Armortek

If you would like to convert the Armortek Mk2 carrier into a Mk1 carrier as used in the desert and Italy these are some basic ideas. The front is straight forward, leave everything off, apart from the spare wheel, and fabricate 2 large head lights.
There were no steps and the sand shields were different on the side of the Mk1.
All the above images via Bovington Tank Museum.


At the end of 1943 and the beginning of 1944 the Canadian Mk1’s were upgraded to Mk2’s.
They were converted in the UK. In Nigel Watson’s book there is a before and after photo of the conversion including a later costing of £80 for the servicing and £50 for the upgrade. So if you want a Mk1 then reverse the fore and after on the photo.
There was no Stacy towing device on the Mk1, although many and varied were added in the field.
Don’t add the rounded tops to the side panels in the kit (ER0518, ER0519 etc).
I need to do a little more research on the rear configuration before I post in an update.

Hope you find the post useful.
John

Hello John!

Well done that man! I'm sure this will prove very useful indeed!

All the best,

Alex

Here are a few images of Mk1 carriers from the IWM.
I like how the carriers are adapted once they get into a battle situation

John

Apologies for the lack of explanation on some of the the photos in the previous post, my dyslexia and finger trouble got me confused. What it is to grow old.
Anyways here is a little more information.

First photo H 16602, a Mk1 AOP carrier. Taken in the UK in 41.
It has line laying kit on the rear left hand side.
On the right hand side is the aerial attachment with a hook further forward to hold it horizontally when not in use.
At this time in the war the wireless set would be a number 11, they were few and far between especially on carriers. All carriers were equipped with a pair of semaphore flags.

2nd photo D 12424 again UK in 1941.
Shows the 2 headlights and the early sand shields.
The ladies were munitions workers given a ride for their production efforts .

3rd photo H 2208 again UK in 1941.
Good views of the rear deck and tool storage.

4th photo H 29833 again UK in 1941.
Shows the 2 inch mortar in use. They were still in use on Mk2’s instead of the 4 inch smoke discharger. The aerial mount is fixed further to the rear although its not very clear on this photo. I’ll find a close up/diagram to show the construction of the aerial mount.

5th and 6th photos taken in Sicily 1943.
IWM NA 5387 IWM NA 4439.
Shows how quickly the vehicles were adapted for a fighting situation.
The headlights are either broken off or covered and there is more storage.

7th photo Tunisia 1943.
Shows the front storage bin and the damaged sand shields.

8th photo western desert July 1942.
IWM AYY 253/4 film.
This is a still from the centre section of a film produced when Montgomery first joined 8th Army. The carrier is shown at speed in the desert, with explosions (probably staged). The carrier has full length side shields and belongs to a New Zealand unit, it’s well worth a look to see a carrier at speed.
The film is topped off with Winston Churchill visiting troops in the desert.

9th photo an Indian unit in Italy December 1943.
IWM NA 9807
No sand shields and dusty camouflage on this carrier taken near the Moro river.

10th photo IWM H 10286 UK 1941.
A crowd watching the recovery of a carrier . Good view of the rear deck plus the lack of the engine cover.

Hope these images/explanations are of help to those of you thinking of building a Mk1 carrier. They’ve kept me entertained in the early hours of today between 0400 and 0500. With thanks to who ever thought of spill checkers and help with my appalling grammar. I just have to upload these notes onto the form........

Regards
John

There is a lot of info on the Mk1 carrier in the Plans pack from the Tank Museum. I don’t know whether the library is open with the closures, so my be difficult to obtain a copy. Here is a selection from the pack.
The aerial diagram.
The general layout. The front storage bin. The rear storage area John

I love all this U.C. Information coming online, a great model and plenty of choice, super photo's, regards simon manning.

Worth a watch


and


Be careful throwing grenades

Hi john

I have most of the mk1* manuals for my Canadian mk1 restauration. So if you need any details from those let me know.

Greetings tim biersma