World war 2 Terrain

 Its been an interested month.  I've half-painted about 30 figures and assembled some french cavalry but I've been Pretty unmotivated about actually finishing anything. this past weekend I was looking in a box and I found a 4Ground Polish Rural Dwelling model, and a pack of 4Ground Yard Panel fencing with Gates.  both of these will work well for eastern front terrain so i decided to get them assembled and based up. I also had a pack of Wizkids Deep Cuts log piles, that I tossed into the pile to work on.

4Ground Polish Rural Dwelling with
scratch-built fence

I built a wooden fence using 2 types of balsa wood(posts and planks) and  matchsticks(crossbeams).  i used a steel wire brush to accentuate the wood texture.  the building kit came with fur for thethatch roof.  I soaked it in PVA to harden it and then I highlighted it with light cream colour. i then applied patches of GW Agrax Earthshade wash(brown) and Athonian Camoshade( green-brown) wash to mottle the colour a bit.  I also added a pile of stacked wood from the deep cuts pack to one of the walls on the opposite side of the base from the fence, and added a trio of matchsticks to the peak of the roof to cover up the seam of where the teddy bear fur pieces meet. Otherwise the building is unmodified, other then some Scenic Express  Super Turf  texture foliage around the base to make it look less like a building glued to a piece of HDF.

4Ground Polish Rural Dwelling internal detail.

 this kit is well designed and is much nicer looking then some of 4Grounds early, more simplistic looking buildings. the interior has a nice stove/fireplace and the front door opens and closes. it also comes with matte board blue shudders.

Wizkids Deep Cuts Wood Piles(3). I fixed the
stacked woodpile to the building.

I left the remaining 2 wood piles lose so they can be placed as needed. they aren't big enough to affect anything so they are just around to add some character to tables. still they are nice and not hugely oversized like some end up being. the Wizkids Deep Cuts line is as always wonderful. 

4Ground Yard Panel fences with Gates.

 

The Yard Panel fencing is nice looking and easy to put together, but badly designed.  They have the fence panels situated along one edge of the base, with no overlapping bit to improve stability. As a result if left unmodified, they fall over if you breath a little too heavily.

lower angle of 4ground fences for height comparison

As you can see below, I added some pebbles I have kicking around to help counterbalance them. this makes the fence sections much more stable. the fences are tall enough to lock infantry LOS, and give concealment to even large-ish tanks. I didn't check but it may actually completely block a 1/56th BT-7 or T-26.

Rear view to display rocks needed for stability.

If anyone is interested in what makes the models i used for size comparison, the tank is an Army Group North Miniatures T-28 medium tank, the infantry in front of the panel fences are Crusader Miniatures  Soviets, and the soviet infantry inside the fences are 1 each of The Assault Group and Black Tree designs.  the AT gun on the building base is a 47mm at gun I got from AGNMiniatures (old force of arms model?) with crew from Warlord Games and Black Tree Designs.

Given my fickleness with painting, I'm now aiming to have at least one new post a month. if I'm in the painting mood, I'll post more often. when the mood strikes me I paint a ton, so I'm sure I will end up with a good deal more then 12 posts in 2021. But i think otherwise that is a more reasonable way to ensure I get some progress done on something regularly.

WW2: Early(ish) Soviets

So here is the last of the WW2 armies that I currently own.  I've had most of these soviets for about a decade now. most have been painted for that time.   They are mostly Crusader soviets, along with some TAG and some Black tree mixed in. The Engineer flamethrower team, 50mm mortar and a few random gun crew are Bolt Action/Warlord.

I've re-arranged the platoon into 15 man squads for 1939 to fight my Japanese  on the Mongolian border. along with 2 extra models to bring teh squads up to 15, I've added the BT-7s, 45mm AT gun, 50mm Mortar, and  engineer 2 man flamer team.

AGNM BT-7s

AGNM BT-7s from a different Angle

Full Platoon and support shot.

Infantry Squads

Platoon Command and Support

I really want to pick up a platoon each of Rubicon T26s and BA-10s. other then that, I have more then enough Infantry support teams.  so the infantry Component is definitely done.

