Back to the Workbench

I've not really got a lot of painting or modelling done in the last few weeks, mainly because other stuff keeps getting in the way. Its not all the fault of work, I have also been trying to get a few other (DIY) jobs done and we have been out and about with the kids a lot recently. I'm not sweating it though, if I felt I had to spend a set amount of time at my desk every day it would cease to be a hobby and would quickly become a chore. Having said that I am keenly aware that I haven't progressed with any painting projects for a few weeks and was determined to make some headway this week.

I've started to based my Afrikakorp Infantry Company that I ordered and received from Heroics and Ros a few weeks ago. I usually base all my infantry before painting them rather than following the traditional method of painting them first. It works for me and and avoids any 'accidents' when painting the groundwork at the end. The other advantage is that I can get everything out on the workbench and see exactly what needs painting and what progress is being made.

Its going to be another busy weekend for me and the family, as we are going to the Military and Flying Machines Show in Rainham. This is a great little 'local' living history event, just 15 minutes drive from my home. I say 'little' but its growing every year with more and more vehicles and aircraft on display. I'm hoping to get some painting done on Sunday although, weather permitting, I also have more work to do in my garden.

UPDATE: I've just checked the website and it confirms they will have the B17 Sally B doing a flyover at some point during the day. They will also have a Spitfire Mk9 and a Hurricane at some point over the weekend plus a variety of other aircraft on the ground and in the air. They will also have a wide selection of vehicles in attendance including a Cromwell Tank, the "Warhorse" Mk IV Tank from Bovington, A Stuart M5 and M3A1, A Hellcat tank destroyer, a T34, an M8 Greyhound armoured car, a Chieftain Tank and lots more. 

Back to the Grindstone

After yesterdays excitement I have calmed down and started on some new projects. Here's a sneak peek at my workdesk...

My workbench

I have three platoons taking shape, all British. A rifle platoon, a machine gun platoon and a couple of Matilda Scorpion mine flails.

The Mighty 8-Rad

I've finished another unit to add to my North Africa collection, this time some SdKfz 231's otherwise known as 8-Rads. These Schwerer Panzerspähwagen or Heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicles were loosely based on the earlier 6 wheeled versions (unsurprisingly called 6-Rads) and saw service in all theatres of the war. This was an all wheel drive vehicle with independent steering to improve manoeuvrability off road. Although armed with a 20mm cannon and co-axial machine gun the 8-rad was primarily a recce vehicle and would only be expected to engage with enemy reconnaissance units.  

Sd.Kfz.231 (8-Rad) Platoon

I've also been working on several other projects and hopefully I'll have something else to show you in a week or so. I've started on an 88mm Anti Tank Platoon and may have this finished within the week. However I'm waiting for one model to be delivered (I needed an Kfz 15 Staff car) and may have to finish off the rest of the platoon and paint this at a later date when it arrives. I'm also working on several terrain projects include some designs for Minefields. I'm doing some test pieces now and if all goes OK I'll showcase my efforts in a few weeks. And while I'm doing all this I'm still churning out more Smoke Markers. So all in all I'm quite the busy boy at the moment! 

North Africa 1942 - Army Lists

Thus far my foray into 6mm wargaming has been a little bit haphazard. I've painted several platoons and the core of a number of companies but without a clear idea of what I am aiming for. So over the weekend I sat down with a copy of the North Africa source-book and worked out several Company lists that I am aiming to build. 

Much of what I need has already been painted but there are several platoons that are missing and still need to be built. I have some old models that I am in the process of cleaning up ready for repainting and I have ordered a few more (mostly Grant Tanks from Skytrex) to finish off my two British Companies.

When this lot is painted I will have four viable armies (2 Axis and 2 British) that work out about 3200 points per side. I can then think about fleshing out these units with Divisional Support platoons, AA Units and some specialist engineer teams and later still with additional support companies.

The platoons marked below with a ** have yet to be painted. I have the models already and will be working through these over the coming weeks. The platoons marked with a °° are currently on order and will be added to the to-do list as soon as they arrive. 

