Gisby's Gaming Blog

September 11, 2024

VBCW: The Loyd Carrier

Filed under: 3D Printing, VBCW — gisby @ 10:00

The Loyd carrier is the result of the minimal amount of research I did for my campaign. I had never heard of the vehicle and assumed it was an interwar design, like the Dragon tractor.

I was very wrong, it actually entered service in 1940, and served throughout WW2. It was several years too late!

After checking with several sources, I came upon a perfect solution to this quandry: I ignored it.

The model is 3D printed by MiniGeneral on Etsy. He offers it in 1/72, and I had to request it in 1/56. He responded quickly, and the quality is actually better than promised.

The first photo has it posed with a Great War officer, showing just how small the vehicle is.

I use it as a troop carrier. The single crewman is the upper half of a Wargames Atlantic kneeling WW1 Brit, with a Woodbine Design head. There are drivers and crew figures available from Reiver and Empress, but when I have them I hoard them in case I NEED them. So I wind up making drivers.

The vehicle itself is painted with a rattle can of automotive green camo paint. The tracks are painted gunmetal, and the whole washed with a thin black magic wash. My lacquer turned out semi-gloss, so it looks like a die-cast toy – Exactly the effect I was looking for.

The unit swarms around their transport

September 6, 2024

VBCW: Vickers Sixteen-Tonner

Filed under: 3D Printing, VBCW — gisby @ 10:00

Like many others, I like to equip my VBCW forces with the latest, up-to-date, absolutely useless armour. To this end, I purchased a 3D printed Vickers Medium Mark III tank, AKA ‘the Vickers 16-tonner.’

This beast is fitted with a main turret with a three-pounder gun and a co-axial machine gun, and with two machine-gun turrets. It had a crew of seven, and only three were ever made. They never saw action.

The model is 3D printed by MiniGeneral on Etsy. He offers it in 1/72, and I had to request it in 1/56. He responded quickly, and supplied a quality product.

It comes in seven pieces, and they fit and align easily, so the kit takes no time to build. Of course you need to remove the supports first, which is easy enough once you figure out what’s OK to remove.

The kit was painted with rattle-can green automotive camo paint. The tracks were painted gunmetal, and the whole model was brushed with a light black magic wash.

It’s my ‘fancy’ that the vehicles I use are die-cast toys pressed into service. (Of course, many of them are…) As such, I don’t paint details like exhaust systems, or weather the models.

My lacquer turned out a bit glossy, so the kit wound up looking like a die-cast toy.

For more information about the Vickers Medium Mark III look HERE

September 14, 2023

VBCW: The Neubaufahrzeug

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW — gisby @ 17:24

One of the things I like about the Inter-War period is the number of ambitious but ineffective vehicles – This is one of the things that makes VBCW interesting to me. I also like multi-turret tanks.

In 1935 Germany produced five Panzerkampfwagen Neubaufahrzeug (PzKpfw Nb.Fz) prototypes. It had a main turret with a 37mm AND a 75mm gun, and two machine-gun turrets, each with two machine guns.

They were not a success, so were not put into production, Instead the five prototypes were painted with spurious markings, and used for propoganda photos – They looked impressive after all.

The five were finally sent to Norway, where one actually went into action against the British. On the first day it suffered multiple penetrations from Boys anti-tank rifles, but took no casualties or significant damage. On the next day the crew could not be convinced to take it back into action.

This model is a 3D print from Paint and Glue Models. It came in four pieces (three turrets and the hull) and is pretty hefty. I painted it Panzer Grey, and added no other markings, so I can use it as German or not. It rather dwarfs the Renault FT.

For more information about the Neubaufahrzeug see here.

September 9, 2022

VBCW: A9 Cruiser Tank Mk I

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW — gisby @ 23:55

I admit, I have a fondness for multi-turret tanks. They look so much like kids’ fanciful drawings, yet someone, somewhere, thought they were a good idea. But they never turned out to be effective. So of course I will field as many as possible.

