Rapid Fire! 20mm D-Day 1944 - Omaha Beach (part 19) - Longues-sur-Mer battery

This is a forgotten model from the Omaha beach series. Its a sinthetique stone model by PN Sud Modelisme that represents one of the six bunkers of the kind in the Omaha/Gold area and includes a resin 152mm Naval gun.

I only added a protective wall made of wood for the back entrance and a camouflage net at the front.

 The only problem of such models is that they have to stay always in the bottom shelf, otherewise you will be out of shelves very quickly...

Next: The Germans mentioned in the previous post.

 

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - Luftwaffe aircraft

After the French and British  aircraft the Germans are finally arriving, following the historical sequence of events. This small collection of airplanes is odd as the most common types like the Me109 or the Stuka are only one each.

Here you have two Junkers Ju 52 from Italeri, undoubtely better for Holland and Belgium but also true in France.

This is an Altaya Messerschmitt Me110 with blue painted windshields from the inside.

 This is the Messerschmitt Me 109 E painted according to Osprey campaign series 3, France 1940. The model is Airfix.

Another Airfix model, a Junkers Ju87 'Stuka'.

A Matchbox Heinkel He 115. Have no idea what to do with it...

And a Dornier Do 17 also Matchbox.

Next: Probably more German armour for 1940.  

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - RAF aircraft

Well, nothing that was planned came out and instead some older kits decided to pose for the camera. Here several RAF squadrons pass over the village of Bleu Ciel on the way to another strafing mission. 

This Fairey Battle is an Airfix model. I need to find another one as this light bomber was numerous in the French 1940 campaign. 

The sole Bolton Paul Defiant is an Altaya Die-cast model. I repainted it as the original camouflage was black for night fighting. 

The Hurricanes are clockwise: Airfix, Altaya and Matchbox. I need to find at least one Blenheim bomber and a Lysander for reconnaissance to complete the group of British aircraft for France 1940.

Next: German aircraft for France 1940. 

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - Motorized Dragoon battalion from the DLM

 

A French  Motorised Dragoon battalion deploys behind some stone walls near Forêt D'Arbres (?!!!). Most of the vehicles and motorcycles are SHQ with Hotchkisses from S-Models. The dismounted motorcyclists are EWM.

 

 

 

The Laffly S20 from SHQ are lovely and simple models. In fact a bit too simple as they need a driver (copy from Skytrex) and a FM24/29 LMG firer.

 

 

The LMG firer was made from the torso of a Caesar figure, the one standing with its rifle at rest, with new arms made of putty and plastic Bren LMG's turned into Chatelleraux's with a few cuts here and there.

 

 

The Laffly S20TL CC is another  beauty with the usual extra flimsy 25mm gun barrel that SHQ likes so much. I know that like this it shows the real size but it also becomes too fragile. I had to place a plastic piece at the muzzle as there was nothing in its place.

 

 

The figures are Hat and they fit quite nice inside the vehicle. Are Hat and SHQ working together ?...

 

 

I could not find any reference as were to place the ramps of the  25mm gun so I placed them on both sides of the gun crew compartment.

 

 

I placed another two Bren LMG's conversions on the SHQ side-cars.

 

 

The dismounted Motorcycle squadron is EWM. Chunky and lively figures they are a pleasure to paint.

 

 

The H-39 from S-models are in fact for the  regiments of the DLM and DCR not for the reconnaissance squadron of the Dragoon regiment as these use the H-35. I added some stowage and crew from Lancer Miniatures and also an antenna from an Altaya Somua to the command version in first plan. My total of H-39 is 14 at the moment with only two missing to the total of 16 necessary for any of the DLM or DCR.

 

 

Next:  Probably a few German AFV's for 1940 or Portuguese 2008 I have cueing for a long time but that also  depends on the mailman...

 

 

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - Reinforcements for both allies.

 

In another traffic clogged crossroads right in the middle of the village of Carrefour Fou an allied mixed force of tanks and bicycle takes the oportunity for using the roads while the many refugees are having a picnic under the shades of the neighbouring woods...

 

 

 

One more Vickers MK VIc this time from Lancer Miniatures for the 1st Armoured Division. I only replaced the extra thin metal barrel with plastic and added a PSC crewman.

 

 

And four more A13 MK I from S-Models. The usual extras are the smoke dischargers, turret headlight and handlers, antenna and PSC figure. I finished 10 of the necessary 11 A13 MKI for 1st AD. Now the main problem will be to find an even bigger number of A13 MKII. Wait for a plastic version, or not wait for a plastic version that is the question...