Panzerkompanie (21.) - Confident Veteran - German Armoured Company
Company HQ - 2x Panzer IV F1   200pts
Panzer Platoon - 4x Panzer IV F1   400pts
Panzer Platoon - 4x Panzer IV F1   400pts
Panzer Platoon - 5x Panzer III J (early)   450pts
Heavy Anti-aircraft Gun Platoon - 2x 8.8cm FlaK36   240pts **
Heavy Panzerspäh Platoon - 4x Sd Kfz 231 (8-rad)   170pts **
Air Support - Priority Air Support Ju 87D Stuka   175pts **
Company Points: 2035

Compagnia Carri - Elite - Italian Tank Company
Company HQ - 1x M14/41 60pts
Carri Platoon - 5x M14/41 300pts
Carri Platoon - 5x M14/41 300pts
Self-propelled 75/18 Platoon - 1x Carro Comando & 4x Semovente 75/18  320pts **
Armoured Car Platoon - 4x AB41 125pts **
Limited Air Support - Macchi C.200 Saetta 125pts
Company Points: 1230

Axis Total - 3265

Infantry Tank Company - Confident Trained  - 8th Army British
Infantry Tank Company HQ - 2x Matilda II 145pts
Infantry Tank Platoon - 3x Matilda II 215pts
Infantry Tank Platoon - 3x Valentine II 160pts
Infantry Tank Platoon - 3x Valentine II 160pts
Infantry Tank Platoon - 3x Valentine II 160pts
Rifle Platoon (8th Army) - 195pts
Field Battery, Royal Artillery (8th Army) - 4x OQF 25 pdr gun 215pts
Company Points: 1250

Heavy Armoured Squadron - Confident Trained  - 8th Army British

Heavy Armoured Squadron HQ - 3x Grant 280pts °°
Heavy Armoured Platoon - 3x Grant 280pts °°
Heavy Armoured Platoon - 3x Grant 280pts °°
Heavy Armoured Platoon - 3x Sherman II or III 340pts °°
Heavy Armoured Platoon - 3x Sherman II or III 340pts °°
Light Armoured Platoon - 3x Crusader II 155pts **
Light Armoured Platoon - 3x Crusader II 155pts **
Armoured Car Platoon (8th Army) - 3x AEC I 150pts **

Company Points: 1980

British Total - 3230

As you can see I still have a long way to go but having a clear plan (and the models to back it up) will help me focus on getting it all painted quickly. I've no idea how much this lot would have cost to recreate in 15mm but I'm sure it would be a small fortune and probably well beyond most wargamers means.

Bonfire of the Hard Drives

I've had a busy weekend getting some important jobs done and some model work completed. I'm afraid I didn't take any photo's so you'll just have to take my word for it. I've also been away and back again on company business so all told its been a very busy few days and I'm feeling pretty done in. And its only Tuesday!!

On Saturday, with the help of my youngest daughter, I built some of the 4Ground MDF buildings I purchased at SELWG. These were two sets of shops and a terrace of three houses. I now have quite a collection of these, more than enough to represent a small village or the edge of a larger town on the games table. The young Padawan enjoyed helping and took great pleasure in correcting me when I read the instructions wrong! 

I also painted my first set of 6mm tanks (three Tiger I's) although I don't consider them finished yet as I have yet to base them. I'm still waiting for the flat edged MDF bases I ordered from warbases.com to arrive. I only ordered them Friday and expect delivery in a day or two. Once I have these I'll do a few experiments to work out the style of the base dressing I want to use for my new armies. I want to keep things simple but also consistent so I need to settle on a particular style before I start painting and basing in earnest. 

The other big job I have been doing this weekend is destroying old computers! I have three defunct and non-functional PC's (two laptops and an ancient desktop) that have been sitting around for ages. I have managed to restore one of the laptops to working order for my youngest daughter to play with. The other laptop and desktop however were beyond hope so I stripped out their Hard drives.

The computers will be sent for recycling but the hard drives are staying with me, for a few weeks at least. Formatting isn't a cast iron guarantee of erasing all data from a hard drive so I have elected to use the best 'free' wiping technique I know. Total destruction in the heart of a November 5th Bonfire. I'm not sure what old Guy Fawkes would have made of this!

Let the paint flow and the dice roll

The Dagenham Dungeon Delvers were supposed to gather tonight but yet again we have had to cancel due to lack of numbers. This sucks and I'm not a happy bunny at all. We have all blown out games this year for one good reason or another but so far this summer we have only managed two game nights, and neither of those were to play our ongoing DandD 4E Campaign. It's life, it's nobody's fault but we all have to make more of an effort, starting with me. Enough is enough and tts time to get back to the important stuff in life. So over the next few weeks I'm going to redress the balance in the three areas of my hobby that have suffered recently; RPG's, Wargaming & Painting.

