Vehicles for Star Wars: U-Wing in 1:100

One key component of nearly every scene, in any of the abundant shows from the Star Wars televisual quiver, is the vehicles. They are not only vital set dressing that firmly states “This is Sci-fi” but they’re often vital to the character’s wellbeing and way of life. From farming equipment through service droids to personal transports the tech is what allows the squishy humans or not so squishy aliens to exist.

In order to make Star Wars in 15mm on my tabletop I needed to be able to put down some key vehicles, not only as scenery but sometimes objectives or even actively taking part in the fights. One particular vehicle I needed was a Rebel transport to rival the Imperial Shuttle: something to transport a squad or key characters into or out of the fight. Rogue One provided the perfect ship for this in the U-wing, the scene on Scarif(?) was excellent with the U-wings swooping in like Hueys, dropping off rebel commandos and providing close air support.

Luckily Revell make a 1:100 plastic kit of the U-wing and I managed to pick one up cheap (using up gift vouchers in the process). It’s not quite perfect: it has a lights and sound function but the gubbins for this take up the transport cabin leaving no space for gunners (unfortunately the cockpit sits on top of this block). I yanked the block out, cut off the un-needed section and discarded it. This left me with the front section (to support the crew cabin) and some work to do to make it presentable. The plan is to build a wall that will slot in behind the cabin (with appropriate door) and then fix a new floor into place. On this I’ll mount some door gunners or gun positions. The pilots seats are a little small but I may replace these or just black out the cockpit canopies….

The button for the light and sound is on the exterior engine but I had a sudden idea how to tackle/disguise it. One thing I love about the ships in SW is the astromechs and their diligent work under fire to keep the crafts moving. Now U-wings don’t seem to have astromechs like some of the smaller ships but I was sitting holding a GZG spider mech body when I realised it would fit perfectly back there with the addition of a small hole. This ship will be my personal craft for smaller adventures so I like the idea of having a droid along to help and will have a painted (and legged) version to bring along as well.

The earlier variants of the U-wing don’t have the boom wings (or have cut down or skeletal versions) so I may adapt them as they look a bit cooler (and will reduce the overall length). The kit in the picture below is not “clicked” together (as I’m not sure it’ll come apart again) but when it is the boom wings will be movable for different flight modes.

This is a great kit that snaps together easily and whilst intended as a toy/display, is of good quality and with a little extra work (paint job and weathering) should produce an excellent scale representation of the U-wing (that’ll see plenty of action in my games). Currently I’m tidying up my workspace (on our dining table) for the festive period and in doing so I’m going through all the vehicles I have and packing them together. As soon as I’ve finished sorting and organising I’ll get back to painting and fettling, and whilst I do, I intend to take photos of what I have so I can see where I’m at and can plan what needs to be done. Plenty more to come…..

Thank you for taking the time, stay safe,

Balm 

15mm Wild West: Starting to build a setting for my games.

 One of the best (in my opinion) potential settings for tabletop gaming is the Old or Wild West. Whilst this is a narrow period in time (1865 to 1890) the setting in itself is very open for gaming interpretation and can easily accommodate additional steampunk, horror or (pulp) sci-fi elements to suit the gamers taste. It also has a very tabletop suitable tech level - guns with iron sights that are generally slow firing with a effective range representable on the tabletop at smaller scales (or bigger tables), the main form of transport being horses and wagons for dramatic travel but at generally 20mph or less speeds. It is also known for combat between smaller groups of Heroes, Lawmen, Cowboys, Criminal Gangs and so on: which is exactly the type of story tabletop gaming specialises in portraying (and I might finish painting). 

If I had to get rid of all of my hobby projects and swap them for one setting that would fulfil all my gaming needs: solo, against an opponent or group games it would be the Wild West. Since coming back to gaming I have often considered doing just that, buying a small fortunes worth of the beautiful 28mm 4ground Wild West buildings and populate them with the many options for excellent metal 28mm figures like Foundry (and now with the fantastic plastic Wild West sets from Great Escape Games) and spending the rest of my days building my own fictitious little part of the west. 

