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ATENÇÃO:
A publicação de qualquer imagem ou informação referentes ao nazismo, fascismo ou quaisquer outros regimes totalitários deve ser entendida como reprodução do rigor histórico e não como apologia a estes regimes, líderes ou símbolos.

Beaverette Mk I & Mk II - double building - case report

Gents !!!
      Let's see a quick and different building: Beaverettes Mk I and II. When I built my Beaverette Mk III, I really enjoyed the kit and the final result. So I ordered to IMACO two kits of Beaverette Mk I / II (to build versions Mk I and Mk II) and one kit Beaverette Mk III AA version, with Boulton-Paul Defiant turret.
      This post will cover the building of the two first versions of Beaveretes, the Mk I and II.
Beaverette Mk I
Beaverette Mk II
      Since we had seen before, the first Beaverettes (also called "Beaver bug" or "Mosquito car") were the most crude in design. The 12Hp chassis was fitted with a 14Hp engine , to propel the predicted weight of the machine, which was fitted with a steel plate body of, shall we say, angular proportions. The Mark I is said to have carried oak planks to the rear extension for the armour did not reach that far back.
Beaverette Mk II in maneuvers

Standard Beaverette Mk II of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards,
Royal Armoured Corps - 25 July 1940 
font: IWM H 2506
    Clearly Standard had a number of front wings also left over so these were the only consideration made to what might be called "styling".  The Mark II was steel plated to the rear extension as well, that being the only substantial difference.
Standard Beaverettes Mk II ready for action
      A Bren .303 machine gun was the usual fitting and some carried a wireless set. The anti-tank rifle .55 Boys also maybe carried.
Beaverette mk II - Notice the aerial  in the right rear corner
     The driver and gunner sat in an open cockpit, the driver having a horizontal slot to view the road and the gunner a vertical slot to fire out of.
Gunner and driver in position - "Beaver bug" Mk II
      Some shots show a third crew member, though he appears to have no seat and stands behind the driver with the appearance of waiting to be shot!
Third crew member - Mosquito cars in patrol...
font: http://www.standardmotorclub.org.uk/page786.html

Specs:


Standard Car 4x2 Beaverette  Mk I/ Mk II
TypeLight armoured car
Place of origin                            United Kingdom
Production history
ManufacturerStandard Motor Company
Specifications
WeightMk I / Mk II: 2 tonnes
LengthMk I / Mk II: 4.11 m
WidthMk I / Mk II: 1.60 m
HeightMk I / Mk II: 1.52 m 
Crew3

ArmourMk I / Mk II: 11 mm steel + 75mm wood
Main armament0.303 (7.7 mm) Bren MG or  
AT Rifle .55 in, Boys
EngineStandard 4-cylinder petrol engine -12 hp (9 kW)
Power/weight6 hp/tonne
Suspension4x2 wheel, leaf spring
Operational range
250 km
Speed30 km/h
The kits:
      As the Beaverette Mk III, I used two IMACO Beavarettes Mk I/ Mk II model kits in resin (IMA 01835). The kits comes packaged in an rigid plastic box, packed in styrofoam and bubbles-plastic. When I bought the two Mk I / II, also bought the Mk III AA with quadruple turret from Boulton-Paul Defiant two seater fighter.
The 03 Beaverettes sleeping in their cocoons...
       The resin and plastic parts:
Kits parts
      I've had good and bad news when I open the box of Beaverette Mk II AA: The good news is that IMACO made ​​a great up-grade in the Mk III kit , with interior details. This made ​​me very excited. But the bad news came next:  were missing the two rear petals of the MkIII's turret in my kit:
Where the rear petals???
The amazing turret
      Oh, Man...I was extremely frustrated because I was eager to start building this particular model (you guys know I love rare and strange things ...) This armored car with a quadruple turret just messed with my imagination ...I had even bought the four .303 Brownings in RBModels (the kit comes without the gun barrels). Immediately wrote an e-mail to IMACO and was promptly answered by Mr. Russel Wilson (the quickness of the response was overwhelming ...)  who sent me the missing piece. I am awaiting the arrival of the missing parts,  by now. To save time, I'll just build the two girls Mk I and Mk II. let's go !!!

