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.

More World War 2: Japanese type A reinforced Platoon

I like doing less well known periods of ww2. When I started my early war french project over a decade ago, it wasn't really something everyone though of in miniature gaming.  It only really got big when bolt action started releasing early war armies.

I originally had some Soviets too. although they very much fell by the wayside as i got caught up in the throws of my 1940s french and Germans.  they were always the third army I had, but never really got a lot of love.


when my France 1940 project was near a close I jumped into my ww2 box and found most of a TAG Japanese platoon I've had since The Assault Group miniatures stopped being distributed and went direct sale only. I had totally forgotten I had these. I decided I would paint them up and reorganize my soviets for 1939.

Warlord/Italieri type 97 Chi-ha platoon.

The Assault Group Infantry Platoon, Type A

Support teams. the mmg is TAG, the other 3 are Brigade games
with Additional TAG crew

Squad Close up

Platoon command, snipers, Grenade Discharger Squad, and a Forward Observer at the back.

This platoon is not quite complete.  I need some engineers, and I need 6 more infantry to complete the 15 man strong sections for the  type A platoon.  the main infantry element at the battle of Kalkhin Gol was a reinforced "type A" division, which had more manpower and more equipment. I also have 3 Company B Type 89Bs that are next on the block after I finish my BT-7s(only a little weathering left to go)

I really want to add some type-95s and type 92 Jyu-sokosha or 2, and a type 97 Te ke tankette. you know, all the really obscure stuff lol.


Incidentally if anyone wants to trade 6 TAG infantry with Rifles(or the above mentioned tanks), I have a whole host of extra miniatures.  I have  4 or 5 officers, 7 LMGs(4 prone), 2 snipers, and 4 infantry with knee mortars.  I think I also have 4x 4-figure 81mm mortar teams advancing. All TAG miniatures.

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.