3D printing 28mm kit for DAK Attack.

 The heat over the last few days in Cheshire has meant that painting is nigh on impossible - paints drying on the brush faster than it can be applied.  However, temperatures over 25C mean it's perfect conditions for the 3D printer.  The grey resin Opel Britz truck with tilt is next to an open topped SPA AS.37 Italian light truck, mounting an LMG.  Next to that is an Autosahariana with twin LMGs (looking suspicously like Vickers K guns), a Breda 20mm autocanon and possibly a Breda M37 HMG. 

Two open topped Opel Blitz trucks and a version with canvas tilt.  Seated troops are generic seated figures from Wargaming3D. 

A very poor Opel Blitz tanker print - the last before the uv polarizer on the printer failed - so very much in need of a reprint.  Next to it an SdKfz 222 armoured car, one of the first to be printed after I replaced the polarizer.

Motor cycle and sidecar riders for Kradschutzen teams.

More sidecar teams base coated, with some Perry DAK figures sneaking into shot.

A set of 6 motorcyclists painted as DAK.  Motorcycles and sidecars are also downloads from Wargaming3D.

By the time I've finished the figures in the pipeline, I should have a platoon of DAK, extra platoon of DAK veterans, 2 or 3 Kradschutzen sections, three Opel Blitz and a tanker, an SdKfz 222, AB41, Autosahariana and AS.37.  I've also got a half squad of Italian infantry, but might add some 3D printed figures to bring them up to a platoon.  Might also add some Pz IIIs and L3s or 6s, just in case we do larger scale Battlegroup games as well.

Thanks for looking.

Progress update May 2023

Varied progress over the bank holiday weekend.

Nine of the Perry 28mm Afrika Korps figures painted and based, photographed here drying in the sunshine.  As an added bonus, I was rummaging through the stash and came across a sprue of Warlord DAK figures - I think from a copy of Wargames Illustrated.  Bonus additional 6 figures, which I've assembled and started to paint (no photos as yet).

With the 3D printer behaving itself at the moment, I scaled up some Bergmann jeeps from 15mm to 20mm and added some SHQ crews.  Two US recce jeeps with .50 cals.  One British para recce jeep and a para transport jeep.  Still have another para recce jeep and regular British jeep crew to work on.

Started back before Christmas, these 15mm M151 jeeps from QRF just needed varnish and basing.  Dried in a matter of minutes in the afternoon sun and simple static grass on base.  Two recoilless rifles and two TOW armed jeeps.  Suitable for 60's through 80's.  I just need some M151s with a recce HMG variant.  They might even make it on the table in AK47 games, or as Indo-Pak or Arab-Israeli wars forces.

Finally, for now, I got around to finishing the batch of 20mm figures I ordered at Christmas during the Elhiem sale.  These are a pack of random Middle Eastern insurgents and a pack of RPG armed insurgents.

 I finished these pretty much as my Not Going to Salute sale order from Elhiem arrived on the doorstep.

As ever, thanks for looking.

28mm Afrika Korps test figure

 DAK Attack has become very popular at the club at the moment with people assembling vast quantities of 28mm LRDG vehicles and figures.  I thought I might build up a DAK force to provide some opposition.  I enjoyed painting the 20mm DAK figures that I have, so decided to give it a go with some Perry infantry and Warlord support pack.  While perusing the table top sales at Hammerhead, I spotted a pack of sentry figures, one DAK, one 8th Army and a WW1 Tommy or Doughboy.  I got the two figures for N Africa mounted and painted them up.  Tommy is taking a crafty drag from a cigarette, while Fritz is lighting his own.  Both these figures were marked Warlord Games on the base, but no sign of them on the current Warlord website.

Tommy's greatcoat is khaki, shorts, shirt and helmet are Iraqi Sand.  Fritz greatcoat is US Tan and helmet desert yellow.  Figures were washed in Agrax Earthshade, base colours touched up and highlighted with base colour with a little Iraqi Sand or pale sand.  Faces are light brown with pale flesh highlights washed with Reikland flesh wash.