But the A9 is a bit of a problem. It has three turrets, and was the right era for VBCW, but had enough armour and speed that it served well into WW2, and wasn’t bad at it’s job.

That means that among my other tanks it’s a dash’t King Tiger. But I suppose that’s their problem. At least it still looks sort of clumsy. And it’s one of the few among my vehicles that could be there without a fair bit of hand-waving.

This model is a 3D print from Paint and Glue Miniatures. It’s a hull and three turrets, and I added a wire aerial. Aside from popping the turrets in place there was no further assembly needed. The print was clean and complete. (and a lovely pearlized mint green – I could hardly bear to prime it)

For more information on the A9 Cruiser Tank look here.

August 22, 2022

VBCW: Burford-Kegresse Half Track

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW, Wargames Atlantic, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 21:52

When I saw the Burford-Kegresse in a photo of manouevers in the 1920’s it was the first I had ever heard of it. It looked ungainly and awful, so I knew I needed it for my VBCW armies. I bought an STL file, and obtained permission to have it printed by a third party. (Paint and Glue Miniatures)

In real life, there was only a small batch made, and found wanting, they were scrapped in 1929. (They worked well enough, but the tracks, being a rubber/canvas composite, were prone to failing) I had thought they would just be a colourful piece of transport – imagine my surprise when I found they each had two (perhaps overscale) HMGs on a 360 degree mount. Suddenly they are a real threat.

They were also apparently difficult to print. Garry at Paint & Glue eventually printed the guns and mount separately in resin (I had ordered the cheaper plastic) to overcome the difficulties, and even threw in one of the ‘incomplete’ prints in case I wanted to use it as a wreck. It was complete enough that I was able to make a third half track.

But Garry went above and beyond on this commission.

The drivers and passengers are homemade, using blue stuff to cast putty bodies. The heads are Woodbine Designs WW1 heads, because all you really see of the drivers is their heads.

The gunners are Wargames Atlantic WW1 German officers, also with Woodbine heads. I had to narrow their shoulders to fit in the mounts, and fix the guns in place so I could remove the swivels (to widen the space for the gunners) The gunners are standing loose, held in place by the gun ring. The guns can rotate, and so can the gunners.

August 21, 2022

VBCW: Matilda I

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, VBCW — gisby @ 03:16

Tanks, in general, look squat and powerful: The wide fenders and skirts disguise what is essentially an armoured box with tracks attached to the sides, carrying a deadly gun to the foe.

The Matilda I (Infantry Tank A11) is not such a tank. It is very obviously a narrow armoured box, suspended between rather frail-looking track assemblies, carrying a single machine gun into battle.

It was however, well-armoured, allowing it to slowly get close enough to the enemy to be not very effective.

But it is a perfect vehicle for VBCW, where it is not facing 88mm guns, and a mobile armoured machine-gun is a lovely thing to have.

This model is a two-piece 3D print from Paint and Glue Miniatures. They provide good service, and I recommend them.

For more information on the Matilda I look HERE.

August 19, 2022

VBCW/Great War: Renault FT

Filed under: 3D Printing, Back of Beyond, Butler's Printed Models, Pulp Gaming, VBCW, WW1 — gisby @ 00:42

I bought this tank for several reasons: To go with the Wargames Atlantic WW1/2 French infantry, to bolster my VBCW forces, and because I really wanted one.

The FT (commonly called the FT-17) is one of the earliest ‘modern’ tanks, with a rotating turret atop a tracked hull. It was used by (and copied by) many nations in both WW1 and WW2.

This model is a 3D print from Butler’s Printed Models. He offers a number of different variants, and also sells the turrets separately so you can switch turrets if you need a different version. It was a clean print, and takes paint and glue well – Of course I broke the main gun and replaced it with wire.

I chose a rather colourful scheme for the tank because it reminded me of a lithographed tin tank I had as a child. I keep wanting to wind this one up!

