Humber Scout Car, SA 6th Armoured Div, Italy 44

[Sirius]

Here be my first attempt at Bolt Action armour...

Artillery HQ, 1/6th Field.







And here with the liaison officer (Cpt Dougie Gibbs) from the First City/Cape Town Highlanders, FAO (Lt Johan "Blackie" Swart), and Constable Rassie "Red" Erasmus, acting as liaison with local partisan forces (who are anxious about the impact of artillery on their village...) (Constable Erasmus was captured with the 1st SAP at Tobruk in 42, spent some time in a POW camp before being assigned as a farm labourer in the Chiusi area. After armistice the farmer allowed his "escape", and with the help of local partisans, he planned to make the passage to Switzerland. However, events overtook him, and the summer of 44 found him on the frontline. Once in touch with the advance guard of the SA 6th, his familiarity with the partisans, rudimentary Italian and homespun practicality made him a very useful addition to the FA HQ...)

[Keith]

Great painting, great background and some really nice little additions to the side stowage on the Humber.

Look forward to seeing more of your work!

[14th Brooklyn]

Nice, clean paintjob!

[grant]

Great story and nice Mickey mouse camo!

[Sirius]

Thanks for the feedback.

@Keith: I used a bit of artistic licence with the stowage, as I wanted to fill out that space that is usually taken up by the spare wheel on the righthand side between the wheel arches. Didnt want to buy a second kit just to get one spare wheel. As these were HQ pool runabouts, they didnt appear to accumulate as much baggage as vehicles "owned" and "lived in" by their crews, but I did want to give it a bit of character. The Bolt Action kit also didnt feature the shovel on the left hand side, which is one tool that appears in the place it was issued in every pic I have of the Saffa Humbers . So i added one (cant see it in these pix) from the plastic infantry kit...

@Grant: its not really a true Mickey Mouse pattern - more linear and less circular shapes. The vehicles got painted up while still in Egypt - I assume with the Tunisian campaign in mind - and they carried the pattern through Italy until late in 44, IIRC, when the Division got refitted and re-equipped and got Olive Drab everything... boring...

There is MUCH more to tell about Red Erasmus, involving amongst others the farmer's daughter, a local priest and an SS patrol, but thats a story for another day...

[Luigi]

Great brush Sirius.
Luigi

[Helen]

Lovely model, well done.

Helen

[Sirius]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Keith]

...usually taken up by the spare wheel on the righthand side between the wheel arches. Didnt want to buy a second kit just to get one spare wheel.

Thanks for the extra info. Was this spare wheel a unit adaptation? AFAIK the Humber Scout only came with a spare wheel as standard as a (just) post-war variation. Very good point about the amount of stowage on an HQ vehicle BTW.

I've seen some interesting images of a Humber which I think was in Italy. Apparently fear of mines led to a late variation with a canvas roof instead of steel. Better to be thrown out of the vehicle than pummeled inside it if you do hit a mine!

[Sirius]

...usually taken up by the spare wheel on the righthand side between the wheel arches. Didnt want to buy a second kit just to get one spare wheel.

Thanks for the extra info. Was this spare wheel a unit adaptation? AFAIK the Humber Scout only came with a spare wheel as standard as a (just) post-war variation. Very good point about the amount of stowage on an HQ vehicle BTW.

Good Grief, Keith! You are so right... the spare wheels dont appear in the photos, but only in the line drawings I have. There I was getting all worked up with Warlord for not including the spare.... (in my defence, most of my pix show the left side of the vehicle, but in the one that i have of a clear closeup of the right... no spare! No fitting for a spare!)

Thanks for pointing that out...