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.

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

Finished putting together the two boxes of infantry from the El Alamein set. The 8th Army guys are in three squads of 10 figures. One squad each of British in steel helmets, Scots in Tam O'Shanter caps and Sihks in turbans. The Germans are also in three squads of 10 figures wearing a mixture of Sun helmets, field caps and Stahhelm.

They are very nice sculpts that allow a variety of poses. I'm thinking of giving them a sand or khaki basecoat to speed up painting. So much for now. Thanks for stopping by and until the next post, good gaming and happy painting.

Warlord Games Stuff

Picked these up at the local post office yesterday. These actually should've been delivered to my home mailbox earlier, but for some reason my mail was placed on, "Vacation Hold." I never did this, but I suspect my neighbor may have a few weeks ago and the post office mixed up the address. Anyway, these were all on sale -

Bolt Action El Alamein Starter Set - including a handbook version of the 2nd Ed. rules - which I didn't have, so a big plus there. A copy each of the Age of Bronze and A Dark and Bloody Ground supplements for Hail Caesar and Black Powder, respectively. And finally, an inflatable projectile that I couldn't pass up at 50% off.

For the record, I've always had excellent dealings with Warlord Games - my orders have always arrived in excellent packing/condition in a very short time. I usually get stuff from them in about a week and a half - all the way to Washington State in the Pacific NW. I have a hard time resisting their deals and sales, as well as the free shipping for orders only over $50 USD.

Well, I may be preoccupied for a while, so until next time, happy gaming and painting!

North Star 1866 Prussian 4pdr w/Saxon Crew

The crew are actually the same figures from the 12pdr set, but I painted them up as Saxons in green coats. The helmet crest should be a sun burst, but I left the Prussian eagle and just painted it up to represent the Saxon crest.

Another nice set from North Star's 1866 range. Nicely sculpted details which make painting them a joy. I did use my usual Minwax staining over a block paint job, followed by highlighting.

This gun should be it for Prussian fire support, as the French currently have none. I'm waiting for Eagles of Empire to release a Mitraileusse set.

Wondering if I should use both this and the 12pdr next month at a game day at the Fort Lewis Army Museum. Might be too much Prussian firepower, even with the French Chassepot having a greater range than the Dreyse Needle Gun - 24" to 18".

I wanted to have this painted up before the Warlord Games El Alamein boxed set arrives - hopefully soon. Until next time, happy gaming and painting to you all!

North Star 1866 Prussian Cuirassiers

Finally managed to get motivated and paint these few figures up. Great sculpts that are very sturdy for gaming. Only six figures as they are intended for Bolt Action skirmish gaming - mainly as supports for infantry. They'll have 3 x Attacks in HTH, no carbines and a Damage value of 5.

They have nice detailing, yet not overly complicated to paint up. The horse are mostly posed at the walk or standing - which is good as they have all four legs firmly on the base. The Eagles of Empire French Hussars are more delicately sculpted - beautiful as they are, some have only the two rear legs on the base. This creates some handling issues; in fact, I had to add brass rods to some of them for stability.

The flag was downloaded from Warflags, and it might not actually be one for cuirassiers, but it looks the part. Edit: I now see that I put the flag on upside down. Lol!

The figures were block painted, then given a Minwax Tudor Satin stain. Highlighting was added afterward. The horses were sprayed painted with rattle cans from Walmart and also stained and highlighted. Quite a quick process to get them on the table soonest.

Next up is a North Star 1866 Prussian 4 pounder and crew. I might paint the crew up as Saxons in green coats; just to spice up the battlefield. Until the next post, best wishes and happy gaming and painting to you all!

Fix Bayonet Game Day at Fort Steilacoom

Experienced another fine Fix Bayonet game day at Fort Steilacoom. Now that I live just a few miles away, it was even more enjoyable than usual. I missed most of the morning session as I had a dental appointment, but was still able to check out the morning games and talk to the local crew.

I hosted the Franco-Prussian War Bolt Action game. As there were several other great going on, I was lucky to get four players in my game. Here's some pics from today's event.

Bavarians and Prussian Jager advancing on a French occupied village.

Bavarian infantry at a disadvantage in rifle range. I gave the French Chassepot rifles a 24" range to the Prussian and Bavarian Dreyse Needle Gun's 18" range. I did give the Prussians a Morale of 9 and the French 8 to somewhat balance it out.