In  the future, once I have money again,  I am considering doing a USMC Parachute battalion. These are a really poorly represented group in miniature gaming, and they have some very unique gear.  I'd be using Brigade games USMC raiders as they have a pack or two with the right weapons and the raider style uniform is the closest to the USMC Parachute battalions.  The 1st parachute battalion was with present with the 1st Marine Raider battalion at the battle for 'Edson's ridge". they also fought earlier on Guadal Canal, and at Bougainville.  The 3 parachute battalions were disbanded, having never made a combat jump,  and later formed to the core of the newly raised 5th Marine Division.  Many were awarded medals for the fighting at Iwo Jima, and 2 of the former "paramarines" were in the famous picture raising the US flag at Iwo Jima.  I like obscure topics, and this little-known USMC formation fits the bill perfectly.

World War 2 Germans For Chain of command.

So here are my  Early war Germans. These have been recently touched up. I also added 1 Pz III, 1 Pz IV, and 3 Sdkfz 222s in April early this year.  everything i had prior to that but i repainted it to match the new scheme.

the infantry is oddly set up. I have 2 squads each of Schutzen and regular infantry.  This is due to the game I put on at last may's Mayday Convention in Edmonton.  I had multiple platoons of infantry, but to reduce the work new players had to do  i reduced the platoons to 2 squads instead of 3.  i already had 4 squads of Germans, and enough extra MG34s and loaders to make half my squads  Schutzen, so i did so.  i also had enough figures to make 2 full German platoon HQs and enough support options to reinforce 2 platoons.  I had intended afterwards to  buy 2 additional squads to fill out the platoons after the game, but i was laid off just before the convention.


the only difference between schutzen and regular infantry is the colour of the shoulder straps.  Schutzen were black piped green, and regular infantry were black piped white.  I know some companies sell schutzen in smocks, but only usually only the SS schutzen were equipped with them during the battle of France.  As such you can barely tell the difference other then the extra MG34.

the Germans.  Mostly Crusader, but there are some Black
Tree designs and Pre-Warlord Bold Action miniatures mixed in.

Left two squads are Schutzen, Right two are Regular Infantry

2 Platoon commands complete with 50mm mortar.  addtional support Teams
ignore the Pack 38. Its left over from when i used to use these for 1941-42

My German vehicle collection. Everything is AGNM,
except the Neubauferzeug VI, which is JTFM.

Left to right, front to back: 3 Sdkfz 222s, Pz II,
Neubaufehrzeug VI, Pz. IV,  STuG III, Panzerjager I

Left to right, front to back:  3 Pz 38Ts, 1 Pz. I, 3 Pz. IIIs

 That is my collection so far. I'd like to bump both platoons up to a full 3 squads, and I'd like to add a squad of pioneers. Past that I don't have much in mind.

WW2 French for Chain of Command

I've had World War 2 French in 28mm for about 10 years now.  but about a year ago i decided to start playing Chain of command a little more regularly.  Last February i decided to put on a Big Chain of Command game at Mayday on the first weekend in May.

I decided I wanted to do 2 platoons of infantry and 2 platoons of armour for the game.  I put in a big order to Army Group North Miniatures to complete several platoons for both Germany and France. I also ordered a platoon of  Dragons Portes miniatures from Crusader miniatures/Northstar.  I painted these up as Chasseurs Portes, the infantry component of the Cuirassier heavy tank divisions. some of these infantry units had blue pants instead of the typically drab pants of other french infantry formations. they also give a decent counterpart to German schutzen, being similar formations themselves.

French Chasseurs Portes platoon.

Chasseurs Portes Infantry

 The Chasseurs Portes are really neat formations. they are basically the french version of Panzer Grenadiers.  2 teams of 5, each with a FM 24/29 LMG.   a section leader and a rifle grenadier complete the Section, although the rifle grenadier was often attached to the platoon HQ to form a rifle grenadier section. . The platoon is supported by a 60mm Brandt mortar, a Hotchkiss MMG team, a Canon de 47mm L53 AT gun and a Canon de 25mm L72 AT gun. there is also a 5 man motorcycle section I made with extra figures.

Chasseurs Portes platoon command and Support teams.

Reinforced French Infantry Platoon

French Infantry Squads

French Infantry Platoon command and Support teams

 The regular french Infantry platoon is 3 sections, each with a rifle grenadier and a FM24/29 LMG. As with the Chasseurs Portes the rifle grenadier was often attached to the platoon HQ to form a rifle grenadier section.  The platoon is supported by a 4th infantry section, 60mm Brandt mortar, Hotchkiss MMG, Canon de 25mm L72 AT gun, and a Canon de 75mm M1897.  I also have 2 81mm mortars left over from when I played disposable heroes. 

I often play this platoon as motorized infantry in Chain of Command, as the platoon structure is identical.  They just get a few more support options.

French Armour.

