HG Div and Some Other Bits

I've been thinking that I'd like to make a Panzer-grenadier platoon. I've also been thinking that I'd like to paint up the Hermann Goring Division. Which one should I do?

Regular Pz-grenadiers will look pretty much the same as regular infantry figures. I know there are differences but I'm not overly concerned with those tiny details in 20mm. However, I was aware that the HG Div were organised along the same lines as regular Heer Pz-grenadiers so I opted to do them and kill two birds with one stone!

Because I'm hoping to concentrate a bit more on the Mediterranean Theater, the HG Div fit in well. They fought all through Sicily and Italy for almost of the entire campaign before being shipped to the Russian Front in the dying months of the war in 1945.

From what I can tell by looking up some uniform info is that they wore a greenish camouflage tunic with their Luftwaffe grey/blue pants. So that's how I painted them. They may not be perfect to many purists but they look good enough for me.

I did give them green collar tabs!!!

I made the panzerschreck and his #2 out of existing figures from the Plastic Soldier Company German, boxed set. The #1 was a rifleman and #2 was a medic. The weapon came from another PSC kit. I'm unsure but I think it might have been the SdKfz 251 box. I just trimmed it and carved it to fit the figure's contours.

I also made the platoon commander out of a PSC signalman by adding a helmeted head and a doing bit of conversion on an SMG arm from the same box. The sig figure also had a holstered pistol which works well. I like him... Having a puff of his cigarette whilst plotting his next decisive move.

I also took another pic of the HG pioneer section and MMG that I did a few weeks back just so that they're here in the correct context. This pic is the most accurate as far as the paint job is concerned. I don't have a good enough light source to capture the detail in many cases, but this one came out pretty accurate.

For the upcoming Blitzkrieg I have another SdKfz 321. This one is a "Funkspahwagen" or Radio Car.
So calling in those, all important, Stuka strikes on time will be made all the more easier for the glorious Wehrmacht!

And the US get some reinforcements: A Ranger section. At least I think they're Rangers. I'm not sure how the US name thier pioneers/engineers... ?
Anyway, these are mainly AB with a few Simon's Soldiers. I also have some mine detection/clearance teams to go with these but I forgot to photograph them. There're quite a few BAR's and SMG's in this mix & I don't know why. My only guess is that they're keen to get close and personal. They're friendly little fellows!

Almost Done With These

I've been painting some odds and ends to finish off both my DAK and my single BEF platoon.

For the DAK I've added an assault pioneer section. These can be used for various games. In Battlegroup you can field a full pioneer platoon so I'm thinking that I can just spread these figures out with the regular troops to add a bit of a pioneer flavour.

As I was doing these figures I thought that they would be the last DAK I would need to paint. But then I remembered that I still need to do a few figures for a Kradschutzen (motorcycle) Section. Really, I don't need to do these but if I ever want to do a decent company sized DAK game and incorporate a motorcycle recce section, then I'm going to need them. If I ever want to do a full Kradschutzen platoon, I'll just use the regular figures but I'm gonna need another nine motorcycles!

 Also a flamethrower and mine clearance team.

 A 50mm mortar and a forward observer.

For my BEF I've added a couple of support elements. I'm still waiting on the arrival of some HQ elements and when I get them they should pretty much finish off a 1940 platoon for Blitzkrieg period games.

A Boys AT Rifle, a 2" mortar and a Lewis MMG.

And lastly, a set of PSC Opal Blitz for blitzkrieg period.

All Sorts (Except Licorice)

Greetings folk,

I've been making all sorts of stuff lately. A few buildings for Europe and the desert, I finished painting my BEF platoon and I've made a few models. There are some other things I've completed but these are the ones I have for posting today.

These desert houses are made of 5mm cork sheet. I like this material for making basic buildings like these because it has a nice texture that sits well. It's also pretty easy to work with. These buildings are very basic and I plan to make quite a few more that will (I hope) become a bit more complex as I become more adventurous.

These buildings are from Plasticraft. I ordered a bunch of these last year and made a pretty nice little town with little effort. These two were left over just because I had enough and I got a bit sick of painting them. So they have been sitting there making me feel guilty ever since. But now they're painted and they'll be on the table pretty soon.

 The back of the  roofs come off so that you can place troops inside on various levels.

Little Brits - So I've almost finished my BEF Platoon. For now this is all the infantry I need, which is enough for a basic game using CoC or Battlegroup. However, I'm waiting on some more figures for the command section to finish it off. I also have a Lewis Gun team, a Boys AT rifle and 2" mortar half painted. I think I also have a Vickers MMG coming with the command group.

This is a 1pdr AT gun. They were actually 25mm French pieces that the BEF borrowed to make up for shortages. I'll also be able to use this with the French when they arrive (and they are on order!).

 Some more support - A sniper and Rifle Grenade.

