Malayan Emergency 1/35 scale.

[rtfoe]

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.

If it was a Gurkha regiment the inspecting officer would spend a long time on the parade with the amount of metal on their chests.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

John, just to show the reservoirs where the resin can seep into... the back portion.



I'll be covering this up with box board on the two sides and left higher to cover the tall foliage that I will be adding.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[JR]

Richard, thank you for that, will be watching the pour with excitement. I've never used resin, but fancy a go. The only thing that gives concern apart from sealing up is the method of removing an air bubbles, though In my case you would think I'd be looking fwd to it !

 

[Jakko]

(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!

I just discovered something I didn’t know: the first actual use of these “jungle carbines” was in the deep tropical forests of … Norway

Shooting comparison with a No. 4 from about 14:30 minutes. He seems to claim the recoil was nowhere near as bad as it’s usually made out to be.

 

[Jakko]

View attachment 428400

They're all with the early Mk4 Stens and not the Sterling.

Only the man on the right, jumping from the vehicle, has a Sten Mk. V, the early version like you say, without the forward vertical grip. The man behind the driver holds a Mk. II pointing up into the air.

I wonder when they were first issued in Malaya?

Apparently, a batch of 75 trials guns with shotgun-style sights arrived in 1953. The gun was adopted for British Army service the following year, though with normal sights, but I couldn’t find when it was on general issue in Malaya.

 

[rtfoe]

Jakko, he did mention a slight increase of recoil. Also there was a need for the extra cushioning at the butt. Seeing the video it does show a slightly heavy recoil especially the last with the lesser built boy which was the common soldiers physic in the tropics obviously worn down by the humidity. Even my Dad and uncles have mentioned the kick but I think it was more because it was expected to have less of a recoil then the number 4. Perhaps the difference is that some of the number 4's were rifled to take .22 amunition which was much lighter.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Airborne01]

I just discovered something I didn’t know: the first actual use of these “jungle carbines” was in the deep tropical forests of … Norway

Shooting comparison with a No. 4 from about 14:30 minutes. He seems to claim the recoil was nowhere near as bad as it’s usually made out to be.

I have fired these; the recoil is much harsher than, say the standard SMLE or SLR, especially if the grip isn't firm enough! However that's equally true of any weapon firing a full-power cartridge in what is effectively a carbine! Never knew about the trials in Norway though - makes sense as one of the places we trialled the SA80 (Pah!) was in Norway.

 

[rtfoe]

Richard, thank you for that, will be watching the pour with excitement. I've never used resin, but fancy a go. The only thing that gives concern apart from sealing up is the method of removing an air bubbles, though In my case you would think I'd be looking fwd to it !

John, you might need to be a little patient as I would need to do the groundwork and that takes time. In the mean time you'd like the flame throwers I'll be using for the bubbles...



Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Only the man on the right, jumping from the vehicle, has a Sten Mk. V, the early version like you say, without the forward vertical grip. The man behind the driver holds a Mk. II pointing up into the air.


Apparently, a batch of 75 trials guns with shotgun-style sights arrived in 1953. The gun was adopted for British Army service the following year, though with normal sights, but I couldn’t find when it was on general issue in Malaya.

Thanks for that Jakko, which means I can use the Sterling as it was still within the first Emergency period.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Hi,
I prepared some plugs using the same balsa and cellophane tape for the bridge legs. This is to stop the resin filling up the holes as I still intend to work on the bridge separately before installing it onto the dio. Besides I need to work the resin under the bridge as well...



And for you John, I have stuck the boxboard to the back and sealed areas where the resin will be poured with ply glue and later PVA but as luck would have it I have run out of that and have to wait for the EMCO to lift before I can get some from the local stationery shop. I added a compressed foam board to stiffen the backing where the jungle canopy foliage will be attached. This thought is knew and had to be planned ahead. I may have tree trunks and branches protruding from it.



I'll let this set until I get the PVA to continue.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[RonGlass]

John, you might need to be a little patient as I would need to do the groundwork and that takes time. In the mean time you'd like the flame throwers I'll be using for the bubbles...

View attachment 428977

Cheers,
Richard

Richard please keep John distracted at your workbench with those new toys, so he'll leave mine alone for a while. It's dangerous enough with me as it is.