Left to right, Front to back:  MadBob FCM 36, JTFM R-39,
AGNM AMR-35 ZT3, AGNM AMR ZT1/2, AGNM Char B1 Bis
3x AGNM Somua S35s

Left to Right, Front to Back:  AMR-35 ZT1/2, 3x Hotchkiss 39s,
Somua S-35, 3x Panhard 178.  All AGNM

 All the Infantry are Crusader Miniatures.  All but 2 tanks are Army Group North Miniatures. I would love to add a trio of Char D2s but no one makes a model of one, and any of the 3D models i've seen on Shapeways are way too expensive($120 USD??).  the Char D2 was the tank that Charles De Gaulle's unit was equipped with when Germany invaded.  they were replaced by Char B1s later on, but  i would have though someone would have done a model of them. Warlord makes a Char D1 but they weren't even in service with the regular army in 1939. they were pulled out of  mothballs and set to the front lines in the later stages of the Battle of France.

This army is essentially done.  I have 6 AGNM Laffly S-20s(that I 3D Sculpted), but I've yet to paint them up. they will most likely get used as jump off points for my Chasseurs Portes.

Finally, the buildings in the background of all the pictures are Sarissa buildings.  I painted them up quickly for the  Big CoC game I ran.  I still have to weather them properly.

Terrain Blitz

yesterday afternoon I found myself overcome with the need to do.. something.  I spent a little while trying to decide on what to do, then i decided to try something I've been looking at doing for a while: new, larger hedges/bocage.

German supply convoy driving along side bocage/hedge

Hedges and road with recently repainted foundry
Russian officer and Jagers

I cut up some MDF into 12", 6" and 4" lengths.  i then tested the concept out on the 2 12 inch bases. I used Spanish moss, found at most craft or floral stores.  i bunched it together in long thin-ish strips, and hot glued it to bases. i then watered down some carpenters glue and sprayed down the moss and flocked it with Woodland Scenics green blend flocking.  finally, once dry  I take some very watered down carpenters glue and i soak the Spanish moss , which after drying, hardens flocking, making it less likely to come off.

hedges and road with AGNM WW2 German transports

Once this was drying I was looking for some other stuff, to do, so I went into my gaming cupboard and fished out 6 12" lengths of roofing shingles that i had cut several months ago, to make roads using an Architects of war article. I was initially skeptical because it is difficult to see a grain worthy of drybushing on the backside of the shingle but it got getter looking as I  drybrushed progressively lighter, and looked pretty darn solid once flocked..

Field with all pieces in place.
still needs the basing painted and flocked

 
finally I  then decided to pull out one of the bristle door mats from the back room and make a field with removable sections. i cut out a 12" piece of MDF and beveled the edges.  I then cut out an 11" piece of mat, and then cut a 1/2" around the inside of that, and glued it down.  i based around the outside and in the centre.  finally i cut the 10"x10" section that fits in the middle down to 9.75" x 9.75". this has to be done because the mat flares out at the edges. if you want to be able to fit it inside the boarder, you need to cut it down a bit.  I then cut it into 8 pieces of various sizes.
 

Russian jagers hiding out in a field.
Removed pieces shown behind

 this week's objective is to complete some more terrain, renedra fences, as well as paint a tank for a friend's Russians.

RC Tanks To The Rescue!

I've been in a painting funk for abut 2 months. it sucks, because I had plans to do a lot of painting, and then suddenly i could not bring myself to paint anything.  it probably has something to do with my reenacting(of complete lack thereof) but that is a story for another time.

anyway, a couple of friends  got me interested n 1/16th RC tanks recently.  in case your unsure what is involved, these RC tanks have full range of movement(including turret) recoiling barrels full sound, and even smoke coming out of the exhaust.  but the test part is that they have Infrared laser emitters and recievers  that register hits, in a laser-tagish sort of fashion.

We attended the CanAm Tank Club's Battle day on July 21st, in Niagara Falls, Canada, and soon after decided to get into RC tanking.

I'll be refitting much of the electronics(being an electrical engineering student) but I'm also the resident painter, so I've been investigating how to paint these monster tanks(18-24" long). I ended up buying a gravity feed dual action airbrush and wanted to try out some of the new techniques I picked up.  So I pulled out my WW2 28mm vehicles box and produced Army Group North Miniatures Opel Blitz's and Sdkfz 10s, 2 of each.

