PSC T34-76 and T34-85 options

When in doubt with what to do with your time, simple male a fast build T34/76 (or T34/85) from the Plastic Soldier Company WWII 20mm Soviet range (see below, just a little pottering and you can have this little beauty): 

Sharing the common body the T34/85 turret (see below, very nice when you get two models for the price of one - mid to late war Soviet tanks sorted): 

All I really have to decide is what paint scheme to choose ;) 

Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) A9 Troop (France 1940 Style)

Just to prove I can finish off at least building some kits the other two of the PSC A9 early war (BEF) RTR. I made two of the two pounder variants and one of the 3" Close Support (CS) type (see below): 

Yes I am very happy with them and (at present) resisting the urge to but another packet, although I have teh excuse to make teh Western Desert with sand skirt version ;)

PSC Churchill 95mm (1/72)

The 1/72 AFV plastic kit "assembly rush" continues:

Despite having "a few" Churchills already I felt the irresistible urge for the PSC kit, or should I say kits as you get two to the box :)

You have plenty of variant choice:

• Churchill IV 6 pounder (already covered by my old Esci kits)
• Churchill V 75mm (already covered by my old Airfix kits)
• Churchill III AVRE (already covered by my old Matchbox kit)
• Churchill V 95mm CS Howitzer (a version I don't have)

The latter version being the preferred choice (in fact I made both kits in this version) to complete my range of combat Churchills (see one of my 95mm versions below):

For interest the PSC kit is shown alongside some Valiant 1/72, 1944 Normandy German infantry (which are known for being on the large side) for a size comparison (see below). Given the size of the tank commander you can see how large the Valiant "Germanic infantry cousins" are but, without the tank commander sticking his head out of the turret I think they would be fine enough to share the same space in a 'table-top battle'.

With respect to my 'other' Churchills Hasagawa have provided me with a troops of three Churchill II's (with pop gun two pounder of Deippe) and also one of the 'interesting' CS Churchill I's with two pounder in the turret and a fixed position three inch howitzer in the hull, a bit like the French Char B's. I have an Airfix and a Britannia Miniatures Crocodile, plus an Esci mine-roller Churchill III (although a friend claims these were never used in combat), this leaves only the Airfix Bridge Layer "missing", to be acquired at a later date.

As per usual no complaints for the PSC assembly and both kits were leisurely done in an evening, two hours max with plenty of breaks :)

Highly recommended .    

Plastic Soldier Company Sherman Firefly and Airfix Sherman

Blow me the boys at PSC make a mean Sherman Firefly. I mean I would think twice even if I were in a Tiger from taking these boys on, with obligatory cup of char in the background "though decaffeinated" (see below):

Nice looker with spare parts to adorn the hull front to add a little extra armour, and we all know "every little extra helps" (see below):

Compare this against the old Airfix veteran, with a PSC tank commander to nominate it as a command tank (see below):

I don't think I can mix these boys in the same regiment though (see below):

One RTR with Airfix Sherman and Matchbox/Revell Firefly. The PSC Firefly boys are intended to support the Cromwell RTR I am forming.

Model on as a fellow blogger would say

Plastic Soldier Company: T34 Boxed Set

The good thing about the model tank sets you get from PSC is that they always give you three of the best, in this case a T-34 76mm (1943) ready to fight the fascists (see below):

But in a blink of an eye they can turn into a T34 85mm (1944) which is a "Panzer IV's" nightmare to face (see below):

Nice to see they have remembered the Airfix "two for the price of one deal" (one early/mid and one late war) that was so beloved of little boys like me everywhere ;)

Plastic Soldier Company T34/85 and T34/76 (1943)

Cue "Great Patriotic War Music"  as the T34/85 rill onto centre-stage (see below):

The robust "Panzer Killer" with pointing tank commander (see below)

And slightly over sized barrel? (see below):

Fully "accessorised" with stowage and fuel tanks (see below):

A nice feature being the interchangeable 85mm and 76mm turrets akin to the old Airfix model, which effectively gives you two models for the price of one (see below):  

Like the real T34 the utilitarian design adopted by the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) of just a few parts makes a quick build that pays tribute to this little war winner. A recommended purchase, three for the price of one with other manufacturers offering many more parts but no discernible improvement in details. I need to get cracking    

20mm Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) US Sherman 76mm

Again the PSC "quick builds" comes the rescue of my flagging WWII Command Decision US Tank Battalion from the US Armoured Division Orbat. I cannot think of a more contrasting experience, the Airfix/Esci/Italeri/Matchbox/Revell (and worse, Fujimi or Dragon) 80-100 parts per Sherman versus the PSC 20 or so. Instead of months of hobby time, three M4 76's took less than a nights attention (see below):  

