Humber MK.II Armoured Car - Matchbox Kit Completed!!

The excellent Matchbox Humber Mk II armoured car kit from the 1970's Pk -75 in Matchbox's 'purple range', this one is a Revell recent re-release, Great little model a joy to build & my favourite finish is the desert scheme fun to weather with highlights via the good old drybrush. Review of kit at miniatures forum and statistical info on the vehicle at wwiivehicles

This kit was great fun to build taking only a couple of days, the time delay only to let the glue dry. Anyone could 'go to town' on covering the kit in 'stowage' as was common practice especially in the western desert but I just kept it simple making a nice addition to my western desert forces.

A Humber Mk II armoured car of the 12th Royal Lancers on patrol in the Western Desert, 10 August 1942

Desert Rats - Thetford Forest Park Memorial

Absent on the blogging front as I got a 4 day 'pass' from life in Kent & had an aviation filled trip to see my friends in Suffolk/Norfolk. This included flying in a DH Chipmunck, 2 Aviation Museums and a trip to a certain modest model retailer called Hannants!! More on this in a future update.



Where Chris & Nessie live is Thetford Forest with a rather fine 'gate guardian' in front of their house!! a Cromwell tank!! This commemorates the 7th Armoured Division the 'Desert Rats from El Alamain to Berlin'



The Division was stationed in Thetford Forest between January & May 1944 while they prepared for the D Day invasion of Normandy. This was the only time in it's entire existence that it was in the UK! They sailed from Felixstowe on the 5th June 1944 with the first tanks landing on Gold Beach on the evening of 6th June 1944.



A self guided trails takes you around where the camp site was



Nothing exists now apart from a few foundation of the nissen huts which would have looked like as below




The notice board at the car park is quite informative with copies of documents relating to the Divisons stay and commemorations since




The information boards are very informative and well done & bring the history to life in context to the landscape. It's an enjoyable walk good for bird spotting Siskins & Goldcrests in evidence when I was there.



More info at the Forestry Commission web site which also updates you on what countryside events are going on in the area.

Invasion of Poland 1939 - 70 years ago today

Sorry for another aircraft post but today being the 70th anniversary of the start of WW2 with the invasion of Poland, see BBC coverage including interview with Ignacy Skowron who literally saw WW2 start. I thought I would contribute with a clasic kit of the past and WW2 Polish tanks etc are a specialist area I have not ventured into...amazingly!!

The PZL P-11c was obsolete by 1939 but heroically flown by their well trained pilots, many of whom were to prove themselves with the RAF flying Spitfire and Hurricanes very succesfully in the Battle of Britain and throughout the war.

Amazingly one survives in the aviation museum in Krackow The link will also give you the history of this iconic aircraft...well its the one I think of to do with the Invasion of Poland.

Back in the early 70's we used to stay as a family on our summer holidays with friends in Somerset and Dad and I used to spend some of his hard earnt 'Green Shield Stamps' (awarded from petrol stations etc put them in a book and exchange for goods at the green shield stamp shop)on kits. Revell did a set of four planes etc and one of these was the PZL P-11c, dad made this on one wet summers day as I was in my formative years as a modeller/wargamer & it still exists somewhere!This is an unmade kit from my 'nostalgia collection' comprising of 23 pieces!!



Note also Ospreys new battles of World War II series of books obtainable in Smiths etc the cheap welcome to the series offer is Poland 1939 Germany's 'lightning strike' a hardback book on the invasion of Poland for £1.99. I usually get the first few offers with this kind of deal and never join! bargain!!