The Herman Göring LPD, Sicily, 1943, in 20mm size and for RF! rules

One more big unit with most of the vehicles taken from the shelves of other Divisions. Even so the Pz III M, the infantry figures, the Marder IIs, the IG75s and the 150mm howitzers were all built on purpose for this Division.

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - The 7th infantry battalion for the DI/DIM

 

In the main square of the small village of Lucas Hernandez (clearly close to the Spanish border) a French infantry battalion prepares itself for review. 

This is the 7th battalion of infantry for my DI/DIM and the first made of Pegasus figures. The figures are a delight with two Hotchkiss MMGs in each box and with two/three types of rifles distributed among the figures - the more modern MAS 36 and the older Lebel or Berthiers - and two different positions for the FM 24/29 firers, besides officers and rifle grenade launchers. The only problems are the lack of the 60mm and 81mm mortars, of a radio, but that is typical of many figure sets. More on that later. 

Our masters Colin and Richard order us, their humble servants, to place 3 figures in each MMG. So one kneeling and firing figure was converted as the number 3 with new GreenStuff arms in each gun. 

A few more Pegasus kneeling figures went to crew the MiniGeneral 25mm Hotchkiss AT guns together with a few conversions from the Revell WWI set. 

The mortar issue was solved with a few conversions: the figures got new GreenStuff arms, rifles on the back and some plastic tiny parts in the hands to look like mortar shells. The 60mm mortar is scratchbuilt while the 81mm is a Hat Stokes mortar with a few cuts to look like the Brandt. 

The command group got a radio on the back of the figure that looks more loaded. 

One of the infantry companies. The two last battalions of French Infantry will be mostly like this one and then I can call the DI/DIM done. 

Next: probably a video on the Herman Goring LPD in Sicily 1943. 

Rapid Fire! in 20mm. Filling gaps in WW2 - part 5

No, not  a fan of Christmas. Of course we had the family reunions, the gifts for the younger and older ones and never ending food. Love to be with my people but frankly hate Christmas and I´m always dying for it to pass. One day if the Christmas message extends into the full year with visible results of world wide happiness and all kids have the one toy they want,  maybe I´ll start to like it.  

 Last few days after meetings allowed me to paint these amazing Sdkfz 10 designed by Mário Laranja and printed in resin. Also added were two die-cast German aircraft. 

One of them went to the Blitzkrieg/Barbarossa period to be coupled with a number of the from BPM. Once again one piece vehicles which are a pleasure to paint as they are crammed with detail. 

More fine detail to the rear. 

How hooks, tools, mirrors, etc are made in one piece is for me a mystery but the end result is something great. 

These four are joining the DAK. No specific unit so they can be used by several of them. Most of the figures are PSC heads on top of Milliput torsos. 

Another group was painted with late war colors and crewed with the excellent Simon Soldiers figures winter passengers. 

One more Luppa aircraft came out in 1/72 scale, this time a ME 110 NachtJäger. 

This one is an Altaya model that lived its last few years inside the transparent plastic, an Henschel HS 129. In both aircraft the usual and simple painting of the canopy interior makes it ready for action. 

Next: The 7th infantry battalion for the French 1940 DI/DIM. 

The Arras counter attack by the Frankforce, France 1940, for Rapid Fire! wargames in 20mm size

Another video on the British in France 1940. On the 21st May, the Frankforce caused a temporary panic in the German 7thPD and forced Rommel itself to direct the AT fire of its men. The slow moving British machines, coupled with very bad infantry-tank cooperation turned the operation into a failure, even if some say it helped saving many of the French and British that retreated to England from Dunkirk. The models are my usual brands; vehicles from MiniGeneral 3d prints, AnyScaleModels, Airfix, Matchbox and S-models, with figures from HAT, Revell, Esci, Zvezda and Emhar with the usual conversions (I've just checked and the correct way to say Arras is Arrass, stressing the final S).

The British 1st Armoured Division in France 1940 for Rapid Fire! wargames rules in 20mm size

This is a project that took some 5 years to be concluded and it was a kind of childhood wish. The information on the early British units was very scarce and no plastic models of the main brands were made in 1/72 or 1/76 when I was a teenager in the 80ies.

Recently PSC made the A9 and sparked my attention - again - for this period, and the Portuguese 3d print brand MiniGeneral made plenty of models for the Blitzkrieg period. Other models in this video are S-models, HAT, Matchbox, Esci, Lancer, Any Scale Models and Zvezda.

Some corrections: to the end of the video I mention Vickers Machine Guns instead of Lewis in the AA role and the small staff car is not an Austin Seven but and Austin Ruby. Please be free to include others in comments as it will help to improve this big unit.

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - British 1st Armoured Division finished and a few extras for other units

During the ill-faited Abbeville offensive, tanks of the British 1st Armoured Division managed to conquer the very small village of Mathieu Valbuena (this one is only for football lovers) and its three houses, one of the few successes of the 27th May. 

