The Re-Paint continues.

Yes the repaint continues. Today I Have finished these 3 sdkfz 234/1 . The 20mm armed heavy scout car used by the Germans in WW2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sd.Kfz._234
Only 3 models (ok one finished day before yesterday. ) But none the less a step forward. They are 15mm "Forged in Battle" figures and were a pleasure to paint.. and dare I say re-paint. I only have the infantry to paint new before I can start. Oh and make some terrain. But Terrain wise I can use a club members before I start. Which is good but I still need to make my own as well.

Meanwhile back at the ranch!

These have arrived Via eBay. they are  the start of my second 15mm sci fi force. I could have gone for another Human force but decided that "Snake-men" were better suited. Each figure while they claim to be 15mm are a tad on the large size. As we have no idea what size aliens would be this is of course no issue. As such I shall start painting this evening and maybe (if the paint gods smile) get something done ready for blogging tomorrow.

Until then good luck and paint and roll dice as much as you want!
All the best Clint

Blurry Photo time!

Yeah when I took these it was dark and they just did not come out as well as I hoped. Still never mind you can at least get the idea.

Two more Zvezda tanks. First u is the Panzer 38T.

The model kit was simple as they all have been so far, and straight-forward in that is you tried really hard you could put it together badly. That would however require a concerted effort, as itgoes together the correct way without difficulty.

German tank commander Otto Carius, did command one before progressing as the war went on to a Jadg Tiger (when captured by the Americans). Commander Carius is also reputed to have 150 "Kills" which makes him Germanys equal 2nd rated Tank ace. (Michael Wittman is either 4th or 5th depending on what you read.) Either way you look at it for the time it was used the Panzer 38T was still an impressive tank well up with it's contemporaries. In What a tanker this is one of the tanks I aspire to progressing to. fast and with a good gun the 38T was in its day a vey good tank.


And Tank 2. Well a Tank Destroyer, a STUG III, Based on the Panzer 3 chassis it was armed with a short 75 at the beginning of the war. This was still a very good gun but in mid or late war they needed more power and penetration so a longer 75mm gun was used. In game terms it has a LOW PROFILE so an extra acquisition dice is needed to acquire it. being a Tank destroyer it may also change one of its dice to a Aim dice which can make it very flexible. It also has very good armour so in early war great crew survivability. The main draw back is no turret so quite often you have to move in order to get sufficient options in aim. But as shown in the last game this is a lesser consideration as long as you have other tanks running interference. If we stick to early war I would hope after 15 or more kills to swap in to one of these as they can be quite deadly. Not a starting tank in the game at all but one to aspire towards.

As with all the Zvezda kits (so far tried) it goes together easily and is just about impossible to get wrong UNLESS you deliberately try to. So with almost no flash it is easy to recommend the 2 kits.

The last 2 pics are of them bother side by side. This clearly shows both the height and width of the 2 models. However both are very welcome in my collection as they were a joy to put together

That's it for today. I plan to finish reading the Maximillian 34 rules and review them next time. So with luck see you Friday and until then remember to dream big as it does not cost you any more!

German Sailors with Rifles

Well here are the latest figures. 4 Ironclad miniatures German Victorian Sailors with rifles.  They are destined I think to fight the British naval landing party. (shown previously). You may recall that I did think the pistol armed counterparts would be armed with maces as that is what I was told by Ironclad at a show. In an ideal world they would also have 2 heavy/support weapons just to exactly balance the British.

I do think these will be used for "In her Majesties Name!" as part of the Aeronef  Fliegende Truppen. Possibly for a show game but probably not as we would all like, I am sure, to see a battle in the skies between Victorian era British and Germans.  Obviously as it never happened I have made the uniforms up. (and why not!) Based on reality with a healthy chunk of escapism mixed it just for fun.

