Malayan Emergency 1/35 scale.

rtfoe

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Hi, I'm currently re-hashing a dio I have left idle for years and it's about a jungle police truck stopping at a bridge to check a suspicious clump of branches sticking out from the road ahead of the bridge suspecting an ambush.
This scene is in the late 40's early 50's during the First Malayan Emergency between the British Colonials and the Communist Terrorists.
The weapons of the time were a mix of pre and post WW2 material such as the Bren, Stens, Webley's and the newer Sterling and Jungle Enfields. I have almost all the weapons except the Jungle Enfield or carbine in kit form. So I will make them so I'll start with it...

I've had some experience in scratching weapons by utilising parts from existing guns. It ought to look like these examples below. Basically a shortened version of the Mk.4 Enfield...

E1.jpg

Searched in my stash for Mk.4's and found these three I had painted and mothballed.

E2.jpg

Soon I stretched som sprue to the right gauge and sliced equal lengths and cone shaped three from larger rods. I sliced the enfield and scraped a portion of the wooden grip. and glued the parts together.

E3.jpg

I managed one with the barrel sight guards needing a little trimming. Have also shortened the butt and rounded the edges. Another two more to go...

E4.jpg

Next 45 mins and another is done. Stopping now for dinner and resting my eyes.

E5.jpg

I hope to take some shots of the dio after I have dusted it.

Cheers,
Richard
 

Airborne01

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Hi, I'm currently re-hashing a dio I have left idle for years and it's about a jungle police truck stopping at a bridge to check a suspicious clump of branches sticking out from the road ahead of the bridge suspecting an ambush.
This scene is in the late 40's early 50's during the First Malayan Emergency between the British Colonials and the Communist Terrorists.
The weapons of the time were a mix of pre and post WW2 material such as the Bren, Stens, Webley's and the newer Sterling and Jungle Enfields. I have almost all the weapons except the Jungle Enfield or carbine in kit form. So I will make them so I'll start with it...

I've had some experience in scratching weapons by utilising parts from existing guns. It ought to look like these examples below. Basically a shortened version of the Mk.4 Enfield...

View attachment 428019

Searched in my stash for Mk.4's and found these three I had painted and mothballed.

View attachment 428020

Soon I stretched som sprue to the right gauge and sliced equal lengths and cone shaped three from larger rods. I sliced the enfield and scraped a portion of the wooden grip. and glued the parts together.

View attachment 428021

I managed one with the barrel sight guards needing a little trimming. Have also shortened the butt and rounded the edges. Another two more to go...

View attachment 428022

Next 45 mins and another is done. Stopping now for dinner and resting my eyes.

View attachment 428023

I hope to take some shots of the dio after I have dusted it.

Cheers,
Richard
Richard,
Love the 'longs' - very nice conversion! Looking forward to your dealings with the '44 Pattern Web Equipment'! (Incidentally, the real-life Enfield conversion was a real 'Buggers Muddle' - excessive recoil and muzzle climb, and the muzzle flash was something to behold!) Very unpopular with the Toms!
Steve
 

rtfoe

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Hi Richard
Excellent looking conversion. I look forward to seeing this come together.
Jim
Thanks. Nice to have you along for this Jim.
Richard,
Love the 'longs' - very nice conversion! Looking forward to your dealings with the '44 Pattern Web Equipment'! (Incidentally, the real-life Enfield conversion was a real 'Buggers Muddle' - excessive recoil and muzzle climb, and the muzzle flash was something to behold!) Very unpopular with the Toms!
Steve
Yup, my Dad used to tell me how much of a kick it had and really loud. Without the muzzle flash suppressor one would be blind a few second after firing even in the dusk, a favorite time for a jungle ambush, Steve.
Nice conversions of the Enfields there Richard, my eyes are hurting looking at how small the parts your making are!
Thanks Graeme, after number two I needed an eye rest even with the magnifiers on.

Cheers,
Richard
 

rtfoe

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Promised you some images of the dio and soft skin police Dodge M37.

I was surprised that we used the Dodge M37 and found they were surplus left-overs and later switched over to LandRovers when available.

E6.jpg

The only modification I did was to add the post for the Bren gun. The figure was a left over from my "Hold Until Relieved" dio and just placed in the back for fun. It's sprayed overall dark blue and will be misted over with a lighter shade in the wide areas. I've had that masking tape over the clear windscreen for ages and wonder if it can be peeled of cleanly.

E7.jpg

The dio hasn't changed since I left it 10 years ago...the balsa bridge itself is probably 35 years old or more. I constructed it around the time I heard Eurythmics Annie Lennox's "Sweet Dreams". Then I built the base around it later and the interest fizzled out when I couldn't figure out how to get clear resin for the water.

E8.jpgE9.jpgE10.jpg

The vehicle isn't following SOP when approaching a bridge suspected of being rigged with explosives...didn't have enough space.

E11.jpg

The construction of the bridge looks quite similar to Scotties bridge and very uncanny being 30 odd years apart.

E12.jpg

Having done the rifles I will need to reference the uniform of the local forces attached to the British army then. The most distinct would be their cap which was called "Topi Bakul" or Basket Hat similar to the early Gurkha round cap with a little round tuft on the top. Here's one...

Bakul Cap.jpg

Cheers,
Richard
 

JR

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Loving the bridge Richard, and nice work on those rifles.
 

rtfoe

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Thanks John, nice of you to take up a seat. I've turned down the air-conditioning to give the atmospheric ambience of tropical heat and humidity. Choice of attire is free...sandals and shorts are permissible. The coconut bar is open. :smiling2:

Cheers,
Richard
 

rtfoe

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Hi, back to my rifle "trompet". Got all three done as close as possible and painted them up...