Great Escape Games are currently running a Kickstarter that if you’re into 28mm (and it all looks good even though it’s the wrong scale for me) will provide you everything you’ll need to start your wild/old west adventures including their own ruleset Dead Man’s Hand, some very nice plastic miniatures, scatter scenery and impressive plastic buildings (how I wish they were 15mm). It’s about to end (24hrs) but it can be found here.

Dead Man’s Hand 2 player starter set.

I am however a die hard 15mm supporter and there are a couple of producers of suitable ranges of figures. Whilst Blue Moon from Old Glory UK do a very comprehensive range they are the larger end of 15mm and wouldn’t mix well with the Peter Pig chaps I already had (converted and painted to use in the board game Gunslinger). I only have a few finished gunslingers and lawmen but have found some more unused packets on the lead mountain. For now I decided to use what I could from the Peter Pig range and convert/sculpt anything else I needed. 

My brave lawmen (both equipped with mkII invisible combat bagpipes) (Miniatures by Peter Pig)

Key to my decision about the west was my actual setting. Nearly every table I see, no matter how beautiful, is a shade of desert and spaghetti western (probably due to cinema and nostalgia) but I fancied doing something more green and forested (I try to limit myself when starting any new projects to using one of the two mats I already have: green or arid.). I will make up a developing town/s for my setting in the near future but initially I will need some basic buildings and tents with a few fancier bigger buildings.

Building wise there weren’t quite so many options. Some of the old 4ground buildings will work (cabins) and I presume these will be available through them (on whatever website they use under whatever name they’ve now decided on). I have a number of old 4ground buildings but probably won’t buy much else from them in the future.

 Sarissa Precision has recently released a range of classic boardwalk shops, a stables and some larger buildings (no bar or saloon yet sadly) found here. I haven’t seen them in person but they seem simple, solid little buildings but not particularly pretty so may need some additional fettling to make them suitable. They are definitely on my list.

Sarissa Precision Old West Town

One range I’d seen at shows previously and gazed at online was by the comparatively small U.K. company Blotz. It’s a new, developing range with only three classic boardwalk buildings so far: one generic and two others that come with the options to make them into either Bank/Baker or Surgeon/Barber respectively (although they could be whatever you wish). There also a Wind Pump which is pretty good, a little blocky (mdf after all) but better done than anyone else’s I’ve seen. What to say about these Blotz buildings……

Blotz Wild West building.

They are amazing. I know it’s just a box…… but look at that box! Look at the simple additional details added by the basswood style (thin wood) sheet that makes them look much more realistic and covers the majority of the lug holes from construction. 4ground (or whoever), Sarissa and literally anyone else that make mdf war gaming products need to stop and learn from this talented chap. Or not, maybe look away and let him profit; yes, I’d prefer that.

If you can’t tell, I love these little buildings. At £7 a go they are affordable but don’t ever feel cheap. Hopefully there’s more to come from Blotz for the range as when I spoke to the designer they said that they intend to produce everything they do in 28mm in 15mm eventually. I for one can’t wait and will snaffle up any new offerings plus as many more of the three I already have. I plan to try working up some simple interiors which will hopefully still allow a couple of miniatures to be placed inside. I’m also wondering if a few Sci-fi additions from GZGs massive range would make them suitable for a Firefly style Sci-fi game.

I’m going to get the other two built and start planning my setting a little better. I’m not sure what rule system I’ll use but have Legends of the Old West and Gunslinger to start with and I have to investigate Fistful of Lead. My other current projects (Star Wars, VBCW and WW2) need some organising but are all progressing and I’ve got quite a future paint queue for the winter months, I just need to get some spray paint base coating done. Maybe I need to buy some Blue Moon Cowboys to see if I like them……..

Stay safe,

Balm.

15mm AT-ST for Star Wars Chain of Command

    

 One of the first things that comes to my mind when you say Star Wars is the AT-ST or chicken walker. It’s not practical or particularly well armed but it’s quintessentially Empire and as such would be vital for any SW themed tabletop game I’d want to play. The biggest draw to playing Legion was the AT-ST and how much it reminded me of my childhood toy, but the cost (and scale) helped push me into investigating any possibility in a near enough scale for 15mm. 