Nice figures, should do the job of sentries quite nicely.  Now on with assembling and painting the Perry DAK infantry.

Thanks for looking.

28mm Late War German Infantry

Since last summer, we've been playing WW2 Chain of Command, mainly pitting Owain's US paratroopers against Late War German panzergrenadiers.  I've steadily worked through boxes of Warlord panzergrenadiers and support weapons, as well as picking up some unpainted figures at various bring and buys.  These metal Warlord Volksturm were picked up at the Penkridge table top sale back in September, a pack of 16 figures, just 4 missing from a complete box.

First up a unit of 5 tank hunter types armed with panzerfausts and mainly dressed as Hitler Youth or DBM.

Next, a group of 6 factory workers or similar with various small arms, a panzerfaust and an improvised Molotov cocktail.

The remainder of the set, 4 tough looking veterans and a "Golden Pheasant" SA officer.

Sniper with bendy barrel for shooting round corners - not seen any rules for this particular weapon, so probably just use him as a sniper or rifleman.

Three veterans, the guy on the left has put on a little weight since his last physical and carries a mine and panzerfaust.  Centre guy wears a reed green tunic and carries a late war improvised SMG, while the guy on the right, in addition to an assault rifle, carries a fliegerfaust hand held AA rocket launcher.  I'm not sure the Volksturm would have been issued with this wonder weapon, but I guess anything could happen in the last days of the Reich.  Wiki suggests a photo from Berlin in 1945 shows several of these weapons expended and lying in the street.

The SA officer or "Golden Pheasant" if I remember correctly from extensive reading of Sven Hassel novels in my youth.

Nice castings, very little to clean up and they have lots of detail that rewards some painting time.  I'm not sure when/where I'll be able to get them on the tabletop, but I did enjoy painting them.

Thanks for looking! 

More 15mm WW2 3D prints

 Some more 3D prints based on Bergman and Tigerace1945 stl files.  All need decals to finish them off.

Cromwell platoon with Challenger.  I already have a Battlefront Cromwell platoon with Sherman Firefly, so will at some point do another Challenger and a Firefly to make both platoons suitable for Normandy and Germany and the Low Countries.

The Challenger (two views).

One of the Cromwells (again two views).

A pair of Archer SPATs with Skytrex tank crew figures.

The business end of the Archers.

A Stug 33b SPG  (two views).

A zug of beute S-35 tanks (with Becker added commander cupolas).

A zug of beute Renault FT-17s.  Maybe useful for anti-paratrooper duties but way past their best in 1944.  Still armoured support is still armoured support.

Lots more 3D prints to work on.  Sadly, the printer prints far faster than I can paint, so I'm giving it a little rest at the moment - it has been somewhat hammered the last few months.

As ever, thanks for looking.

15mm WW2 British desert vehicles

 More of Bergman's STL files, this time for the desert war.  All need decals to finish them.

A Dorchester ACV.

Bedford MW 15cwt trucks, an MWC water carrier on the left and an MWR radio communications truck on the right.

Another view of the Bedfords, MWR on left and MWC on right.  I'll add some regular trucks as infantry transports for the desert army and for the NW Europe British.

Austin Tilly light van.

A pair of jeeps, one open, one canvas covered.

Jeeps again.

I printed off some Dingos, a troop of M3 Honeys and a pair of Bishops to fill some gaps in the British ranks for the desert war.  More on those later.

Thanks for looking.

15mm WW2 US vehicles 3D printed

Most of these are Bergman STL files from Thingiverse, possibly with one or two from Tigerace1945.  Pictures haven't come out too well here - lots of reflections.

Three jeeps, can't remember where the armoured jeep STL file came from.

Dodge staff car.  One of Bergman's 1:200 offerings scaled to 1:100, so not as detailed as others.

Dodge ambulance, again an upscaled 1:200 model.

An M4A3E2 Jumbo assault tank - uparmoured Sherman.

A pair of M4A3E8 (easy 8s) to make my Sherman platoons more suitable for 1945.

 All need decals adding, especially allied stars and US vehicle numbers, plus I'm sure the tanks will be named at some point.

Thanks for looking.