In Box Review of IBG 1/35th Scale Marmon-Herrington Mk II Mobile Field Force Type
Kit no. 35023
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2013
Available at Squadron for $37.79 or at Kit Linx for $41.99 and at 5 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2013
Available at Squadron for $37.79 or at Kit Linx for $41.99 and at 5 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the Second World War. RAF Armoured Car companies possessed them, but seem never to have used them in action, making greater use of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and other types.
In 1938 the South African authorities began funding development of a new armoured car for the Union Defence Force. The outbreak of the Second World War led to a vehicle based on a Ford 3-ton truck chassis.
As South Africa then lacked a developed automotive industry, many components of the vehicle had to be imported.
Chassis components were purchased from Ford Canada and fitted with a four-wheel drivetrain produced by the American company Marmon-Herrington (hence the designation), UK-made armament (with the exception of the U.S.-made Browning machine gun) and armour plates produced by the South African Iron & Steel Industrial Corporation, ISCOR. Final assembly was done by the local branch of the Dorman Long company among others.
The first version, the "South African Reconnaissance Vehicle" Mk I, entered service in 1940. It was a long wheelbase four wheeled chassis with drive to only one axle. It was armed with two Vickers machine guns: one in a cylindrical turret and the other in the left hand side of the hull.
There were two large access doors in the rear. It saw a brief action against the Italian forces in the Western Desert and thereafter relegated to training use.The Mk II had a shorter wheelbase than the Mark I and four wheel drive by using a kit from Marmon-Herrington that offered a front-driven axle.
It was known in British service as Armoured Car, Marmon-Herrington Mk II.
The Mark I continued in production (until the end of 1940) while supply of parts from the United States was resolved. Mark II, "Middle East Model" denoted the vehicles serving with British forces in the North African campaign. This variant was fitted with a Boys anti-tank rifle and a single coaxial Bren light machine gun. A second model intended for sub-Saharan deployments was armed with twin Vickers machine guns.
Marmon-Herringtons saw extensive combat in North Africa, being the only armoured car available to Commonwealth divisions in sufficient numbers, and had a reputation as a dependable, if somewhat light and undergunned, vehicle. As an unusual quantity of German, Vichy French, or Italian weaponry was captured during desert engagements, Allied troops began modifying their Mk IIs with Breda Model 35, Breda Meccanica Bresciana, 3.7 cm Pak 36 and the 2.8 cm sPzB 41 anti-tank guns.
As the turret made no provision for larger armament, it was simply removed and crew members dependent on gun shields for protection. Besides those cars utilised for reconnaissance, others were adopted for use as mobile command posts, military ambulances, recovery vehicles, and Royal Air Force liaison.
The Mark III was created with thicker armour plate on a compact body, which included a shorter wheelbase. More than 2,000 Mark IIIs were exported before production ceased in mid-1942. Some were dispatched to the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and arrived during the East Indies Campaign. Local crews adopted the earlier South African configuration of twin Vickers machine guns; in Dutch service these were designated Zuid-Afrikaanse pantserautos and continued to serve as late as the Indonesian National Revolution. A number were captured by invading Japanese forces in March 1942.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Armoured car
Place of origin: Union of South Africa
Wars: Second World War, Indonesian National Revolution, Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Rhodesian Bush War, 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Produced: 1940-1944
No. built: 5,746
Mass: 6.4 tonnes
Length: 15 ft (5.51 m)
Width: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Height: 7 ft (2.29 m)
Crew: 3-4
Armour: up to 20 mm
Main armament: QF 2 pounder gun.
Secondary armament: 1 or 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun.
Engine: Ford V-8 petrol of 95 horsepower (71 kW)
Power/weight: 14.2 hp/tonne
Suspension: wheeled; 4 x 4 drive
Operational range: 200 miles (322 km)
Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
The Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the Second World War. RAF Armoured Car companies possessed them, but seem never to have used them in action, making greater use of Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and other types.
In 1938 the South African authorities began funding development of a new armoured car for the Union Defence Force. The outbreak of the Second World War led to a vehicle based on a Ford 3-ton truck chassis.
