Bedford QLD finished at last

Many months ago , I started building the then-new Airfix Bedford QLD & posted some pics of the part-built item . Now , after far too long sitting on the shelf of doom , Ive finally got it finished .
Somewhat unimaginatively , Airfix suggest that both the QLD & QLT be finished in the late-war SCC15 Olive Drab & SCC14 Blue Black scheme . I may well do the QLT in this scheme at some time in the future , but for the QLD I fancied something a little different & , after flicking through Mike Starmers various books , eventually decided on the late-1943 Middle East/Sicily/Italy scheme of Light Mud & Blue Black . I sprayed everything with WEM Light Mud & then brush-painted the Blue Black using Revells acrylic Anthracite . To give a little contrast , I painted the tilt in a mix of Lifecolor Dunkelgelb & white to simulate bleached canvas , then used Vallejo Dark Rubber for the camo pattern .
As regards markings , I used serial numbers from the kit decals , but then added unit markings for the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry from an Archer Fine Transfers sheet & a Starmers Armour air recognition roundel on the cab roof . I have no idea whether the RWY ever had such a Bedford but they re-equipped with similarly painted Sherman IIIs in Palestine in the summer of 1943 & I thought it plausible that they could have had such a vehicle on strength for general transport duties .
Once decaling was complete , I fitted the wheels & exhaust , matt varnished & then did a little weathering with AK Interactives dust wash & Mig Pigments sand then , as a final step , fitted the cab glazing . Obviously Id got too many coats of paint on the window surrounds , since none of the glazing would fit , although it fitted perfectly into the as-yet unpainted QLT cab . I didnt want to have to remove any of the paint , so I gently filed down the windows till they fitted .
With the exception of the large numbers of ejection pin marks , I found this a really nice kit to build & it certainly looks the part when finished . You only have to compare it with the old QL tanker in the RAF Refuelling Set to see how far Airfix have come in recent years .





John Green
Cheshire , UK