As mentioned they are Ironclad miniatures. I can see these fitting in well with both the British and Brigade Games Aeronef game. You never know maybe a skirmish action as two aeronef clash is a possibility. I wish I had not said that as I fear I shall get side tracked.

Well anyway a further 4 figures from the lead pile to the painted pile and maybe an idea for the future.

Have a good day. Probably a couple more tanks on Saturday (or maybe something else) Take care, have fun and paint if you can.

 

German Heavy Infantry

Of course the German heavy infantry is robotic, efficient and uncaring. That goes without saying. (It is not true of the German people I have met! at least no more true than the English in my opinion). They are of course Ironclad Miniatures (LINK) and they could be any nationality of robot but for my force they just happen to be German. There is no badge or insignia so feel free to use them as any nation that you wish!

They are armed with a variety of unknown weapons. I have taken 2 to be burners as Robots tend not to suffer from burns and heat quite as much as a human. ! weapon is a rifle, No reason why they cannot use human weapons. The last weapon is big and chunky and is well I do not know what. But it should count as a heavy weapon and do a shed load of damage.

The last Pic shows the whole German force together for IHMN. It shows an armoured vehicle the Heavy Infantry and the normal (Human ) troops. And that should (I hope) be enough for the Germans in Her majesties Name force. And should give the Royal Navy plenty to get tier teeth into.

So now I have 2 forces for the game I need to start playing and get them on the table.

Next time something historical. I PROMISE.

Until then all the best chin up and paint away as well as your brush will let you.

All the best Clint

The Germans are started.

At the Selwg show (last year) I was lucky enough to pick up these. They are By Ironclad Miniatures ( Link ) part of their Victorian science fiction range. I originally got them for "In her Majesties Name" and that is at this stage what I hope to use them for.

There are 2 packs here, the leaders and the men. So a rather affordable group of characters. Originally having talked to the owner they were going to be armed with Maces to give them a more "Tutonic" feel and personally I think I would have preferred that. Not that I am at all disappointed with the swords/knifes, but Maces would have bee just a little different.

That's todays very brief update. More again soon, as I already have 2 posts ready to go. And hope to have a third one before the day is out.

That is it as the thaw begins. All the best Clint

FINISHED AND STARTED.

Yes that sounds like a music album title for a cheap band from the 60's) I apologise if this was an album title, but you get the idea.

Firstly here is the remains of my German Aeronef fleet. You may recall I forgot to paint one when I did the rest. so that has now been rectified.

They are Van 7 German patrol nefs. (LINK to shop) They came as part of the German starter fleet and are now painted and with the others. (still trying to sort out bases I am happy with.)
But they are done so nothing to worry about too much for now.

The bottom pic is some figures I sent off for from Gripping Beast. I must say the service was exemplary.  They arrived in their own card board box very fast indeed.

I have started the next unit and with luck I will finish them  pretty soon but not this weekend. Generally the figures are very good and well suited to Dux Britaniarum. Buying direct from the maker was cheaper than eBay as well So expect to see the first unit of 6 middle of next week. Over all I am excited to paint them and assembling them was a pleasure and not a chore.

Hopefully an AAR on Monday, until then take care have fun and paint like crazy if you get the chance.

Aeronef 1 (German Fleet)

Just some Tidying up to do and the bases and then Finished.
I usually do not do WIP shots but we all make exceptions, and this clearly is mine (or one of mine).

I bought the German starter fleet and here are most of the models. (2 small ones are not included as I simply forgot them them undercoating)

 2 "Blucher" class dread noughts. These need the most tidying up as you can see the decking colour has slipped/run onto the hull. Being readnoughts I am hoiping they will be able to take and dish out a fair amount of punishment.

The flags were tricky so I might strip one of as well and do it again. (Blast you clumsy fingers).

Colour wise I decided early on that I was NOT going all grey. That just seemed a very limiting choice so I went for white (Ivory) hulls and black (Charcoal) tails but I did decide to paint any superstructure grey. As there is also red on the flag of this period it made sense to paint the funnels red.