As South Africa then lacked a developed automotive industry, many components of the vehicle had to be imported.
Chassis components were purchased from Ford Canada and fitted with a four-wheel drivetrain produced by the American company Marmon-Herrington (hence the designation), UK-made armament (with the exception of the U.S.-made Browning machine gun) and armour plates produced by the South African Iron & Steel Industrial Corporation, ISCOR. Final assembly was done by the local branch of the Dorman Long company among others.
The first version, the "South African Reconnaissance Vehicle" Mk I, entered service in 1940. It was a long wheelbase four wheeled chassis with drive to only one axle. It was armed with two Vickers machine guns: one in a cylindrical turret and the other in the left hand side of the hull.
There were two large access doors in the rear. It saw a brief action against the Italian forces in the Western Desert and thereafter relegated to training use.The Mk II had a shorter wheelbase than the Mark I and four wheel drive by using a kit from Marmon-Herrington that offered a front-driven axle.
It was known in British service as Armoured Car, Marmon-Herrington Mk II.
The Mark I continued in production (until the end of 1940) while supply of parts from the United States was resolved. Mark II, "Middle East Model" denoted the vehicles serving with British forces in the North African campaign. This variant was fitted with a Boys anti-tank rifle and a single coaxial Bren light machine gun. A second model intended for sub-Saharan deployments was armed with twin Vickers machine guns.
Marmon-Herringtons saw extensive combat in North Africa, being the only armoured car available to Commonwealth divisions in sufficient numbers, and had a reputation as a dependable, if somewhat light and undergunned, vehicle. As an unusual quantity of German, Vichy French, or Italian weaponry was captured during desert engagements, Allied troops began modifying their Mk IIs with Breda Model 35, Breda Meccanica Bresciana, 3.7 cm Pak 36 and the 2.8 cm sPzB 41 anti-tank guns.
As the turret made no provision for larger armament, it was simply removed and crew members dependent on gun shields for protection. Besides those cars utilised for reconnaissance, others were adopted for use as mobile command posts, military ambulances, recovery vehicles, and Royal Air Force liaison.
The Mark III was created with thicker armour plate on a compact body, which included a shorter wheelbase. More than 2,000 Mark IIIs were exported before production ceased in mid-1942. Some were dispatched to the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and arrived during the East Indies Campaign. Local crews adopted the earlier South African configuration of twin Vickers machine guns; in Dutch service these were designated Zuid-Afrikaanse pantserautos and continued to serve as late as the Indonesian National Revolution. A number were captured by invading Japanese forces in March 1942.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Armoured car
Place of origin: Union of South Africa
Wars: Second World War, Indonesian National Revolution, Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Rhodesian Bush War, 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Produced: 1940-1944
No. built: 5,746
Mass: 6.4 tonnes
Length: 15 ft (5.51 m)
Width: 6 ft (1.83 m)
Height: 7 ft (2.29 m)
Crew: 3-4
Armour: up to 20 mm
Main armament: QF 2 pounder gun.
Secondary armament: 1 or 2 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun.
Engine: Ford V-8 petrol of 95 horsepower (71 kW)
Power/weight: 14.2 hp/tonne
Suspension: wheeled; 4 x 4 drive
Operational range: 200 miles (322 km)
Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h)
THE KIT:
IBG is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Warsaw, Poland. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped, tray and lid type box. The box is 3” too long.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Marmon-Herrington Mk II on a dirt road in a forest.
It is overall light-stone color, with no markings showing. It is firing the turret gun.
One side-panel of the box begins with IBG’s street address, telephone number, FAX number, E-mail and web addresses.
Followed by: Not suitable for children under 14 years because of small parts. Plastic adhesive and paints not included. Instructions for assembly inside the box.
IBG is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in Warsaw, Poland. They make all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy, shrink-wrapped, tray and lid type box. The box is 3” too long.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Marmon-Herrington Mk II on a dirt road in a forest.
It is overall light-stone color, with no markings showing. It is firing the turret gun.
