Humber PIG Pictures

[fv1609]

i believe that the Royal Artillery used them in that configuration as a G.S. according to a reliable ARRSE forum user, who drove them.

 

Yes that was the beauty of them designed to be configured in a variety of roles. Initially intended for RAC, RA, RE, RS & Infantry. A range of "approved equipment" could be fitted to the top-hat section on the inside (although initially this was wood). The vertical bars on the outside are again for approved equipment.

 

That is my pig 2996 OI, it is the oldest surviving pig in the world. Although it is an APC it is not a FV1611 but a FV1609A & restored/reconstructed in its RUC role. There are, at the last count, 59 differences between that & the production pig.

[Adam Elkins]

Clive,

What green have you used to repaint it in?

[Adam Elkins]

A Pig with a bed and a heater, very posh, mines just an empty silver box in the rear at the moment:-(

 

Yes luxury,:cool2:

i dont know if the heater works yet.

[fv1609]

Clive,

What green have you used to repaint it in?

 

Bit of a conundrum that one! This is the fourth colour since initial restoration!

When it was withdrawn from Troop Trials in 1958 & sold to the Ministry of Home Affairs for RUC use I have no doubt that it was Deep Bronze Green.

 

It would have continued in green of some sort through to its conversion with an armoured roof completed in March 1961.

 

On 18/4/61 the Humbers & Commers were instructed to be painted grey. I have no doubt that this was Light Admiralty Grey:

 

1. Given the proximity to shipyards with naval contracts.

2. I have found traces of LAG on the vehicle

3. A few Commers survived without being later painted green, look to be LAG.

 

On 18/10/62 the Humbers & Commers were instructed to be painted "Olive Drab Green" by 1/1/63

 

In August 1969 someone was given a tour of the RUC workshops & recorded that the interiors were painted white & externally "Rustoleum Green" which has anti-rust properties.

 

However I decided to go for the 1961-62 look. So I painted it LAG for its first year on the circuit.

 

 

But there were problems:

 

1. The jibes that it was still in primer wore rather thin after a season of it.

2. General stupidity from public & enthusiasts not taking the vehicle seriously - I remember being next to a Mk 2 pig & a couple not all interested in my pig but were impressed the Mk 2 saying "Look here is a Belfast one" I felt like screaming in my best Victor Meldrew voice "What BH do you think the registration 2996 OI is if it isn't Belfast".

3. If I wanted to go to a show at an establishment green is more likely to get in then grey.

 

So I painted in some gloss sort of Olive Drab that I had lying around.

 

 

I had no help from Rustoleum in finding what greens they had available in 1969. The only modern Rustoleum Green I have seen was very like Forest/Dark Brunswick Green.

 

Shorlands were painted the same colour as the Humbers. I have a 1966 RUC Shorland & found the deepest layer was a satin finish green virtually identical to Forrest Green. Being a meanie I decided to mix up this myself using paints I already had. It was mainly Deep Brunswick, some Deep Bronze, some matt Black, a little NATO Green & calcium carbonate powder to matt it down. It was a very close match to the Shorland.

 

Last year I had to spray it 4 times before I got any sort of uniform coverage. I ran into trouble with a rough surface with what I thought was the calcium carbonate, but I later realised was largely due to my poor spraying technique.

 

 

However I have wrestled with the fact that I have in my possession some photos of Humbers, Shorlands & Commers taken by the man that noted Rustoleum Green was used. But these pictures show a very flat green rather like NATO Green. But this was 1969 & NATO Green hadn't been invented yet. So I assumed that it was in fact Olive Drab & the slight colour discrepancy could be accounted for with lighting & aging of the photos.

 

Although I cannot explain the colour on my Shorland & the lack of signs of OD. The majority evidence has to be that it was Olive Drab. I think the reference to Rustoleum Green could be explained in that it was used as the base coat as a rust preventative..

 

So having rubbed the pig down & covered it in red oxide.

 

 

I set about ordering OD BSC298. On asking one supplier I was told that it was not used in the war, but I felt like Basil Fawlty - I never mentioned the war! Anyway he didn’t have any. Another supplier indicated they stocked it & it was ready for dispatch the next day but took a week & a half. So it is eggshell OD now.

 

Sorry long story but the painting has been a bit of a challenge, not just choosing the most likely colour. But realising how difficult it is to make a decent job of spraying anything other than gloss.

 

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

I like that grey clive.A few pics lost in the crash.

[fv1609]

OK CW, but I'm trying not to have to paint it for a little while yet! Already harvested the pig pics, I remember commenting on some of the internal fittings of the Aldershot Museum pig. [Can you pm me with your email, so I can send you those other references]

[Adam Elsdon]

For those wanting to paint the interior the correct silver (unless its an ambulance, or an RUC vehicle which appear to be white), Screwfix do "Aluminium Paint" which is heat resistant etc, it comes in 1 ltr tins for about £8.00 which is enough to hand paint the entire interior, and it covers very well, my interior was previously an incorrect Landrover green, and it went over no problem, takes a little while to cure good and solid though, so dont expect to drive it the following day!

Edited May 27, 2008 by Adam Elsdon

[abn deuce]

I too thought the Gray a nice change from all the others with the different shades of Green .

[Adam Elsdon]

Must admit, the Light Admiralty Grey looks really smart, personally if the great unwashed dont get it...........Tough!! Im open minded when it comes to anothers pride and joy, i was at an agricultural show recently where there was a little old ex army fergie tractor looking tatty in a few different coats of Bronze and Nato green, a bit flaky, but absolutely original condition, being poo pooh'd by some as not as nice as the fully restored overly shiney and mainly replaced for new parts examples around it, i thought the army tractor was an excellent little machine, and would be a crime to restore! but then some other people are know nowt pillocks!

