Meng 1/35 Rolls Royce modified for Lawrence or Arabia Hejaz campaign. I lowered the turret to a 1914 version added rivets that were lost in the process. Modified the visor so both slits were the same height. Used Replicast wire wheel sets (Meng's wheels are both are too tall and too wide). Modified the tool boxes. Lowered the left one and both shortened the length and made the left box taller. Removed the vertical boards in front of the rear tires. Decals cut and rearranged from model RR HO set. Rear deck wood areas scribed with microsaw to simulate wood grain.
[img]https://i.imgur.com/C9nl7qrl.jpg[/img
-- Edited by cduckworth on Saturday 14th of September 2019 04:05:50 PM
Thanks, the Osprey RR book shows the overall color to be a very light sand color but all the photos I’ve studied had the white letters and numbers standing out. I found one reference that quoted a member of Lawrence‘s Hejaz army saying the cars “looked like grey torpedoes..” and another reference where the car was partly named “grey...”. So I opted to go with the MM Neutral Gray as the finish. I’m going to build the ICM Ford Model T ‘boxcar’ to go with it and have collected a few figures and a camel with rider for a future diorama. i came across web site than has a number of restored desert vehicle. One being a Model T built as a LAMB car painted in a sand color but I‘m still under the opinion they were in Model T black.
Looks very good! Nice to see that it is possible to make this version of the Meng-kit.
The biggest challenge was cutting down the sides of the turret to match the 1914 one. I actually riveted the roof parts twice. First time I used Archer decal rivets and they just didn’t stand out enough so I sanded them off and drilled holes and used Grandt Line model RR plastic rivets.
With references like that I would have gone for grey als well. Besides, I believe that the RNAS armoured cars were also a pale grey, so your colour probably isn't too much off the mark..
I found them on eBay; they aren’t inexpensive but I’d already decided I wanted to finish the RR as a desert version so I needed two sets. The Meng‘s WWI tires are both too thick and too tall looking at period photos. The Resicast seem to be correctly sized. The Meng turret is also the 1919 version and I reduced it to match photos. There’s lots of variation from car to car in the storage boxes too. I’m now making up some WWI petro flimies to store on the running boards. I’m working on a diorama where I’ll use the Rolls, a ICM Model T Ford desert patrol car and several figures made by D-Day figures. If I can answer any more questions let me know.
