Colonials: 1/72 Acquisitions

All part of the great master plan. Visiting my favourite Edinburgh model shop (Wonderland Models) I took my time searching through the plastic figure section focusing on a "Colonial" perspective (ignoring the Modern distraction of a certain excellent Caesar plastic miniature range, your time will come) I decided to 'fill up' on the British army of that period. I say period but in truth I sampled unashamedly from the "Colonial", "Second Boer War" and "WWI" ranges as they were figures "that would do" (see below, my haul now means the British can field an 'all arms' response to the Arab revolt.  alongside their French compatriots):   

You can blame all this madness on Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame, bless him, my missus doesn't! Watch this space for a bit of a Colonial biff-bash in 2020! Something like the Sudan or an Arab Revolt methinks!

Holiday Arms Cache in 20mm

A recent visit to Edinburgh saw an opportunity to visit Wonderland and rampage through their 20mm figures selection (nothing beats having things physically in you hands creating budget dilemmas of all sorts). I simply could not resist these US Tank Riders from HaT. I did not "need them" for any particular "order of battle" or troop type but I could just see them enhancing the look and feel of any of the US kit I have with scruffy GI's lounging around (see below, they all have good character features and you get quite a lot too): 

Meanwhile I could not help noticing in the Italeri model section are rather large Italian cannon! Something I had seen before but hadn't picked up and later regretted it. It was a compulsory purchase. I so wished I had picked up a 1/144 scale F22 when I saw one years ago! That will be my HMS Repulse and KGV story all over again, waiting 10+ years for it to reappear (see below, this is part of my slow churn 20mm - 1/72 scale Western Desert force project): 

The figures look great, not much to the build and it looks slightly, dare I say it H.G. Wells "Little Wars"? All I seem to be missing from my Italians is a little transport (you did not walk anywhere in the desert),  a couple of Light Tanks [Fiat L6/40 and L3/33] an earlier Medium Tank [M11/39] and a large car/small truck with a gun in it called a Sahariana (see below, all will come with the passage of time):

Note to self: There is no definitive start/end dates to the above, more growing the collection. I also stocked up on a collection of 15mm WWII Zvezda models, but that is another story. I also noticed a collection of Strelets/Italeri Japanese Infantry kits that had to wait for another time ;)

Note to self: HaT Colours Painting Guide

http://www.hat.com/Colors.html

Very useful given my recent acquisitions of 20mm or rather 1/72 plastic soldiers

WW2 German 'very soft' transport

While up in the attic I came across a "plastic mountain" of WW2 figures I had acquired. These seemed to be purchased under the auspicious title of 'other personal infantry transport'. Or: "How to make the German Landser go faster than his two legs". After all it is a long way to Moscow and Tunis (see below, left to right - motorcycle [Italeri], horse [HaT] to bicycle [HaT]):

These were obviously down the priority list to do but I like their eye-candy flavouring, particularly if I am trying to use my toys as higher level markers in Matrix Style (or "operational") games as opposed to 1-for-1 tactical representations (although that is still 'cool' but requires much more painting). I was really pleased with how the HaT plastics took to the "cheap £1 superglue" I used. In addition the riders came with alternate heads which I successfully used. The models above [green ones] are the basic 'out of the box variant' but I found the plastic was amenable to "cutting [like soft butter] and head swapping". The Italeri kit was very nice and fit together well (but as the plastic is much harder it would be a much more difficult [although not impossible] to use for conversions.

Note: I may be moving into an era of customisation of basic figures.

(Sherman part of) WW2 US Tank Battalion WIP (Command Decision 20mm)

Only half as far on as the British late 1944 RTR is the US 1944 Armoured Division Tank Battalion (Command Decision OrBat). The manufacturers are going from top to bottom (see below):

• HaT (Armour Fast) x 2 75mm M4A3
• Esci/Italeri x 2 75mm M4A3
• Esci/Italeri x 1 75mm M4A1
• Revell x 1 76mm M4
• "Die Cast" x1 M4A3 105mm

Still in the bag is another Italeri/Esci M4A3 Sherman kit (actually the Sherman "Calliope" kit) to make which leaves me the option of getting the Plastic Soldier Company of three US 76mm (Wet Stowage) to "finish" the battalion off. As way of size comparison (funny as NZ was just asking this very question) the large 1/72mm kits fit in well with the Armour Fast and Esci/Italeri kits (see below): 

For both the US and British tank formations, these are still "post D-Day" formations and both would require and additional three 75mm Shermans to represent the early Normandy "hit the beach" and "breakout" formation.

