20mm Volkssturm 2

 In an amazing bit of model soldier wheeling and dealing, I also split a box of the relatively new Mars Volkssturm with Will, which gave me 20 figures in 8 poses.  I painted these up in a variety of drab civilian colours and pseudo-military colours, plus a couple of Hitler Youth types and another couple as League of German Girls members (thinking of Rebel Wilson in JoJo Rabbit).

What seems to be a typical pose advancing crouched with Panzerfaust over shoulder.

League of German Girls members with Panzerfaust. 

Quasi-military uniformed guys with rifle, some webbing and a slung Panzerfaust.

Advancing, hunched over with SMG - could double as Gestapo or similar.

Rifle armed, gamekeeper or poacher types.

Gents with old WW1 Lewis guns, presumably from a museum.

Hitler Youth types throwing grenades.

SMG armed officer types, would work for Gestapo, SS, police, etc.

I've integrated these with my Pegasus Germans in Berlin figures (sediment's wargame blog: 20mm WW2 Volkssturm) and Underfire Miniatures MG08 on tripod (sediment's wargame blog: 20mm Early WW2 German MG08 team (lockdown 5)), plus a couple of odd infantry figures.  I need to do a three man MG34 team and I'll have enough for 2 full platoons plus supports for BG FotR or 2 battalions for R-F.

Link to Will's half of the box Will's Wargames Blog: Deutsche Volkssturm (willwarweb.blogspot.com)

As ever, thanks for looking.

20mm WW2 British tank crew

I shared a box of the recently released Orion British WW2 winter tank crew with Will, 2 sprues each.  These guys are the most useful dismounted figures, each sprue has a chap loading shells and two guys handling jerry cans (mounted in groups of three at the back) and then there are bailed out tank crew figures, again each sprue carries a guy running, another firing a Sten from the hip and a third firing a revolver.

Two stands of three tankers refueling/rearming.  Should work as markers to show resupply going on.

Bailed out tank crew markers.

Orion's early productions were a bit short on detail, but these figures are lovely.  A tiny amount of flash in places, annoyingly near the faces in some instances, but relatively easy to remove.  They are modelled wearing "Pixie suits", which I think makes them suitable for Normandy onwards.  I've painted them in green ochre, washed in Agrax earthshade, berets and boots black grey, webbing is Russian uniform green lightened with Iraqi sand.  Silver for goggles and cap badge.

The rest of the figures on the sprue include three figures suitable for crew in hatches, a kneeling figure as if on the tank deck ready to take the shell being offered by the figure above, and two seated figures, one eating from a mess can.  All very nice and will be put to good use when I'm next working on command British armour.

I even tinkered with the image to try for a period look.

As ever, thanks for looking.

20mm German Wirbelwind and Pz IV

The Italeri Wirbelwind that I built over the Christmas break, painted up using one of the schemes suggested with the kit for a unit in Germany in 1945.  A lovely kit, but I'm going to struggle to get crewmen to fit without a lot of cutting down.

Decals all came with the kit.  Vehicle is painted in middlestone mixed with pale sand, then brown stripes added based on armor brown mixed with German camo mid-brown, with central stripes overpainted in German Late WW2 field grey with some reflective green added.  The whole vehicle is washed in Agrax Earthshade and dry brushed Iraqi sand.

The Italeri kit also includes a full turret for a standard Pz IV, which was handy as I needed a mantlet and gun barrel for a Pz IV I bought from Paul at the club a couple of years ago now.  I liked Pauls scheme on the tank overall, so tried to match mine in, although I think the base colour was too yellow, should have used more sand! 

So, quite pleased with the result and its always nice to get a "twofer" out of one kit.

Thanks for looking.

20mm Late War Falschirmjager supports

Working my way through the Rapid-Fire Arnhem book and the Seelowe Heights scenario book written for use with Rapid-Fire, I realised that my forces were missing a lot of infantry support weapons, especially mortars.  I placed an order with Andy at Grubby Tanks, which was shipped and delivered in less than a week, along with his usual free sample.

First up on the painting table, a pair of 81mm mortars with three man teams.

Next, a pair of beute ex-Soviet 76.2 mm AT guns with 3 crew.

Then, my free sample, a three man command element.

Finally, I remembered I also had a box of Orion Falschirmjaeger, which included these two Kettenkraftrads that I assembled some time ago.  Ideal for towing the door knocker or for transporting command or spotter elements.

Lots more to come as I had to go through the same process for other units including the SS and infantry in greatcoats, as well as more progress on the Christmas builds.  With no shows to go to at the moment and the weather not good enough for outdoor work quite yet, I guess it leaves me more time to work on those part finished projects.

As ever, thanks for looking.

20mm Universal Carriers

 More Christmas builds completed.

Four Plastic Soldier Company universal carriers, (l-r) an MG carrier, PIAT carrier, 2" mortar carrier and Bren carrier.  Figures are Raventhorpe, except the dismounted Vickers team, which is from an Italeri/Esci set.

The carrier section.

Bren carrier.

2" Mortar carrier, complete with huge crewmen.

PIAT carrier.

The section from an oblique view.

Rear view of the carriers.

The MG carrier with Vickers MMG dismount.

Another set of giant crewmen.

Nice that the gunner is modelling in a leather jerkin.

These are painted using my "normal" British armour colours, WW2 Russian uniform washed in Agraz Earthshade and dry brushed Iraqi sand.  Decals are Skytrex.

Thanks for looking.