Leaving them grey, white or black made the models look dull and uninspiring. And I did not want them to look dull and uninspiring!

 Two "Koln" Class armoured cruisers. While they are called "Armoured" Crusiers I fully expect the armour to be paper thin and prone to rust! But should they turn out to be tough I will happily eat my words.

The colour scheme selected by the way has much ro do with the flag and more to do with the German sport strip. I did look at many other choices but the black and white just seemed to go so well, I stopped looking once I thought of the sports strip. Before any say YES I will paint the Dutch ORANGE to go with this theme.

Should I paint Matts British I will ask him what colour he wants though they will after all be his fleet. But if he wants "Paisley" he will need to pay me a LOT! (You are warned Matt).


 Lastly (for now) we have two  SA15 Class Patrol Nef. as you can see from the final pic these are a LOT smaller. I have also left out the flags and the masts. Sorry I found them too fiddly on this size ship. Yes they should have masts, But as they are not for steering or to carry sails and thus provide motion AND as there was not any pre made wholes for them O simply left them out.

That in itself does not make me a BAD person so don't complain!

Yes two more little ships to add. But the last pic shows the relative sizes of the ships when together. I will add 2 more ships to the fleet shortly but I forgot to undercoat them at the time. My mistake no excuses. Bit of a tidy up and the bases then I am done and can start the Royal Dutch fleet.

Thanks for looking. All the best Clint

Re-purpose, re-use-recyle, RE-PANT!

AFTER

😎 I will let you decide am I a tight skinflint or an eco freak!  The truth is it just does not matter.  Here are my latest 20mm (1/72nd Scale) Western Desert Vehicles. I have taken 2 vehicles I was not using and repainted them to be 2 vehicles I intend to  use.

BEFORE

A quick re-purpose and they are ready to go. Clearly these are Horch Personnel transporters and were used where the German army went in WW2.

The models are by FRONTLINE WARGAMING ( LINK ) So depending on the year and where you want to fight WW2 they can be quite a variety of colours and Markings. In the new versions I have settled on Western Desert where they were used Typically they would carry a squad of troops but they could also be used as tows pulling either light antitank or Infantry guns or trailers of supplies. Quite versatile and frequently used much more so than any tank!


I have also lost the bases but generally they remain the same.

While they will not be a huge influence in the outcome  of a wargame they are quite important as they allow players to appreciate how troops arrive ready to fight.

So Far I have done German soft skins but I do have a couple of British/Commonwealth vehicles in paint as we read this. So the British will be coming next week. Barring accidents.

Until then have a great weekend and enjoy the sun, if it is sunny where you are.
Best Wishes Clint

 

Grubby tanks German Radio truck. (1/72)

Over the Christmas period (I forget exactly the date). Pete at the club gave me a HEAVILY undercoated Opel Blitz  radio truck that he got as part of a job lot. So he passed it on to me. And this is how it turned out.

I must say I was pleased with the result. Yes parts could have been done a little better and if I was a modelmaker I probably would have. Taken more care. None the less it has come out OK.

Here is a link (Link) to where one can be bought.

I think Peter  will be both pleased and surprised with how it has come out. While I have no current use for it. I do have plans! Ssssh say no more in case they don't come to fruition. Several previous plans have failed to materialise. Still enough of that.

All equipment in the desert in WW2 was used by all sides so it is possible this may be used as British as I have deliberately left all insignia off.

I am in 2 minds whether to put it on a base. for now I will not but do not be at all surprised if in later posts I do! I will see if I can find any suitable MDF 2mm bases at the show on Sunday.
So time will tell if this gets a base or not.

One thing I do know is that there are very few 20mm manufacturers/sellers at the show (I think just 2, but I am willing to be surprised and wrong!)

I have included 4 pics so an all round view might be achieved. It just gives it a better three dimensional look.

