simon king

As it seems to be on every “want” list across the web, I do find it bizarre that nobody has yet stepped up to the plate and offered a new state of the art (or indeed any) injection moulded 1/35th model of the DAC. Surely someone must offer one eventually. Then perhaps we can shift our hopes onto the Humber LRC and Morris LRC It is a significant gap, especially as it has been in military service for the last 80 years. It remains in service with the Qatari Army as far as I am aware. I put my jeep in 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry markings about 40 years ago on the strength of a photo of a 2DY DAC under fire in AAPs D-Day to Berlin, (or it might have been British Tank Names and Markings) and I’ve been waiting for a 1/35th scale DAC ever since....

Mirror Models offer a 2 in 1 model of the WW2 10cwt GS trailer in 1/35th scale. Bronco offers the 10cwt Lightweight trailer in 1/35th.

Brasso and then toothpaste can probably be used to polish up the reflectors, and any imperfections left can be sorted by brushing on some silicon floor polish like Pledge Future or the current equivalent. This will dry to provide a smooth glossy surface filling in the imperfections or minor scratches as it dries.

Bit more progress, trunking for the wires from the auxiliary dynamo to its control box has been made up and fitted and the battery clamps screwed down to the floor on battens in their final positions. The mounting bracket for the control box has also been repositioned and tightened down The little panel for the interior light with switched plug for the lead to the interior light on the roof is also now ready to fit to the back wall next to the radio table although I’m still trying establish the path for the wiring as it cannot be seen on the photo above. Have also refinished the control box. Just need to attach a brass plate to the cover, if I can establish the lettering

Are spring hanger grease bolts another term for shackle pins? If so, I ended up having some made for me by a local machine shop as I couldn’t find a suitable source for replacements

Wonder if there is any link with the equipment used for the Royal Navy field gun races that were/are held at the Royal Tournament?

Managed to obtain a new baseboard for the charging board, so swapped all the switches, wiring and terminals over as a single unit without the need to undo any of the connections. By undoing all the screws and nuts on the front of the board it was possible to gently withdraw everything and then carefully feed into the new board. Took the opportunity at the same time to repair all the cracked and broken Bakelite covers for the switches, using black plastic card and black epoxy putty. Just need to paint the frame and then it’s ready to be fitted into the back of the MWR

I am looking for a good photo of the brass data plate on the front of the big old CAV 141, 142 or 143 series control boxes. These are fitted in vehicles like the Scammell Pioneer series, Matadors, Dorchesters and QLRs as well as the MWR. The dimensions of the plate would also be helpful. Just found this picture of one in the back of a Dorchester, and it looks as if the unit is not overall black as anticipated but that perhaps the copper baseplate under the black covers on the box is left unpainted. Does anyone have a NOS or untouched example of a 141/142/143 which shows the original finishes? Edit - Finished box, just needs a brass (data) plate attaching Thanks

Ron, Nick is a lynchpin of the BAJR admin team. I too resisted FB for as long as possible but eventually bowed to the inevitable. Have to say that the Bedford MW group is the best source of information around for these trucks, similar for British jeeps.

Ron, Just use the search term “British Army Jeep Research” in google. First answer is the BAJR webpage .....no need for Facebook. www.britishjeep.com

Nick Thomas = British Army Jeep Research (FB)

Another little step forward. The charging board frame that came with the truck would have needed a lot of work to make it something like the original so it was easier to start from scratch. It wasn’t easy to bring all the parts together for welding as the frame had to fit within a newly made cover attached to the top of the body and also line up with the existing metalwork and use existing fixings. Also now fitting the (one original and three reproduction) battery box frames that go either side of the radio table. These will be screwed to the floor on wooden battens. I was lucky to find matching NOS 1/2” Whitworth wing nuts for the battery securing bars

You could always try Autosparks in Nottingham. They might have a pattern.

David Bryden’s Tiger1.info website has a page for MG34 toolboxes. I wonder if the same box was used in the PzII? Sorry....cant link so google “Tiger1.info MG34 toolboxes”

76 on green over blue is listed as the junior armoured car regiment for Armoured Divisions, Middle East Forces from 21/9/41. Is there a divisional sign on the other side of the tank? The Chilwell list shows C5108998 to be from contract C12425.

The bulbs are single filament with two contacts as the trailer is not earthed and all bulbs need a feed in and a contact out, back to earth. The British trailer socket/plug is also two contacts only so the lead between truck and trailer is again just live and earth only. One side of the trailer socket is earthed to the vehicle

Agreed....you can’t beat a book in your hands and on the shelf The current prices of some of the books I have acquired out of an interest over the years never cease to amaze and shock me. Even relatively recent ones like the Warpaint volumes.

The Almark book on markings by Hodges is very much of its time. In later years Cannon Publications in Doncaster republished the book with a additional long commentary on its contents, by MD Taylor which was enhanced by much more detailed and recent research. You should try and obtain a copy of this later publication. It has the same cover as shown but includes the name of MD Taylor and P Hodges as joint authors. The books on order of battle by M Bellis are also very helpful, as is the book on Military Heraldry from WW2 by Howard Cole

You could always try the QRL/Notts Yeomanry Regts museum at Thoresby Hall Courtyard. They might be able to help further.

Looks like a 1950s Thornycroft 43’ RAF Range Safety Launch

Worth looking on the National Historic Ships Register to see if it is listed there. You can limit searches by date of manufacture, say 1939 to 1945. A surprising number of MTBs and MGBs survive as houseboats.

If came predrilled for the GS, you would need more, one each for the individual floorboards to be fixed to that second crossmember. Also as the front boards for the GS line up with the front edge of that crossmember, the holes would be offset to the rear.

There is a seminal book called “Restoring Museum Aircraft” written by Robert Mikesh who was the Senior aircraft curator at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The techniques described in that book are equally valid to the preservation of vehicles. Mikesh outlines the use of a hard wearing microcrystalline wax to protect original paintwork, to the extent that it is apparently possible once the wax is applied to apply a new coat of paint over the waxed surface and leave the original paint underneath untouched.

Doesn’t the retaining pin for the shaft have a square head to enable you to unscrew it? The common bodge was, as discussed, to hack a hole in the side of the transmission tunnel to enable the shaft to be moved enough to remove the levers

Seen on Facebook. Caption says it’s on its way to Bandiana Wodonga in Oz for auction. That’s all I know.