Just don't roll a 1

First off on the RPG front I need to put something together for those weeks when we can't play our regular campaign. So I'm going to make a special effort to prepare and run a Hollow Earth Expedition game for the DDD's. I'm aiming for a pure Role-playing game (ie no miniatures) that can be thrown into action quickly with a simple but hopefully exciting plot-line. I have some ideas but I need to re-read the rulebook to figure out how to do it. Obviously this isn't going to come together overnight but I'm setting myself a target to be ready to run my first game by the end of October.

In the meantime The Rejects are gathering in a weeks time for a WWI wargame and then the following week some of us will be going to SELWG. If you see us there please come over and say hello. I'll be snapping away happily most of the day and I have a short but growing shopping list for the traders. I'm also planning on selling some more stuff on the Bring and Buy stall again this year. I'm not selling as much as I did last year but any profit will be ploughed back into my hobby so every penny counts.

Finally I have re-started painting my last Panzergrenadier Platoon. These figures were cleaned, based and under-coated months ago and have stared accusingly at me from my desk ever since. My list of excuses for not getting started on painting the little blighter's is as long as my arm but basically 'getting started' has always been a problem with me. Once I get the paint flowing projects usually develop and take shape quickly.

End of Term Report

Its time for another one of my naval gazing posts explaining why I haven't picked up a brush in weeks. Sigh. I'm within a gnats whisker of finishing my Panzergrenadier Company but I have lost the momentum I built up earlier in the year. The last platoon has been under-coated and they have been sitting on my desk for weeks, looking at me accusingly whenever I pass within range. 

Part of the problem is that I have been incredibly busy in work over the last month - we won a new contract and this increased my workload by 25% overnight - and by the time I get home all I want to do is eat and then fall asleep in front of the TV like the old codger I am. Of course that's not the whole story because I have been working on other projects as well. One of these is the Gladiatorial rules I mentioned last week. These are still at the first draft stage and I'm hoping to give them a first play-test sometime next week. 

Another time eater has been reading. I have a huge pile of unread books and every time I go out or visit a museum (something regular readers will know I do a lot) I end up buying another book for my collection. A few months ago I realised that I probably had enough books to keep me occupied for at least a year! So I have made a conscious effort to work through some of my unread books. Of course when these are all read I'll just go out and buy a load more, but its better than watching TV. 

Back at the beginning of May I made a list of projects that I wanted to work on and I thought now would be a good time to review my progress. At the time I thought that writing a list could be a bad thing, but it actually encouraged me to complete a lot more than I thought I would. So here's hoping this bit of Headology (as Pratchett would call it) works again!

Paint US Airborne MG Platoon (15mm FOW) - Complete (100%)
Paint US Airborne Mortar Platoon (15mm FOW) - Complete (100%)
Re-basing older FOW Figures - Complete (100%)
Labelling older FOW Figures - Partially complete (50%)
German Panzergrenadier HQ (15mm FOW) - Complete (100%)
German Panzergrenadier Platoon (15mm FOW) - Undercoated only (10%)
Bromhead Figure (28mm) - Still in its bag! (0%)
Bocage (15mm) - I haven't even bought the materials yet (0%)
Fieldworks Buildings - Complete twice over because they got broken! (100%)
Folding Games Table - Yeh, a bit of a pipe dream. One day, honest! (0%)
Play more games!! - Sort of.... but not as much as I would like (50%)

New Stuff (aka Prevarication Projects)

Gladiator Rules - Still on the 1st Draft and not even at the playtesting stage (20%)
Ral Partha Giant - A long outstanding project that suddenly grabbed my attention (100%)
MDF Buildings - Complete but I'm definitely going to buy some more. (100%)

In the UK the school Summer Term in nearly over and across the country children are getting their end of term reports. If this were my school report it would probably read "6/10 - Must try harder!"

A Ral Partha Giant by Tom Meier

This Ral Partha Hill Giant dates from 1977 and has spent a long time languishing on my desk in a semi painted state. Its an early Ral Partha figure by Tom Meier and was one of three Hill Giants that were available back when Ral Partha were still a basement business, this one being Version 1 (Reference ES/01-052 v1). Because this is an early Tom Meier Ral Partha figure it was part of its 25mm range ('Heroic' scale or 28mm hadn't appeared yet) but being a Giant it actually stands 50mm from Base to Eye level or 57mm to the top of its head. 