One side-panel of the box begins with IBG’s street address, telephone number, FAX number, E-mail and web addresses.
Followed by: Not suitable for children under 14 years because of small parts. Plastic adhesive and paints not included. Instructions for assembly inside the box.
The other side-panel of the box has 3 one-paragraph histories of the Marmon Herrington Mk III in Polish, German and English. With each paragraph labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
Followed by a small color repeat of the box art.
Followed by a small color repeat of the box art.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 9 medium-gray parts trees, a medium-gray turret part, a clear tree, the decal sheet and a brass PE fret in 7 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a small black and white repeat of the cover art, over explanations of symbols used in the assembly steps, a suggested listing of Vallejo brand hobby paints, illustrations of clear letter D tree, the turret part and the tires.
IBG’s street address is repeated at the bottom. In the 3 languages.
Page 2 to 5 are parts-trees illustrations. With IBG’s street address repeated again across their bottoms.
Page 6 on through to page 19 gives a whopping grand total of 49 assembly steps.
Page 20 shows the model made up with the doors open and shut.
Page 21 to 23 are painting and marking guides.
Page 21 shows a 5 view of a Marmon-Herrington Mk. II, MFF Type, from an unidentified British unit in North Africa, Summer 1941. It is overall light-stone. It has a black no. S.5. on the sides of the turret and a black DIGH MERER on its sides.
Page 22 shows another 5-view. It is also a MFF Type. Also from an unidentified British unit, North Africa 1941. has a camouflage of a base of light-stone with a large dark-green stripe pattern. It has a black circle with a 9 on it on the turret sides.
Page 23 shows another 5=view. Again of a MFF Type. It is overall olive-green. It was with an unidentified British unit in East Africa in 1941. It has a black rectangle with a white RHO on it on the sides of the turret and the hull.
Page 24 shows a black and white cover art of a book about the car. Over a listing of features of the book.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds: the frame, top and bottom, tools etc. (24 parts)
This kit holds 9 medium-gray parts trees, a medium-gray turret part, a clear tree, the decal sheet and a brass PE fret in 7 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 24 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a small black and white repeat of the cover art, over explanations of symbols used in the assembly steps, a suggested listing of Vallejo brand hobby paints, illustrations of clear letter D tree, the turret part and the tires.
IBG’s street address is repeated at the bottom. In the 3 languages.
Page 2 to 5 are parts-trees illustrations. With IBG’s street address repeated again across their bottoms.
Page 6 on through to page 19 gives a whopping grand total of 49 assembly steps.
Page 20 shows the model made up with the doors open and shut.
Page 21 to 23 are painting and marking guides.
Page 21 shows a 5 view of a Marmon-Herrington Mk. II, MFF Type, from an unidentified British unit in North Africa, Summer 1941. It is overall light-stone. It has a black no. S.5. on the sides of the turret and a black DIGH MERER on its sides.
Page 22 shows another 5-view. It is also a MFF Type. Also from an unidentified British unit, North Africa 1941. has a camouflage of a base of light-stone with a large dark-green stripe pattern. It has a black circle with a 9 on it on the turret sides.
Page 23 shows another 5=view. Again of a MFF Type. It is overall olive-green. It was with an unidentified British unit in East Africa in 1941. It has a black rectangle with a white RHO on it on the sides of the turret and the hull.
Page 24 shows a black and white cover art of a book about the car. Over a listing of features of the book.
Trees are alphabetized.
Medium-gray letter A tree holds: the frame, top and bottom, tools etc. (24 parts)
Medium-gray letter B tree holds: engine parts, window frame, dash, steering wheel etc. (72 parts)
There are 3 different medium-gray letter C trees that are co-joined together.They hold wheels, guns etc. (together they hold 79 parts)
Clear letter D tree holds windows and light lenses (6 parts)
The lone medium-gray turret part is next (1 part)
There are 5 medium-gray wheels, with tires molded on them.
The brass PE fret is next that includes the radio guards, hooks, tool straps,etc. (49 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
There are no crew figures included.
The detail is excellent.
Highly recommended.
The detail is excellent.
Highly recommended.