     Most manufacturers use 1:100 for their accompanying 15mm vehicle scales but as I didn’t intend to have too many recognisable/real world vehicles on the tabletop (who says how big this speeder is in real life) I could accept some variance around this, probably from 1:90 to 1:110 depending on the subject. Luckily all of the work had already been done for me by the previously mentioned, and frankly excellent, Rebel Scale website which has lists for all the Star Wars toys or models that are or have been available. On it I was overjoyed to find that the Micro Galaxy Squadron toys by Jazwares produced an AT-ST in 1:100 exactly. Being, accordingly, a collectors item they can go for ridiculous prices (that I don’t understand but words like chase are bandied with much reverence in the hallowed circles of fandom) but I managed to pick up two for £13 each which was reasonable.

     The plastic is hard(ish) but not brittle and comes with a weird dirty wash on them (rebelscale recommends removing this with isopropyl alcohol which worked well enough for my purposes). The details are sometimes a little soft but perfectly acceptable apart from (in my opinion) the front blasters. These are the main chin mounted weapons and had plastic filler between the two barrels (to add strength). I cut off the guns and replaced them with a plastic set (from a WW2 Flames of War American early AA Halftrack), whilst not exact and missing the barrel detail of the originals I like the look of these replacements and feel when painted they’ll fit well enough for me (field modifications if anyone quibbles).

The toy actually stands up on its own but I decided to make them a base for added stability. Luckily with a little aggressive scraping with a scalpel I managed to enlarge the gaps on the underside of the feet to perfectly fit two 5mm neodymium magnets that were partnered by a pair mounted into a 50mm Renedra round base. Hey presto a stable model that can be posed and repositioned on its base or removed entirely if needed.

I’m really happy with how it looks next to a Highlander Studios Stormtrooper and need to start the second and work out a plan for paint scheme (in classic Empire grey). I’m tempted to add some stowage and bits but I’m not sure it fits the SW look.

Thank you for taking the time to check this out I have a lot of plans for my Chain of Command Star Wars chaps and just received another two Jazwares vehicles today for scenery; which I’ll spend a few weeks getting them out of their carbonite packaging (how kids are supposed to get anything out of this packaging without breaking them is baffling - it’s almost vac-formed around it!) and get them into the production line.

Balm 

A 15mm Sullustan for Star Wars

 A quick picture of my latest 15mm GZG RANG trooper converted into a Sullustan. It’s a little rough and like any picture of something that’s only15mm high I can now see all the flaws (If you’re an aspiring gamer don’t worry about the what tiny errors you can see in your photographs, this way madness lies).

It’s only been blocked in and washed (next up highlights) but I quite like the colour scheme and will probably use the same colours across the whole force (GW Knarloc Green, Iyanden Darksun and P3 Hammerfall Khaki). I always struggle with painting during the blocking phase as I get frustrated and disheartened when it doesn’t look as imagined, but they generally turn out ok eventually. 

To anyone just starting out on your hobby journey: Don’t judge yourself too harshly or by anyone else’s ability. Painting should be an enjoyable pastime that allows you to express yourself. For example GW’s John Blanche’s miniature painting style only exists because, as he admitted, he wasn’t very good at painting and this style was easy but acceptable to his eye. Weirdly the current (YouTube) generation laud this ‘style’ (Blanchitsu - shudder) as something to work towards completely missing the original message it was meant to convey “be happy with what you can do”. 

Back in the day I painted all my local GW’s display pieces and boards (my friend ran the shop and was overworked/treated terribly so I did what I could to help him out) and when he left (not happily but we all know what GW are like) I saw a group of employees fighting over who got to keep my work (I stopped them, took everything out of the cabinet and gave them away to more deserving people). I know I can paint but I still struggle nearly every time. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, hopefully they’ll be more actual content soon,

Balm 

My 15mm Star Wars project

 So as briefly mentioned before I’m intending to use Star Wars miniatures to lure unsuspecting friends into playing Chain of Command (or literally anything at this point) and then if they bite try and convert them to historicals.

So I’m currently busy watching various bits of the films or series and trying to get an idea for the setting and rebel composition for my vision. My rebels are GZG RANG and I’ve started trying to add some variation by removing heads and re sculpting them.

My first efforts are a Twi’lek platoon commander, a Sullustan RPG operator and a Mon Calamari driver for the lovely GZG skimmer.