I'm not sure how this Hill Giant came into my possession but it had clearly had a hard life prior to its arrival in my hands. It had been painted and based by another painter but the quality of the finish was poor to say the least. It had taken quite a battering in its prior life and what paint remained on the figure was chipped and worn leaving the model in a very sorry state. It wasn't therefore a hard decision to strip the old paint off and give this model a new lease of life. 

I stripped the model by soaking it in a simple solution of washing-up liquid and warm water. I then gave it a gentle scrub with a soft brush. This process was repeated several more times until all the old paint had been removed. I them made sure the figure was thoroughly dry before priming the whole figure - including the underside of the base - to stop any potential damage from Lead Rot. Because this is an old figure the lead content is much higher than modern figures and therefore much more prone to corrosion. Painting the figure seals the surface and is a very effective means of conservation. 

During the clean up process I not only removed the old paint but also broke off a large clay base that had been added by the previous owner. The clay came off quite easily, pretty much in one big chunk. With the metal base cleaned the makers mark was revealed as Ral Partha 1977. I would have been 7 or 8 at the time this venerable old man first hit the shelves and he therefore pre-dates my introduction to D&D and a lifetime of gaming! 

Although this miniature started life as a Hill Giant I decided that I wanted to paint it as a Frost Giant instead. At the time when I acquired the figure I was writing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign to be set in the Frozen North of my Campaign Setting, The Isles of Ethos. A benign Frost Giant was required and this model fitted the role perfectly. But that campaign never came to fruition and the Giant remained semi-painted for a long long time.


In the intervening time I have painted a lot of 15mm WWII figures but now and again I feel the need to paint something completely different just to add a little variety to my art. I've come to a temporary halt on my Panzergrenadier project and was casting around for something quick to paint just for fun when I remembered this model.

Its a beautiful sculpt with lots of character and was really fun to paint. I don't know if this will ever see the surface of a games table but for now its taking pride of place in my rather small display cabinet.

Silence of the Lembas Bread

OK, spurious title and no content, that's all your getting from me this week! It's been a very busy few days in work and frankly I haven't got much painting done either lunchtime or in the evening. I have made a small amount of progress  on one model but I'm keeping it under wraps until its finished sometime next week. For a change its not 15mm and its not Flames of War, but that's all I'm saying for now!

Tonight the Dagenham Dungeon Delvers are gathering but I think its going to be a low turnout so we'll probably end up playing something other than our D&D campaign. Still, a games a game and I'm not going to complain about it. At least I won't be thinking about meetings, contracts, clients and Budgets!

So in lieu of something gritty and incisive (I haven't even had time to write much this week) here's a humorous picture of me from last weekends trip to Upnor. Given the cost of replica uniforms and equipment I guess this is the closest I'll ever get to being a reenactor unless I win the Lottery!

Panzergrenadier Progress Report

I'm plugging away at my Panzergrenadier Company and have just started the process of sorting and cleaning up the final platoon. In the meantime I have given the kiss of life to my 'old' Panzergrenadier Platoon and brought them up to a standard that I'm happy with. They no longer look out of place next to my newly painted HQ Platoon.

Panzergrenadier Platoon as originally finished

I started by looking at the Halftracks and was reasonably happy that they matched up with my newest ones. The only change that needed to be implemented was an application of 'mud' to the tracks and lower portions of the chassis and bodywork. In the past I have used various products for the mud but this time I decided to try the coloured plaster that I use on the bases. This is actually wood filler so it is slightly grainy and if applied right can be 'clumpy' and dries rock hard, making it an excellent mud simulator for all my vehicles.

Looking at the infantry stands it was immediately clear that the bases needed to be improved. When I originally did these I just covered the whole base with static grass without any detail or 'mud' showing. So when I looked at them again the first thing I knew I needed to do was remove some of the existing static grass. This was actually easy to do with a small modelling spatula and a wet brush (to dissolve the PVA). I then repainted the dirt areas and the bevelled edge of the base to the same colour scheme as my existing stands.