There are no markings on it, so I can use it for VBCW, WW1, Pulp, Back of Beyond, or even WW2. I could use it dam’ near anywhere.

For more information on the Renault FT, look here.

VBCW: Vickers Independent

Filed under: 3D Printing, Pulp Gaming, VBCW — gisby @ 00:26

The Vickers A1E1 only ever reached the prototype stage and only a single example was built, but it is so beautiful I needed one for my VBCW forces. (I have a weakness for multi-turret tanks)

In theory it should be a terror on the battlefield – A 47mm main gun, plus four independently-firing machine guns, it was designed to dominate the cover of ‘Boy’s Adventure’ magazines.

This model was 3D printed in six pieces, but is a bit of a franken-tank.

A good friend printed it for me, and it was a flawless print – But he didn’t cure the resin sufficiently, and on it’s way to me, the fenders warped like a flooded basketball court. The turrets were great, but he had printed all the small turrets the same, although there are two types.

The second print was commercially done. Plastic rather than resin, the dome turret had lines like a phonograph record, and he only printed two small turrets – Even more of the one I already had! But the hull was useable.

My friend tried again, just the small turrets, and printed two of each, so I finally had a complete tank. The original turret, commercial hull, and a mixture of machine-gun turrets. I had an extra of the anti-aircraft turret, which I sent to a friend in the UK who had similar problems.

In the process, I dropped the main turret and snapped the gun off. Luckily I had wire of the correct size to make a new gun.

For more information on the Vickers A1E1 Independent look HERE.

August 13, 2022

VBCW: Carden-Loyd SP Gun

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, Reiver Miniatures, VBCW, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 00:27

In 1930, Belgium purchased six Carden-Loyd carriers for use as artillery tractors. By 1933 they decided the carriers were not up to the job, so instead mounted the 47mm anti-tank guns directly onto the carriers.

Needless to say, they still were not up to the task, losing stability, mobility, and overwhelming the crew. But Belgium had a mobile anti-tank gun, of sorts.

In my VBCW, nobody has learned anything, but they remember the Belgian ingenuity, and copy it for British use. They have plenty of carriers, and small anti-tank guns to mount on them.

The carrier is a three-piece 3D print from Paint and Glue Miniatures. It was a lovely print, crisp and clean.

Because the model is so light, when I added the crew, it sat back on it’s heels, and required a weight be added under the front hull so it would sit flat.

The crew are from Reiver Castings, with new heads from Woodbine Designs. (There was nothing wrong with their heads, they were just wearing the wrong hats)

Read more about the Carden-Loyd Anti-Tank gun carrier HERE.

August 9, 2022

VBCW: More Mounties

Filed under: 3D Printing, Paint and Glue Miniatures, Pulp Gaming, VBCW, Woodbine Design — gisby @ 16:02

In past years I have recruited a band of RCMP to serve in my VBCW, and a Musical Ride to serve as Cavalry. They have always been my favourites, but somewhat under gunned.

I found a solution on a VBCW Facebook page – Someone had taken the Woodbine Designs Vickers gun & crew, and given them the ‘lemon squeezer’ hats to make RCMP. (This is not my original idea, and full credit goes to the OP.) So that’s what I did.

There was also a photo found online – Not really RCMP, but they look like them, and that’s good enough for me. A motorcycle combo, with a Lewis gun on the bike, and a passenger with a Bergmann SMG (or similar.) I have NO idea why the APP thought they needed this, but I fell in love with it. For YEARS I had hoped someone would make it, but no luck.

Paint & Glue Miniatures has a lovely Polish motorcycle combo, and the passenger already has a small drum-fed SMG. A bit of carving, a pair of woodbine heads, and a Lewis gun, and I finally have my RCMP bike.

The bike is delicate in places, so you really have to be careful with it until it is based. (It’s a 1-piece print!) I avoided the problem by just breaking the two pieces apart (for ease when cutting, drilling, carving) and pinning them back together with wire. But it is a beautiful piece, and the print was perfect.

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