Rapid Fire! - Able Archer rules, '2008' Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 7) - Companhia de Engenharia de Combate Pesada (CEngCombPes) of the BrigMec

In spite of being a Company and having 170 men, this company boast almost 70 vehicles of very different types like the eternal M-113, Bridging vehicles, Caterpillars of different shapes, CEV's, etc. And here the problem start as you have to choose from 30 different vehicles the 3 or 4 you should use for an RF!/Able Archer company sized unit . 

I included another M-113 and an extra company of infantry as these are most likely one of the types to see more combat. The M-113 is a BPM 1/72 model as we can now ask BPM to resize their model from 1/76th scale to 1/72nd scale. This scale is particularly useful in this unit as both M-60 based vehicles are 1/72nd scale also. 

The M-60 AVLB is based on the Esci vehicle with a scratch built bridge. 

Several different materials were used but more on that to the end of this post. 

The M728 CEV (Combat Engineer Vehicle) arrived to this company in 2000 giving a much better ability to perform many typical engineer tasks and also doing it under fire. 

The built up of this model was a bit complicated but the end result is quite gratifying. 

Finally, I used a 1/72nd Caterpillar toy I found in a gift shop. Cut some extras and glued others and it looks  a lot to the Cat 938GC used by the EngCombPes.

The M728 is based on the Esci M60, on this case on an extra Israeli Blazer version I had around. I just used the chassis and turret leaving aside the reactive armour and other details. 

The towing structure, here on the rest mode behind the turret, is made from the sprues of the model itself. Other details of the towing system are made of Evergreen plastic card. The turret Mg was replaced by a piece of needle with a commander from Preiser. The 165mm mortar is just a piece of the original gun based on its thickest part. The towing hook is cord with its ends made in plastic and GreenStuff. The M9 Dozer Blade was made from an extra hard foam that I've been unable to find any longer recently. This hard foam glues extremely well with superglue and is very helpful in modelling. 

As I use plenty of different materials I always let flow a bit of superglue in all glued parts. Like this you can have a sturdy model that can really be moved. In my case not throughout the table but throughout my shelves!

The origin of this M60 AVLB is another Esci Blazer. This time you don't need obviously to build the turret but you have to spend some time measuring the bridge size and its supports. 

Again the frontal bridge support is made of that extra hard foam I talked to you about and the bridge is just blue Roofmate (extruded polystyrene) available for the construction business. 

The armature around the Roofmate is made out of heavy duty card. A final touch before painting is to apply wood glue in all visible Roofmate as it can be eaten by the spray primer. 

The Caterpillar is a toy as you can see. I just took out some parts and made it slightly shorter in lenght and added an Esci US Modern figure with GreenStuff arms. 

More work on the M113 though. The M113 from the EngCombPes came from the Netherlands with some extra equipment and some changes to the original: the front plate is raised and helps to hold a number of fume launchers; instead of Brownings there were MG3 mounted in a home made ring and several tool boxes were attached to the structure. 

A picture of the real thing. 

Next: the last of the Gettysburg Divisions, Anderson Division, the Army of Northern Virginia. 

Rapid Fire! - Able Archer rules, '2008' Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 6) - Grupo de Artilharia de Campanha (GAC) of the BrigMec

The GAC (Grupo de Artilharia de Campanha/Field Artillery Group) is the artillery component of the Brigada Mecanizada. It has three artillery batteries with M-109A5 SPG's. 

My M-109's are (closer) a BPM model and the other two are Riich models. And you really have to be rich to have Riich models as they are around 25 Euro each and, even worse, they take an enormous  amount of time to build as they are very detailed, have hundreds of parts in plastic and even a few photo-etched.

I think they are the modeller's dream and the wargamer's nightmare.

On the other hand the BMP model is half price and comes in four parts. 

Side by side for comparison: left - Riich, right - BPM. 

The only change I made on the Riich models was the replacement of the turret MG as it was so thin (so accurate, a diorama modeller would say) that they broke as soon as they left the sprue and used BPM Brownings instead . 

The BMP model is as it came. I only added the usual antennae and some camouflage net rolled in the turret back as I did on the Riich models. 

These two M548 ammo carriers are Altaya and only have an Esci soldier with new arms manning the MG and the usual camouflage net made from Noch foliage . 

The third one is BPM and also suffered the same treatment. 

The command of the Group is given to this M577 with tent from BPM. 

I also painted a second M577 but this one will go to the command of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the BrigMec. 

Next: more ACW

Rapid Fire! '2008' Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 5) - Anti-Aircraft battery of the BrigMec

The easiest unit of BrigMec to be built is probably this one. Equipped with four M-48 Chaparral  and Stinger missiles carried on soft skinned cars the Anti-Aircraft battery is represented for RF! (Able Archer in reality) by one model of the Chaparral.