The next job was boosting the highlights on the figures as they were a bit 'flat' in appearance. I decided not to make the highlights as sharp as on the HQ Platoon so I just used Grey Green (886) straight from the pot with no added white. This still gave good highlights without obscuring all the green of the Fieldgrey (830) base colour. With all the touching up completed I gave the models a thin spray of Testors Dullcoat and left overnight to dry fully.

With the painting completed I added some 'Late Summer' Tufts to make the bases a bit more interesting. This really brought the stands together and makes them look 'part of a set' when placed next to the recent HQ Platoon I painted. The last stage was adding the Base Labels and varnishing the bevelled edges with Winsor and Newton Matt varnish.This isn't quite as Matt as Testors but being brush applied it gives a thicker and therefore stronger layer of protection to the base edges.

The 'Restored' Platoon next to the newly painted HQ Platoon

All in all I'm quite happy with how this little restoration project turned out and can now turn my full attention to the final platoon in the company. I have a busy couple of weeks ahead so I'm not sure I'll make as rapid progress as before but I'm still hoping to have the whole project wrapped up by the end of June.

FOW Gepanzerte Panzergrenedier HQ Platoon

I've finished with my US Airborne Company for now so I have turned my attention back to my Lehr Panzergrenadier's. I already had a Platoon painted for use with my Tank Company but I decided that I wanted to expand this into a Company of its own. So I bought the extra models I needed when I was at Salute back in April and have now completed the HQ Platoon. The second Armoured Panzergrenadier Platoon will follow in due course.

I have gone for a deliberately 'high key' look to these figures, accentuating the highlights to the extreme. Panzer Lehr Uniforms are a bit on the dull side and when I started these I just didn't think the colours popped out enough. So I decided to hit the highlights with a vengeance. Initially the result looked cartoonish, especially close up, but after dull-coating and when viewed from 3 foot away (typical table distances) they look really quite nice. When I paint the final platoon I may scale this back a little but I'm still going to keep the highlights stronger than I have in the past.

I have also opted for a slightly different grass tuft on the bases, to help differentiate them from my US forces (also because I used up the tufts I had and needed to start an new pack anyway). So I have gone for Short, Late Summer Tufts which are a darker green than those I have used before and look better against the green/grey uniforms of the Lehr infantry.

Here's the colour palette I used for these. This is partly based on the recommended colours for Panzer Lehr infantry presented in the Villers Bocage book but modified by me though trial and error when painting this platoon.

Panzer Lehr Uniform Colour Palette

Artwork from box of Dragon Models 1/35 models

• Helmet  (Basecoat) Middlestone 882 with Camo Pattern in Chocolate Brown 812 and Reflective Green 870. 
• Tunic and Trousers  (Basecoat) Fieldgrey 830  (Highlight) Green Grey 886 (+ White for extreme highlights)
• Webbing/Pouches/ Gasmask Cans  (Basecoat) Green Grey 886 and  (Highlight)  Stone Grey 884
• Ammo Pouches  (Basecoat) Black 950  (Highlight) German Grey 995
• Boots - (Basecoat) Black 950
• Panzerfausts and Ammo Boxes  (Basecoat) Middlestone 882   (Highlight) Ivory 918
• Rifle Butts/Tool Handles  (Basecoat) Flat Brown 984 (Highlight) Beige Brown 846

Once again I am determined to keep the forward momentum going so as soon as I had finished these I pulled out the next box of models to be worked on, another Armoured Panzergrenadier Platoon. These combined with the HQ will form the core of my Lehr Panzergrenadier Company and should give my US Airborne troops a run for their money.

On a point of history I do realise that Panzer Lehr was not deployed against the American sectors until after July 2nd. Up to the end of June, the Division had taken a mauling in the battles for Caen and at the beginning of July it was moved to the much 'quieter' sector facing the U.S. 83rd Infantry Division. It took part in the defence of the area around Saint-Lô and on the assault of Pont-Herbert, again taking heavy losses. The final blow to the Divisions effectiveness in Normandy was its decimation by allied carpet bombing in the opening stages of Operation Cobra.

I have also pulled out my 'old' Panzergrenadier Platoon and will take a bit of time to give them a makeover. I'm happy with the Sd Kfz 251/1's as they look fine and match up OK with my new half-tracks but the Panzergrenadier teams need the highlights boosted a little. I also need to do a bit of work on the bases. Currently the static grass is rather plain and boring so I'll add some of the Late Summer Tufts and then I will add the appropriate base labels.