I’m quite pleased with the results, although the eyes are maybe too far forward ( a thorough scouring of MC pictures however does show variance so maybe it’s okay). I now just have to decide what colour: blue or red? Cold water or warm? I’m thinking red for this one and I’ll do a couple more infantry for variety. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I apologise for the lack of pictures, I intend to get a few more done and I’ll paint up some infantry to try and rough out my colour scheme.

Stay safe,

BeneathALeadMountain 

A gift for my wife

 I’m still busy ticking over on my projects (the constant state for many wargamers) and whilst I actually seem to be making progress I had to take a short break (from my own self induced nonsense) just before Christmas to make my wife an additional, last minute present.

Now when we got married many years ago I promised her that I’d get her a pony. I know. As I’ve been retired (against my will) for ten years or so I think a pony may well be out of my financial reach. Then I had an idea (actually I had it last year but the display case I bought from Woodland Scenics was sadly rubbish) and managed to find a suitable vessel on Etsy. On the 22nd of December the display case/bowl turned up and I set to work. I didn’t sleep much during the next couple of days but I was very pleased with the end result and more importantly so was my wife. The diorama is all scratch built and based on a 50mm ply base from Warbases attached to the supplied cork with PVA. The horse and tree are procreate and the greenery is either Silflor from Mininatur or Woodland Scenics (all of which I already had in my stores).

Whilst it’s not my usual fare I thoroughly enjoyed the sculpting process (and work best under pressure) and my wife was delighted. 

Brilliantly, for Christmas, my wife bought me some 15mm Stormtroopers (Highlander Miniatures) and my brother in law bought me some GZG Tomorrow’s War RANG troopers to be my rebels. Since then I’ve been basing and re-sculpting to add some aliens (non-humans) into the mix. Hopefully soon I’ll get some pictures up and some games played using either the original Star Wars Miniature rules, Chain of Command, Spectre Operations (a very useful toolkit system) or maybe the new Tomorrow’s War ruleset that’s in development.

Stay safe

BeneathALeadMountain 

Battlegroup Westwall

 

I thought I'd share a few pictures and initial feelings about the new softback Battlegroup supplement covering the battles at Germany's border in Autumn 1944: Battlegroup Westwall.

Now Westwall is a softback supplement so is designed to be used with a couple of other Battlegroup products, these being the rulebook and the Axis and Allies lists from Overlord (or the later reprint Beyond the Beaches) so you'll need those to get the most out of it - although like all Battlegroup products the history and scenarios included can be worth the cost and this also has a mini campaign included!

So, presuming you're not like me and just slowly collecting all of WW2 (I jest but it's getting closer) is this book for you? As previously stated it covers the period after Normandy but before Wacht Am Rhein (Bulge) and Into the Reich - so September to November. Although the British were also fighting fiercely at this point their main focus was Holland (and any suitable rules found here can be used for Holland - Battlegroup is a tool kit) and this book focusses primarily on the American forces slogging their way through the dilapidated re-re-done fortifications of the Westwall: the last line protecting the Fatherland, as the remnants of the once mighty German army desperately re-arm and reform behind it. It also covers the particular misery of the fighting in "the Big Hurt" or Huertgen forest with special rules for thematic occurrences like airburst in canopy and forest floor. 

Like all Battlegroup books there is a comprehensive history overview section that covers the background events leading up to and action from Aachen to Huertgen Forest, the events around Lorraine and the fortress city of Metz. As ever its well written, has a great selection of real pictures and miniature shots and lots of interesting informational inserts with details about key events. Now you may ask why you need 26 pages of History information you could get anywhere else, but I would argue the history is so well written and focused, including giving a breakdown of the units involved and the action you're trying to portray that it is necessary and really beneficial for beginners and old hands alike (I think I have definitely forgotten more about WW2 than I'll ever know). People would definitely complain if it wasn't there (they’ll complain no matter what) and for the newcomer to WW2 gaming it is a real boon - it may even spark your interest in the historical side.

 Whilst it uses the lists from Overlord (only one full list in this book - the German Panzer Brigade Battlegroup) there are the usual additions and subtractions listed for all the necessary forces so you can tailor the Volksgrenadier Division list (Wacht Am Rhein), Germany Infantry Division 1944 (Overlord) and Armoured and Infantry Combat Engineers for the US lists (Overlord). 

