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Ptarmigan Comms Wagon


Tony M

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Have you got a background of mechanics and micro engineering ??????? That aray is so precise !!!!!!!!! I would have been tearing my hair out when the first bit of metal sheet had probably bent and split at the first touch of the drill bit !!!!!!

 

And the soldering is so tidy !!!!!!!!!!

 

Nige

 

Sorry Nige, no engineering background.

 

I have never done any course but I have done all my own repairs to my cars, from changing brakes to full engine rebuilds with no training what-so-ever, I just watch other people & learn, or in the case of model building, surf the net lol.

 

To be honest I wished there was a model club where I live so I can visit em & pick their brains & make my next project better? I'm just to modest & shy really, don't want to ask silly questions.

 

I can take some comfort from all the positive comments that I'm getting & even Howard from KFS said that he knows people that have done modelling for 20 years & wouldn't attempt what I've done.

 

Tony M

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3.5KVa Onan generator exhaust.

 

exhaust1.jpg

 

The exhaust that is connected to the 3.5KVa Onan generator is of the flexible type but to try & replicate this was a challenge.

 

I purchased from KFS the tool & shackle kit just solely for the hammer as this would go into the mast bag. I noticed that the tow ropes were very similar to the exhaust pattern so I converted both tow ropes into exhausts & made the silencers from evergreen tubing. I broke the first tow rope as I was trying to straighten it, not realising that you had to put it hot water to bend to the required shape but lucky enough, there was enough length left for the exhaust.

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Inside of box body

 

frame.jpg

 

This frame was made that houses the: TACE, SHF & SEOW units but......I dropped in on the floor & stood on it resulting in many pieces, again, had to be remade.

 

 

tace.jpg

 

The unit that has been test fitted in the frame is the TACE. I drilled 120 1/2mm holes in the front to add the affect of the switches.

 

To the right side approximately a dozen 1/2mm cables were added & they were lost in the ducting.

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Underslung cables.

 

The drum of Quad was made from brass & the power cable drums were evergreen.

 

Quad.

 

1 drum is mounted above the Scam 12 mast storage & the other drum of quad is mounted next to the fuel tank.

 

quad1.jpg

 

One side complete.

 

quad.jpg

 

Power cable drums

 

Under slung power cables1.jpg

 

Under slung power cables3.jpg

 

Under slung power cables5.jpg

 

Fitted to the bed prior to fixing to the chassis.

 

Under slung power cables2..jpg

 

The jerry can holder was relocated to above the Scam 12 mast storage.

 

tank.jpg

 

& the fuel tank was repositioned further back to create enought space for the underslung drum of quad.

 

 

tank2.jpg

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Tony

 

I came across those very same comms cable drums by chance when I was at the Hogmanay concert at the Castle when I was inspecting the stage as part of my job !!!! Was able to see and appreciate what work you put into making them !!!!!!

 

Nice to see the side skirts hanging from the bodywork too ready for dropping when neaded. What did you use to make them ?????????

 

A great combination of the KFS detail and your own !!!!!!!!! Shame that Howard is sold out of them till March !!!!!!!!! Phoned to order one as I have the money layed aside !!!!!!!!!!!

 

Will have to put it back into one of my slush funds so SWMBO does not get her hands on it and squanders it on something less important such as food, clothes or the likes !!!!!!!

 

Nige

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The ‘skirt/hessian’ is made from man size tissue.

 

I measured the depth (from the bed to the floor) & all the way around the wagon & cut the pieces to size.

 

Laid down cling film on my work surface & around the wagon as not to make a mess.

 

Using PVA glue, 50/50 mixture with water & lightly pasted the tissue (watch out for the tissue coming apart).

 

Once tissue was wet, I rolled the tissue, starting at one end & work my way along, doing a few millimetres at a time until the whole length was rolled.

 

I then wrapped it around the wagon & tied it with cotton at the points that was going to be secured when finished.

 

Waited 24 hours for it to dry, removed it, primed & painted it.

 

Secured it back to the vehicle at the points that are now set in the dried tissue.

 

I done the same with the hessian that is wrapped around the cab roof but that was in brown & the skirt was in flat black.

