WDAC 1 Austin Motor Company Armoured Car (Third Series) (British Army Version with parts for later Indian Pattern vehicles) History Herbert Austin founded the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge, near Birmingham in 1905. The Company soon prospered and, during the First World War, underwent a massive expansion producing shells, guns, vehicles and aircraft. In 1914 the Company was approached by the Imperial Russian Army to design a new armoured car. This was the Austin First Series, followed by the Second Series in 1915 and the Third in 1917. The Third Series were built on the ‘Colonial’ Chassis with a top speed of 35 mph. Due to the Russian Revolution in late 1917, these Third Series vehicles were not delivered and were instead transferred to the 17th (Armoured Car) Battalion. The twin turrets were originally designed for the Maxim machine gun but were fitted with the Hotchkiss as favoured by the Tank Corp. Sixteen Austin Third Series armoured cars were employed in two Companies, each of which was further subdivided into four sections with two cars per section. At the Battle of Amiens they proved invaluable. Roaming far behind enemy lines they created havoc. Their impact was out of all proportion to the number of cars involved. The Austin armoured cars also saw service in other parts of the British Empire and in Ireland during the Troubles. Parts are included in this kit to make the Indian Pattern version. After the War, the Austin armoured car was used widely - by both sides in the Russian Revolution - as well as Japan, Poland and Finland. As there are subtle differences in these vehicles, we will be bringing out a separate kit for these versions at a later date. We understand the Finnish version was identical to the Indian Pattern so can be built from this kit. W^D Models are grateful to Geoff Lacey for the use of his scale drawings, staff at the Tank Museum, Bovington for their advice and photographs. A special thanks to Ian Turner for the masters, Michel Boer for the transfers and, as ever, David Gander, for his help, support, advice and instructions. Before you begin! This kit is produced using two materials – cast whitemetal and cast resin. Both are potentially harmful if not handled or used as intended. Do not feel tempted to place any parts in your mouth! Please wash your hands after a building session. The dust caused whilst filing or sanding must not be breathed in and we recommend the use of a small face mask when sanding resin. The detail parts are cast in a high quality whitemetal to provide as much detail as possible. Casting marks and ‘flash’ should be minimal but can be removed carefully with a knife blade, fine file or fine grained sanding paper. Some of the smaller parts – including the lamps, foot pedals and front brush holder are cast on to a sprue which also needs removing. Hold the sprue carefully using a pair of fine nosed pliers and carefully cut the parts away. The resin parts should feature minimal casting marks but again these can be removed with a fine file, knife blade or fine sanding paper. Take extra care as the resin is softer than the whitemetal and material will be removed quicker. The resin should be carefully washed and dried to remove any mould release. Warm water is best for this. Don’t use washing-up liquid – it often contains a de-greasant which may prevent glue from sticking to the resin. We recommend that the parts are glued together using either‘super glue’ – ACC - or a quick setting epoxy resin such as ‘Araldite’. Don’t be tempted to use the ‘instant’ versions of these products. A little time to adjust the fit is always wise! Always follow the adhesive manufacturers’ instructions and take care not to stick yourself to the kit! -1- Construction When building this kit, please take note of the various model and prototype photographs. These have been provided to assist you in identifying and locating the parts. A full list of parts can be found on page 3. 1) Take the chassis (1) and ensure it is level. Drill out the holes in the rear springs to take the axles. Carefully sand the underside of the main body moulding (2) to ensure it is flat and level. Glue the chassis to the underside of the body. 2) Fit the various white metal details as follows: Driver’s flap lower (3), Driver’s flap upper (4), the rear driver’s flap (5), the two stowage boxes (6), the driver’s door (7) and driver’s door flap (8). 3) For the British Army version: take an axle / hub cap (9) and thread two rear wheels (10) onto it, tight up to the hubcap. Once glued, add the inner hub (11) and glue tight up to the rear of the wheels. Trim the axle to fit and glue the rear axle assembly in to the hole in the rear spring. Repeat and fix the other side. 4) Take an axle / hub cap (9) and thread on a front wheel (12). Cut the axle flush with the wheel rear. Following the photograph on page 3, glue a wheel to the end of the front axle (13). Once fixed, repeat with the other wheel. Once both are fixed, glue the front axle between the front springs. Add the steering linkage (14) to the top of the front axle. 5) For the Indian Pattern version: cut the hub cap off the axle / hub cap (9). Take the rear wheel (21) and insert the axle into the hole in the wheel rear. When set, trim to fit and fix into the hole in the spring. 