E13.jpg

There's one good thing about close up photography is that you spot stuff you can correct like the third rifle had some molding problem around the trigger and magazine, so I sliced off the offending bit and repainted. The first rifle has a bit of a wriggly barrel. :tears-of-joy: And all that rework has rubbed off the black from the rifle butt stock.

E14.jpg

I did a bit of research on the uniforms and got lots for army units and not many of the Jungle Police except one. There were some re-enactors all kitted up in Malayan Emergency period dress. Also some SAS and other Commonwealth troops including Australians and their Owen Stanley's...that would be some scratch.
I'll post something from Wiki regarding the Emergency as it was called. It was one of the new dirty wars fought with no quarter on both sides each as vicious and ruthless. The Australians learnt well and adapted their skills in Vietnam. Special Forces around the world still come to Malaysia to learn jungle warfare.

Cheers,
Richard
 

rtfoe

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Yes I have Jon and thanks. The PFF were the real jungle fighters that went into the jungles in pursuit of the CTs. My figures would be the constables that normally would guard convoys and camps. They would be in khaki shirt and shorts, some in pants with long socks and puttees. Their webbing would either be olive green or blanko'd. I've got a few pictures here...

Police 4.jpg Purely for reference.

872592.jpgimages (1).jpg police 2.jpeg
Police 3.jpgpolice.jpeg

They're all with the early Mk4 Stens and not the Sterling. I wonder when they were first issued in Malaya?

Cheers,
Richard
 

scottie3158

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Looking forward to watching this one progress. Lovely conversions of the No5 carbines. Your bridge looks stronger than mine.
 

rtfoe

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Hi, today I planned the way the stream was going to look like. Previously I was just having a calm stream flowing level from one side to the other. This time I went berserk after seeing a few rivers and streams done in this forum I thought I'd try my hand at some fast moving water.

Fast moving water needs elevation to flow down so I used blocks of polystyrene stacked up and carved away...

I first removed the bridge which was detachable. I make everything detachable as possible so they can be detailed as sub assemblies.

E15.jpg

I carved out ditches on either side of the road and will use card for the concrete drain molds. These narrow hill trunk roads still exist with their bridges and make lovely stopovers for a refreshing dip in clear mountain streams. On one such road towards Frasers Hill was where Sir Henry Gurney the British High Commissioner to Malaya was ambushed and killed. That was when the situation in the Emergency was at its lowest.

E16.jpg

I will be adding some river pebbles I found in the garden to the ones I have carved out. Then will patch areas with Das to seal any holes and then deepen each level to take the clear resin. Meantime I'm collecting different types of sand and fine stones for the stream bed...the figure is always there to check scale.

E17.jpg

Scrounged some of my dried roots for the over hanging trees and using some the fine roots as vines. Time to search for my paper banana trees, palm and ferns.

E18.jpg

Cheers,
Richard
 

JR

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Enjoying this with each update Richard. Love the start of the base. :nerd::thumb2::thumb2::thumb2:

Will enjoy the sealing up process .
 

rtfoe

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Enjoying this with each update Richard. Love the start of the base. :nerd::thumb2::thumb2::thumb2:

Will enjoy the sealing up process .
Thanks John, how's the humidity level? Got you coconut? The start is always crucial but as usual might go sideways. :smiling2:

Top notch stuff Richard always enjoy the unusual ,looking forward to your next move. Dave
Thanks David, welcome aboard. Unusual for me too...haven't done a waterfall before.

Sorry I'm a bit late Richard but have just caught up, eager to follow this !
No worries there Ron...ask the guys, I take ages to finish a Dio so you're just at the beginning.

Today was house cleaning so am bushed...nada bench time. Tomorrow maybe.

Cheers,
Richard
 

rtfoe

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Hi, I've found some bench time today and played with rocks...

Before I started I took my lighter blowtorch and melted and texturised the polystyrene. Then I took out the packet of Das which I've had since 2015 and wasn't sure if it was still moist...lucky it was.

E24.jpg

So while the plaster was still moist I pushed in the pebbles. Some needed to be secured with the poly glue.

E20.jpg

I didn't do much underneath the bridge except to add one or two pebbles to break up the emptiness if one wants to look underneath.

E21.jpg

Pouring the resin will be a challenge without the bridge on as I will need to cover the holes to prevent the resin seeping in. The glossy look is the layer of white glue I just painted to seal in the Das.

E22.jpgE23.jpg

Doesn't look too bad with the bridge on.


E19.jpg

One trivia I just read is the reformation of the SAS during the Malayan Emergency. They had been disbanded after WW2. To fight the CT's, a new way of jungle warfare with insertion and longer patrols in small groups had to be formed.The reformed detachment were called the Malayan Scouts at first until becoming the SAS again. Their old wild ways and dressing were changed for more serious training in jungle warfare and disciplined battledress and equipment. They would go in, study, recon, gather information, layout ambushes and were successful. They worked closely with the police force and special branch. Soon other Commonwealth troops joined and became their own special forces today.

Cheers,
Richard
 

JR

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Now this sealing up is getting interesting as resin as you know can find the smallest gap , neat idea of the imprints in the clay.

Richard I had a friend who I served with in the army who had been there in the SAS, went in as a medic . When every there was a major parade he was placed at the start of the line. this way the inspecting officers would see his black background to his wings and of course stop and talk to him. This was a ploy by the artillery to whom he had transferred to use time up. Worked every time.
 
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