British Bren Gun Carrier / Universal Carrier "Forced Reconnaissance" (Tamiya 1/35 scale model kit)

[@Peter-lm3ic]

When I served in an infantry battalion as a National Serviceman in BAOR 1950/51 for a period we were motorised infantry and for us it meant that for each platoon we had one 15cwt truck carrying stores and blankets (no sleeping bags in those days) one 3 ton truck for the platoon sergeant and infantry sections and one universal carrier for the platoon officer, two man 2" mortor crew and signaller.(18 set?). I was for a time No.1 with the 2" mortor. However, the Universal Carrier giving it's correct name was usually referred as the Bren Carrier and certainly a deal better than cooped up in the 3 tonner. Quite enjoyable in fact, but it did have it's short comings, that is, if it rained you got wet, also as alot of travel was at night and with a tired driver a run off the road into a ditch you were vunerable. Which is what happened to me but we were lucky as it finished up on it's side. The Bren Carrier was used in the Battalion for towing 6 pdr anti tank guns (x 6), wasp flamethrowers (x 6), vickers m/c guns (x 6) and 3" mortors (x 6). The 6 pdr anti tank were later superseded by the 17 pdr anti tank gun towed by Oxford carriers which had a canvas roof like a 3 tonner. Have always considered my army service as well worth while and finished up as a full Corporal. Always a soft spot for the Bren Carrier!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks for commenting Peter. I always enjoy reading people's experiences with the real life vehicles - I know it brings the modelling 'to life' for a lot of people. Thanks for sharing.

[@alastairbarkley6572]

Thank you for that info, Corp. It's gone into my nerd book! The Carrier could certainly tow the 6-pdr gun whereas, technically, the American 'Light Car 1/4 ton 4x4' (AKA the Jeep) lacked the load capacity to tow the M1 57mm A/Tk gun - which was effectively the same weapon. You do see movie footage of Jeeps towing the 57mm gun but I guess they were just breaking the rules.

[@JackFlemingFan1]

Excellent video & job building and painting your Tamiya British Bren Gun Carrier too!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Jack

[@SteveJonesScaleModellingSite]

A wonderful job on this great kit. Lots of extras to add interest to the build. Great to see

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you, Steve

[@robbo1068]

Great job on the carrier and the figures.....it might be an oldie but it's a goodie! Another enjoyable watch and oral presentation. Thank you yet again for sharing your work with us.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Robbo

[@cjkirkland2334]

Great quick build. I just did this kit a few months ago and purchased another with the intent of trying another technique. I like the subtle dust effect from the buff/brown mixture.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. Yes, I'd heard of that technique quite a lot but never tried it until I saw Panzermeister use it recently.

[@ronparker8582]

Nice job. The UC has always been an interesting piece, if somewhat under represented by its actual production numbers. Thanks for video.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks for watching!

[@jamesmcansh3441]

Great work I've been contimplating this purchase. You have convinced me. Never worry about figures they are fun to work with push through and make that tutorial. I would enjoy watching it. ✌🇨🇦✌

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks James, I appreciate your comments.

[@jostscalemodelling]

Very cool kit that you built there! 👍 The Universal Carrier is a wonderful vehicle. Cheers, John

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks John

[@BrushQuill]

A nice little build. Always good to see how things might need to be done 'out of order' and any issues with a kit

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks. Glad it was useful :)

[@paulellam6926]

Another fab upload, and takes me back to being around 14 years old, made a diorama with a Bren Gun carrier in seed planting tray, used soil for the base layer and depicted the carrier getting bogged down in the mud. Using actual soil was brilliant to achieve the look, I had no fear back then lol not afraid to use anything that would work for the result. So enjoyed modelling back in those days, still do but wish I had that sort of carefree attitude I had back then. Seeing this really reminded me of those days, many thanks! Great model by the way, love these uploads!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks for watching. I've used soil before for dioramas too, but it didn't go too well!

[@simonfaure9694]

Great tutorial on the U/C I'm working on the same one to fit into a D-Day LCM3 just landed with a patrol D-Day + 6 so that was good to see your build to give some great pointers.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Simon. Good luck with your build mate.