Like this the 1st Armoured Division is complete, with all its six tank regiments and support group. From the AT guns only the 2 pdr gun is for this division with the two French Hotchkiss 25mm guns going to the famous Frankforce of Arras fame. 

The last six A13 MKIV are the usual Minigeneral PLA 3d prints. Simple and effective models even if showing its age with plenty of printing lines, something quick to happen in such an evolving technology. 

The last A13 MKI was also added. In Minigeneral models of the A13 the chassis are the most troublesome with very fragile mudguards which had to be rebuilt in most cases. The printing lines,  mainly visible at the front, were disguised with several layers of varnish but at the cost of detail loss. 

Same story for the Vickers MKVI B. Some stowage was placed were the printing lines were more visible. 

All the AT guns are also Minigeneral, two Hotchkiss 25mm and one 2pdr gun. The crew are PSC converted figures from their 6 pdr gun set. One of the beauties of PSC is the lavish number of figures they offer to man their kits with plenty of extras you can use elsewhere. 

All figures got a gas mask bag for them to come back to 1940. Another change were the heads whose helmets had netting all over (not that suitable for 1940) and were replaced by US heads from the HAT WW1 artillery set. 

The seated figure in the 2 pdr is a full HAT figure with disguised puttees and jacket. 

The base was cut to meet the shape of another group of three Zvezda guns of the same type. 

 The printed 25mm guns have the right proportions being longer both in the barrel and legs compared to some metal models from other brands. 

Next: a video on the British 1st Armoured Division in 1940. 

The DCRs for the 1940 campaign in 20mm and for Rapid Fire! wargames rules

Rapid Fire! Operation Barbarossa and beyond in 20mm - One more clash at Dubno/Brody

 

The battle of Dubno/Brody, in nowadays Ukraine, was the biggest tank clash of history with over 4000 tanks battling each other in a triangle between the cities of Dubno, Lutsk and Brody. To represent it in RF! terms you would need 800+ tank models for this short period of summer 41 in the East. It also includes some models that for sure are not the wargamer´s favorites like PzIII short 50mm; T-26, BT-7, etc (not counting a football field to play it all). Even if sometimes I exaggerate I don´t intend to reach those numbers due to the danger of bankruptcy and expulsion from home. Even so I´m around one Soviet Mechanized corps ( a mix of the 8th and 15th) and one full Panzer division for this short period of time without brown camouflage and short guns on tanks (a generic PzIII G/H/J based one, capable also of other campaigns like the Balkans and Greece).  

Two more giant T-35 from S-models were added to the 68th Tank regiment. With four now in the inventory maybe I´ll build another two and settle the issue:  the proposed ten by Master Richard is just too much considering they arrived in very small groups and many broke down. Hmmm... but 10 is tempting!..

Eight more BT-7 were added making a total of 15 enough for 2/3 Tank battalions depending on the unit. All my BT-7 are Mário Laranja´s great 3d resin prints. This company got a camouflage of brown 6K as used by some tanks of the 4th Mechanized corps in Ukraine. 

Again some 4th Mechanized corps painting influence with just a white triangle for air recognition on top of the turret. 

The markings of these two BT-7 came from 39th Tank Division at the battle of Uman. 

This kind of camouflage was taken from the 24th Brigade of Light Tanks, Rostov-on-Don. This camouflage was quite common and I used it also on my BT-5 and consisted of the basic 4BO color with stripes of 6RP and 7K.

The figures on these batch of tanks is Xan Miniatures from Spain. Probably some of the best around. 

A few more Xan Miniatures with the padded helmet. 

Lastly a pair of Self-propelled AA MG 4M-GAZ-AAA (Uffff...) from Minigeneral PLA 3d prints with Revell converted crew with the help of GreenStuff. 

The built is very simple and the result is quite sturdy. The soft plastic figures were glued to several parts of the vehicles for them to have a firm grip. 

The printed plastic had two coats of clear varnish before priming for the printing lines to become insignificant. 

The last batch of Mário Laranja's PzIII H necessary for the (undetermined) 1941 Panzer Division with PSC crews. 

This company commander tank got a turret MG. I'm not sure if this system, the Fliegerbeschussgerät (my goodness, he even knows German...) was used of the late versions of the PZ III short 50mm as all my references are for the late versions of this tank. Even so it looks nice and makes a difference in the lot. 

Next: Probably a video on the French DCR of 1940 or the last few British tanks for the 1st British Armored Division of 1940.

3e DLM for the 1940 campaign in 20mm for Rapid Fire! wargames rules

5e DLC for the 1940 campaign in 20mm for Rapid Fire! wargames rules

This is the smallest of the French division types for the 1940 campaing. The 5e Division Légère de Cavalerie (5e DLC) tried to stop the Germans in the Ardennes and fougth them at Sedan and Abbeville. Its very interesting due to its old material and number of horses. The figures and vehicles are a mix of Simon Soldiers (pioneers and artillerymen); Hat, Esci,Caesar, EWM, Lancer and LesArméesOubliés (horsemen, Motorcyclists and Dragons Portés); Resin prints from Mário Laranja (AMR33, Unic P107BU and Simca Cinq); MiniGeneral PLA prints (75mm field guns and Lafflys), SHQ (SideCars and motorcyclists), Wespe (Renault ADH), Altaya (Panhard 178), Skytrex (H39) and plenty, plenty of my own conversions.

