Tamiya 1/48th Crusader Mk. I/II

Another plastic 1/48th Tamiya kit for the 8th Army force. The anti-tank rifles should be able to penetrate this thinner armored tank. I also like the sleek and angular look of it. The difference between the Mk. I and II is the former had a hull mounted machine gun turret.

Left the turret hatch in the open position as I plan to add a TC later - the kit didn't come with one.

I brushed on successive light coats of Vallejo Dark Sand. A wash of Future/Pledge floor wax and pin lining were added afterward.

Along side 28mm Warlord Games plastic 8th Army figures. Note the mold lines on the helmets and such; I left them on as they convey an old school plastic toy soldier look; Not really, I was just too lazy to scalpel them off.

I'm happy with how the figures match up with this scale.

The removable/optional machine gun turret next to the tank.

And next to the Matilda. Both tanks sport 2 pdr main guns, but the Crusader was faster due to its lighter armor.

Next up is a Tamiya Sd.Kfz. 222 Armored Car. Once completed I'll start working on terrain for a game. Thanks for stopping by and happy gaming and painting to you all.

Warlord Games DAK and 8th Army Artillery and Mortar Support

These are some really nice kits; although I had to look at internet images of the cannons to figure out how the parts went together.

The PaK 38 and 6 pdr will be able to take out the Matilda and Panzer IV, respectively. I think the medium mortars may also be able to take them out too.

The German cannon and mortar were painted with Vallejo Iraqi Sand, and the British cannon and mortar painted with Vallejo Dark Sand.

The British crew were painted with Vallejo Khaki and highlighted with Iraqi Sand. The Germans were painted with Yellow Green, Khaki and Green Brown - highlighted with the same mixed with white.

The cannon come with round bases like the mortar teams, but I chose to use plywood bases I had from Hobby Lobby.

I also added a TC to the Panzer IV - as well as Afrika Korps decals from Warlord Games.

Next up is a Tamiya 1/48th Crusader Mk. II - just wanted something with light enough armor for the anti-tank rifles to take out. Thanks for stopping by and happy gaming and painting to you all!

Empire Master Engineer on Mechanical Steed

This is the figures I got off of ebay back in January of this year. I finally got around to painting it. What prompted me was signing up for a Dragon Rampant game day next month. He'll join the five Pistoliers to form a Heavy Riders unit.

He's a model I always wanted and it took a long time find one (reasonably priced) on ebay.

As with the Pistoliers, he's colors are associated with Nuln.

This is a metal model and I was worried the usual 25x50mm base wouldn't support the rearing horse pose, but it is balanced very nicely.

Next up are some light artillery and mortar support for the DAK and 8th Army. Thanks for stopping by and happy gaming and painting.

1/48th Tamiya Matilda Mk. III/IV - Completed

Known as the Queen of the Desert in the early part of the Western Desert Campaign, particularly against the Italians. It's heavy armor proved virtually impenetrable against the early enemy tanks and artillery. However, they were decimated at the Siege of Tobruk by German 88's. Later German armor and artillery made them somewhat obsolete - read...slow moving targets.

I used Pledge (formerly Future) floor wax mixed with inks for the wash. It's not at heavy/thick as Minwax and dries as fast as acrylics.

With some Warlord British figures. Tamiya 1/48th seems to work well with 28mm figures, IMO.

The OD green was toned down a bit with some highlighting/drybrushing.

According to the Western Desert Bolt Action supplement, Indian troops trained closely with the Matilda's early in the campaign.

The Matilda was used in all theaters the British operated in, and even on the Russian Front by Soviet troops.

So much for now - waiting on another (small) order from Warlord Games. This time some light artillery for both the British and Germans. Until next time, happy gaming and painting to you all!

1/48th Tamiya Matilda Mk. III/IV - WIP

Finished the basic "Desert Dazzle" camo scheme.

I used paints already on hand: rattle can Krylon Matte Glacier Gray (which is used as a basecoat for dapple and white horses); Testors Flat OD (spray can); and brushed on Vallejo Dark Sand 847.

A pretty straight-forward pattern...once I figured out which colors were which as painting guide is in black and white. It'll next be given a wash/stain; followed by highlighting.

Prior to, and during painting (actually masking), the rear view mirror on the left fender and turret mounted co-axial MG were broken off. I'll use a brass rod to replace the MG.

The painter's tape from Dollar Tree worked very well for the masking process.

Thanks again for stopping by and happy gaming and painting to you all.

Panzer IV - DAK Infantry Support for Bolt Action

This is one of those 1:50th/1:48th scale diecast New Millennium tanks that Walmart used to sell for about $5.00. It was originally in Panzer Grey. I sprayed it with a light brown and then dry-brushed Vallejo Iraqi Sand over it. A light wash of Future/Pledge floor wax mixed with inks was applied and then dry-brushed again with Iraqi Sand. White mixed with the Iraqi Sand was used for the edges and high areas.

The single numeral vehicle marking was used by the 15th Panzer Division of the DAK.

Warlord 28mm plastic DAK infantry for scale comparison. I think it works well enough; plus I like 1:50th/1:48th scale vehicles.

Still need to add division and Afrika Korps palm tree insignia. The commander's hatch was cut in half with a hobby knife and glued to the cupola. Oh, and a TC is also needed as well.