[@100yojimbo]

That's a very nice build you did 😎👍🖐️. You do not do yourself justice in the figures they look amazing like the light chipping on the helmet's very subtle 👍

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you so much 😁

[@tonyde6423]

Nice build beautiful work

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Tony

[@BOABModels]

Brilliant job! Hard to believe, but despite making over 60 scale models, I've not made any armour. Seeing a kit like this makes me want to have a look though.

[@ModelNerd]

You've made some sweet looking cars though mate. That MP4/4 is *very* nice.

[@foreverplastickits138]

*Wonderful and nice model, Tamiya's kits are always a reference!*

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks! Yeah, you can't go wrong even with the old ones.

[@philRminiatures]

I do like this kind of vehicle, nice job and great kit!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Phil. I'm glad you like it.

[@jeffcalabrese3134]

Your figures are great! You should be proud of them. Nice job all around!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate that.

[@Frank-rh7vh]

Model Nerd is a MASTER... thank you !!!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Frank! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@declan1278]

Very good work great paint work

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Declan

[@jeffcollier9405]

Nice job. It looks real!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Jeff

[@ctscalemodellinguk]

Nice video and tips, thought the ak paint looked great. The figures look really good to me, I have only really only posted 1 tutorial for figures which was US Marines in Vietnam because I struggled to find a tutorial and was very nervous.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. I've seen your Marines video - you did a great job on them.

[@ctscalemodellinguk]

@@ModelNerd thanks, I never know how my faces are going to turn out, thanks for some tips in the video enjoyed watching it, mean that.👍

[@gary6300]

Hi buddy really nice build and paint job on your bren gun carrier think I need to buy and build one looks a cool little kit.thank you for sharing. cheers Gary. 🇬🇧

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Gary - glad you liked it.

[@aussie6910]

Nice work. I have 2 of these in my shopping basket for purchase on payday. Doing 1 standard & 1 as an LP2 ute (minus the 2pdr) farm hack in a diorama.

[@ModelNerd]

That sound cool!

[@RimsModels]

Great job there my friend looks amazing nice weathering stay safe 👍🙏

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks, you too!

[@stuartmiller8053]

very nice. figure look well painted to me. cheers stu

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Stu

[@kimcason8764]

Nice Result and a Great voice over. Easy to listen to. Well Done.! 😎 Cheers and Thx for your Efforts..!! 🤪

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Kim, much appreciated

[@stevebrown2201]

Lovely model, another brilliant video.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Steve

[@escole48]

Smashing video. I'm looking at doing one of these.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. Yeah, it's a nice little kit.

[@RestorationAustralia]

Very nice build.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks!

[@BaDArxz]

I want one of those gun carriers just for getting around town :3

[@ModelNerd]

Haha

[@alvaro2338]

Lol....no problem in the streets

[@BaDArxz]

Get in my way, I’ll just push you away >:3

[@JeffsDioramas]

Cool build 👍 I think it would be good to see you painting the figures, that way we could learn with you 😁

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Jeff. You have a lot more confidence in my figures than I do! Probably the next lot of figures I paint (the zombie ones are basically done) will be some WW2 US Marines. I might try to show the painting of those guys then :)

[@nickpoole3979]

Agree jeff , have just sent him a similar comment . Thought the figures were great if a little shiny ? Be good too see figure painting in a future video . Still it was a fantastic build !

[@PouponFred]

Very nice résult!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks!

[@declan1278]

Very good work well done

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you!

[@niklas1502]

It Looks soo beautuful nice build

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you! 😊

[@chipchaffee2416]

Thank you for your great videos

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you, Chip. Glad you like them!

[@RT-dw3iz]

Lovely job.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@BAST_master_MODELS_]

Perfect job! Really nicely done) Love vehicles WW2👍 Best regards Mike

[@ModelNerd]

Cheers Mike

[@bhaskardatta4590]

Greetings I am a big fan of your and I daily watch your models 👏👍👍you are the best .You also inspired me I will also try some

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks, I'm glad you found them useful. Have fun with your modelling!