I'm really quite chuffed with how this platoon turned out and am looking forward to using them on the game table in the not too distant future.

Consistency & the need for Notes

I started keeping a painting notebook shortly after starting this Blog. I was still a n00b when it came to painting 15mm WWII figures and I felt like I needed to go right back to basics and re-learn my painting skills. Keeping a notebook has been very useful in helping me develop my style of painting - I've learnt a lot in the last three years - but I'm not sure I have utilised it properly to ensure consistency from one project to another.

When I flicked through my notebook one thing I realised was that I had pasted a lot of pictures into the book but hadn't actually made many notes. Of course I need reference material but most of this comes from books or online and isn't easily transferred to a notebook. What was missing were details of which colour palettes I used and what blends I opted for when painting highlights or shading. In short my painting notebook lacked pretty much any information required to paint a given figure to the same 'formula' as a previous model.

I'm in the process of working on a new batch of Lehr Gepanzerte Panzergrenediers (I'm expanding my existing platoon to Company level) so before I got started I pulled out the first Panzergrenadier Platoon I painted back in June 2010. I quickly realised how much my 'style' of painting has developed and changed since then (I didn't use ink washes for a start).

Clearly I am not going to be able to achieve a consistent look across all the platoons in my new Company and I will need to do quite a bit of work on the existing models to bring them up to standard. I also need to do some work putting down on paper the colour palette I use so that subsequent units have a consistent quality. I'll just have to notch this up as another important lesson learned the hard way!

US Airborne Mortar Platoon

I'm on a roll with the painting lately which makes up for the poor start to the year. Here's the latest completed unit, a Mortar platoon for my growing 101st Airborne Company.

The Airborne Rile Company comes with two 61mm Mortar Teams but this platoon adds another four teams, this time packing the 81mm Mortar. These are man-packed weapons so they can keep pace with the rest of the company but they also have a 100cm range and can fire indirect bombardments and smoke. These should keep Fritz's head down! The platoon also comes with two Bazooka teams so my Airborne company now has eight of these in its ranks. Panzer's beware.

 

I have run out of the Screaming Eagles shoulder patch decals I bought last year so I had a go at painting them on freehand. Yes, its insane, I know. However the end result looks OK and definitely passes the Two Foot test, and from that range they look about the same as the decals.

By now I had several 'spare' models from various sets so I decided to make a Pathfinder marker using two radio operator models I found. Battlefront do sell a Special Order model for this but I think my scratch built Eureka Beacon (from a brass nail and some wire) looks the part.

Mental Projects

I have a list of projects in my head that I need to get on with in the short and near term. Some of these have already been started, some probably won't come to pass and others may well get put way off into the future. So I have decided to put my "Mental Projects" list down on paper (or pixels) as a way of encouraging myself to try harder!