The key addition present here is for the german lists in the form of the new Defense section with more detailed Westwall specific defenses including sparse minefields, flak bunkers and a comprehensive list of bunker types with new options such as defensive machineguns and flamethrower shelters. This is a really interesting section and breathes new life into any bunkers you have for already bought for those rarely played and often harrowing Normandy landing games. 

Alongside the lists and amendments is the scenario section. Battlegroup is well known for its generosity and proliferation of scenarios in its books and this one delivers with .....one. Yep just the one but it's important and not unexpected. It's an attack/defense scenario with the Axis player holding a fortified defensive line, nothing too shocking there. This isn't bad news however as many there are another 6 scenarios hidden away in the section after the army lists; the mini campaign. 

The Clipper Campaign is a 6 battle mini campaign covering Operation Clipper in late November 1944 and can be played as Americans or British (if you don’t have US) against the Germans (in reality it was the US vs Germans). There are six scenarios to be played that are squad to platoon in size (1 squad and 5 platoon sized games) with the historical forces listed or the ability to select replacement forces from your available miniatures (as usual). It's not as complicated as the Torch/Kasserine one but a nice addition that should be doable in a good, long weekend or over a few weeks at club.

As stated the full list presented here is the German Panzer Brigade Battlegroup which replaces the standard panzer Brigade from Overlord. This is a very thematic list which may admittedly seem bland to those not interested in or aware of the historical significance of the options: as it appears to simply have very few options. This list represents the armoured counter attacks (mostly the southern Lorraine front) by the new, very cut down Panzer divisions and is a welcome addition to the available stable of late war formations. The Author goes as far to state that the traditional panzers divisions of Normandy and Into the Reich aren't suitable for this period of conflict and you should look to Wacht Am Rhein if they are more your taste.

This new supplement arrived this morning (I paid for it myself and everything) and I'm really pleased to add it to my existing precious pile of Battlegroup books - I may not play much Westwall but Huertgen is on my list (when I finish my trees) and I intend to keep picking up any books The Plastic Soldier Company puts out in the Battlegroup series. 

Battlegroup:Westwall can be bought direct from The Plastic Soldier Company here.

Stay safe,

BeneathALeadMountain

A little progress.......

 Greetings all. I hope 2020 is treating you well...... OK maybe not ‘well’ but you’re hanging in there, it won’t be forever, soon it will be a weird memory that those that didn’t experience it won’t really understand (and hopefully will never have to).

 Talking of things that are hard to understand without being there I just watched a new mini series on Netflix about WW2. The Liberator is about Felix Sparks and his role in the 45th Infantry division (nicknamed the Thunderbirds) and their path through the later period of WW2. It follows the characters through Italy via Anzio and then during Operation Dragoon (landings in the south of France) and into Germany including their discovery of concentration camps and the horrific practices undertaken there. The interesting thing about this particular American unit was that it was made up of Native Americans, Mexicans and Americans, people who at that time in their home country wouldn’t have been able to drink together in the same bar. It was a highly decorated unit, that fought hard throughout these campaigns but also has a number of accounts of war crimes attached to them. I can’t comment on these as I can’t even imagine what the war was really like but they are covered in the series and more information about the unit can be found here (it’s Wikipedia so I presume it’s accurate but better sources are probably available). One of the most stunning things about this series is the way it was shot using something called Trioscope. This leads to an almost animated, cel shaded look that adds a beauty to what are horrific and frightening events. I really enjoyed it and think it was well worth watching if you have Netflix.

Apart from that I’ve achieved a few things but nothing of any great measures. Whilst I’ve been interested in WW2 gaming for a while I’ve never had much interest in the Naval actions. When I bought the excellent Post Captain from ODGW games I noticed that they also had a WW2 Naval set called General Quarters 3, luckily I managed to have a flick through a friends copy and was intrigued by how they seemed to work. I started reading various Osprey books and was soon swamped by how complicated and vast the subject was so I asked for some help on a starting point from the publishers forum and ordered a copy from the only people in the U.K. that stocked them. The forum response was excellent and very helpful but the company selling the rules were not. When I used their website I noticed a couple of odd things like the fact that they charge a surcharge for using PayPal (not allowed by PayPal and also by U.K. legislation), when I asked them about it they were flippant and claimed PayPal was expensive (they’ve obviously never had a business bank account) and that they were well within their rights. Shockingly after I politely pointed out that they couldn’t do what they were doing, they said my card wasn’t working and then cancelled my order without contacting me (I’d joked with my wife that I’d never get what I ordered but was still slightly shocked). Annoyed and slightly flummoxed I gave up on ever obtaining the rules, but a few days later I had a better idea.

