Rapid Fire in 20mm! Filling gaps in WW2 - part 1

After 40 years of frantic modelling there would be one day in which most of the necessary stuff for many of my wargaming periods would be done. This is in fact what is happening with most of my WW2 projects with a number of them on the "complete" stage. The problem is exactly the "complete" thing: there is always a FO that is missing, a command car unbuilt or a specialist vehicle to order. Then there is the problem of books. They always carry problems and that is why the Inquisition was probably burning them! There is always a new unknown unit or even a group of vehicles that are much better if they are BFG version instead of the GBF. 

So here starts a group of posts with bits and pieces for many places and periods, sometimes even entire companies or more, built and painted to make the already big units look nicer. 

From Valiant you can see here the metal Von Luck, Bandomir and Kurz from the 125th PzGren. regiment of the 21st PD in Normandy. They are made to stand side by side with the other Valiant big figures (not the 2nd run of them which are 20mm). Even if a bit big they are adorable figures which captured very well the atmosphere of the famous photo in which they are based. 

A  Sig-33 150mm IG from S-Model with Valiant crew from their German Howitzer. This one was painted in post Feb/43 colours in order to be used by the Heer in many places and it seconds the ones I made for the SS. The shirt colour is the grey one that was more used instead of the white as the war progressed. 

This StuH finishes the HG armour for Sicily. In the shelves there are already 9X PzIII M (I Abteilung); 7X PzIV G (II Abteilung) and 6X Stug/StuH (III Abteilung), this one being the second StuH of the group as the HG in Sicily counted with 9 of them (2 in RF terms). 

 

The model is an old Esci one that was patiently waiting for its turn (I know it as it never moved for years). The Esci model got a piece of necessary extra protection to the sides and a stowage holder at the back, typical of the HG Stug IIIs. 

Another Esci kit is this Sdkfz 251/8, one of the most common armoured ambulances of the German army. Up to now I only had one Opel Blitz ambulance for the post Feb/43 actions and this one comes handy, even if I don´t know exactly what to do with it on the RFR tables. 

The canvas cover and and the red cross flag was made of kitchen paper... well, I confess, in fact toilet paper was used in a thick layer and I promise that it was never used before!

This one was less tricky as its a very nice Collection Model die-cast from Italy. It only got a wash of black and some light dry brushing of Panzer Grey. Its ready to join the Barbarossa actions, particularly the ones around Dubno.  

Another one for the Panzer Grey period, specifically thinking about France 1940 but with a much larger scope in time if necessary. This is again S-Models with Valiant crew.

So, where is the Valiant 105mm FH18gun? Here it comes glued together with Matchbox and Fujimi converted artillerists. It will complete the guns of my medium artillery regiment for Blitzkrieg but they can be towed up to USSR if you ignore the green jackets. The Sdkfz 11 tows will show up in one of the next posts of this incredible series of yours. 

Last vehicle is another Esci model, a Sdkfz 251/7 for the German engineers between 41 and 43. This one is one of my favourite versions of the 251 as I have one for every theater of German operations. 

Finally a gift from my friend Mário Laranja who does not only makes the best 3d Resin prints of the world but also makes this kind of very good MDF kits.

It will go straight to the NA theater of operations, obviously. What can be done with MDF is incredible and painting this one will help me paint others I have on the cue. 

With the lift off roofs. 

The MDF kits paint as any other models: I used a wash of black all over applied with a large brush and then some ochre followed with diluted and dry-brushed white. In the end, wood and bricks were painted in different shades of brown and brick red. Do this stage carefully so the original black can be seen shining through. 


Next: part 2 of this series. There will be a number of them like this.