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A Bren for all Seasons

a photo feature by Stephen Armstrong of a Tamiya, Inc. kit
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I decided to have some fun with a couple of Bren gun carriers that had been on my shelf for a while. Having looked through some ref books I noticed some pictures of captured Bren gun carriers that had been pressed into German service, so with those in mind I delved into the spares box to see what I could find.

Both kits are Tamiya and built straight from the box , items being omitted or added where necessary during the build. One vehicle is set in France the other somewhere in Russia, the French version has a 3.7cm mounted on it with the added ammo boxes etc. The Russian version was kitted out with the Infantry man’s weapons for stalking and destroying tanks, Panzer Faust, mines, and Panzerschreck anti-tank weapons, the Bren guns being converted slightly to allow them to be stored on the vehicle, along with spare shells and Panzerfausts.

Once the Bren gun carriers where complete I made up a two sided base from an old picture frame, as the Bren gun carriers are quite small I figured both would fit nicely. One side France summer the other Russia winter.

As I said this was just a bit of fun and shows what can be done with a wee bit of thought enjoy.
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About the Author

About Stephen Armstrong (steve1)
FROM: NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building models for 40 years my first being an Airfix Spitfire, having tried planes,ships and certain figures I found my niche with German and Russian AFVs. I think the attraction is due to the large variety of vehicles and colours, now modeling is my passion and I am still learning As...


Comments

Karl187
This is a cracking idea Stephen- beautifully shows off the two carriers in vastly different states but is still nice and compact- fantastic stuff!
JUL 27, 2015 - 03:16 PM
steve1
Karl thanks buddy, yea your right. Pz 2,3s etc could be used or any vehicle really just a just the size of the base, it's a good space saver as I said. Instead of bushes maybe a wall or small building etc.
JUL 27, 2015 - 04:07 PM
jrutman
Cool! Great concept and nicely accomplished! I really like the weathering,specially the mud spatters. J
JUL 27, 2015 - 06:25 PM
bill_c
One suggestion would be to have the vehicles ride a bit lower due to the weight. Bren carriers were not designed for very heavy loads, so the suspension sagged when overloaded (like with an AT gun). But otherwise a bold concept for display.
JUL 27, 2015 - 07:07 PM
steve1
Jerry thanks for the comments buddy.
JUL 27, 2015 - 07:24 PM
steve1
Bill, good point about the weight aspect and noted lol, will remember that for my next Bren when I do one. Thanks for the comments appreciate.
JUL 27, 2015 - 07:26 PM
AlanL
Nice work Stephen, Good way to use a couple of old kits. Don't see many in German guise but they did capture a lot and put them to good use. The down side of the Tamiya kit are the drive wheels and tracks, but if your doing any more Resicast make replacement tracks that come with a decnet drive wheel, they also do a weighted down suspension. I had similar thoughts for 3 x M4A1 Sherman Mk IIs but the project never got past the idea stage, at least not yet. Always good to see another carrier. Cheers Al
JUL 27, 2015 - 09:39 PM
steve1
Alan thanks for that , will keep it in mind. Prob will do a few more, the Tamiya ones are quite cheap as you know so maybe splash out next time on the extras. Overall they are a nice kit, I am suprised no one has mentioned the fact that the ones captured in France where mk1s and these are mk2s but I guess it's early days yet lol.
JUL 27, 2015 - 10:31 PM
bilbobee
Hello Steve, what a great concept for your diorama. I like the seasons you showed. The bren carrier what a choice, perfect!! Thanks for sharing
JUL 28, 2015 - 03:07 AM
steve1
Hi Philip, thanks buddy glad you like, appreciate your comments . It's a nice build and if you have not built a Bren carrier put it on the to do list, all the best Steve.
JUL 28, 2015 - 04:40 AM
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Copyright ©2021 by Stephen Armstrong . Images and/or videos also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the views and opinions of the authors and/or contributors to this Web site and do not necessarily represent the views and/or opinions of Armorama, KitMaker Network, or Silver Star Enterrpises. All rights reserved. Originally published on: 2015-07-28 01:05:11. Unique Reads: 8072