• US Airborne MG Platoon (15mm FOW) - I have one squad of these with a HQ section (kindly donated by the Angry Lurker some time ago). These must be 'old' Battlefront models as the bases included are the old 'smooth surface' style and and there is no variation between the figures for the four MG Teams. Also there are only enough figures for one squad of four teams plus a HQ and a Bazooka team. These still make a platoon according to the army list but a small one. I have already started painting these but I'm only about half way through.
• US Airborne Mortar Platoon (15mm FOW) - I bought these at Salute. They were on my shopping list and I nearly never found them. This blister pack was in a 'bargain bin' on the very last stall I visited at the show. In fact money changed hands ten minutes after the show had official closed! There are enough figures in this pack for a HQ team, four 81mm Mortar teams and two Bazooka teams so this platoon can pack a big punch!
• Re-basing older FOW Figures - By rebasing I don't men I'll be ripping these off their current bases but rather I need to do a little extra work on the base decoration for these figures. My basing style has developed a bit over the last two years and when I pull out my earlier FOW figures and put them next to current ones its hard to ignore the rather boring bases. So my old Panzergrenadier Platoon will be getting a makeover in the form of some grass 'tufts' and debris.
• Labelling older FOW Figures - I recently decided to label my FOW infantry stands and tested the concept out on my US Airborne Company. I liked the results so now I need to pull out all my earlier infantry stands and label these as well. It will take a while but the results will be worth it.
• German Panzergrenadier HQ and Platoon (15mm FOW) - I already have a Panzergrenadier platoon painted for my Panzer Lehr army but I have decided to turn these into a Panzergrenadier Company by adding a HQ and another Platoon. This will be a bug project, especially with all those half-tracks!
• Bromhead Figure (28mm) - Another purchase at Salute was the Bromhead figure from Black Scorpion Miniatures. I bought this purely because I loved the sculpt of Lt. Gonville Bromhead and because I love the Film ZULU! My plan is to paint this purely for fun with it being destined for display only. It's been a while since I last painted 28mm figures so this will be my chance to see if I can still remember how to do it!
• Bocage (15mm) - I desperately need to make more Bocage hedgerow for my 15mm wargames terrain. I made about 2 meters of it some time ago and I need lots more. I'm still collecting the raw materials I need and when I have it all - and have worked up the courage - I'll make another 4 meters. Its a big project but it really needs to be done as it was wargaming in the Bocage that initially drew me to collecting FOW for the Normandy campaign.
• Fieldworks Buildings - Another Salute purchase. These are pre-painted and I could use them in their current condition but I feel like they need a little 'tarting up'. The bases could do with a little bit of static grass and I'd like to apply a dark wash to the walls and roof on both models. This will make them a little less bright and make them fit in a bit better with my existing 15mm buildings.
• Folding Games Table - You're probably thinking "Hang on, did I read right!". I have been thinking about making a games table for a long time. Actually I'm not planning on making a Table (nowhere to store it) but rather a table surface I can put on top of a dining table. My vague plan is for a folding surface which opens out to 6x4' with a grassed surface on one side and some sort of rubberised grip on the other (so it doesn't slide off the table it'll be placed on). If I can build it to fold down to 3x4 that will make it much easier to store and transport. The problem is I'm rubbish at any form of DIY or handicraft unless is comes on a miniature scale! I can easily see this project being put off for a long time.
• Play more games!! - Well it goes without saying that I need to play with my FOW armies at some point. I'm meeting my Brother-in-Law at the weekend and I plan on scheduling a couple of small games in the near future. My preference would be for a game in a peaceful and quiet environment for a change (previous games have been set to a background of noisy chaos) which may mean we need to bribe the women-folk with a shopping trip!

I almost wish I hadn't written this down now that I look at the amount of work I have to do! It'll be fun though.

101st Airborne Rifle Company

I have finally finished painting my US Parachute Rifle Company. I started this project before Christmas but my slow painting speed combined with a very busy January and February conspired to push this onto the back burner for a long time.

US Parachute Rifle Company - HQ plus Two Platoons

This force is worth a total of 820pts. The HQ is 35 pts plus 20pts of each of the three extra Bazooka teams. Then each of the two platoons consist of three Rifle Squads and a Mortar Squad for 365pts per Platoon.

Company CO

I'm already preparing an additional Machine Gun Platoon from some models that the Angry Lurker gave me a while back. This will give my force some much needed additional firepower. Hopefully I will also be able to pick up some 81mm Mortar teams when I'm at Salute next week to beef up the Company some more. I can also use my Stuart Platoon as Divisional support or even a platoon of Sherman's to make this an effective fighting force.

Bazooka Team - Note the Screaming Eagle shoulder patch on the upper left arm

Having said that this Company comes with five Bazooka teams which should make any German tank forces think twice before assaulting these tough hombres!

60mm Mortar Team

I'm glad I have finished these now because I can go to Salute next week fired up and ready to look for the next platoon to add.

This is just the start of my 101st Airborne Company

Having the Easter break off work helped me crack on and get this finished quicker than I expected and I've even started preparing my next project although it won't be quite so large and daunting this time.

PzKpfw VI Ausf E - Tiger

I'm heading off to Dorset on Friday in preparation for Tiger Day at the Tank Museum. My Brother-in-Law Ray and I have Premium Tickets so as well as getting to see the museums Tiger strut it stuff in the arena we also have VIP access to the tank and the restoration team. Needless to say we are very excited about this event and in anticipation I decided to paint a Tiger IE from the 15mm Flames of War range.

A Lone Tiger IE stalks the battlefield

This particular model is the Tiger from the Wittmann box set (GBX16) although I have painted it as a stand alone vehicle just for fun. It doesn't fit into my current Army List but I may give this beast a little run round the games table on it's own just to see how it does against a dozen or so Sherman's.