 I contacted the creators, ODGW, and after a couple of explanatory emails managed to set my wife up as a seller of their rules. I’m still waiting for our first shipment to arrive (due on Friday) and will post about them excitedly as soon as they arrive. I haven’t mentioned the original U.K. company but they are well known and if you go onto many of the gaming forums there are lists of people having problems with their non-existent customer service and refusing to buy anything from them. ODGW make excellent rules (and are lovely people) and I don’t think that the behaviour of an unconnected rubbish company should have an effect on whether people in the U.K. get to play their games so hopefully soon I can change that.

 When I found GQ3 I also found a game called Action Stations by David Manley which focuses on the coastal actions that were prevalent throughout the war and this also piqued my interest. To work out what scale I would play GQ3 in I decided to order some Figurehead 1:6000 destroyers from Magister Millitum and whilst doing so I noticed that they also sold 1:1250 coastal ships and bought a pack of these to see what I thought.

Well the two packs I ordered arrived promptly and with mixed results. Not surprisingly the 1:6000 destroyers were tiny but my key issue was that they are fixed to their bases (and yes I do want to put them on bases, but my bases not pre-cast metal ones. I know - picky) and whilst I managed to remove some of them I’m not sure they are worth the effort. The 1:1250 coastal ships were a different matter though. I bought a pack of Vorposternboot (converted German trawlers) and they are brilliant. Cleanly cast and frankly charming I quickly based up one of the ships and got it painted.

They are based on pill bases from Fluid 3D workshop and then I used Vallejo plastic putty to sculpt the water effects, which for a first go I’m quite happy with. Painting was very easy and I just needed to pick out a few details like depth charges  and lifeboats and the little ship came to life. I may have painted the water too brightly as I used a tiny bit of GW Talassar Blue contrast paint as a wash but when I placed them onto my sea gaming mat they worked quite well.

Apart from that I’ve put together a pair of Hornisse or Nashorns (large German self propelled guns) and Ferdinands (like a stug on steroids) which can be used on the Eastern front or in Italy and being relatively  few in number, in reality and in Battlegroup (I believe they are both restricted choices), I may do one of each for each theatre. Below is the first of my Hornisse (Hornet) which were also called Nashorn (Rhino) very much a sit and wait ambush vehicle.

That’s about it, I’ve dabbled in a few other things and regularly stare at my lead mountain trying to work out what I can do about it. As the Welsh fire break action has ended I should be able to get my wife to go to the post office for me and will start chipping at the surplus of my hoard later this week.

 I mentioned briefly before that I’d had a bit of a slip in the garden and damaged my hand. I was very lucky and did no serious permanent damage to myself. This has healed but has left a meaty scar and I’ve been slow getting back into doing hobby stuff but hopefully I’ll pick up speed now. 

Thank you for taking the time to read through this, I hope you’re being more productive than I am currently, stay safe.

BALM

My forces for Operation Torch - or what have I been doing during COVID?

 Greetings all, I hope you are still coping with the unusual times we’re currently experiencing. Previously I’ve mentioned that my actual progress in my hobby is not very well represented by my blog posts - a mixture of frustration at computers (blogger is very hard to use on iPad recently - as I type this I cannot actually see what I’m writing and when I try and put pictures in a minute there will be swearing) and a feeling that it just isn’t that interesting. Well recently I’ve decided to give in and bore any poor reader who found their way here because if nothing else it’s a small distraction from the real world. 

Since just before Christmas I’ve been taking random boxes of 15mm tanks and vehicles I have stockpiled and trying to at least move them forward by sticking them together and basing them. I haven’t progressed to painting partly as I’ve lost my painting mojo and I was also stuck trying to match my basing colours with my chosen gaming mat (Cigar Box battle mats Arid region - it has a ground colour of a beige and pink flesh tone in it and sparse foliage scattered across it) but I think I’ve solved that problem.