The two early marks
The light gray will be Mk I and the dark gray , Mk II.
Mk I with dashboard and chassis
front view
Notice the differences: vertical grill in the Mk I and horizontal in the Mk II
       And more bad news: more missing pieces. I was really unlucky with these 03 kits. One week after writing to Russell (and he had already sent the missing part...), I found the lack of several small parts in both kits Mk I and II
Missing two superiors triangles in the front suspension and two front wheel hubs
        Bloody hell ...The solution is scratch the parts ...
Building the triangles...
...and the front hubs...two hours of heavy work...
       But not over yet ... Packers forgot two headlights ...Am I or am not a lucky guy??
Aziz.... Lights !!!!
      Thankfully I have a few pieces of Formations ...
Resin headlights from Formations...phew!!
      After these scares, we will continue to build. I noticed that the rear armor of Mk II comes wrong in the kit. It should be divided and not whole, as in the kit.
The Mk II rear view. The folding armour divided (1/3 - 2/3)...
The one piece rear folding armour...(IMACO pic)
      But it was easy to fix: was just cut and add some details in plastic (Plastruct):
The rear armour fixed...
       Adding details...
seats for the gunner and driver
The Mk I (light gray0 dont have the rear armour...Notice the pedals in scartch...
      In my research, I found (very few.. ) photos of Mk I : with plain sides and "wrinkles" on the side and in the armour front:
Mk I with plain armour...
Mk I with wrinckles...
      I decided to make my model with wrinkles, to differentiate more than the model Mk II
wrincles and hooks... Notice the details in the rear deck...
Beaverette Mk I - bird view..

Plates and headlights in Mk I
Mk II almost done. Notice the clamps in the hood (PE scraps..)





Almost done...
 More advances:
Guns (Italeri)
First layers of colors - Greens...


Cammo with black


       I used generic markings for my girls...Decals from my spare box and laserjet. Notice the glossy aspect (Future) to prevent silvering. I use airbrush to apply the Future ...
Beaverette mk II B-31 



Beaverette Mk I number 28



The two girls waiting the Future dry...
I apply a thin layer of Future with airbrush before the decal and then apply
another layer after the decals to seal the markings..
      While the Future dry, we will use details in resin from Value Gear. Excellent stuff...
Value Gear stuff...

In position....

And the Girls was ready:  First, the Beaverette Mk I
Beaverette Mk I n° 28 - Home Guard - England, 1940
Beaverette Mk I - left view
Beaverette Mk I armed with .303 Bren MG
Notice the  .303 Lee Enfield in the side of the vehicle

Beaverette Mk I - right view


Beaverette Mk I - Kojak testing the vehicle...
      Before showing the final pictures of Mk II, I will show you guys a different detail I found in a real photo:
      Two British helmets attached on the hood of the vehicle. I liked the detail...
Notice the two british helmets in the front hood of Beaverette Mk II
      So, I decided to put the helmets in my Beaverette Mk II, too.
Beaverette Mk II - B-31 - Home Guard - England, 1940
Beaverette Mk II - side view
Vehicle armed with .55 AT Rifle Boys
Beaverette Mk II - Notice the .303 Lee Enfield in the rear corner of the hull

Beaverette Mk II - right view

Beaverette Mk II  - front view

Beaverette Mk II - Kojak approves, too !!!
      The two Beaverettes, side by side:
       And with the bigger sister Beaverette Mk III, for size comparison:
The lineage of Beaverettes...until now...

It's a good stuff, by Jove !!!!
Beaverettes Mk I, Mk II and Mk III


Thanks for following, Tankers.