AGNM Opel Blitz's

I started by airbrushing on a base coat of  Vallejo Model Air 71.052 German grey. then I applied 2 coats of  German grey mixed with 71.050 Light grey, getting progressively lighter with each layer. finally i applied  coat of  the light grey by itlsef to highlight  high areas and centres of large panels.
after this i applied a watered down  Vallejo black wash, and then used the straight black was and applied it to panel lines, creases, and gaps.  

 

AGNM Sd Kfz 10 1 ton haulers

After that i applied  some "paint scratches" using a dark red-brown that i mixed.  it was dabbed on using a scrap of  abrasive scrub pad(the stuff I used for hedges).  I then finished off all the details with a brush.

the effect is subtle, but all in all, I thought that this technique worked well, especially for the first try.

my friends bought  early tigers and panzer IVs to start their RC tanking.  i bought a single  Panzer III and plan to convert it into  Panzer III/IV, with the same paint scheme as it's World of Tanks Counterpart.  the Pz III/IV is one thank that has been in my garage since i got it, and no one has one at the tank club(yet), so it will be a unique addition.

I'm sure you'll see more of teh RC tanks as i start to paint them, so stay tuned.

It's Alive....... almost!

After a nearly 8 month hiatus due to school and lack of gaming group, I've returned!(at least for the summer).  I still have a week and a half left in exams, but  after that I plan to get back to gaming with a vengeance!

back at the beginning of last October I began doing test schemes on my Napoleonic plastics for a Peninsular War skirmish project.   I never got around to photographing them. Recently my friend Jon has expressed an inters in getting back to his gaming roots, which was Napoleonics.  so i decided nest time i photograph something to grab a few pics of them.:

Peninsular British line infantry
Victrix miniatures

Dismounted Dragoons of the 27th regiment.

on to more recent things.  the Easter weekend gave me a much needed breather from school. i too good Friday to get back to painting.  I've had an AGNM soviet T28 kicking around since last august. this is the one Vince at AGNM graciously donated to me after my original T-28 was pilfered from my gaming club. i finally painted it. it looks better then the original, and I took the liberty to test out some waethering powders on it as well.

AGNM Soviet T-28

And then i pained a couple of JTFM tanks i picked up at HOTLEAD. the Neubaufehrzeug 4 is also a replacement of a pilfered tank.  I decided to go with a 2-tone grey and brown camo scheme I found on the interwebs.  it's a nice departure from the endless grey of early war Germans.

JTFM German Neubaufehrzeug 4

 JTFM french 'Char léger modèle 1935 R modifié 1939'

the other is one of Jeff's new tanks, the  Char léger modèle 1935 R modifié 1939 (or more commonly known as R-40). this is a neat little kit, and it comes with a trench rail, which is really cool! I may need to ask him if i can get a trio by themselves to put on my H39s. Both of these tanks have bases attached so they fit in with the rest of my collection.


 Hopefully I'll be a little more active over the summer.

MIA? and a few new things

I have been missing in action for almost a month now.  the first 2 weeks were taken up by a deep painting funk.  the 3rd week I was laid up in bed sick with a chest infection. not normally a big deal, but i have asthma, so when something gets into my chest it knocks me off m feet for a few days.

then last week i was finishing up a 28mm SYW painting commission  for one of the guys at AGNM. I was down At the AGNM  workshop on Saturday dropping off the figures, so I picked up the other French vehicle that is soon t be released, the AMR-35 ZT-3 tank destroyer.  this is a lovely Casting. It's one resin piece with 2 metal fittings(gun barrel and Exhaust system at the back).  Casting was nearly flawless.  there was one small bubble on the bottom of the cast on base.  Since it absolutely does not impact the look of the vehicles, who cares!

French ARM-35 ZT3, soon to be released from AGNM

I have also been working on my French truck over the last month. I picked up the resin and RTV rubber form Toronto, and then had to wait a week to get back down there to grab the mold release which i had forgotten.  the mold turned out well, although i probably made the walls a little thick.   I have been having a bit of trouble getting the bits out of the mold.I think i have it fixed, but it's still a pain.  and since they are resin, they are also fragile. 

I was thinking about returning to my old way of resin ccasting with Alumilite for 3 reasons: Alumilite has a bit more tensile strength, it cures faster(cure in 5-8 minutes which is a big deal when you get about 2-3 in 10 casts don't turn out, and they take 25 minutes each with Smooth cast) and the old way of casting, i end up with a bit of thin flash, which ever so slightly thickns th parts, making them slightly less fragile. I haven't yet decided.  I suppose the other option would be to get them metal cast, but i by no means have the money to contract out the casting.  Anyway, on to the pictures.

