Quality Castings

15mm Bren Carrier

review by Mike Reese

This review is of Quality Castings’ model number 2002 Bren Carrier. The Bren Carrier would have a BREN light machinegun and carry a 3-4 man team, or a 3” Mortar or .303 Heavy Machinegun Team.

The Universal Bren weighed 4 long tons and measured 12 x 7x 4 ft 10 in. high. It had a frontal armor of 10mm and a side armor of 7mm. At a cross-country speed of 20MPH and a road speed of 30MPH it had a range of 110 miles.

Quality Castings’ model consists of ten pieces. These had little flash and fit together well. The models come with an instruction sheet, for both the Bren Carrier version and the HMG and Mortar versions. The sheet recommends that you cut out the metal in the firing port for the BREN gun and put the BREN gun (a nice little model in itself) in before gluing the upper hull to the lower hull. I also recommend trimming the pin on the gear shift and gluing it on before putting the two hull pieces together.

In addition, dry fit the track assemblies and the rear axle to see that the axle fits correctly before assembly. Trim the axle if it is a bit long. Once the BREN is in, the gear shift on, and you have confirmed the rear axle isn’t too long, the pieces go together nicely. The driver, with a drop of glue on the bottom, slides into his position just fine. Once together it is a nice little model and a good addition to the British vehicle line.

Each British rifle battalion had a carrier platoon which consisted of a HQ with 2 officers and 6 enlisted men (EM), a carrier, a 15-cwt truck, and a BREN gun plus 4 carrier sections each of 9 EM, 3 carriers, 3 BREN guns, 1 PIAT (44+, ATR 43 and earlier), and a 2-inch mortar. Total strength would be 2 Officers, 56 EM, 6 EM (attached), 2 pistols, 58 rifles, 4 SMG, 13 Bren Guns, 4 2-inch mortars, and 4 PIAT. The Bren Carrier is essentially a very lightly armored fast tracked vehicle used to move the platoon to support the battalion, as a reserve for the battalion, or a light recon force, or a delaying unit. The infantry normally fought dismounted with the carrier hidden nearby.

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