So there's still a possibility of more Airfix and Esci/Italeri Shermans to make in the future ;)

Note: I should also point out that there is quite a lot of variation in the US Tank Divisions (as in between the Divisions designated as "Light" and "Heavy"). I am also just looking at the M4 Sherman contingent as the US tank battalions had an organic M3/M5 (Stuart) light tank company too.

Model of the Month: WWII HaT"StuIG 33" x 2

What a fantastic high from making this kit and I don't think it was anything to the liquid glue I was using in an unventilated room. It was a quick-fit joy to make. HaT have really sorted out their kit assembly!

It was a delightful put together in less that twenty minutes.

The only down side to this kit is thinking up an excuse to buy another box. Two models pretty well covers the requirements of a Command Decision German Division (Infantry, Panzer Grenadier or Panzer). 

In one session I managed to put together two.

The instructions were excellent, the only difference between printed and actual in the box was a simplification, using one part instead of two for the bit that goes underneath the gun.

 
All-in-all its 10/10 for a fast build, 9/10 for a scale model but it has plenty of scope for customisation (adding to stowage bric-a-brac on the rear engine cover area). You can imagine it is one of those vehicles that 'landsers' would keep jumping on for a ride, given half a chance.

Painting and Making Tray Update

Chaos abounds with the prospect of an imminent house move. The painting tray seems to have gone into "assemble bare plastic model" mode as an antidote to the "house move" stress (see below):

A bucket load of the Perry 'Renaissance' Plastics on the left (near enough two and a half boxes of pike/shot/crossbow and one box of archers/halberds) destined to be my Renaissance Swiss Impetus Army. I will have to dig out some mounted Knights from somewhere at some point, but right at the moment I'm concentrating on 'two legs'. To the right is a bunch of GW 40K flying Tyranids (Gargoyles) I put together with my eldest son for fun.Lurking in the shadows at the rear are some more old GW Empire "Handgunners" destined to be Renaissance "Harquebusiers" (released from a fate worse than death IMHO). See below for a closer look, undercoated with the Vallejo equivalent of Scorched Brown = Charred Brown:

The Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) Charles V is getting some attention, but it is a slow burner not gaining much traction and in need of some inspiration otherwise I will still be without a "general" stand for my next Impetus game (see below): 

Fear not fellow 'treadheads' 20th Century mechanical devices are 'mentioned in dispatches' too (see below):  

I now have a flotilla of four RN Tribal class destroyers in 1/1200 scale to attack the KM Bismarck at night and I picked up a wonderfully weird 1/72 HaT German assault gun that I didn't even know existed (a Pz III chassis that carried a150mm Infantry Gun StuIG 33B) in plastic from a Easter trip to Edinburgh and a visit to Wonderland Model shop on Lothian Road (***** = 5 Star). That's next up to be 'glued' together. 
 
PS Hope the leg/ankle is healing 'NZ Paul' (Plastic Warriors)

New HaT WWII Germans and Japanese riding bicycles

Just spotted these postings in Bunker Talk on the "new" HaT German WWII bicycle troops (just after I was feeling clever for myself getting my hands on the old ones):

http://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/2012/01/hat-germans.html
http://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/2012/01/german-bikes_18.html

Can you have too many troops on bicycles? The post also mentions a set of Japanese WWII bicycle riders which I think would be very, very useful"!

Is there anything not now covered in WWII 20mm wargaming, I'm pushed to think of something!

A Final New Years Modelling Treat for ME!

Given that the annual New Year Exodus took me up to Edinburgh again, I managed to 'orchestrate' a trip to the Wonderland model shop on Lothian Road, Santa's Grotto to me, using the feeble excuse of a faulty Scalectrix car needing an urgent repair. While there I spotted the following "must buys":

HaT's German Mounted WWII Infantry, something which can complement the German Cyclist WWII Infantry (seeing is believing) and also something I can classify as an "20mm WWII early war". I was originally keeping an eye out for HaT's plastic Polish WW2 Infantry box (to complement my Polish Tank forces) but settled for these instead. Also no sign for HaT's WWII Italian Cavalry, maybe next time.