 

It's set in this position but if I find a fabric that is similar to hessian & thin enough then I'll replace it?

 

side skirt.jpg

 

Tony M

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Tony

 

I think the way you have it looks just fine !!!!!!! I suppose if you were looking for alternatives that you could vary your display by having portions unwrapped, it would be more important to get a scale look and hang,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but it would be a shame to hide all the detail you have spent ages in getting so accurate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Our unit used a lot of that woven plastic fabric in brown !!!!!!!!! Will have to keep an eye open for something that has a tight weave !!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could have mastered the art of working hinges, I would have looked at having the DROPS side locker loaded with camo netting and the folded brown fabric !!!!!!!!

 

The DROPS did not have the luxury of all the hanging points of the Bedfords to drape the screens in a ready fashion and we had fold it and unfold it and jam it in doors and crevices when in location !!!!

 

Best I can do is have the camo netting rolls up on the roof or locker as if about to get erected with the poles and rings !!!!!!!! Might have to improve my soldering techniques !!!!!!!!!

 

Will be looking at your pics when I get around to hanging the screens on the TM !!!!!!!

 

Wonder if any one else looking in on your build might have pics with the brown fabric I am talking about on Bedfords to get the look of that rather than the hessian !!!!!!!!

 

Nige

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Tony

 

I think the way you have it looks just fine !!!!!!! I suppose if you were looking for alternatives that you could vary your display by having portions unwrapped, it would be more important to get a scale look and hang,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but it would be a shame to hide all the detail you have spent ages in getting so accurate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Our unit used a lot of that woven plastic fabric in brown !!!!!!!!! Will have to keep an eye open for something that has a tight weave !!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could have mastered the art of working hinges, I would have looked at having the DROPS side locker loaded with camo netting and the folded brown fabric !!!!!!!!

 

The DROPS did not have the luxury of all the hanging points of the Bedfords to drape the screens in a ready fashion and we had fold it and unfold it and jam it in doors and crevices when in location !!!!

 

Best I can do is have the camo netting rolls up on the roof or locker as if about to get erected with the poles and rings !!!!!!!! Might have to improve my soldering techniques !!!!!!!!!

 

Will be looking at your pics when I get around to hanging the screens on the TM !!!!!!!

 

Wonder if any one else looking in on your build might have pics with the brown fabric I am talking about on Bedfords to get the look of that rather than the hessian !!!!!!!!

 

Nige

 

I've seen the plastic fabric but I always thought it was too shiny, so much for cam & concealment eh? lol

 

That's the trouble, you have to watch you don't cover all the detail with something that was integral to the set up, it's a balancing act. My next project has that problem as it's armoured & there's loads of detail that's on the inside & I can't do to that, what I done to the Bedford.

 

That was something I forgot, I put the cam poles in the side next to the scam 12 mast but I didn't make the mushrooms, that'll take some makeing? I'm glad it's not 1/35 scale, wouldn't get the same detail? lol

 

As for the working hinges. Only one part of my project has a working hinge & that's on the outside. The crypto safe & cupboard are set in position.

 

I stripped apart a 3 pair telephone cable & cut a piece off one cable, the width of the hinge, the wire (solid, not the multy strips type) was taken out & the outer sheath was then divided into 4 parts of which, 2 parts (1st & 3rd piece) were glued to the body & the other 2 parts (2nd & 4th piece) were glued to the door, once set the wire that I had taken out was then slid back in.

 

What's the end result on your TM, civi or mil?

 

Tony M

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Hi Tony

 

I tried to make hinges in the same way, but aside from the fact that nothing seemed to stay in place with any of the glues, I am too hamfisted to get the bits to sit still long enough !!!!!!!!!

 

It is defo gonna be a military !!!!!!! I would love to get some photos or reg plate numbers suitable for the vehicles that were in Dunfermline while I was there, but that will likely be a long shot !!!!!!!!!!! But will be hopefully with Canvas on the hoops and back flap up and seats !!!!!!!! I presume the seats will be the same build up as the Bedford MK !!!!!!!!

 

It was simply the fact that the truck in Linlithgow that I went to photograph happened to have been a re-paint in red !!!!!!!!! Mine will be green and with a black cammo, the brown fabric screens hung on the sides !!!!!!

