M2 half-track car in the Philippines, 1942

[Jakko]

Google's search has gotten worse over the years. Part of the problem is that it tries to interpret what you want instead of giving you what you're asking for. This is fine if you ask for, say, cheap holiday to the sun but not if you want photos of M2 halftrack rear seats. It used to be that if you put quote marks around a term ("M2 halftrack" rear seats) it meant, "I want this exactly" but even the functionality of that has been eroded by now

 

[Jakko]

In the open storage locker and on the two M1917s, there should be some ammo boxes, but those are hard to find in 1:35 scale because this early in the war, M1917s got wooden boxes instead of the metal ones used with the M1919. Scratchbuilt it is, then:



I made two fairly detailed ones and four that are mainly the right shape — the latter will go into the locker. They're all made from laminated plastic card that I sawed and filed to the correct dimensions, witha bit of strip for the leather strap on top that serves as a carry handle. The better-detailed boxes also have a lid with an opening for the hand of whoever holds that handle, and two bits of strip on one side for the rails on the mounting that the box slots into (because Dragon moulded those onto the metal cans instead of onto the mountings).

 

[BarleyBop]

early in the war

To be clear, is the introduction date of metal boxes tied to the vehicle model, to the MG
model equipped on the American halftracks, or a function of the boxes themselves, independent of the above?

 

[Jakko]

I'm not sure, but the wooden boxes date back to 1917 at least, maybe earlier? I'm under the impression than the metal ones were introduced for the M1919 — they would have been equally usable with the M1917A1, of course, but in photos of that gun you often see wooden boxes early in the war.

Though it's not a picture of an M2 halftrack, here's a clear photo of the wooden boxes in use:

 

[BarleyBop]

What do you think is in the rectangular box in the extreme right of the photo (no notch)?

The way the middle guy's arm and body are extended, barely gripping the tripod, and the look on his face, something tells me this 'action shot' didn't end well, at least for him!

 

[Jakko]

The thing in the left hand of the man on the right of the photo is the condenser can. A hose connected to the gun's water jacket was put into it, so that the steam from the evaporating water would be caught in it for re-use.

And yes, I don't think the second from right intended to do that with the tripod

 

[BarleyBop]

A hose connected to the gun's water jacket

... a somewhat improvised one

 

[Edbert]

... a somewhat improvised one

Is that picture flipped or did the earlier Browning feed from the right side?

 

[Jakko]

The gun in @BarleyBop's photo is a Vickers gun, not a Browning

Vickers:



M1917 Browning:

 

[Edbert]

The gun in @BarleyBop's photo is a Vickers gun, not a Browning

But of course it is, LOL.

Guess ya'll don't just drive on the wrong side of the road

 

[Steve Ski]

Guess ya'll don't just drive on the wrong side of the road

Lol, too funny. I noticed the ease of loading, operation, and stability of the Browning vs the Vickers. Those few seconds extra with that Vickers could be deadly in a running battle, (economy of motion). I'll take the Browning, thank you!

P.S. That's a wild pic there, Jakko! I hope they all landed safely, lol.

 

[Jakko]

Finally done … that only took about a year



The figure is by Bravo 6, chosen mainly because it was one of the few I could find wearing the early US Army uniform but without the jacket on, which made for an easy conversion to the tropical uniform with just paint. The canteen and musette bags are Tamiya, with the bag on the seat having had its securing straps cut off and replaced with some twisted plastic strip so it looks like the bag is open — because that's where he keeps his shaving gear, of course. The mirror is nothing more than some aluminium foil stuck to a piece of plastic card. The M1928 Thompson leaning against the driver's seat and the ammo pouch for it are from a set of American equipment by MiniArt, while the helmet on the left rear seat is an old one from Italeri, because the MiniArt set oddly doesn't include any M1917 helmets.

 

[blakeh1]

Excellent work, and the figure is a nice touch of personality as well

Is it me, or does that look like Paul Newman?

 

[BarleyBop]

Nicely done!

There were no doubt moments of intense action, hell on earth, but from many accounts, there were also periods of waiting, even boredom.
In that war, every day mundane acts like shaving, penning a letter or enjoying a brewup were part of that reality.
Is he contemplating the action that awaits him in a few days and his own mortality, or thinking about his wife and family back home on a Midwestern farm, or in a walk-up in the Bronx?

Looking forward to your next story Jakko!

 

[Jakko]

Is it me, or does that look like Paul Newman?

Perhaps from this angle, but not really from the front, IMHO. Here's the unpainted figure, straight from Bravo6's web site:

In that war, every day mundane acts like shaving, penning a letter or enjoying a brewup were part of that reality.

Yep. But like I said, really the only reason I used him is because of the uniform he's wearing

 

[Steve Ski]

Excellent work, Jakko, and that shaving GI adds a great touch!

 

[blakeh1]

Perhaps from this angle, but not really from the front, IMHO. Here's the unpainted figure, straight from Bravo6's web site:

View attachment 138483


Yep. But like I said, really the only reason I used him is because of the uniform he's wearing

ah yeah, just that angle

 

[Jakko]

To me he looks like a very young man. Which, of course, Paul Newman was at one point too, I suppose