Next were these fine German Paratrooper figures from Italeri, out for a while now, but like all their new mouldings simply too good to pass up on, I had wanted them for a while. Discretion being the better part of valour meant that I stopped myself going infantry crazy over the Italeri 'Tank Hunter Teams' and an intriguing Italeri Italian WW2 large (10.5cm?) Artillery piece.     

Finally I did make sure I got one of these kits from Zvezda, essential for an early war, self respecting Motorised Rifle Battalion of the Soviet Union. This also meant I neglected to buy the Airfix WWII 1/76 Cromwell and the WW2 1/76 Airfix Churchill Bridgelayer kits (again), but I had a lack of funds and space. Their time will come I am sure ;)

The Panzer III Production Line Continued ...

Inside the heart of the Reich, Albert Speer's industrial war machine turns up a gear and starts churning out Panzer III's on a mass scale (see below, one HaT and two Frontline models) as Hitler's attention turns east towards the Soviet Union and his idealogical enemy Stalin:

A closer look at the "duo" of the 1/76 Pz III Ausf E's armed with the "37mm door-knocker" picked up at SmoggyCon (see below). It's always nice to paint a convention purchase asap:

My definition of "industrial" when it comes to kit creation is three plus ;)

The 1/72 Pz III Ausf G "short 50mm" (see back left above) shows the rapid pace of the evolutionary arms race in comparison to the 1/76 Pz III Ausf E "37mm door-knocker" (see rear right and foreground above). Two major marks of the Pz III were released within months of each other, the Pz III Ausf E becoming effectively obsolete by the start of the Russian 1941 Campaign (Barbarossa):

The Light Companies of the "Barbarossa 1941" Panzer Battalion and its Light Companies (see above). Each comprised of:

• 2 x Pz III Ausf G + 1 Pz III Ausf E

The "Command Tanks" to be nominated as needed, rather than being 'special models'. The two light companies 'spread' over the plain of my painting table (see below):

Shiny tracks, varying shades of German Grey and rusting rear radiator exhausts

Germans all done now, all I need is some Soviet opposition:

Finally its time to reappraise my "Panzer Grey Project", is it finished?

I think so, until spring 1942 when the Pz III "special" long 50mm tank (Ausf J2) appears. Technically I may need six Pz III Ausf G's models by the end of 1941, but combat attrition meant that 'full battalions' were rarely fielded and I can safely use the Pz III Ausf E's as nice ways of spotting/differentiating the "Command Tanks" on the tabletop.

Besides at this point I have also reached the bottom of the Tamiya XF-63 paint pot!

HaT ArmourFast Panzer III Ausf G: The Second One

The second HaT ArmourFast Panzer III Ausf G gets the same Tamiya XF-63 Panzer Grey (or after reading the label again I stand corrected it's actually German Grey) painting scheme. The fighting pair (see below):

As we are amongst friends we can pretend that the short 50mm is really a 37mm "Door Stopper" and drive across Poland (1939) and into France (1940) before entering Russia (1941-42):

Compared to the later war tanks the "length" of the barrel does not impress, but at least it can fire a decent enough HE charge to knock out infantry strong points (MG bunkers) and exposed anti-tank gunners.

Note to self: Painting recap Tamiya XF63 German Grey, with successive amounts of Tamiya NXF-53 Neutral Grey, leading to a final thin highlight on leading edges of XF-53 with a "touch" of Anita's Acrylic Cream to whiten it up.(As seen in the side-shot below):

Crying out for some decals and clutter, but that can come later!

HaT Panzer III Ausf G catwalk over, next stop the "medium company" of the early war Panzer Division's battalions ;)

The Panzer Grey Production Line Continues: The Panzer III Main Battle Tank

The previously broken (as in a snapped rear axle) 221 Armoured Car (which is an old Airfix conversion of mine) and a HaT ArmourFast Pz III Ausf G (with the short 50mm gun) appear on the painting table. To those in "the know", where you see one Pz III Ausf G from HaT you know there will be another because they sell them in packs of two. Seen from the front (see below):

Note: I am trying not to get distracted with painting the armoured cars just yet. The idea is to be painting 'all' the required German tanks for a Command Decision II/III early war (1939 to early 1942, when they were still just "grey") Panzer Battalion. Hence the 222's armoured cars I got out of the box because they were sitting next to the Pz I's and Pz II's in my previous posts have gone back into the box (sniff). The stuff on tyres can come later, tracks first. Seen from the back (see below):

