage join, nothing serious, just a bit of cosmetic touching up. 

I’ve also constructed the bombs for one and fitted the bomb and missile racks under the wings. Then, using the cutaway pieces from the gun bays and unused wheels covers to mask the painted areas, I’ve given both a covering of grey primer. 

All being well, and I see no need for more filler or sanding, I can move onto the fun bit of starting on the canopy masking and camouflage.

Typhoon MN625 MR-B of No.245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron, 83 Group, 121 Wing, 2nd TAF. RAF Holmsley South, Hampshire, 1944.

 

MN625 joined the squadron as a replacement for MN377, an earlier “B” lost south of Caen on D+1; it was flown by Fg.Off. W Smith who, a few days later, was the first Allied pilot to land at one of the Advance Landing Ground airfields in Normandy, in this case B5/Camilly which became the squadron’s operating base for the next two months before the Allied advance continued.