It's a great little die-cast tank - the wheels spin and the turret and gun are moveable.

I'm still learning how to properly weather tanks - particularly the rusting around the exhaust. I've yet to work up the courage to attempt chipping.

The Panzer IV prior to the re-paint. And a Tamiya 1:48th Matilda awaits painting.

So much for now. Thanks for dropping by and happy gaming and painting to you all!

Warlord Games Afrika Korps and British 8th Army Infantry - Ready for Bolt Action

Finished basing them today. Used some sand mixed with dried coffee grounds along with some Army Painter winter tufts.

Three full squads per side with anti-tank rifles. Plan to add light artillery and mortars later.

I didn't highlight these DAK guys after the Minwax staining as the base coating was a bit watered down and give a pretty good variation of color.

The British were given a little bit of highlighting - Iraqi Sand over Khaki that had been stained with Minwax.

For the record, I ran the Franco-Prussian War skirmish game using Bolt Action on Saturday at another game day at the Fort Lewis Museum. The game went for 6 turns with the French winning over the Prussians. The Prussians had a Cuirassier and two artillery units while the French had neither. Their victory couldn't be solely attributed to the longer range Chassepots, as the Prussians were overly cautious and didn't take advantage of their superior numbers - 10 units to the French's 8.

Next up are a Panzer IV and Matilda to support the Western Desert forces. Thanks again for dropping by and happy painting and gaming to you all.

A Pershing and a Couple of Pattons

Just some comparison shots of a Tamiya 1:48 M26 Pershing, Aurora/Atlantis 1:48 M46 Patton and Corgi 1:50 M48A3 Patton.

The two 1:48 kits of basically the same tank are quite close in size - as one would hope; however, the Aurora/Atlantis Patton's hull is slightly wider. Otherwise the two look pretty close overall. The M48, although in a slightly smaller 1:50 looksa bit bigger - mainly taller, which may be the actual reality.

Along with a couple of Victory Forces minis - the lower profiled M26 and M46 tanks seem to work better with 28mm figures.

Their side profile betrays their familial line.The M46 has an added lower bogie wheel before the rear drive wheel.

I've yet to decide if I'll weather them; although the M26, unless battle damaged, probably stayed pretty nice as they only entered the war in the final weeks/days of WW2.

Anyway, just wanted to post a comparison shot of these "modern" tanks. Time to return to the British 8th Army and DAK stuff. Thanks for stopping by and happy gaming an painting to you all.

Warlord Games British 8th Army and Afrika Korps Infantry - WIP +1

Managed to pull off a marathon session and block painted the figures from the Warlord Games 8th Army and Afrika Korps boxes.

I used the paints from the Vallejo WWII Desert British and German set. After staining with Minwax, they'll be given highlights.

Thanks for dropping by and best wishes to you all.

EDIT/UPDATE: Just stained 'em with Minwax.

Gotta give 'em about a day (with good weather) to dry before spraying with Dullcote.

Atlantis née Aurora 1/48th M46 Patton Tank - WIP +1

Added the tiger markings that were used during Operation Ripper in 1951 during the Korean War. Supposedly they did it because they believed the enemy were superstitious and that it would scare them. Probably scary enough facing a 48 ton behemoth spewing 90mm HE, in any case.

Still need to give it a wash and then some weathering, but most of the main stuff is done.

It's a fairly simple kit with minimal parts and sturdy enough for gaming.

The tracks are flexible and the wheels can spin with the tracks. However, pushing it around like that is definitely not recommended.

The turret can spin, and the barrel can move up and down. The hatches can also open and close as as well. I plan to add a TC later - the one that came with the kit was very 1950's sculpted - that is, hardly any details.

The 28mm Victory Force figure alongside for size comparison. Good enough for me as I like this scale for modelling.

Anyway, just a quick update to this mini-project. In fact, I may put it aside to start on the Warlord Games British 8th Army and DAK guys as the Vallejo paint set arrived. In any case, best wishes to you all and happy gaming and painting!

Atlantis née Aurora 1/48th M46 Patton Tank - WIP

Picked this kit up at Hobby Lobby the other day. Couldn't pass it up with the usual online 40% discount coupon. Came out to about $11 USD. Although not the usual 1/56th - 28mm size, all my other AFV's are either 1/50th (Corgi) or 1/48th (Tamiya and other diecast). I managed to get most of the kit done in under 2 hours. The major effort was spent getting the wheels on - still not hard though. In fact, the wheels can spin if you use the glue sparingly on the end caps.

Some filler putty was used around the seams on the turret. This kit is a tad larger than the Tamiya 1/48th Pershing I already have. I'll post some comparison pics later once it's done - along with some 28mm figures. Granted this isn't the scale a lot of folks use for gaming, but as I don't intend to pick up a Korean War force anytime soon, it'll be mainly a display piece.

Speaking of Korean War, I hope to paint it up with the "tiger" markings as many of these were - not the least the 6th Medium Tank Battalion attached to the 24th Infantry Division. That's them below:

Anyway this is just a mini-project while awaiting the arrival of the 6-bottle Vallejo WW2 Desert British & German set I ordered off of ebay.