Quarter Master's Depot British
Tanks Training in the UK 1 and 2 (35088) and (35091)
by Cookie Sewell
Advantages: Interesting choice of vehicles and time frame; bright choice
of schemes and markings offset nominally drab subjects
Disadvantages: Every subject listed will require modification, conversion
or scratchbuilding of existing kits
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: to "Home Front" Commonwealth armor modelers
After the disastrous withdrawal from France at Dunkirk in June 1940, the
British Army proceeded to rebuild itself and conduct vigorous training
of its main forces at home in view of their eventual deployment to various
theaters of war and the "big push" for the Second Front in western
Europe. During that period – most of 1941 and early 1942 –
new tanks were built to replace losses as well as field new formations,
new concepts were tried, and new tactics adopted.
That training period is one virtually completely ignored by model companies,
as it appears to be dull and of no interest. This is a shame, as some
of the more interesting marking schemes were tried out and either adopted
or ignored at that time.
Quartermaster's Depot now has started a new series of decal sheets in
its very nice waterslide family, and these cover that "home front"
training period. Each of the sheets has been researched by Barry Beldam
and provides complete markings for four separate vehicles. Each sheet
is accompanied by two large 11 x 14 sheets of instructions, explaining
how to use the markings and where they go. The directions call for what
many of us use as "standard procedure:" coat the model with
a gloss coat (e.g. Future in the US), cut the markings apart close to
the subjects as the sheets are one big sheet and not separate subjects,
apply, use a setting agent, and then top-coat with a flat varnish or coating
to hide them and kill the shine.
The decals are excellent and cover the subjects at hand, and any omissions
are covered in the directions and reasons cited (e.g markings were not
visible due to obstruction). But one thing not given is a color match
for the period; all of the vehicles in this sheet series are shown in
a khaki drab color (e.g. brownish tint, not green) and I have no idea
if that is correct or not. I would assume so given the background Barry
has on Commonwealth armor, but have no idea what the match would be. (Barry
once noted that the greenish color was a dead match to the old Pactra
Artilllery Olive shade.)
Nearly all of the vehicles covered, however, will require either conversion
of existing kits or scratchbuilding major components to match. Some are
available in resin as well, so at least the modeler will have a made-to-order
set of markings for those kits. Also, no comments are provided as to any
specific modifications or changes that would be required to match that
vehicle at that specific point in time.
Overall, the selection is excellent and Quartermaster's Depot has done
a great job on these markings.
Quarter Master's Depot, 1071 Ambleside Drive, Suite 1111, Ottawa, Ontario
K2B 6V4, Canada (http://www.quatermastersdepot.com);
price CDN $12.00 each (about US $10.00)
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