[@Barbarossamodels]

Nice build, fine job👏👏🙂 Love how straight forward the Tamiya kits tend to be, opposed to something like Miniart that seem to have a hundred excess parts for the sake of having them (& which tend to be covered over or hidden on the final build anyway😣) Nice video👍

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. Yes, Miniart seem to regularly have parts which are much, much thinner than the sprue gates they're attached to! That said, I do like their dedication to bringing out unusual subjects like the Werkstattkraftwagen, the buses, and the railcars.

[@Barbarossamodels]

@@ModelNerd yeah you’re right about that, Miniart do have some excellent products, have a Tamiya Sherman & a Miniart railway wagon to tackle on the next project, haven’t dared to compare the number of parts yet....🙈😁👍

[@nickpoole3979]

Great build , thank you ! Just got back into the hobby after a long gap Loved the dust effect and chipping . Thought your figures were well painted , maybe a little shiny ? Be great too see you show some figure painting in a future video please . Regards nick

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Nick. Yes, I struggle with shiny kits quite a lot - Tamiya TS80 just doesn't seem to matt things down.

[@TheWlshy654]

Nice job👍

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks 👍

[@WelderART]

U should use vms varnish to reduce this line over the decals , and some mud splash on sides

[@ModelNerd]

I used TS-13, but unfortunately VMS products aren't near me.

[@WelderART]

@@ModelNerd aaa ok , i have the same problem with old decals from tamiya , its wery anoing

[@johannisson77]

Well done, was waiting for this one. Thank you for a great video.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Fredrik

[@9501599]

Hello 👋 again I really enjoy your builds but for this kit you didn't show us the instruction booklet. Still the model turned out superb but I like to see the instruction booklet. You have a steady hand painting the tools, wheels, etc.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Guy. Sorry about that - I must have forgotten to include them on this occasion. As you say, I do normally try to include them because I know a lot of you like to see them.

[@joeshmoe9978]

Great video 👍. You have a good narrator's voice as well.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Joe!

[@markfergerson2145]

Good build of one of my favorite WWII vehicles. Only suggestion I might make is to weather and distress the figures' uniforms a little to make them look as "used" as the vehicle.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Mark. Yes, I gave the figures a dark oil wash but they still look rather new, as you say.

[@markfergerson2145]

@@ModelNerd You *did* say you're not happy with your skills with figures yet. There are all sorts of things you can try like sun-fading, dust, literal rips and tears in uniform fabric (nobody in combat keeps a perfectly strack uniform), all the things you can do to a vehicle and more. I've watched you gather skills on models, so why not figures?

[@ModelNerd]

@@markfergerson2145 Oh yes, absolutely - it's definitely somewhat I want to make progress with. Thanks for the tips :)

[@kapesnik9871]

Its amazing

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks

[@bobz1736]

Great job 👏

[@daniel-m]

Great work and a nice model ! Thank you :o)

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate, glad you like it!

[@siamodyssey]

Nice job, working on it now. Helpful 👍🏻

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you - I'm glad it was helpful. Good luck with your build!

[@lappin6482]

love the channel, keep up the great work 👍💯

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Lappin

[@philheath5441]

Have watched this video a number of times now in preparation for building the kit that i purchased a while ago.This will be my first armour vehicle for 30 odd years lol.In your opinion would you use phot etch on this model.

[@ModelNerd]

Sorry for my slow reply, Phil - your comment was grabbed by YT for review and I didn't spot it. Glad you liked the video. Personally I didn't see any need for PE on this kit, and I'd be worried it would be lots of tiny fiddling parts on a vehicle this small.

[@nikkibaugher2427]

Kewl...nice model.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Nikki

[@luismanuelsanmartinmartine6159]

HELLO, GOOD KIT TAMIYA ..GOOD MODELLING

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks 👍

[@panzer-meister]

As usual, it's nice work. Actually, this kit is relatively old. But your finish wouldn't make us feel that's old. Thanks for sharing and stay safe please.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you, and thanks for watching.

[@rodneybrand7512]

Hi can I ask you what colours you would have used for desert scene please. I am aiming to make a small diorama with two trucks and some sort of armoured escort . My dad was a truck driver in the 8th army in El Alamein taking troops up to the front .

