French 2eme DB - GMC Bofors 40mm - Part.01

 I present to you my new project: a GMC Bofors belonging to the 2nd DB.

GMC Bofors are attached to Tactical Group but the unit was 22eme FTA.

This unit passed through Mayenne department before going up to Alençon then taking the road to Paris.

I have 2 photos of GMC Bofors in the city of Chateau-Gontier.

First one in protection of a bridge :

Source : https://mayenne-ww2.forumactif.org

For the first, the part comes from the second battery because the logbook would indicate that it is this battery which remained in protection of the bridges of this city.

From the known photos of this unit, we can already say that this GMC is not the LUCIFER because it has storage boxes at the back and that it is neither the FLOREAL nor the BRUMAIRE because they have a winch at the front, not at Chateau Gontier.

So there are still possible candidates:

1st section: Abbadon (417332), Démon (417455), Beelzebuth (415920)

2nd section: Pluviôse, Messidor

The second one, running thru this city :

Source : Courrier de La Mayenne, 1984, édition spéciale 40ème anniversaire la Libération

For this second GMC, the registration is 417348 but unfortunately for the moment, no name is associated with this number yet. It's a gear with a winch (not everyone had it) and there seems to be an extra rack in the back.

I had bought long time ago the model of the GMC Bofors from Alby, the only one existing in Braille Scale.

Alas, the chassis of this mockup is completely twisted and twisted and despite hair dryer sessions and hot water baths, I never managed to put it back right.

So I decided to use a GMC Heller chassis. Additionally, this chassis has the winch (which the Alby mockup does not) and is much more detailed.

But now, it's too simple to be easy !

I don't know which chassis Alby came from but it doesn't quite match Heller's (yet fair in dimensions according to reviews, like this one on OnTheWay website).

So here I am with a Heller chassis that is 3.5mm longer than Alby's. So I have to make up for this gap by modifying and slightly lengthening the Alby pieces.

And how I tried to make up for it :