AFV Club 1/35 AEC Matador British Army Artillery Tractor

Dodgy

looking good Harold. Do the parts require much clean up? It looks very clean and tidy. Thanks for the info on the Matador website, that will come in very handy when I get back to working on my ho/oo beastie.

Incidentally, I actually have an AEC nameplate that a mate of mine in 3/4 Cav. brought back from Somalia. Also the photo you posted of the Matador tanker fuelling a Lancaster intrigued me. When I had a closer look the Lancaster was S-Sugar of 467 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. S-Sugar was a famous aircraft with a record number of missions with both RAF and RAAF squadrons. It carried a tally of its missions on the port side of its nose and a quote from Herman Goering - "No enemy plane will fly over Reich territory", or words to that effect.

 

https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/lancaster/21346-PB6331944-12-18.html

https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/120773

The AFV Club kits are as clean and well engineered a model as you will fine in 1/35 scale. I have six AFV Club models now and they are all the same quality, so I can recommend them with confidence. One caution is they are intended for experienced modelers which mean there is a lot of detail and some very small parts. If you use Tamiya extra thin cement and some form of magnifying glasses you should be able to build anything in AFV Club's catalogue.

looking good Harold. Do the parts require much clean up? It looks very clean and tidy. Thanks for the info on the Matador website, that will come in very handy when I get back to working on my ho/oo beastie.

Incidentally, I actually have an AEC nameplate that a mate of mine in 3/4 Cav. brought back from Somalia. Also the photo you posted of the Matador tanker fuelling a Lancaster intrigued me. When I had a closer look the Lancaster was S-Sugar of 467 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. S-Sugar was a famous aircraft with a record number of missions with both RAF and RAAF squadrons. It carried a tally of its missions on the port side of its nose and a quote from Herman Goering - "No enemy plane will fly over Reich territory", or words to that effect.

I completed steps 4 through 6 and started step 7. The undercarriage of this model is much more detailed than I realized. Steps 1 through 9 is a full running gear with drive lines and transmission. If AFV Club had included the upper half of the engine it would be a complete model inside and out. There is a full interior in the cab and the bed has all the detail you would expect in a truck model. I am very pleased with the way this model was engineered. 

If you are interested in classic military vehicles like the AEC Matador here is a good resource http://www.classicmilitary.co.uk/aec-matador-gun-tractor-classic-military-vehicle/

Dodgy

Thanks Harold. Its good to be part of the forums I am enjoying the contact with other modelers and have received some great advice. I am not in a club over here as I live too far away from any large population areas. I served on destroyers, (DDG's), as well just after the Vietnam war. Ended up with a medical discharge as a result of an accident.

 

Thanks Harold. Its good to be part of the forums I am enjoying the contact with other modelers and have received some great advice. I am not in a club over here as I live too far away from any large population areas. I served on destroyers, (DDG's), as well just after the Vietnam war. Ended up with a medical discharge as a result of an accident.

Welcome GS from Arizona and Rob from Victoria, Australia. I completed step 3 this morning which surprised me with how much time I spent. I usually have a three-hour period each morning to work on models and thought I could finish two, or three steps today. However, this morning I started a little late and even though I underestimated how much time it would take I did not break anything, so it was a good session. Step 3 includes the frame, cross-members, lower engine half and winch assembly. Keeping it level and square was my main objective, so I do not have trouble later with the suspension and body assembly.

I find the AEC Matador one of the most interesting and iconic British military vehicle of World War II. With a low geared 7580 cc diesel engine it could pull the heaviest load through the muddiest field. It was designed for towing artillery pieces, but also served in different versions as an aircraft fuel truck, flatbed cargo truck, personnel carrier, tow truck and even a dump truck. The British really put this vehicle to good use during the war.

Rob Ferguson, I do not know much about the Australian Navy even though I served on destroyers during the Vietnam War and met a few Australian Navy seamen. Glad to have you in our Forum Mate.

Harold

I will watch this with interest. Have started to super detail the old Airfix kit in HO/OO but may have bitten of more than i can chew.