Looks wise I wanted it to look used and abused. So I have weathered it appropriately, after all not so many car washes in the Desert! (At least not in war time).

Thanks for looking.

For those going to Broeadside I will be taking some fudge (Made it yesterday) BUT supplies are not inexhaustible so maybe only a taster!

With luck see you there.

And if not take care and enjoy the weather/election/whatever.

All the best Clint

IT WW2 Volkstrum 20mm

And just for a change here are some 20mm Volkstrum (Late war German home guard). I painted theses for Tim at the wargames club who has purchased the moulds etc. of the WW2 IT Miniatures range.

Here is a link to his web site and where they can be bought.  (Click this link to travel to web site )

At the end of the war Germany was short of troops. As such it recruited from the old, the young and the less than fit. Additionally it did not always supply the Volkstum with full uniforms.  Some were supplied and at other locations some uniforms were not. Tim asked me to have these mostly in civvies clothes and also on urban city bases. Consiquently a lot of brown and greys resulted.

These figures would also make very good partisans or even useful for the Jewish revolt in Warsaw.  In fact that strikes me as a very good game idea loads and loads of close terrain and maybe even a captured Hetzer!

The molds are old and the sculpts show it. Not in the casting I have honestly had worse from GW or foundry, but in the 2 dimensionality of the sculpts.  Which is to say that while there is nothing much wrong with the sculpts they are by no means as anatomically correct as current sculpts.

So if you are looking for Volkstrum or partisans or want to do the Jewish revolt. These may well be the figures for you.


The armbands can of course be repainted to represent a different faction. No point having German armbands if playing another faction so the simple swap of colour and you are good to go.

The WW2 IT MINIATURES figure range is quite large. and figures can be ordered seperatly which does allow for quite a variation of troops so perhaps if you have a look you might find what you are looking for.

Having never seen a game of the Jewish revolt and also KNOWING that Tim looks at my blog it is perhaps a show game for the future. I shall just leave the idea open and see if he comes back to me.

That is it for today thanks for looking and with any luck the thunderstorms did not keep you awake all last night.

Just a final note.

I had a game of Shako at the club yesterday and was completely out played. So well done Matt and I am NEVER playing Shako ever again.... JK

Matt played well and soundly beat me. I have no excuses but I will complain about it for ever more

Nice one mate.

Or I won and was brilliant, the most awesome tabletop general ever. (MY nose may be growing as I type this but it is true none the less.)

I will let you decide which is the correct story. Hee hee.

Catch you all later Clint

East Bonus Round.

On Sunday the "East" Bonus round was carried out. Originally I was going to do some "East Africa" WW1 figures. But as we all know they did not arrive in time (my fault I should have ordered them earlier). So I had a rummage and painted a "Ferdinand" .

For those few who do not know the Fedinand was the version of the "Elephant" used at the battle of Kursk. It did have a few drawbacks and those that survived the battle were fitted with an mg 34, Zimmermit paste and improved vision as well as a copla with another mg for the commander to use as well as upgraded armour.

2 were captured during the war, One by the Russians at the battle of Kursk and one (an Elephant) by the Americans at Anzio. Both are now restored and on display. Only 98 were ever made so this beast will almost never see action on the table top. It is just too rare to make many appearances and still count as credible. While MOST were only used in the East some were used in Italy.

As the Zvezda model kit only cost me £2.75 though having this as a 15mm option is still acceptable to me. Needless to say if I was to pay more the result would be I would need to justify it more and put it on the table for games more.

The camouflage is simple 3 colour camouflage and should (I hope) break up the contours of the machine when on the table. But only time will tell. Clearly I have not slavishly copied the camo from the video but the colours should at least be close even if the pattern is not!

The Video just shows the American Elephant arriving at Bovington. (on Loan). There are plenty of other videos so feel free to either watch or skip this as you see fit.

Thanks for looking and more again in a few days time. Until then take care have fun and do some painting if you can.