First casting of the French S-20 truckFront view

French S-20 Truck rear view

S-20 Truck between a Panhard 178 Armoured Car and  an S-35 Somua tank, both from AGNM.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  there are a few minor things.  in 1 or 2 places i missed the rapid prototyping texture left behind. there are actually more places, but on the seat backs it almost looks deliberate, kind of like a texture for the fabric covering.  given that it is my first attempt, I'm pretty happy.  Now all i have to do is get a bunch of complete kits ready fro sale.  when i am ready to sell them(probably starting in a week or two)  I'll be charging actual shipping costs.

AGNM AMR-35

the last french tank I have is an AGNM AMR-35.   this is the 2nd  vehicle I picked up that has not been released yet (though it will be available soon).

Vince slipped both turrets into the bag, so the vehicle is pictured with the 13.2mm MG turret on and the 7.5mm MG turret  separately. I decided I needed a little variety in the camo, so I went for the Vertical stripe camo, using a red-brown and a more yellowish tan. Vince also has a 3rd variant, the turretless 25mm Tank hunter variant(ZT3) in the works as well.  I'll have to grab one of those next time I  make an order.

I also touched up the R-35s using the new techniques i used on the Char B1.  it's not a big change(only the Tan was redone), but i think they look better.

Before touch-ups. Taken with the old Camera 7 months ago.

After Touch-ups. Taken with new camera yesterday.

French Reinforcements

Well the AGNM Char-B1 Bis took a little longer then expected, but the result is pretty good looking. I also finished up my Panhard 178 Armoured car.  I haven't finished the AMR-35, but i have not decided how to paint it yet.

Finished Panhard AC and Char B1 with Crusader  Sgt

The camo on the Char B1 is similar to the scheme i did on the R-39s, although i think it turned out better.  I may go back and touch up the R-39 platoon using the same techniques.


Now all i have left from the trip down to AGNM last week is the T-28 and the AMR-35. Hopefully I'll get to htem this week

New WW2 Tanks

I've been a bit unproductive for the last 2 weeks.. other then a bit of painting for commissions, I've done pretty much nothing.


Anyway, last weekend I make a trip to Toronto to pick up rubber and resin to mold and cast my Laffly s-20 truck.  on the way back I stopped in at the Army Group North Miniatures workshop and talked to Vince and Andy.   They gave me some tips and pointers on resin casting which was most appreciated.

I Also picked up a few tanks.  I grabbed a 3rd 38(t), a Panhard 178 Armoured car, a Char B1 Bis, an AMR-35(with 7.5 and 13.2mm turrets) and a PanzerJager 1.  the last 2 have not been released yet, but they are well on their way.

I also picked up a complimentary T-28, and an extra 38(t) hull Machine gun bit that was missing from one of teh tanks i bought at hotlead in march. so now i can paint that one too.

Anyway, last night i painted the 3 German tanks.

the remaining 2 38(t)s of my platoon. 
38(t)s are a perfect match for H39s in DH&C7B.

"experimental" AGNM Panzerjager I.

As usual the AGNM models are fantastic.  the Panzerjager I goes together nicely, although the gun compartment is a bit cramped.  still the finished model looks fantastic.  I decided to paint the little shield on the gun shield, and the German crosses on the sides and rear. my hand isn't steady enough to do nice quality numbers on the sides.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have th french tanks completed for tomorrow, so I'll get those posted then.

More WW2 tanks

A month ago at hotlead i picked up 2 38(t)s and an Somua S-35 from ATGM( via the Five Arrows booth). one of teh 38(t)s was missing a machine gun bit, which will soon be rectified.

Anyway, My friend Jon and I are going to have our inaugural game at my house on Friday. I decided to make it the first game in a campaign using Too Fat Lardies Platoon Forward rules. The actual game rules will be Disposable Heroes, of course.  Dave Hoyt had played a few games with us at the club using his campaign platoon, so I'm already familiar with how Platoon Forward works.

Anyway, we will be setting the campaign in France 1940. I decided i needed to paint up a few more vehicles to add to the variety.  Up to this point, I only had 3 H-39s for the French, and a Stug, Pkmpfw I and Pkmpfw II usable for the Germans.  So I sat down last night and painted the S-35 and  the complete 38(t).

AGNM Somua S-35.

AGNM Panzer 38(t)

 Next up will be a PaK 36 for the Germans and a Hotchkiss 25mm AT gun for the French.