British Paratroopers

Back in olden times Airfix was known for their awesome box art.  The Heller kits did not maintain that high standard.

The back of the box was blank.  Cheap.

This British Paratrooper looks Italian.  Nice 5 o'clock shadow.

This guy must be a British paratrooper from Hong Kong.

Nice drawing of an open parachute, too bad one does not come in the set!

 I think this is a Sten MK V which was not developed for 1944.

Lee Company +

My line up of Lee & Grant tanks, HO scale by Heiser Models and Reviersco.

There are so many versions I have taken to numbering each sub variant.  This is a Lee with diesel engine, no storage boxes on the back, no roof ventilators, and short barrel gun with counterweight.

The first three tanks at the bottom are the Grant, used by the British, and given a new turret with a radio in it at the request of the British.  The US actually manned three of them in British North Africa to gain combat experience.

I like the steampunk look with the rivets and all the guns.

Some of these I have had for a while and they are painted with white primer.  The newer ones have been painted with gray primer.

This one has been painted with Testors now discontinued 1911 Olive Drab as a paint test to see how it looked on these metal models.

Some like this welded Lee are still bare metal.

This cast hull Lee is painted with flat white primer.  I don't think it covered well so I went to the dark gray primer.

 Same tank type in bare metal.

Aunt Jemima in World War Two

Aunt Jemima was the name given to his mine roller equipment because it looked like giant pancakes.

It's all scratch built apart from the chain drive.

The tank is a Roco Sherman with a revised upper hull made by Paul Heiser and the turret is one of his also.

It was an easy but time consuming construction.

The engine deck was changed to the correct version.  The Roco has the wrong rear deck details.

Bottom version, this is what the mines see.

Good way to clear a minefield.
 

Lee Series Diesel Engine Tank

US M3A4 Lee tank with diesel engine.

There were at least 22 different versions of the Lee tank.  Note this one has side hatches that open.

And a short barrel gun with a counterweight on the end.

Others have side hatched that are welded closed and still later versions had no hole for the side hatch.  Others had the short barrel gun with no counterweight and late production versions had a very long barrel.

Note the air exhaust openings, the rear is much different on the diesel version compared to the gasoline version.

This tank is also riveted, but diesel tanks were made in welded versions too.

The Lee was also made with a smooth round cast hull, but not with diesel engine.

I call this type version 18.