 

I will probably go for a slightly weathered and touched up look because I can't remember the trucks having a very new paint scheme like the DROPS !!!!!!!!!!!!! Probably had seen a longer service by that time and were long due a repaint !!!!!!!!!!

 

If you have the mushroom sizes please add them to your blog and a close up of how you go about building them !!!!!!!!

 

Ta

 

Nige

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Hopefully of some use. No idea what diameter these were, but the poles were 1.2m lengths.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]71733[/ATTACH]

 

Nige

 

I've got the feelers out for the size but it looks like I would make them out of wire as they're thin enough as it is.

 

Tony M

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The storage cage behind the cab, then wrapped in mesh.

 

storage behind cab.jpg

 

Inside box body.

 

Radio banks test fitted (note, only one extractor fan on front wall at this stage).

 

box body1.jpg

 

When parts started to get finished I started to fit them against the front wall & worked my back towards the door: extractor fans, genny control box, ducting & Triffid Radios.

 

Extractor fans finished. They were built up piece by piece & marry up with the cowels on the outside of the front wall.

 

When first made I didn't realise that they wasn't 'central' on the wall, I found out when I started to build the genny control unit (in the corner) & test fitted them to find I didn't have the room. After viewing photos I then realised & I'd already had cut the holes in the front wall for the fans, thus a new inner skin was made & fans relocated.

 

interior.jpg

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Tony

 

It is the knock on effect of something small at 1/24 scale is just as bad because it shows up very easily (after the fact) when you try to fit things in and around !!!!!!!!!!!! Less opportunity to fudge things as in your case you have a massive skylight left on it for everyone to see right in there !!!!!!!!

 

That wiring looks cracking and the switches !!!!!!!

 

Nice

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I did make the roof with 1 bar tread plate on top & lighting/ducting underneath that could be removed for viewing but I just couldn't get my head around the fact you couldn't see the detail inside until you removed the roof which had the potential of breaking something when handling, one thing I've learned from scale modelling is how fragile the projects are.......

 

As I found out when I broke the wheel when moving, build & repair, build & repair lol.

 

wheel.jpg

 

so the sky light was made that is more of a permanant fixture. Below was with the solid roof on when I sprayed the black on.

 

roof.jpg

 

Below is the base plate spikes (bottom) made from wire & top is the guy rope stakes from evergreen angle.

 

mast bag contents.jpg

 

Two of the stakes are used to prop up the 3.5 KVa generator exhaust (which wasn't their job) to keep it off the floor to avoid dry grass from catching fire.

 

guy rope stake.jpg

 

& four stakes to anchor the guy ropes from the remote Scam 12 mast as this is posed with 2 sections raised in the diorama.

 

The guy rope holder was made from wire & bent into shape using tweezers & brown extra strong cotton for the guy rope.

 

guy rope.jpg

 

& four base plate spikes are securing the base plate to the ground at the base of the remote mast on the diorama.

 

base plate spikes.jpg

Edited by Tony M
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Additional pieces.

 

additional pieces.jpg

 

There are approximately 112 separate items that are added to the wagon when finished (not including the remote mast & 16 cam poles, not shown in picture), they are:

2 Scam 12 masts.

8 mast legs, 4 with steps, 4 without.

3 mast bags, which include: (per mast bag), Base plate (of which one is attached to remote mast), 4 base plate spikes, 4 guy rope stakes, 4 guy ropes, pump, hammer, aerial key, mast bag & wooden board to go into the bottom of the mast bag.

Steps.

2 band 1 antennas.

3 grid reflectors.

3 band 2 attachments for the grid reflectors.

3 band 3 attachments for the grid reflectors.

10 Jerry cans.

SHF dish

3 mast head adapters.

2 x 3.5KVa Onan exhausts.

2 silencers for exhausts.

2 earth spikes.

OS map.

3 drums of coax, 2 coax’s on each drum.

Broom.

Crypto safe key.

 

(All items have been scratch built except for the jerry cans, broom & a hammer).

 

The jerry cans were very distinctive on a Radio Relay, connected to the genny or at a petrol point & were always part of any resup (resupply).