[fv1609]

Yes some things virtually unrestored have a certain authenticity & have that just been discovered magic.

 

As far as the grey goes. The other problem was that some people who accepted grey was correct considered it far too light. Well Light Admiralty Grey IS light! That was the colour of the Commers that remained grey, what I found on my vehicle & used on the early RUC Hotspur Land Rovers. I think people had got fixed in their minds the colour of the final RUC vehicles which were more of a dark slate grey.

[Adam Elkins]

Wow Clive you have been very busy i see.

what colour would my pig have been at the end of it's service olive drab?

there is so many different shades of green on it.

what ever i paint it in i dont want it to fade any suggestions?

[fv1609]

what colour would my pig have been at the end of it's service

IRR NATO Green

 

what ever i paint it in i dont want it to fade any suggestions?

IRR NATO Green is notorious for fading. But your pig will be a loved thing, I imagine it would be under cover in some form. Even a tarpaulin will keep the sun off.

[Adam Elkins]

Fading is what i wanted to avoid i don't want to have to paint it on a regular basis.

so keeping under cover will slow the process of fading down.

what other colour could i use that is similar but wont fade as quick?

I sent you a pm on parts.

Cheers

Edited May 28, 2008 by Adam Elkins

[fv1609]

Adam, a significant fade would take a couple of years, but if you cover it up to keep out the sunshine that will delay things enormously. You will need to cover it up anyway because the thing will leak & everything would otherwise go mouldy & rusty.

 

Besides a little bit of fade adds to the authenticity that you have painted it in IRR NATO Green. Some people paint their Land Rovers in paint made up in semi-gloss in NATO Green, as that is more durable & looks smarter. Smarter maybe but it doesn't give the finish of IRR NATO Green, so doesn't look authentic.

[Adam Elkins]

Clive, do you know the paint code for IRR NATO Green? Or the best place to buy it from?

[fv1609]

NATO Green is BSC 285.

 

When I've used it I've only used genuine stuff, you don't don't see the real stuff around much these days. It used to be fairly plentiful, because it had a fairly short shelf life. But this was for the IRR pigment, the paint itself lasted ages.

 

There are a number of firms that do repro NATO Green, but no experience of them.

 

Are you sure of the era you want to represent? Because if you want to be 1970s IRR NATO Green was not around then. NATO Green was only accepted in the BSC chart in 1980. The Materiel Regulations introduced IRR NATO Green in Dec 1980 & the Defence Standard was only released in Nov 1980.

 

Prior to that if high Gloss Deep Bronze Green was not used & a camo colour was needed it was matt Olive Drab BSC 298.

 

Pigs that were uparmoured in Op Bracelet (Sep 1972 - June 1973) initially seemed to be painted high gloss DBG. Thereafter OD until 1980 then NATO Green.

[AndyFowler]

Very tidy early Pig on Ebay ! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220240195314&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123

[fv1609]

Very tidy early Pig on Ebay !

 

Yes it does look tidy. But I don't know why it is that strange colour. Whether it is early or late I don't know, it certainly was not built in 1954. No pigs were built before 1956 & they were FV1609. This is either a FV1611 or FV1612 & they were built 1958-60. No doubt the chassis was built in 1954 as a GS Truck.

 

Why do we have 4 shots of the front & 3 of the cab? The cab looks very complete, but it would have been nice to see a shots of the engine bay, the rear, the underneath & the rear internal. Most of the shots convey similar information to each other.

 

I note that there is no 4th antenna mount on the rear off side. Signifying this is not converted to FFR so is either a FV1612 FFW or FV1611 (APC). Looking at the generator panel it it looks like a No.1, indicating the Generator No1, so this must be a FV1611 APC.

 

There seems to be a drivers seatbelt, which is a non-original later addition, nothing wrong with that if it enhances safety. The fire extinguisher is mounted on the drivers door it should be on the side wall behind the commander. There are no wing mirrors & no front light cages. These are all minor things. If the bits we aren't shown are up to the standard of what we are shown it certainly looks promising.

 

It would have been nice to have more information, not just about its type & history. But whether the engine runs ok & whether the axles are all working given the vulnerability to rear axle failure as this was not just a problem for the Mk 2.

[Adam Elsdon]

The bits you can see certainly look reasonably straight, strange thing going on with the screens, i cant see how they are fitted, looks semi-permanent, and it has the largest choke knob i have ever seen!

Nice wings, i'm jealous!!

[fv1609]

strange thing going on with the screens, i cant see how they are fitted, looks semi-permanent,

Looks like perspex overlaid from the outside. Seems to be a strange frame & a fitting in the middle of the lower frame.

 

it has the largest choke knob i have ever seen!

 

Calm down dear.

[Rick W]

Came across this pic by accident, looks like a Pig to me but Im not an expert on them- Im sure you will soon tell me!

[fv1609]

Berlin wall where Pigs were useful mobile platforms!

 

So this is a Mk 1 (in the normal useage of the term, although that isn't quite correct). It is either the APC ie FV1611 or a FFW ie FV1612 (not modified for FFR)

[Adam Elsdon]

Came across this pic by accident, looks like a Pig to me but Im not an expert on them- Im sure you will soon tell me!

Excellent picture!

Where did you find it?, i cant get enough of in service pictures!

[Adam Elkins]

Im after pics of Mk 2 pig ambulance's for referance inside and out.

cheers.

[fv1609]

Im after pics of Mk 2 pig ambulance's for referance inside and out. cheers.

 

 

 

Adam don't forget you will need a hammer for the medical kit.