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.

Laffly S-20 arrived.

 My 1:56th laffly S-20 truck arrived today from Shapeways in the Netherlands.  I decided to try out a new material that they are doing an 8 week test run on, Frosted detail. it`s capable higher detail then the material I used last time for the test wheels, and it has a smoother finish.  Unfortunately, the material is semi see-through so it is hard to see  details in any photo i take.

From my computer...

To a physical model!

All in all the truck cost about $70 CDN( $62 for model & shipping, $8 for UPS COD at the door).  the spikes on the engine block are designed to fit into little slots on the cap section, and the wheel covers also slide into slots on the side of the cab.  I was initially a little worried about these not fitting but they fit perfectly! I was also a little worried about unwanted surface texture, but there is only minor texture on the right side of the truck bed.  a Dremel buffing wheel should probably take care of that nicely.

It is also nice that it arrived today as tomorrow is my Birthday.

Quick Update: More Progress on the Spanish Church

Just a quick update.

Yesterday I worked on the Graveyard around the back, and also started adding some of the finer details(window sills etc)

Unlike Gary Chalks, I made the Graveyard a little bigger, and instead of topping the wall with balsa stripes I used some 1/72nd Spanish tile roofing to make it look a little more "Spanish" instead of Carribean(which Gary Chalk's was designed for).  Like Mr Chalk's church, I made the graveyard raised, using 1" insulation foam. this makes it an excellent vantage point to defend from.  Totally by accident, the area between the wall and church on the tower-side of the church is also big enough to fit 50mmx50mm bases, which is a Fairly common basing scheme in my area for large Napoleonic collections.

Main Cemetery entry way with arch
defended by Electorate Fusiliers

Secondary cemetery entrance,
also defended by Electorate fusiliers.

I was thinking of putting Spanish tile(same as the main roof) on the transition from the tower main section to the 2nd level when i built it i think i made it the 2nd level a little too small, and now the "ridge" is too large.  Thoughts? opinions?

I'll probably be spending the rest of the day assembling the new desk(which is an early birthday present). I also have a few other items I have to finish this week so it might be a few days before i get back to this project.

Beginning of a new project.

At Hotlead i picked up 3 Boxes of Victrix Figures: 1 box of 1807-1812 french(60 figs), 1 box of Peninsular British Flank companies, and 1 box of British artillery. thus far i have only assembled about half a box of French infantry.

I decided to switch gears. I don't really have any Spanish-suitable terrain, but a few weeks ago a fellow Gamer & once upon a time mentor, Derek Watson, gave me a big Ziploc bag full of Foamcore. it turns out it was the pieces to a pair Spanish churches that he had started to cut out.  Most of the basic pieces had been cut out. I had to cut a few windows here and there, and i re-cut a few pieces from some Foamcore I have in the back room. I also added a roof made from Sheet Styrene and a sheet of  MBS 1/50th Clay tile roofing.

Church WIP

Church in it's constituent pieces

He was following an old Gary Chalk pattern that had been published in an unknown magazine many years ago.

Spanish Church by Gary Chalk, which the above
church has been based on

Like the photo the church will have a walled, raised cemetery around back  and when it is done, the whole thing will be approximately 12" x 20". I'm still a little confused as to how to texture teh church.  If you have any ideas, by all means let me know.



In other news, earlier this week, Vince Conners at Army Group North Miniatures emailed me, and Let me know that next time i place an order he will include a replacement T-28, free of charge.

Once again I am astonished by the good will of the miniatures industry.  The kind of response I have gotten from Conquest and AGNM will easily make me(and hopefully many others) a loyal customer for years to come.  If you get a chance, reward these kind souls for their kindness with a purchase. I know I will.

ARR: First Platoon Forward Action.

Last night my friend Jon and I had the inaugural game at my house. As mentioned previously, we had decided to play Disposable heroes WW2 using the TFL Platoon Forward campaign system. the game was set in 1940 during the invasion of France.

Before hand, I had decided that i was going to track 2 Platoons, one German and one French. They won't always be playing against each other. I decided that wen one rolled up a defensive role and one rolled up an offensive role, there would be a 50/50 chance of the 2 platoon meeting. this means the overall odds of them fighting in the same game are about 33%.  well last night it happened.

the scenario was an exploitation scenario, with the french on the defensive and Germans on the offensive. there german Platoon( had been held in reserve during a company or battalion wide attack. When a hole opened up in the Germans were sent into hte hole and advance to take position in a church behind the french lines. the french, being in somewhat disarray only start with a single squad of infantry, an MG and the platoon NCO on the board.