These Normandy+ "Tiger Tamers" (well that's what they were supposed to be) can add offensive weight one per US Sherman company (see below): 

The US Sherman Tank Battalion "box" suitable from when the Americans threw away the concept of having a separate "light M3 Stuart battalion" in the Armoured Regiment and instead integrated a light "Stuart" company as one of the companies in a Sherman battalion (and padding the original Stuart battalion up with displaced Shermans, thus retaining the same number of tank Battalions, for use in their Combat Commands). This allows me to field a force ranging from "post-Tunisia (Italy) to Berlin (Normandy, Break-Out, Aredennes, Germany)" (see below):

Note: As per my earlier point it is still waiting for one last, in this case Italeri (aka ex-Esci), Sherman to be made.

Left hand side (Light Tanks):

• 3 x M3 Stuart Company (1942-43)
• 3 x M5 Stuart Company (1944+)

Right hand side (Medium Tanks): 

• 5 x M4 75mm Shermans (1943-45) + one still to make
• 3 x M4 76mm Shermans (1944-45)

Top row (Command Company): 

• 1 x M4 81mm Mortar Half Track (1943-45)
• 1 x M8 Howitzer Carriage "Close Support" (1943)
• 1 x AA Recon Jeep 
• 1 x M4 Sherman 105mm "Close Support" (1944-45)
• 1 x M4 76mm HQ Tank (1944-45)

Note: An additional Sherman could be useful to downgrade the Command Tank in 1943-44 scenarios to a 75mm Sherman (in teh meantime the Sherman 105 can take its place)

The remaining US AFV's now fit into a separate box, which I will carry up into the loft very, very carefully (see below):

Also of interest are:

• 3 x M3 Lee (Tunisian Campaign, somehow making "another seven" does not appeal, for a tank formation that was quickly phased out of service. See bottom left)
• 3 x M24 Chaffee's (Late 1945 "Bust Berlin". See bottom middle)
• 2 x M36 Jackson's (1944-45, see top right)
• 2 x M10's (1944-45, see top left)
• 1 x M6 Pershing (1945, see top middle)
• 1 x "Easy Eight" Sherman (1945, middle right)
• 1 x Sherman Calliope (1945)
• 2 x M8 Priests (1943-45)
• 1 x M12 (155mm, 1944-45)
• 1 x M40 (155mm, 1945)
• 1 x 155mm "Long Tom" Artillery Piece (1942-1945)
• The 'mis-filed' DUKW (Interestingly for which I have not as yet found/devised a table-top scenario to fit in for 20mm, though candidates from reading various history books 'could be' D-Day, Market Garden and the Rhine crossing. Trouble is I may need more than one and my stamina to make another is not that great!)

There is another box full of US soft-skin/half-track transport to ferry the infantry about, but there is also the case of time to paint that infantry first.

Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) 20mm M5A1 Stuarts and Stuart Reece

I really like the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) 1/72 or 20mm kits. They balance a very high level of detail in an easy assembly model. IMHO they are the best value and quality on the market. In addition you get plenty of 'out of the box variation' with the models. For example the 20mm M5A1 kit comes in three different 'models' (early, middle and late production types), with or without the "Sgt Cullen" patent "bocage" hedgerow strimmer, therefore the 'basic' number of permutations is six without breaking into a serious modelling sweat (see below):

In fact there is so much extra kit included in each box means that there is almost enough to make "double the number of models" which stands at a generous three as it is. The only thing stopping the 'six models for the price of three' is the lack of a turret and a couple of 'simple' body parts, namely a basic squarish box to attach the hull cover and tracks onto.

However as a 'M5A1 Stuart' without a turret is in actual fact a 'M5A1 Reece Stuart' British battlefield modification, the lack of a turret is therefore not such a big issue after all. It is just a case of scratch building a box of a body and then "milliputting" a round "front end" on. From this musing struck a germ of an idea that grew and grew. Thus began a plasti-card missing body part production line (see below):

I did briefly think/experiment on casting a "household DIY sealant productbased" body but my "injection moulding" capabilities were sadly lacking, but at least the 'undefined' shape that resulted convinced me I could make a basic "plasti-card' chassis to drop the extra hull cover onto (see below):   

Assembled together: the spare hull cover, spare tracks and 'custom' hull (see below):

The Result: 

The three M5A1 Stuarts in the background are fully complete and the three M5A1 Reece Stuarts in the foreground have the "outlined body construction" complete, needing just a little extra tidy up to the front and back "TLC modelling" (see below):

Concept proven to hold water methinks, Browning 50 Calibre HMG, sandbags, stowage and extra crew still needed.

;)