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British 2-Inch SBML Mortar

World War II, Korea and beyond.

The Kit:
This is the second 1/35th scale product from Resicast in Belgium to join this collection of mortars. Cast in a light tan resin, the detail present in the moldings of this kit was superb and it builds up into an excellent reproduction of the very common British 2-Inch Mortar.

As with any scale model kit, there are some minor parting line and pour plug cleanups to do, but in this case, the cleanup was minimal. Fine sanding is also required, but again, this was also minimal. My only complaint is that there should be a knurled 'ring' at the base of the tube. Additional detailed items were added and I will explain those additions in the following paragraphs. Overall, an extremely enjoyable kit to build. There are enough extra parts provided in the kit to build this model separately from the base provided.

The Details:

All that I had to add to the mortar was the sling and muzzle dust cover. The sling was made from thinly cut lead foil (since replaced with thinly cut masking tape) and styrene 'hardware'. The dust cover was made from an 81mm bomb shipping container end (also changed from the unpainted photo), and there is a small Aber Photo Etched bit used for the strap attachment point. I formed fine wire for the attachment points to the mortar base plate. I also added the lanyard from twisted sewing tread and white glue and tied that to the trigger after drilling a tiny hole through the trip mechanism.

The Decals:
	The red and green stripes on the bombs (to designate High Explosive rounds), and the white sighting stripe on the mortar barrel are cut to size from a Micro Scale aircraft decal sheet. All of the other markings applied to the bomb carriers and bombs are hand painted.


The Figures:
	Both figures are provided with the kit. Very nicely cast in resin with all the personal equipment cast on. The only assembly required was attaching the arms and heads. I did add the hobnails to the bottom of the boots made from punched out disks of styrene plastic, and on the "No. 2" crewman, I added the 'butt roll' from my spares box.

The markings on the figures are dry-transfers from Archer Fine Transfers and are representative of the 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment, 8th Infantry Brigade (Senior Brigade), 3rd British Infantry Division. The horizontal lines applied below the triangle were hand painted. This division was one of Britain's most distinguished Infantry Divisions with an impressive war record. The 3rd participated in the following battles of World War II:

The Rifles:
Also provided with the kit, the Lee Enfield Rifle No. 4 Mk. I rifles are cast in resin. The only additions to these parts are the rifle slings and associated mounting hardware and these were fashioned from lead foil, fine wire and styrene bits. The No. 1's rifle was slightly warped, and this was straightened out by submerging the part in hot tap water and applying slight finger pressure.

This rifle is a later development of the standard .303-inch Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) rifle. The No.4 was a pre-war design but it was not issued in great numbers until 1942.

The Base and Groundwork:
The wood base is cut from 3/4 inch thick scrap oak, stained with a natural colored stain and then sealed with polyurethane. It measures approximately 3-1/2 inches x 4-1/2 inches.

The basic groundwork was provided with the kit but, to this I added Verlinden Static Grass, some Hudson & Allen tall grass and a few 'bushes' from my wife's dried flower collection. The casting of the groundwork was really good and could be used as is straight from the package. The bomb carriers are cast into the groundwork as well as are all of the 'rocks' shown.

The nameplate is made from .005 thick x 1/2 inch wide K&S Engineering brass stock that was buffed with a fine steel wool. The numeral and letters are 12 point (.12") dry transfer lettering from Letraset, and were applied with my trusty burnishing tool. Once the lettering was in place, I airbrushed Future Floor Wax straight from the bottle, as this will add a measure of protection to the brass and lettering during handling and also from the 'aging process'.

Painting, Weathering and Finishing:
Painted entirely in Acrylic Paints by PollyS/PollyScale, Model Master and Gunze Sanyo. The only exception to this being the figure's flesh tone undercoat and there I used Testors' Enamels. Winsor and Newton Oils thinned with Loew-Cornell Odorless Brush Cleaner and Thinner were used for the washes. Weathering on this subject was accomplished in part by using a Berol Prismacolor silver colored pencil. PollyScale Acrylic Flat Coat was then applied overall to the finished subject.

Actual Data: Caliber: 2 inches (50.8mm) Length: 21 inches Weight: 10-1/2 pounds Firing Mechanism: Trip (Small Trigger) Elevation: +45º to +90º Maximum Range: 525 yards Rate of Fire: 8 Rounds per Minute

	1942

General Info:
This weapon was introduced into service in 1939 and was used extensively throughout World War II with all Commonwealth Forces. The Mortar was issued in three different variations: Infantry (as shown), Airborne and Carrier with each variation differing in details, mainly with the arrangement of the base plate or spade.

The assembly of this weapon consisted of a base plate (or spade), barrel and breech piece. It was a hand fired weapon however, the recoil was quite noticeable and it was only to be fired with the base plate (or spade) firmly seated on the ground or mounted within the carrier vehicle.

The 2-Inch SBML was standard equipment for all Infantry Platoons and was also issued to anti-tank detachments to provide illumination for night time targets.

Similar in characteristics to the Japanese Type 89 "Knee Mortar", the SMLB was far more reliable, easier to manufacture and was issued in far greater numbers. The Type 89 did however have a better maximum range capability.

This weapon served the British Army well into the 1980's and could still be found within Commonwealth and former Commonwealth forces well into the 1990's. Later usage of this weapon being mainly for smoke and illumination type fire missions, although in various conflicts around the world in particular those conflicts involving former Commonwealth nations, the HE round is/was still in use in the 21st Century. The Irish Republican Army was known to have obtained a number of these weapons.


1949	1949	1960	1963	1966

The standard 2-Inch SBML Mortar has been replaced in the British Army by the Royal Ordnance 51mm 'Commando' Mortar.

References:
"World War II Infantry" by Laurent Mirouze. Europa Militaria No. 2.
Australian War Memorial

Sources:
Mr. Tom Bebbington - UK
Mr. Dennis Moloney -UK
Mr. Haydn Neal - Australia
Mr. Jason French - UK
Mr. Tom Ready - UK

Ammunition Types: High Explosive (HE) Impact Fuse, single primary cartridge. Weight: 2-1/4 pounds Smoke (SMK) Weight: 2 pounds Illumination (ILL) (with parachute) Weight: 1 pound 5 ounces Signal: Single Star - Green Single Star - Red Multi Star - White Multi Star - Red Multi Star - Green Multi Star - Red and Green White Phosphorous Experimental Only Practice Non-Explosive Barb This bomb was developed to fire a barbed projectile with a trailing wire that would be fired across an area suspected of containing trip wires. The bomb would be pulled back to the firing point with the barb snagging any trip wires along the way.

	1945

	1945

	British 2-Inch Mortar Comments, suggestions, additional info?