[@ModelNerd]

Hi Rodney. For desert camouflage I always liked the Caunter scheme, which is light stone (or Portland stone) with slate and silver grey stripes. Mike Starmer's work on British WW2 colours is widely respected (www.mafva.org/british-vehicle-camouflage-1939-45/?v=79cba1185463). In terms of paint I am a fan of AK Real Colours as they have a lot of actual colours, unlike Tamiya paints.

[@rodneybrand7512]

@@ModelNerd Thank you for your reply it was a great help

[@Santino81]

Great modelling 👏🤙 i wonder which color did you use for gun metal and which brand?

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. The gun metal was Tamiya X-10.

[@richardh1764]

Those men look pretty good to me.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Richard

[@leeroyjenkins7141]

Hi mate, great video as always. For the sponge chipping technique, do you use vallejo metallic gun metal grey?

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks. I didn't on this one but I have on other models.

[@leeroyjenkins7141]

@@ModelNerd thanks, are you happy with the finish it leaves? I find silver too bright and intense

[@ModelNerd]

@@leeroyjenkins7141 I like their Steel and Dark Aluminium shades the most

[@leeroyjenkins7141]

@@ModelNerd thank you!

[@jamesbednar8625]

Good video!!! Have this very same kit in my stash for at least 15 years now. Just do not like Tamiya's suggestion of the green paint to use - just does not look like what the British would have used on their vehicles. Will follow your suggestion about that AK paint color, looks more "British" to me!! Have built the original North African version of this kit, so this brought back memories - was a good build. now I'll have to search my closet for this particular kit and get it built AND finish my Churchill & Sherman Firefly with the suggested paint. Figures looked awesome as well, I too, suck at figures, so...

[@ModelNerd]

Hi James. Yes, Tamiya's paint range definitely needs some updating in terms of accurate colours. I'm surprised they haven't made more progress on this to be honest, since I'm sure the market is there. I know they've released a few new RAF colours and a couple of German camo colours, but nothing else. I've got a handful of the Real Colors and they spray well and seem to be good colour matches. Definitely looking forward to using them more often.

[@der_fuxs]

Overall I agree. One sidenote: the recommendation for Tunesia ’43 may be halfway accurate, since there has been a desperate need for greenish colors because vegetation exploded after massive rain falls.

[@JohnyG29]

Why do you call the transfers "dekels"? Is that some French or German word for transfers?

[@ModelNerd]

"dek-als", "dee-kals" - different people pronounce 'decals' in many different ways :)

[@alexthibodeau979]

Your coats are really smooth and I think the final result was fantastic. What ratios of paint to thinner did you use for the vallejo hand/brush painted areas? I mostly handbrush everything on my models, base coats included, and I really liked your details painted with them. I am still trying to find my perfect consistancy as a beginner modeller. Thank you for sharing your work!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Alex, I appreciate that. For Vallejo paints I find the amount of thinning varies for each colour/paint, but I use just a small amount of water normally. I have specific Vallejo thinners too but I don't really use them.

[@kapesnik9871]

Wow

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks, glad you liked it mate.

[@rpm1796]

Super.🍻

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@charleypower6330]

No glue ?

[@ModelNerd]

Yes, I just don't show that part usually

[@scottfw7169]

If Tamiya had a sense of humor worth anything they'd reissue this kit with a figure of Nicholas Moran "The Chieftan" trying to get in the driver seat ...

[@ModelNerd]

Haha!

[@michaelemberley2767]

Nice looking kit, but your wireless operator is just talking to himself, because he forgot to put the antenna in.

[@ModelNerd]

Yeah, he'll realise soon I'm sure.

[@gerryparker1390]

Why lay down a Matt coat then gloss over it?

[@ModelNerd]

I don't remember doing that; normally I'd apply a gloss coat for decals and weathering and then a matt coat afterwards.

[@gerryparker1390]

@@ModelNerd Sorry my mistake you did not matt coat you applied matt paint and then glossed over that.

[@ModelNerd]

@@gerryparker1390 Ah, right. Just because most of the paints I use are only available as matt.

[@jondoherty3678]

Ford V8 engine

[@ModelNerd]

Sure is

[@amixedbag5964]

Why is it called forced

[@ModelNerd]

Yeah, I wondered that too. Maybe a mistranslation or something? Perhaps "Reconnaissance force"