Will McNally's Rules - AWI and the battle of Brandywine 1777 in 20mm (part 34) - Last few bits for the British

 

This another nostalgic post in which another army is finished. Can't be sure but probably my first British for the AWI were made around some 20 years ago and these were the last missing stands and figures at least for Brandywine in a collection of around 1000 figures. Still to be made are some 300 figures for the larger Washington's army at the same battle. 

 

These Ferguson rifles are converted figures from both Airfix bodies and Revell heads with some Milliput tufts on the headdress. 

Like this these little Ferguson men became quite reasonable. Very hard to make is unique fire mechanism of the Ferguson rifle and these poses were also chosen because they hide the missing details. 

The two last command stands missing were Howe's and Cornwallys themselves. The figures used were Hold the Line and Revell. 

Along a bulky General Sir William Howe rides a 16th Light Dragoon trooper both Hold the Line figures. The Revell figures to the right aren't true British with the Cornwallys figure on horse coming from the Prussian box and the foot officer from the Austrian box. 

 

More work with these ones. The last few batteries of artillery were made with some Revell Austrian and Airfix figures but most with converted infantry from Revell's box of British infantry. The limbers came from 30YW Revell horses whose harness didn't change that much along the years. 

And here they are. The guns are from Hold the Line and probably if you ever painted Revell British infantry from the AWI you probably recognize most of the figures. 

Next: a return for WWII or more Americans for Brandywine. Also a Pirrhic army is not out of the question as my Republican Romans are tired of calling names from their shelves to the Carthaginians on the other side of the basement.  

Will McNally's Rules - AWI and the battle of Brandywine 1777 in 20mm (part 33) - Sir John Vaughn´s Brigade

Brandywine's British army is closing completion with this last brigade of infantry. Now, only 5 guns, a few command bases and the two stands of Ferguson´s rifles are missing which is something I hope to have finished in the next post. Then of course still plenty of American brigades, mainly Militia, have to be built and painted and that will take much more time and probably a skip to other periods in between.

Vaughn's Brigade had three regiments of Infantry ( 4th, 28th and 49th foot) and one of Fusiliers (23rd foot). The Fusiliers are Airfix from the Grenadier box but the rest of the infantry is a mix of the usual Accurate and Revell but introducing the lovely PSC designed miniatures of the Hold the Line French and Indian Wars expansion set. 

The Hold the Line mounted officer is a one piece gem and it really plays the part of a British gentleman on horse. In fact the figure comes in white plastic and, as all in this post, is intended to be a game piece for the French but all bicorne figures in all sets of Hold the Line can be used in any army.  I really pity not being able to get the initial game as it brings 200 figures in different poses compared to this expansion set which carries half of that number.

I placed Hold the line infantry in the front rank of all the three infantry regiment. They are true 1/72 figures and the same height as the Accurate/Revell figures even if a bit more beefed up. The bases are too big so I cut them for three figures to fit in line. 

All blurry flag bearers are also Hold the Line figures. By 1777 the 23rd had already stored the bearskins with which they arrived to the American colonies but that headdress makes them distinguishable.  

The brigade's artillery is a mix pot. The limber's horse and driver is 7YW Revell with a scratch built carriage on Napoleonic wheels, the gun is Hold the Line and the crew is Italeri, Airfix and Accurate. 

Next: the last few stands for the British at Brandywine 1777.

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - The Pioneers of the DLM

 Exiting the village of Didier Deschamps, reconnaissance and pioneers of a DLM advance under the protection of a battery of 155mm guns. 

The DLM was the only French big unit type that had three Pioneer companies, with all other types of units having only one or two. Each company was very big with around 200 men each with small differences in number depending on the type of unit. These figures are Simon Soldiers and portray the pioneers carrying mines, shovels and wire. A few figures have the FM 24/29 LMG instead of the more common and older Chauchat distributed among the pioneers. I tried to convert some Revell Chauchat firers but was out of metal heads and these had to do (Revell heads are too small in the WW1 French set comparing with these metal ones). 

The figures are beautifully detailed and the pioneer equipment is all there with anti-personnel and light AT mines, wire laying devices, shovels, etc. 

And here some close-ups to see the great level of detail of these figures. The second figure from the right carries the AT mine modéle 36. 

These Schneider 155mm C guns are MiniGeneral 3d prints with Simon Soldiers and Irregular Miniatures crews. This battery was still missing  as I built some time ago the same guns (Ace models) but with spoked wheels and thus proper for the DI. 

These three motards are SHQ with the discarded side-car. They will be used for liaison and command. 

Finally two offers small but beautiful Simca Cinq from Mário Laranja resin printer. 

Next: more Brandywine 1777.