6) Take an axle / hub cap (9) and thread on a front wheel (22). Cut the axle flush with the wheel rear. Following the photograph on page 3, glue a wheel to the end of the front axle (13). Once fixed, repeat with the other wheel. Once both are fixed, glue the front axle between the front springs. Add the steering linkage (14) to the top of the front axle. 7) For both versions: add the Petrol / Oil / Water carrier (15) to the chassis side to the left of the driver’s door. Add the foot step (16) below the driver’s door. Add the unditching beams (17) on the non door side. 8) For the British Army version: take each turret (18) and sand the underside to ensure that they are level. Fit the Hotchkiss guns (19). Each pair of small shields (20) fit either side of the gun mounting. 9) For the Indian Pattern or Finnish version: take each turret (18) and sand the underside to ensure that they are level. Fit the Vickers guns (23). Each pair of large shields (24) fit either side of the gun mounting. Each is supported by a gun shield brace (25) as shown in the photograph on page 3. Painting After carefully ensuring that all model surfaces are clean from grease and dust, prime the model with the primer of your choice. We have been unable to get detailed information on the paint colours used. One published photograph, taken at the time of the Battle of Amiens, is thought to show that they were painted sky blue above the bonnet level and khaki below in the hope that they would not show up against the horizon. If anyone has more definitive information then please do get in touch. For the Indian Pattern version, the photographs suggest an overall light colour - but there instances of some very vivid camouflage schemes! Transfers The transfer designs are taken from various examples shown in the photographs on page 4. Please refer to these when finishing your selected version. The transfers supplied are fine waterslide transfers. The carrier film has been kept to a minimum but try to trim each transfer as close as possible to the lettering. Transfers are best applied to a gloss painted surface in order for them to sit over detail. Once dried, seal the transfers with an acrylic clear varnish (Tamiya, Lifecolor or Vallejo) and not an enamel (Humbrol or Revell) finish as these may damage the decals. The same goes for products like Microscale Set / Sol decal softeners which may also harm the finish of the transfers. Please be warned - replacement transfer sheets may not be available so take care! References and source material: War Cars. British Armoured Cars in the First World War by David Fletcher. (HMSO 1987 – out of Print) Landships – dedicated to modelling WWI hardware – www.landships.freeservers.com Warwheels.net – excellent links to Austin armoured car sites - www.warwheels.net -2- Parts List 1. Chassis 2. Body 3. Driver’s flap lower 4. Driver’s flap upper 5. Rear driver’s flap 6. Stowage boxes x 2 7. Driver’s door 8. Driver’s door flap 9. Axle / hub cap x 4 10. Rear wheels x 4 11. Rear wheel inside hubs x 2 12. Front wheels x 2 13. Front axle 14. Steering linkage 15. Petrol / Oil / Water carrier 16. Foot step 17. Unditching beams x 2 18. Turrets x 2 19. Hotchkiss machine gun x 2 20. Small shields x 4 The front wheel is fixed to the end of the front axle. Ensure it is central within the wheel – there is no location peg. Parts for Indian Pattern and Finnish Versions 21. Single NAP rear tyres x 2 22. Double NAP front tyres x 2 23. Vickers machine guns x 2 24. Large shields x 4 25. Gun shield brace x 4 The Indian Pattern turret showing the fitting of the larger shields and shield braces – repeat on the other side. -3- A British Army version, Third section, Second vehicle. Note the ‘Thumbs up’ livery above driver’s flap and the starting handle in place. Another picture of the same vehicle – turrets this time pointing to the rear. Note placement of Section identification and position of P.O.W rack, footstep and rear stowage box. A British Army version on the move. Second vehicle, second section. Note the light stripes on bonnet as above, the chain hanging from the chassis front, front mudguard supports and turret access flap handles. A British Army version unidentified. A headlamp has been fitted on the bonnet front and a pair of eyes painted on the turrets. Here is the full crew of four – driver, second man and two gunners. An Indian Pattern vehicle unidentified except for the name ‘DEER’ on the bonnet side. Note the larger gun shields and braces, solid NAP wheels and a slightly different pattern of unditching board. Another Indian Pattern vehicle – one turret facing in each direction. Transfers for this version are supplied – note the registration number on the bottom rear (with a similar front location) and the numbers on the turret. -4-