And some German recce to give those BEF lads a hard time. Not a bad little model from a Polish company. It was supposed to have the funker aerials on top which proved to be a real pain because the struts to hold it up were so delicate they just snapped when I tried to cut them off the sprue. Same with the main gun (which is a replacement).

And some SdKfz 251 halftracks. These are the Italeri quick-make kit with two in the box. Sandy coloured. painted for Tunisia and beyond, they can also stand in for basic desert vehicles. I'm not a purist. I paint my models to get the widest use out of them. As long as they're not green in the desert or Caunter Scheme in 1940 France, I'm okay with it.

And lastly... This stuff. This is cobbled road on thick card. It looks okay but it's too neat for my liking. It's for railway layouts. I'm not sure what to do with it. I bought it a while back for some reason. I suppose I can stick in on to thicker card or maybe even give it a backing of gaffer tape. That is a possibility because gaffer tape might lend it a degree of flexibility over time.

There's a lot more of it than appears in the pic. Maybe I should get to taping.

Finally, the BEF Have Arrived!

I've been looking at getting some BEF and I finally got some. These figures are from Lancer Miniatures and they look pretty nice (even if they are a bit chubby).

I bought them on the basis that they looked okay on the Lancer website and they were pretty cheap. But when I got them I thought; "Oh dear. These are crappy." However, they painted up okay even though some of them are quite shite. The range of poses is pretty limited and there isn't a decent commander amongst the lot. No worries, though! I have an order from Early War Miniatures on the way with some nice looking commanders and such-like.

I still have a third section to do as well as other command elements like a Boys ATR and 2" & mortar as well as some support  - a 25mm/1pdr, a sniper and FOO.

Figures in the raw.

 Closer for detail. Looking pretty nice when painted.

And I've also finished the tropical uniform gun crew for my 25pdrs. Identical poses as the others in in the PSC kit, the only difference is the uniform.

And lastly, a 75mm infantry howitzer from Simon's Soldiers. These are formerly Wartime Miniatures under a new owner. I have Wartime DAK and I ordered some more from SS. This gun is a very nice and clean 3d print. So it was straight out of the pack and onto a base and painted. Very easy. The crew are Italeri from other kits.

Still Reducing the Plastic Hoard

Greetings Folks,
I'm still working on things and getting stuff made. I tend to get on to a subject and blitz it for two or three months at a time. At the moment it's WWII, and I can't see myself losing interest at the moment. Every time I play a game I get inspired to keep going. As far as I can recall it's going to be 28mm Pacific Chain of Command this weekend. Japan v's Australia. I'll be borrowing figures for this one.

But back to my own constructions...

I've made a variety of things over the past few days. Again, it's a bit for everyone (keeps me on my toes).

First a couple of Esci M3 75mm GMC's. One for the Brits and one for the US. This was a really nice & easy kit to make. Two models in the box with enough decals for two US or two British versions. So that leaves a nice bunch of extra decals for other things. But they need some crew which I'll get when I visit Eureka in two days time. I think I might get another set of these.

And, while were at it: The U.S. get a few more toys. A troop of M3 Halftracks from PSC. I have some more coming my way that I found going cheap online. And if necessary I can always sub Brit and US halftracks if I need to make up numbers.

A resin M4 76mm. This is a resin model that I picked up from Uncle Les at CANCON a few years back. It had a pretty rudimentary spray job so I decided to give it a repaint and add some decals.

And a little SdKfz 250/9 painted in dunkelgrau for 1939 - '41 Blitzkrieg era. This is also from Uncle Les. It's a 3D print and I believe it's one of his earliest efforts. It's a nice clean print but it's very lacking in detail. Otherwise, it's a nice little model that'll do the job.

And, I made sure those pesky Russian's didn't get left out this time around. They get this behemoth land-dreadnought - T-35. I added some figures to give it some scale but it didn't work out. The pic doesn't really give a true idea of the size of this thing. Even in 20mm - It's bloody huge.

A Little Bit For Everyone

I've been doing a whole bunch of stuff. Little bits and pieces to just to get things made (or finished).
I've also been making various pieces of terrain but I'll post those separately at a later date.

First: The Brits get a Churchill AVRE. I bought two boxes of PSC Churchill's. Four models and only three tanks to a troop left me with one extra. So here's some engineer support for when it's needed.

I got the putty out and added a tarpaulin and sandbags for some detail as well as some other little odd bits I had sitting around doing nothing.

Second: Germany gets some armour and recce for the Blitzkrieg era ('39 - '41). Armourfast Pz III's and an SdKfz 222 form... I don't know where (but I do know Who - Thank you Sean).

Third - The US get a jeep. Not much, I know, but at least they get something to keep them happy.

And, as an extra bonus: The Brits also get some air power in the shape of a Hawker Typhoon. This little chap is going to be welcome by some and feared by others.