Close-up of the commanders Coupala

The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E (Sd Kfz 181) known as the Tiger was feared by the Allies far in excess of its actual battlefield presence. Only 1,347 were built between 1942-45 with most of those destined for the eastern Front. Facing the Allied invasion forces in Normandy there were only three German schwere Panzer Abteilung equipped with Tiger I's.

Pz.Abt. 503 transferred to Normandy with 33 Tiger I's in early July 1944
Pz.Abt. 101 reached Normandy in early June 1944 with a maximum compliment of 45 Tiger I's
Pz.Abt. 102 was transferred to Normandy with 45 Tiger I, reaching action in early July.

In addition the Panzer Lehr Division had ten Tiger I's but its likely that a maximum of 8 were operational at the beginning of June 1944. So at most there were just 133 Tiger 's in Normandy in June-July 1944 and in all probability far fewer at any given time due to mechanical issues or combat attrition.

The Tiger rotates its turret towards another unfortunate target

The real reason for the Tigers formidable reputation (a reputation that made every German tank a Tiger in allied tankers eyes) was it's gun. The 8.8 cm Kampfwagenkanone 36 L/56 was amongst the most effective and feared tank guns of its time. It had a very high muzzle velocity (over 3000 ft/s when firing armour piercing rounds) which gave it a very flat trajectory which in turn made it very accurate.

The Tiger I was notoriously unreliable, although many of the early problems had been ironed out by the time of the Normandy campaign. Its real undoing however was its build quality and the price tag that went with it. In simple terms the Tiger used nearly double the manpower and material to build than the smaller more reliable Panzer IV. There is no doubt that the Tiger I was a formidable design but with only 1,347 built it would always be outnumbered by smaller cheaper tanks like the Sherman (58,000 built) or the T-34 (36,000 built).

Tiger IE passing the larger Konigstiger

Distractions and Prevarication

I'm easily distracted and need little or no excuse to prevaricate while working on a large project. Such has been the fate of my US Parachute Rifle Company. I started this project with a big fanfare back in November and it's still sitting unfinished on my desk! I've not been completely idle but I have found it harder to make progress with this project than I have to start new stuff. Indeed a whole succession of other projects have crossed my desk in the last few months.

I'm nearly finished a couple of minor projects and I hope to have some pictures of at least one of them up tomorrow. Then I really really ought to get on with my airborne Company. I'll be taking them into work one Platoon at a time in the hope that breaking the task down into smaller sections will make it seem less daunting. That's the Plan anyway, but as the old military axiom goes "no plan survives contact with the enemy"... or maybe in my case it should be "no plan survives contact with my lead mountain".

Mobile Painting - The Results

As promised here's a few pictures of what I was able to paint using my mobile kit while up in Leicester this week. I only had two nights away from home but I think I got quite a lot done in the few hours I had spare.

Wood & Turf MG Nest

Sandbag and Turf MG Nest

Concrete MG Bunker - Rear View

Concrete MG Bunker - Front View

A simple shack or outbuilding with wooden shingles

Concrete MG bunker - Rear view

Concrete MG Bunker - Front/Side view

I was able to paint all of these and give them a coat of Vallejo satin Varnish to protect them. When I got home all I had left to do was apply a coat of Testors Dullcote and then add static grass, tufts etc. Job done!

I'm really pleased with these models, especially as I haven't been able to get anything else completed in weeks.

Painted in 20 Eleven

Following on from my review of the year a few days ago I thought I'd post a collection of pictures of the best stuff I painted last year. This was the year that I focused on my Flames of War collection and the terrain to play it. I want to diversify this year by going back to my painting roots with some 28mm figures. Like most gamers I have a growing lead mountain and I feel an overwhelming urge to dive into it and see what inspires me in 2012.

M5A1 Stuart Platoon

Destroyed Stug Objective Marker

15mm resin walls

Sherman A1M1 76mm Platoon

US Motorised Rifle Platoon

Supply Depot Objective Marker

Sherman M4A1 Platoon

PillBox

Dragons Teeth

MG Nest

Panzer IV's by Forged in Battle

15mm Resin Norman Church

Norman Farmhouse

Nebelwerfer 42 Rocket Battery

US Rifle Platoon

Schwere Panzerspahwagen - Sd Kfz 234/2 Puma

Smoke and Flames