HMG is for Huge Mutha' of a Gun!

As flagged in the previous post, here's me'gun! Because I collect military railway stuff in HO/OO-compatible sizes, and because I knew they were out there, I just found myself a cheap one and got it, I didn't 'need' a blog post to tell me, although there had been plenty, mostly on the rail sites, but also here, prior to 2019!

Shot in the August heatwave of 2022, this is how the beast arrived, a large window box which puts the Duchess of Sutherland's box to shame, as a runt of a thing!

 

Gun depressed for travelling/loading

"I'm a useless gun, nobody likes me!"

(Wot? The oldies are the best!)

Full elevation, they would have fired from suitably angled lengths of track, with recoil partly taken-up by them running away for a few yards, and then being shunted back to their firing position, high spotters, maybe miles away, or even aircraft (?), would report on the fall of shots.

 

It's a strange mix of simplified model and fine detail.

I think this is a frame to cover with camouflage nets for the crew to operate under?

Non-working/non-firing, and both the footplates at the back-end were damaged by whoever shoved the model in its packaging, still, nothing a gentle bend didn't fix though, so all's good!

 

HMG Gladiator, which, if you followed the earlier link, you'll know was based at Martin Mill on the Dover/Deal line, and if I'd read it better I wouldn't have said they were never used in anger, as there was some limited use!

 

When you see the immense faff they went to with these guns, you realise how incredibly awesome battleships actually were, they had 6, 8, 12 or more of these and could fire them all at once, while a single one on a rail-carriage got land-lubbers so excited they gave them names!

The real disappointment with it, is the very obvious split-line down the centre of the barrel, and the lack of realistic breach-detail beyond the unlocking wheel, both of which give it a toy-like appearance, despite the finely detailed railings and cranes. And I think I'd rather have had the storage lockers (under the barrel) closed?

T is for Two - Show Reports - Oxford Die Cast Military Railways - 2019 and 2020!

When I posted the Timely Manner thing the other day, I was - of course - only throwing back at The Jabbering Fuck, that which he had thrown at me a few years ago, if only to highlight the hypocrisy of the turd. Obviously I don't really, and prior to his intervention, had never given cause for anyone to suppose I give a shit who posts what, when, or why, unless they are A) plagiarising me, B) competitively 'following' me or C) attacking me, then - of course - I take umbrage!

 

Although I notice he then stated "sorry for the slight delay in my report, but I had various other commitments that demanded my attention", what, like when I was saying goodbye to my ailing father, or a month or so later, burying him? Or more important than that, because he thought it was fine to attack me for not publishing 'in a timely manner' on that occasion, so whatever he was committed-to recently must have been really, really important for that excuse to be anything more than the pathetic whine of a self-justifying hypocrite!

 

No matter, I have the measure of the man, and to prove how little I give a shit about Timely Manners, here's two, part show-reports, from the London Toy fair from 2019, and 2020! Specifically the military train stuff, which I think we had already glanced at, and therefore flagged-up previously.

2019

The rail-gun which had previously been seen in a neutral greyish-green, was on display with a camouflage scheme and mock-up box, although we were told it might not get to the shops like that. In front was a military 0-6-0 saddle-tank locomotive in the colours of the Railway Operating Division (of the WWI-era Royal Engineers).

 

While the well-wagon with Sherman was back again, along with a weathered flat-wagon, suiable for stores or smaller/soft-skin vehicles. Both had only previously been seen as catalogue images.

 

2020

 

The final production version of the rail-gun, which - for a while - had looked like it might never happen was revealed, and while the same moulding as the WWI 'big push'14" howitzers, previously announced, was now going to be sold as a WWII-era, home-defence 13.5" gun, of which three were produced, and never [were] actually fired in anger!

The unweathered flat-wagon put in an appearance and I got to shoot the Sherman from different angles! And that was them, then, nothing time-sensitive about it, if you want the stuff, you go and buy it, if a Blogger doesn't cover it (and they can never, none of them, cover everything) you go to the company's website, I did, and we'll look at mine, shot in 2022, next!

 

It was pompous arseholery for TJF to bang-on about timely manners like a self-righteous, god-appointed guardian of the hobbies, in the way he did, when he did, and nobody cares (except apparently him) who posts what, when or why. Although other points have come to the light, so I shall be returning to his recent sojourn in the leafier suburbs of the post-industrial Ruhr, soon, but at a time of my choosing, which may or may not be timely!

F is for Follow-up - Model Power Train Sets

Another contribution from Brian, and another follow-up on a recent post here at Small Scale World, in this case the lose Model Power train set I purchased at a recent Sandown Park toy fair, and which has already had one follow-up!

Original article:

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2022/06/t-is-for-triffic-train-set-for-troops.html

First follow-up:

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2022/06/f-is-for-follow-up-khaki-runnings.html

The box is a bit shot Brian explains, but he managed to coble-up a couple of 'shop-stock' images which I've collaged into one. This is the other set I mentioned at the time, with the more modern looking diesel locomotive -  a Dial Drive GP9, a common design still in use but slowly being phased-out/coming to the end of their useful lives, despite many upgrades.

The contents, a larger version of the set (same product code - 1068) seems to come with buildings and stores/accessories. The other major difference with my lose set is that instead of a rocket-launching wagon, the rocket is on a six-legged (six-armed?) field-mounting . . . sextipod?

Brain also scanned the insert sheets, so here it is for people's archives;

If anyone has a spare launcher kicking around, with or without the rocket, I'd be interested. With many thanks to Brian again; another nice addition to the whole picture.

T is for Triffic' Train Set for the Troops!