Zouaves and Turcos using their longer range rifles to good effect.

AWI Skirmish (somewhere in the Carolinas), Rebels and Patriots rules, hosted by David S. and Kevin S.

Battle of Abensberg-1809, Black Powder (modified) rules, hosted by James S.

LZ X-Ray (Vietnam, November '65), home rules, by Damond C. and Lawrence B.

Vlad Revisited 1869, Super modified “The Sword and the Flame” (TSATF) Hosted by Bruce S

Fist full of lead hosted by Ron P.

"For those about to die, salute you!" Jugula (Gladiators) rules, hosted by David S.

Gates of Antares, hosted by Scott M.

On the projects front, I've hit a bit of a slump - probably due to things picking up at work. However, I received another order from North Star in record time - about a week and a half. A small unit of Prussian Cuirassiers and 4pdr await the paint brush. Also, succumbing to the temptations of Warlord Games' recent Summer Sale, I ordered the F&IW Black Powder supplement as well as the Age of Bronze Hail Caesar supplement. Oh, and last but not least, I ordered the El Alamein Bolt Action set - just couldn't pass it up at the price. Again, thanks for dropping by and happy painting and gaming! 

Franco-Prussian War Skirmish Using Bolt Action

Had a great play test using Bolt Action for a Franco Prussian War skirmish game today thanks to my buddy, James S. He also didn't show up empty-handed, but had a 6-pack of Guinness Stout to add to our discerning rules review during the game. Both sides had 8 units a piece. The Prussians having the only cannon on the battlefield and the French a "hero" who could lend his Morale value to units in his area of influence. Here are some images from the game with captions of game play as best I could recall. James chose to run the French and I ran the Prussians. We set it at 6 turns, with victory conditions being the occupation of more than half the buildings, of which there were 4 total, and/or killing off more than 50 percent of the enemy. Oh, and we were using the 1st edition rules as neither of us have the 2nd edition.

Prussian Jaegers assaulting Zouaves occupying a building. The Zouaves lost the combat and were routed out - this even after using their 2 Attacks in HTH. We actually played this out after the game, which the French won, just to see how HTH would work.

Zouaves and Chasseurs a Cheval firing upon attacking Bavarian infantry. The Chasseurs were given a -1 to hit while firing their carbines from the saddle. This was at the end of Turn 2, I think.

French Line Infantry occupying a building - which they managed to do for the entire game, even after being shot at by Prussian and Bavarian foot, as well as the Prussian 12 pounder. The -2 to hit while in hard cover was very helpful.

Unit dispositions after the end of Turn 1. Prussians advancing on the left, and French on the right. Note the tree stumps in the "wooded" areas. The area in and around the stumps were considered light cover. I found them convenient to use, particularly with multi-figure bases, as they can be moved around a bit to fit the bases.

Zieten Hussars firing upon Algerian Turcos after making an advance move. They caused a Pin, but no casualty in this turn. Litko "Disordered" markers were used for Pin markers.

End of Turn 3. French infantry occupying two of the four buildings, and also in firing line along the hedges to stop the Prussian advance.

Two Bavarian infantry squads attacking the French right. They sustained a lot casualties during the game due to the longer range of the Chassepot rifles. I gave the Chassepot a 24" range and the Dreyse Needle Gun an 18" range. In spite of this disadvantage, the Bavarians still managed to inflict a good number of casualties on the French, particularly their cavalry.

Prussian infantry sustaining a lot of fire from multiple French units. They were eventually wiped out with the French ending up occupying the building.

Another Prussian squad advancing and firing upon the French behind cover.

Zieten Hussars taking long range fire from Turcos in cover in the distance. French Line Infantry along the hedges having taken a lot of Pins from both the Hussars and Prussian foot.

French left, with their "hero" lending his Morale support. It was not enough for the French Line Infantry on the right above, as they were eventually routed off the table.

That all said, the French were victorious in this skirmish. They held more buildings at the end of Turn 6, and had a few more units left than the Prussians. It was a see-saw battle for the most part, and if I had used the cannon a bit more effectively, it may have helped turn the tide. In any case, both James and I felt these rules work excellently for this scenario. He later admitted that he initially had reservations about using Bolt Action for this period, but he quickly changed his mind. I don't plan to change this scenario for an upcoming game day at Fort Steilacoom next month. However, I may add a few more units if they arrive in time. Best wishes to you all and thanks for stopping by.