The HaT model comes fairly clean (and is a "big" 1/72 rather than a small Matchbox 1/76) and begs to be cluttered with bric-a-brac picked up on campaign, individualisation shall we say. Jerry cans and bits of wood, as well as national flags are queuing up in the spares box but like the decals that will be done in a "battalion flurry" some dark winter night. A closer look at the Pz III Ausf G (seen below):

The HaT model sadly comes without a front machine gun sticking out of the RHS side, so that is another "spares box" request for yet another winter's night. meanwhile the 221 armoured car drives off into the distance (see below). It's nice to finish it but I do worry about a recurrence of the "broken axle" before too long. 

What I need to do to complete my "project" with the Pz III:

Pz III Orbats: 

• Poland (1939) I need just 'one' Pz III in a pure combat role (i.e. no command tank variants). The Germans were just so, so short of their expected Main Battle Tank (MBT), they were largely equipped with training vehicles. 
• France (1940) I need 'two' combat tanks and 'one' command tank (although I am tempted to use my little old Pz I Ausf B command tank, much to the displeasure of the proud battalion commander I am sure). The Germans were actually little better off in French Campaign from an indigenous MBT perspective. Luckily for them they had a good supply of stop-gap Czech (35T's and 38T's) to supplement their MBT stock.

(Note: Technically for 1939/40 they should be the Pz III Ausf E, with the even shorter 37mm AT gun, but for the time being it's a case of "close enough", at least it's not the long barrelled 50mm Italeri/Esci models)

• Russia (1941) This gets interesting, I need 'four' combat tanks and 'three' command tanks. The command tanks are 'one' battalion command tank and 'two' company command tanks (again what's wrong with using a Pz I Ausf B command tank for the battalion commander I ask you, it's only for show not combat after all?). The gun varieties become "diverse" too, the 37mm of the Ausf E is on the way out after its poor performance in France against the French and British heavy tanks. Therefore every Pz III from the Ausf F gets a 50mm short gun and the old Pz III E's (and below) are up-gunned in battlefield workshops. The tanks in the panzer battalions have a "mix" of types when they go into combat, but by Xmas 1942 everything is pretty much a 50mm short or special units are seeing the long 50mm appear to try and combat the T-34 tankers "tank fright".
• Russia (1942) The Pz III tanks that have their short 50mm guns are upgraded to long 50mm guns as soon as possible to stand a chance in combat against the T-34's and KV I's.

In Summary: The HaT Pz III Ausf G (see above) is a quick and easy build and paint. It also is the most inexpensive way to upgrade to a 1941 German Panzer Battalion Orbat without breaking the bank buying expensive metal and plastic kits. I am not too keen to be forking out lots of cash for expensive metal/plastic command tanks either (the radio/aerial assembly looks quite daunting too)!

Holiday Purchases

A trip to see the grandparents/in-laws in Edinburgh gave me the opportunity to visit my favourite model shop, Winter Wonderland stocked full to the brim with WWII 20mm goodies. I could not resist the new Airfix WWII British trucks (seeing as Al and Paul from New Zealand had tantalised me over the last month with some interesting posts):

Likewise I picked up the new Airfix WWII British Infantry (see below). These I almost did not buy, as the figure pictures on the back of the packaging did not impress, but when I got home the figures inside the box certainly. I now have more British WWII Infantry, from various manufacturers, than I actually know what to do with (except go ahead and paint some!)

Finally I could not put down some early war classic German Infantry on bicycles from HaT (see below) How to advance into France and the Low Counties with a certain style. The early war is calling for my attention, watch this space. With twelve figures in a nice little pack can represent three Command Decision companies I think, with the rest of the battalion (heavy weapons support company and HQ) toodling along in a bit of motorised transport. Alas there was no sign of the Italian Mounted WW2 Infantry that I know exists (somewhere):

Watch this space for a slow build and paint.

;)

WWII Italian Cavalry from HaT: Whatever next?

Link to WWII Italian Cavalry pictures

If I see them in the shops I will buy them, what for I am not exactly sure :)
Thanks to the Plastic Soldier Review for spotting these

Footnote: See Tim Gow's comments below, Russia 1941 and Yugoslavia are good options ;)