Forces:

German Platoon
Platoon command ( LT, Sgt, 3 privates)
3 infantry squads(6 man Rifle section, 4 man LMG section each)
1 5cm Mortar

German Support
1 PaK 38
1 80mm Mortar
1 MG-34 MMG
1 Panzer IV D

French Reinforcements
Platoon command(Lt, 2 Privates, 1 VB grenadier)
2 Squads( 8 man rifle section with VB, 4 man LMG section each)

81mm Mortar team
H-39 light tank( entered Turn 3)
Somua S-35( entered Turn 4)

we rolled up pre-game events and Jon's platoon was in high morale(+1), while my troops were well rested(+1 Movement)

As usual, I forgot to take pics for the first half of the game. but here it is in ha nutshell.  Jon started his forces in the middle third of the table.  I deployed the rifle section in the graveyard(NCO attached), the MG on main floor of the Church and the LMG section in the 2nd floor in the tower window. His first turn of fire pinned the reifle section immediately.  by the end of the turn only the Squad Sgt, VB grenadier, and NCO remained.  The LMG section had lost one of it's members, and the MG had LOS blocked by smoke after it fired.  the rest of the platoon entered on the German far right at the roadway.

2nd turn Jon Killed the remainder of the rifle squad and pinned the LMG section.the HMG section retreats to the far end of the church in preparation for an assault. hte NCO survived and under covering fire from long range of the LMG(which pinned a German rifle section entering the graveyard). he retreated to the gate of the graveyard.  Jon's MG-34 succumbed to superb rifle fire from a section french riflemen.

3rd turn the french advanced a little more taking fire and giving it. the H-39 arrived at the far end of the table from the infantry(German far left), behind a significant amount of cover.  Jon piled more infantry into the church and Jon's P IV having lost it's only recently acquired target(the MG section) moved up the street a little more in preparation for  attack of the H-39. the NCO in spectacular fashion, steadied his rifle  on the graveyard wall and proceeded to do more damage to the German rifle section in the graveyard the 2 squads of french down the road could do over the next two turns.

End of 3rd turn.

In the 4th turn, Jon continued to pile infantry into the Church while i was slowly beginning to realize that retaking the church was no longer possible in the time remaining ( 6-turn game length) . the Somua entered the table, albeit to late to have a real effect on the game. it took a potshot at the infantry in the graveyard but had no real effect.  the NCo continued having the most effect on the game.  the H-39 pulled out to take a shot at the Panzer IV but the shot went wide.  Luckily, so did the Panzer's shot.  a few moves into the 5th turn i gave up and retreated, as i could not make it to the church in the time allotted.

 

End of 4th turn

During the free-form events that followed the game,  the french NCO who miraculously survived  increased in moral ability, as he held his post against overwhelming odds(in full view of the rest of teh platoon and at least 1 tank) and only retreated when he was ordered to.  the German squad leader who was in hte graveyard also increased his gut score due to his bravery and keeping his squad together in the face of overwhelming fire( 2 full french squads, a mortar,  the NCO and a Somua tank). a the fixed effects yeilded no changes fr the french, but teh Germans get to have an extra Mortar or MG-34 MMG team next scenario, and try were asked by Battalion HQ to deliver a new radio to company HQ since they are out of contact (next scenario for them)

Part way through 5th turn, end of game.

All in all i like the system. my only grip is that the +1 morale is far better then the +1 movement.  I may adjust to to +2 because +1 jut don't have much impact.  the rules do not specify the actual increase, rather leaving it up to the players to decide since it is a non-rules-specific set.    and now for some cool pics:

Somua takes a potshot at some German infantry

H-39 Begins it's attack

End of game.

More WW2 and a Surprise!

Yesterday I painted a few more WW2 support teams. THis time it was 1 Crusader French 25mm AT gun, a pair of Crusader German ATR teams, and an AGNM PaK 36.   picked up this stuff at Hotlead to add som much-needed AT ability to my 1940 french project.  my Germans were originally built as an early Eastern front platoon(and light on at with only a PaK 38), so one of my planned purchases at the Con was AT weapons. the french also had no proper AT( 75mm mle 1897 not withstanding) so i picked up 2 Hotchkiss 25mm Anti-tank guns.  The other one is still in the back room with the hull MG-less 38(t).

AGNM PaK-36 flanked by 2 crusader ATR teams.

Crusader 25mm Hotchkiss Anti-tank gun

Also, This morning i received an email that quite surprised me!  Eric Roof of Conquest Miniatures has offered to replace the stolen longhouse free of charge!

I've been a fan of Eric and Conquest since I discovered  them while beginning my FIW project.  I've been to 2 Historicons and both times I spent more money at his booth that at any other one(usually about 1/3rd to 1/2 of my expenditures). I also usually spend a while talking to him.  in fact of all the poeple I talk to at Historicon, Eric is one of 3  I always remember( Nick and Rob of Eureka are the others).

Eric is a pretty busy guy, so it really means a lot to me for him to take the time out of his busy day and offer to do this.   If Both of us  make it down to Historicon this year, I'm going to have to shake his hand, and probably pick up 2 regiment packs(1 British, 1 French) if I make enough money selling things.  Eric even coincidentally put together his marching regiment packs to fit perfectly with how I've already structured my units for sharp practice( i do mine as 24 infantry, plus 1 drummer, 1 standard, and 2-3 officers/ncos)!

anyway, Eric is a stand up guy, and excellent to deal with.  Everyone should buy their FIW stuff from him!

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.