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1942 Ford Staff Car USAAF


ewahl

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The challenge here is to select the correct forum for this post. The vehicle is a military version of a civilian car, diverted from the Ford assembly line in 1942. It does not seem right to call this an Armor thread, so Cars, Trucks, & Motorcycles it is.

 

This is the 1/48 Tamiya kit. I purchased and built it because I will need the car for an airfield scene involving a Revell B-17F.

 

The bottom piece is a single cast metal offering that has only basic details of an oil pan for the motor and a drive shaft. The driver figure is in full dress uniform and appears to be a 2nd Lt. I turned his head to the left to have him looking out the side window. His left arm and hand matched the steering wheel perfectly. All pieces of the kit fit well. Painting was relatively simple --spray it OD green--with some dark wash to highlight door edges and grille slats. The decal markings were great, but I wish Tamiya had included decals for the two dashboard instrument clusters. I simulated gauges with a white artist's pencil on flat black and sealed with a drop of Future.

 

I recommend this kit, which is a tad pricey, for your aircraft bases.

 

Ed

 

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That looks GREAT Ed. If that's a 2LT driving that car then he must be tote'n a General around.

 

 

If it's a 2LT, he's lost.

 

 

 

Great model, Ed.

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That looks GREAT Ed. If that's a 2LT driving that car then he must be tote'n a General around.

 

 

If it's a 2LT, he's lost.

 

 

 

Great model, Ed.

 

:lol: That's a perfect statement for one of those butter bars.....in the 7 yrs I was in the ARMY...I think I had dealings with maybe 1-2, 2nd louies that had their head on straight. All the rest didn't know Shine-ola...Got into a few disagreements with about 99% of them. Of course...me being the NCO...I had to give in..for that moment..that is...LOL

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Most 2LTs are only at that rank for 18 to 24 months (time in grade requirement changed in 1987 to 24 months, then dropped back down to 18 months during the 2000s). I will say the officer corps did a good job of policing their own; during my three years in Germany, at least four 2LTs were not promoted to 1LT in both 5/77 Armor and 3/77 Armor (formerly 5/68). They were eventually separated from the Army.

 

Now remember that most lieutenants are commissioned in May and are then queued waiting for a report date to their basic course. The basic course lasts four months, so on average, a 2LT has about 6 months time in grade by the time he gets to his unit. Then they are 2LTs for a year to a year and a half at their unit.

 

A smart one will learn small unit leadership from his platoon sergeant and staff sergeants. I learned a lot and still stay in contact with a few members of my platoon. My platoon sergeant was the best one in the battalion, one of the few Vietnam vets left, but passed away quite a few years ago.

 

A bad one just needs more guidance and training.

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  • 1 month later...

I took this 1942 Ford USAAF Staff Car to its first contest today -- the annual IPMS/Butch O'Hare Show -- just to add some filler on the automotive table. This is always judged as a G-S-B event, and I was very surprised when they called my name to receive a Silver award. There were a lot of automotive models and some outstanding work, so I am pleased that this little car stood up so well in comparison. :o :smiley14:

 

Ed

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