 

No, its not the 1940 Tour de France (I just checked, it didn't exist in that year coming back again only in 1947) but the two squadrons from the 5eme DLC forced to ride bicycles.

 

The figures are EWM and quite nice they are. I was a bit afraid that the heads of EWM would be too big after seeing their website pictures but they fit quite well with most of the plastic figures, specially with the Hat cavalrymen. Figure, bicycle and weapon are all separate and the end result is quite good. I used GW Liquid GreenStuff to erase the detail of the putees and turn them into cavalry boots.

 

Finally four more H39 joined the ranks with a few others on the way. Again S-Models coming directly from China. The camouflage is the last one used. There were units in which roundels or big numbers were taken out as soon as the unit arrived to the combat zone but French markings are too beautiful to be left aside.  

 

Next: something around the same theme.

 

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - 11eme Cuirassiers 5th company and a few more bits

The 5th company of the 11eme Cuirassiers deploys close to the Meuse in a place called Mur de Pierre in an atempt to prevent the German advance. The 60mm mortar of the command company also joins and a very famous French tank, maybe the most famous, came all the way from Stonne to help with its tracks still dripping blood from crushed Germans...

 The Hotchkiss Mg's and crew are Lancer Miniatures and horse holders and MG carts Mle 1911 M.38 are scratch built items.  

The MG cart is built in Evergreen plastics, the MG is Irregular Miniatures, horses are Airfix British Napoleonics and the driver is Hat. The wheels are copies of Airfix 88mm gun wheels that as they are 1/76th scale fit closely this (pretentiously) 1/72nd model.

The 25mm AT gun is again Lancer Miniatures with Hat crew. The 1937 cart is also scratch built.

This cart has a Revell horse pulled by a Caesar figure with another one from Hat. The cart is Evergreen with the curved poles taken from surplus Matchbox Corvette parts.

The 60mm mortar and crew are Lancer Miniatures with horse holder from Caesar and horses from Hat. The boxes to transport the 60mm mortar and ammunition came from ESCI.

All my horses receive this treatment in order to stay firm in its bases. A blob of hot glue is placed vertically for the legs in the air for them to glue properly. Then if you mask the glue with static grass no one will notice what you did unless that anoying friend who always can notice if you changed socks.

Finally the famous Char B1bis Eure who destroyed 14 German Panzers in one sole action. Its a Lancer Miniature with a Skytrex Cpt Billote.

Next: More British and French tanks for 1940.

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - 11th Cuirassier regiment of the 5eme DLC and a scratch built rare little tank.

                                                                                   

With the Germans crossing the Meuse River the three horse squadrons of a cavalry regiment of the 5eme DLC moves into contact. 

The figures are the WW1 Hat French  cavalry with a few  changes.  

Many horses are ESCI from the Napoleonic Scots Grey box. I used all horses in a standing position for the limbers and horse holders of the next post. Specially the ESCI horses had all legs 'in the air' so they needed to get stuck to the base with hot glue. This procedure makes the stands quite compact and paint stays much better.

 Also made are these three OP for the artillery. I used horses in the standing position and one officer per stand.

The command stand. Only the officer came directly from the box. The cornet has a new arm and the standard bearer carries a printed flag.

 

All cavalrymen had the lance carved out of its right arm. Then the arm had to be bent with a lighter (see the black dot on the elbow area) for the figure to grab the reins with both hands.

An arm of a Hat British cornet was used for this figure. All ESCI horses also had new equipment made out of two component paste.

The OP officers have arms from PSC German figures from the Pz38t box.

As you can see these horses really need to stay properly glued to its base and hot glue is a good way to avoid all those legs  in the air.

I also built a AMR35 ZT3. As only one is necessary per division I scratch built it in plastic card.

The command figure is from Lancer Miniatures.

The AMR 35 ZT2/3/4 was a rare thing and only some four existed per GRDI.

 The camouflage is based on the Minitracks version on its site. But 25 euros (PP included) for a model 5 cm long made me scratch build this one.

 Still in the factory.

The rivets were not a big sucess. Here they are not yet trimmed but even so I should have not atempted to reproduce them. They look as if a bird... you know...

The cuppola is a blob of two component paste modelled into shape.

The rough begginings.

I reproduced the tracks of the AMR35 from an AMC35 from Skytrex with Bluestuff and then with GW Greenstuff . After copying the tracks I cut out one of the wheels as the AMR only has four of them .

The original AMC35 from Skytrex that kindly let its tracks to be copied.

Next: Support squadron and horse holders for this Cavalry Regiment. Probably also a few other models that came from Lancer Miniatures will be included in the next post.