 

I almost took it upon myself to fabricate a jerry can, either by carving out of something & making a mould so I could make more of them but again from the internet I was lucky enough to source them from Austria.

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Sometimes this project was frustrating, spending 2 years building it, in sections & not seeing the finished job till the last final days of the build, talk about patiencs? lol

 

Once everything started to come together (permanently) I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

01.JPG

 

 

02.JPG

 

03.JPG

 

04.JPG

 

05.JPG

 

06.JPG

 

07.JPG

 

08.JPG

 

09.JPG

 

10.JPG

 

11.JPG

 

Even when I thought I'd finished, I found a picture of 2 pieces of kit that I forgot what they looked like.

 

I could've left them out & played dumb, but that's not in my nature & pride soon takes over.

 

SEOW's (Single Engineering Order Wire).

 

Minus the units, thinking I'd finished

 

12.JPG

 

Made & fitted......

 

13.jpg

 

Finished project prior to it's permanent set up.

 

Ptarmigan 1.JPG

 

Ptarmigan 2.JPG

 

Ptarmigan 3.JPG

 

Ptarmigan 4.JPG

 

Ptarmigan 5.jpg

 

Ptarmigan 6.JPG

Edited by Tony M
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And finally, the finished project on a basic diorama: As it would've have been like on exercise, however, it was set up in the following order;

 

Basic cam (hessian dropped, skirt/cab), comms, full cam (with cam nets in place), comfort.....

 

Final pic 1.jpg

 

Final pic 2.jpg

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Hope you've enjoyed this thread?

 

Next project.......Ptarmigan Triffid/Radio Relay FV439.

I'll be starting a new thread but this will be over months/year or 2? lol

 

KFS will be bringing out the FV432 soon & I'll be converting that.

 

Comms kit is already under way, pictures soon on the new thread.

 

& thanks for all your positive comments

 

Regards

 

Tony M

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Even though I've seen it in the flesh, & read the whole feature prepped for print in a magazine, I still find it an amazing piece of work Tony. Cracking work mate & I look forward to thrusting a 432 kit under your nose.

 

Best regs........Howard @ KFS

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Even though I've seen it in the flesh, & read the whole feature prepped for print in a magazine, I still find it an amazing piece of work Tony. Cracking work mate & I look forward to thrusting a 432 kit under your nose.

 

Best regs........Howard @ KFS

 

Great combination of intricate multi media kit and precision scratchbuilding !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Fantastic

 

Nige

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Thanks for the feedback peeps, much appreciated.

 

H, you mentioned on the 439 how it got 'warm' will all that equipment humming away.........

 

well, the Ptarmigan comms wagon had a 'heater'.....

 

You can only see it from this angle on the model, even has the grill if you look closely & I removed the sky light to get a better picture. Sits next to the SLR rifle rack, which was a complete waste of time as the Rifle 5.56 (more commonly known as The SA80) came out as Ptarmigan did.........

 

interior3.JPG

 

Here's another couple of close ups:

 

From near to far: Quad cable, jerry can holder (repositioned from under the wagon) Arctic batteries & the back of the PCU Gould in the distance......

 

photo.jpg

 

Here we've got the near side genny, 1 jerry can in place hooked up to the genny. Another Scam 12 mast with the cam poles next to that.

 

photo2.jpg

 

The gennies were slid out using the wheel brace on the red nut & the genny cradle would move via the worm drive.....

 

photo4.jpg

 

& here's the TACE, SHF & SEOW units & RF lever selector just to the right (under the bulletin board).

 

photo5.jpg

  • Up 1
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As if you had taken the roof off a real one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love seeing more of these close ups !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you coming to Perth model show perhaps ??????????

 

Would love to see this close up !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Nige

 

Nige

 

Perth Model Show is a 161 mile treck from me, It's in April, you never know? lol. If I decide to go, I'll let you know & I'll bring project P with me?

 

Tony M

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Tony

 

I am glad you made the treck up-north ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, well further UP-NORTH !!!!!!!!!!!! Was great to get to meet up and to see your work on the Triffid !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Cracking work ,,,,,,,,,,, especially your soldering work !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looking forward to getting some photo or better still video clips of your soldering techniques and tools !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Need to learn and try out some new stuff to test my own brain cells further !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Nige

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