For Operation Torch I wanted to collect Italians and Germans with British and Americans opposing them. My American platoon is already based along with a few vehicles like an M8 Scott, M1 Scout car as they were originally for Normandy but I decided to repurpose them and build a new platoon for Overlord at some point in the future. Not everything is finished and in some cases there a few more waiting to be built but this gives a good example of what I’m intending to have as a final force. So we have M3 Lees, early M4 Shermans, halftracks (only 1 but more to come), trucks, T30 halftracks (75mm howitzer), M1 scout car, various jeeps (spotters and a radio version) and Beeps, Portee’d anti tank guns and M3 Stuart’s. So still a number of vehicles to finish or tart up with sculpted details and crew but definite progress.

The British are the least completed (maybe started is a better term) force but if you look carefully at the pictures of the drawers I keep my WIP models in you can see 6 pounders and a couple of scout cars (you can also see some of my limited armour for VBCW including a T1 cavalry tank and some Konflikt ‘47 walkers in their original, and honestly much better, scale). I will get back to the Brits but as I had my American infantry re-headed and based it seemed sensible to focus on them to get a working allied force done.

For the Axis I have Germans and Italians. The Italians are represented by a Bersaglieri platoon (half done and charming in their pith style sun helmets and ostrich feathers) and a range of vehicles from M41 tanks and semoventes, dovunque 35 lorries and Lancia 3RO 6-ton trucks including two (one pictured) with 90mm guns mounted on them, TL-37 artillery tractors and a section of motor cycle based rifleman for a bit of mobile reserve. I could still do with some Sahariana vehicles to act as a mobile elite force but there’s easily enough for Chain of command, Bolt Action or small games of Battlegroup (the Germans will bolster their forces in bigger games). I also made a Carro commando M41 command vehicle out of one of the FoW plastic M41s. Ive also got a number of infantry guns and support weapons to base up to help give the troops a bit more punch.

For the Germans I have a good range of vehicles to support my intended two platoons of infantry. I’ve based and re-headed one platoon in trench coats (Tunisia was cold at night and very different to the sweltering deserts of ‘41)  and they will have a kradschutzen platoon added to them soon (I have the bikes but not the chaps yet) as I felt they would be very different to the other forces and give a highly mobile but fragile fighting force. The vehicles for the Germans range from Panzer III (mainly J’s) and Panzer IV’s (newly arrived in the desert and a dangerous foe), a Bison (daft and pretty unique but cheap from eBay), sdkfz 6 Diana SPG, various artillery tows (sdkfz 7 and 10’s) and scout cars and the utterly weird SdKfz 254 (minus its aerial frame at the moment as it’s thick and clunky and I think I can do better). There is also  some captured and converted Lorraine schleppers and a Tiger. For command vehicles or particular individuals I’ve sculpted crew members using Peter Pig heads to make them a little bit more ‘mine’ (the panzer commander has a cigarette if you squint at my awful photos). Where turrets aren’t attached that is because on taking them out of storage one of the magnets has become detached and they’re waiting for the glue to dry.

So that’s a pretty good overview of some of what I’ve actually done recently. There are quite a few more vehicles to build, base and in a lot of cases add some sculpted details to in order to make them a bit different. I’ve also got to finish the infantry (and buy my kradschutzen troops on foot) but I feel like I’m actually making some progress and hopefully by the time the COVID problem has become more manageable and I’m allowed to mingle again I should be able to start playing some Chain of Command, Bolt Action and Battlegroup in Tunisia. Hopefully I can also use some of the scenery and as much of the forces as possible to play the conflict in Italy (with some key scenic additions like olive groves and Italian style houses) in the future. Apologies for the picture quality and the lack of captions on the pictures but writing this up has probably taken longer than it does to build most of the forces and as I may have mentioned blogger is very hard to use at the moment (I know it’s not just me and that many other bloggers are struggling as well).

Thank you for taking the time to read this, please get in touch and ask any questions or tell me about your own forces for this theatre.

Stay safe and well

BALM