Monday 28 March 2016

Prussian Garde du Corps

This is my second entry to the Perfect Six painting competition for the first quarter of 2016 (subject is Guard units).

A squadron of the Prussian Garde du Corps cavalry regiment.







Also for an easy way to see all my Napoleonic posts check out the Napoleonic summary page.

Sunday 27 March 2016

Crew for Minifigs M7 Priest

Some years ago now, when I started turning my Takara models into wargames units and then looking to buy other models to fit in with them I bought some Minifigs vehicles and M7 Priests were among the first models I got. However, I later came across Wargames South and Pendraken and Pithead and decided I was not that keen on Minifigs and have since replaced virtually everything. I did do some crew figures for the Priests to allow them to be removable.

The figures are Minifigs artillery crew cut off their bases and glued on plasticard. The plasticard is cut so that the crew unit will fit in the Minifigs M7 Priest around the 105mm breach and so can be put in or taken out of the vehicle as needed.







They don't fit in the Arrowhead M7 Priests I am now doing and would need to have a new base made so I will probably just make some new ones using Pendraken artillery crew to go on the properly sized base to fit the Arrowhead model.


For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.

Bailed out markers

Pendraken do some dismounted tank crew figures, unfortunately not for all nations yet, but they do provide good options for a more pleasing bailed pout marker than counters. The ones I have done first are the US crew - they are actually from the US marines range but work fine for Europe.

There are two poses for the Americans, a guy with a sub machine gun and one who looks like he might be on a tank phone (too early for it to be a mobile, and a walkie talkie is big enough to see on the model); he could just be holding his head and saying "Doh!!" I guess!

I have based them on 20mm laser cut ply bases and added some tufts.


SMG guy



Other guy



And now in action as a marker:




I have the German crew under-coated ready to paint but will have to wait while I finish off some basing.

For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.

British 6pdr anti-tank platoon

I have just completed the guns for this - I originally did the unit with Minifigs crews but I have now switched all my artillery and anti tank units over to using Pendraken crews (other than a few that I have Arrowhead crews for). Basically, while the Minifigs figures were nice enough they just did not look sensible against Wargames South/ Arrowhead or Pendraken figures (too small and skinny).

The unit consists of six 6 pdr anti tank guns which are Takara models that I have repainted. The crews are Pendraken which I buy as individual figures (they are really good that way). The Lloyd carriers are Pithead models as is the Universal Carrier for the command stand. The figures for the command stand are Arrowhead (perhaps some are older Wargames South ones).












For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.

1st Battalion Fusiliers-chasseurs - French Guard

This is my first entry to the Perfect Six painting competition for the first quarter of 2016 (subject is Guard units).

A particularly excellent Adler figure and I enjoyed painting them, but the time it takes me to do one 6mm unit compared to my 10mm WW2 makes building up volume quite a task.








Also for an easy way to see all my Napoleonic posts check out the Napoleonic summary page.

German HMG platoon

Yet another unit recently completed in my mass basing exercise. These are also old Wargames South figures and do not seem to be in the range now but Pendraken do a nice German HMG which I will use when I need any more. Crew painted in camouflage uniforms.








Barricades are Perfect Six 6mm terrain, mainly for Napoleonics but I really like them as actual terrain pieces or markers (e.g. entrenched) and work well for 10mm as markers, Look cool too! I did a more detailed post on them earlier - here. I notice Perfect Six now do a WW2 barricade set which I will be getting next time I order something.

For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.

Saturday 26 March 2016

German 120mm mortar platoon

Another unit recently completed in my mass basing exercise. These are old Wargames South figures and the 120mm German mortar does not seem to be in the range now. It is a pity as the mortar itself is in two pieces which means it is a nice clean and detailed pieced compared to the other one piece castings. Crew painted in camouflage uniforms.








For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.

Wednesday 23 March 2016

Extra crew for WW2 rocket vehicles

My Russian Katyusha unit is still very much a work in progress with only one vehicle done, and the same goes for my German Maultier wurfer unit. However, this post is about how I have decided to do the extra crew option that is available in Flames of War.

Katyusha is a Pendraken model and the crew figures are also Pendraken.



The crew are based on an L shaped ply wood base. Both the vehicle base and the L shape have been laser cut from the same sheet. I used fenris games as I have for all my bases.



The Maultier wurfer is a Pithead model and the crew are Arrowhead German artillery crew that used to be available separately.




For the German vehicle the L has been used in the upside down position compared to the Russians so the crew are on the other side of the vehicle.




This means I can use the vehicles with or with out extra crew or just to indicate deployed or travelling and looks better I think than just having a base the same width as the vehicle base to add on the end. While I have used this for 10mm it is an approach that could be used with larger or smaller scale vehicles.

Here are some pictures of the laser cut ply wood as it arrived.






For an easy way to see all my WW2 posts check out the WW2 Summary page.