 

[rtfoe]

Richard please keep John distracted at your workbench with those new toys, so he'll leave mine alone for a while. It's dangerous enough with me as it is.

Ron,
The torch lighter is fun but hard to see the flames unless under half light. Works like a panzerfaust hollow charge in reverse on a 1mm plasticard.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[JR]

Hi,
I prepared some plugs using the same balsa and cellophane tape for the bridge legs. This is to stop the resin filling up the holes as I still intend to work on the bridge separately before installing it onto the dio. Besides I need to work the resin under the bridge as well...

View attachment 429004

And for you John, I have stuck the boxboard to the back and sealed areas where the resin will be poured with ply glue and later PVA but as luck would have it I have run out of that and have to wait for the EMCO to lift before I can get some from the local stationery shop. I added a compressed foam board to stiffen the backing where the jungle canopy foliage will be attached. This thought is knew and had to be planned ahead. I may have tree trunks and branches protruding from it.

View attachment 429005

I'll let this set until I get the PVA to continue.

Cheers,
Richard

Nice to such thought going into this Richard. Will the heat generated by the resin effect the polystyrene in away way ?

 

[Steve Jones]

Totally missed this one Richard.Will tag along if I may. Great work on the bridge and stream. Looking forward to seeing some more

 

[Tim Marlow]

Missed this as well. Just had a long catch up. Love the attention to detail you get into your builds. Looking forward to the pour, but am I right to assume there will be ground painting first?

 

[RonGlass]

Ron,
The torch lighter is fun but hard to see the flames unless under half light. Works like a panzerfaust hollow charge in reverse on a 1mm plasticard.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[adt70hk]

Richard,

Got behind on this. Just had a very interesting read up on it.

Can honestly say it's a topic I know nothing about - I'll take it as read that having once read the Virgin Soldiers does not count....

Keep up the most excellent work.

ATB.

Andrew

 

[rtfoe]

Hi, apologies for replying late...

Nice to such thought going into this Richard. Will the heat generated by the resin effect the polystyrene in away way ?

John, I'd be coating the poly with groundwork and layers of acrylic paint and PVA. Poly normally reacts to fire or petroleum solvents and at very high temperatures I think.

Totally missed this one Richard.Will tag along if I may. Great work on the bridge and stream. Looking forward to seeing some more

Steve, good to have you along.

Missed this as well. Just had a long catch up. Love the attention to detail you get into your builds. Looking forward to the pour, but am I right to assume there will be ground painting first?

Tim, the boat left the pier a bit earlier than scheduled. Yes you're right about the ground painting.

Ron, I'm guessing you're speechless?

Richard,

Got behind on this. Just had a very interesting read up on it.

Can honestly say it's a topic I know nothing about - I'll take it as read that having once read the Virgin Soldiers does not count....

Keep up the most excellent work.

ATB.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew, I haven't read the book but will source the movie as it was shot in Malaysia so might recognise some scenes.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Hi guys,
This next step in most cases is where a dio looks like a disaster but is a very important point where the image in your mind makes you persevere. It's also where your experiment and composition kicks in.
I mixed a concoction of house paint, Vallejo, Tamiya, Fine sand, Grout and Polyfilla...then coated and sealed the stream and surrounding landscape with it. Fine sand was sprinkled on the road...I will saturate it with Future and when it starts getting gooey I'll roll it flat. Hopefully it will look like tarred road.



The landscape still needs another layer of the sludge when I was called to pick my daughter up. If I hadn't been summoned I would have cleaned off the deposits on the tops of the rocks while still wet. I will now need elbow grease to scrub it off. Some do look alright for overgrown moss where I could add tufts of flocking to make it more prominent.



The stationery shop is open today so I can get some white glue to secure some additional pebbles on the shoreline of the stream and bed. I have created a dam under the bridge to catch and retain the resin from overflowing to the lower level.



I think I'm keeping you guessing on how the jungle canopy is going to form. I can visualise it but it's going to be hard work as there is no background for the dark heavy vegetation to fall back on. Only spots where I have a backing to make a false deep wooded area. Basically creepers with lush leaves often cover a face of an entrance to the jungle and I hope I can achieve that.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[JR]

Loving the sealing up, very technical mix of paints Richard.