Here's a book which needs to be written . . . a look at all the military train sets and the relationships between them? As we'll see, this set bears a lot in common with the old Tri-Ang/Hornby 'Battle Space' sets for instance, and while the modern Model Power branded, seems to be from older AHM tooling, so could be Japanese in origin as AHM worked with a lot of Japanese firms, or Rivarossi from Italy?

Anyway, I haven't got time to do it but I hope someone does, with the O-guage stuff as well as the HO/OO . . . but I might make a start in a while, after getting today's post's star!

I bought this HO rated set at Sandown Park for 30-quid which I thought was a bargain, and although I knew it was a modern (still in production?) set, I was right as Googling has revealed prices from $40-loose or incomplete to $250+ for sets, so £30 for a loose train, with no evilBay global rip-off charges, seems - indeed - to be a bargain.

The locomotive is what I - as a non American - consider to be a typical, even 'iconic' mid-late 20th century diesel unit and the caboose (brake van) is equally typical/iconic of its type, here marked-up as a troop carrier. We'll look at the other two in closer detail.

An Honest John lookie-likee, which rests on a launcher that bears a resemblance to the Tri-Ang one; but all in plastic and with a simpler push-&-click loading action. The real link is the winding wheel, which mirrors the Battle Space (and earlier non-Battle Space) Tri-Ang one.

A nice rendition of an M47 which apparently never saw combat service in US hands, but gave true birth to the M48/60 family, and here on a flat-car. The chocks are a clip-in single moulding, so could be put on civil-coloured (oxide-red) rolling stock, but it would probably have to be the same AHM/Model Power stuff?

In these though we get both closer to the older British models with an exploding box-car and further away with the huge rail-gun, while the one in the middle is a Q-car, hiding a nasty, if rather anachronistic surprise!

I think the mechanism is similar to the UK one, but mine are in storage, so I can't check them, but I'll try and dig them out over the weekend, if memory serves this is harder to get and keep together, but then it doesn't work when you trip the switch! Only falling apart when you pick it up to reset it . . . doh! And obviously because I only got the rolling stock, I don't have the track-side trigger, but the Tri-Ang trigger may work, or be made to work?

The 'Q-Car' has two Flak 18/36 German 88mm guns hidden it it! The Tri-Ang version had a twin rocket launcher, but employed the exploding car mechanism/body, while the Model Power one has simple (and preferable) click-shut, manually-operated, drop-down side panels.

While this beast has no comparison in the Battle Space range! It would benefit from a bit of detailing (stowed stores, hand-rails/guard rails, a breech of some sort, I've stuck a shell on the loading chute which was kicking around (Airfix or Lone Star SLR bullet?) in one shot. It could also use some more obvious support wagons than a cabose!

These are fun things and when I'm settled I'll try to track down some of the other obvious ones (Tyco, Bachmann, even Jakks Pacific) and we'll compare and contrast, one of them does a loaded Honest John on a articulated lorry trailer, there's a pricy three-coach Ambulance train from another and some more realistic ones from Lima, but they are top dollar!

T is for Toy Fair '18 Reports - Oxford Diecast - Military Trains

Under their Oxford Rail sub-brand, Oxford Diecast had some interesting things on show and/or in their Catalogue, so they will get two Show Reports! This is the 'rail-report' and it's the Military stuff I'm concentrating on here.

A Class 2533 locomotive (0-6-0 Saddle Tank Loco - I think!) in World War One War Department scheme, this is the better-looking equivalent of the old Tri-Ang/Hornby 'Battle Space' loco we looked at ages ago and is a prerequisite for hauling your 'trooper', or getting your Flanders-bound defence-stores or supplies down to the South Coast!

Or

A Class 2533 locomotive (0-6-0 Saddle Tank Loco - I think!) in World War Two War Department scheme, this is the better-looking equivalent of the old Tri-Ang/Hornby 'Battle Space' loco we looked at ages ago and is a prerequisite for hauling your 'trooper', or getting your D-Day build-up supplies down to the South Coast!

It's not clear and - to be honest - the wars were close enough together for it to not matter much?

It has a choice of W↑D and civilian Warwell Wagons to tow.Which shows how out of touch with model railways I am, I used to call them 'Well Wagons'? Anyway, two of the military ones (with and without a mid-war, cast-turret, welded-hull, Sherman tank - short 76mm barrel), come with different rolling-stock numbers which is a nice touch.

A third military one has a steam engine road-roller with another set of wagon-markings and there's a three-pack of separately numbered W↑D Warwell's to boot! So a troop of three tanks on un-matching flats (wells?) is attainable for the modeller, or a full train with six wagons. Detail is far better than the old Triang ones I've been collecting over the years.

And then there are theses two behemoths to be towed-about the place!

I didn't ask the kind lady about the difference between the two examples (one having a six-sided barrel, the other - apparently - 12-facets), but I think the difference in barrels may be down to which type of 3D-printer you happen to have, as they were planned for the ready-to-run range, both the likely price pushed them to a download option mid-project - still ongoing!

A close-up reveals the tell-tale lines of 3D-Printing; but they can be mostly hidden with 'crack-filler' auto-primer, or careful applications of modelling-filler with scraps of plasticard, and then a decent paint-job.

I'm guessing the railings and ducted wiring-loom have to be 'provided by the modeller'? But most of the other small pieces should be part of the print?

The now dated catalogue entry, for more information on this Rail Gun thereis a site with few details. but it's supposed to be becoming a download , whether the train packs will still go ahead without the gun or not I don't know, but from the blurb, I'm guessing one would set the gun's scene in WWI the other; bring it forward to the WWII era?

Calibre seems to be pretty unique for an artillery-piece, being '24 Tommies'!