The model is a print from BPM with only two parts: the hull and missile parts. The promised and highly awaited story of '2008'- The Legendary War,  will be kept for a future post.

   

Rapid Fire! '2008' Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 4) - 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion

 The 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion is at the moment deactivated but there are enough M-113 and other vehicles in storage to put it again in the Order of battle of the BrigMec if necessary.

At the moment I only finished the infantry as the vehicles are on the printing machines of BPM.

The figures are a collection of the ESCI US Modern Infantry; Revell US Modern Infantry and Revell German Modern Panzergrenadier. As usual for the American figures with M-16 I cut the handler of the rifle to look like the German/Portuguese G-3.

Rapid Fire! "2008" Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 3) - Leopard 2A6 companies of BrigMec.

The GCA (Grupo de Carros de Combate) of the BrigMec can be considered done with these two Leopard 2A6 companies and the  M-88 Recovery Vehicle. In part one I've showed you the Leopard of the Co and the M-60 company. Maybe in the future I'll add a M-577 for the command and an Exploitation and Mortar platoons both in M-113.

These Portuguese  Leopard 2A6 started again (like the German ones of a few posts ago) as A5 versions from Fabbri Diecasts. I increased the lenght of the barrel in 17mm using plastic rod inside the tube. this time in order to desguise the joint I camouflaged the barrel by dipping it in PVA glue and then in Noch birch leaves while the PVA was wet. Like this the typical camouflage net is more or less represented and makes all vehicles unique.

A few more add ons are the stowage in the rear baskets and the number plates hanging from them. I left the camouflage pattern as it was and just dry brushed lightly the whole model. This is one of the few vehicles of the Portuguese army that will not be painted in the typical Olive Drab as its original paint is part of its protection.

But my favourite production of the lot was the M-88 Recovery vehicle. It is a complete conversion from a number of odd parts as I show you below.

Usual stowage and net to the rear.

I don't want to look pretentious but with a very cheap model and some old parts you can build this relatively rare model. Of course you can avoid all the trouble and order a nice one from S&S for instance!

The first series of 4D models from China are toys and far from the quality of their more recent series where they have the S-300 or the Topol. The models come in a small box with a nice artwork taken generally from 1/35th scale artwork boxes. In spite of saying they are 1/72nd scale models some are 1/90 (most of the WW2 models ) or 1/50 or so (like the M-113). Of the whole lot of 16 models I only used the T-72  that you can see here

http://jpwargamingplace.blogspot.pt/2017/07/rapid-fire-20mm-gulf-war-saladins_20.html

,the T-55 (maybe) and this M-88.

The top part of the model is not bad. Plenty of details are missing like the extra road wheels and other details are vague and incomplete.

The biggest problem are the toyish wheels and tracks: they are the same in most of the models and nothing to do in this case with the M-88 that shares the lower chassis with the M-60.

 

So the solution was to use an old ESCI M-60 I painted years ago for the Israelis (now I have my 1982 Israeli army in 1/87th scale) and use that part. The only change is that you need to cut about 6mm of the front lower chassis and replace it with a bit of styrene with the same inclination as the frontal arch of the M-88.

In the back part you need to raise the hooks a bit more.

When I glued things together some details like the spade holders and frontal rings were made of two component paste. The 4D model top part fits nicely in the lower part of the ESCI M-60 as you can see.  

Add some extra wheels to the side, a MG, a figure and its done. I placed the main hook in this flashy position just for style as it is ready to put down Saddam statue in Firdaus square! After priming this 2 euro Chinese 4D model you have something  much more valuable!

Next: Really don't know, maybe the missing PSC Churchills for the 6th Armoured Brigade, or some K-63 from S&S to my Iraqi, or some M-109 from Riich models, maybe some PzIIIE for the RF! Blitzkrieg supplement or another Portuguese Mechanized battalion, or something else...

Rapid Fire! '2008' Portuguese Army in 20mm (part 2) - 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Brigmec

Just finished the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Portuguese Brigada Mecanizada (BrigMec). Due to the recent arrival of the Leopard A2A6 MBT the Portuguese infantry is looking for a solution that provides a modern IFV to go along the Leopard. But due to economic constrains the  workhorse of the Mechanized Infantry is still the US M-113 APC and its variants.

For RF! each infantry company has 9 figures and an M-113.

All M-113 models are 3d prints from Butlers Printed Models. I used a torso of an ESCI modern US figure and made the arms with GW GreenStuff for the Browning firer.

For Battalion support one M-106 with 107mm mortar and a M-150 with Tow-1 is added .

 The crew of the M-106 are again ESCI figures with new arms to fit their new misson.

 For the M-150 I added crew from the Preiser set of modern US tankmen as they use the tankers helmet and not the infantry helmet.

The blob of GreenStuff you see on top of each M-113 is the camouflage net.

The Command company is still waiting for their M-557 that BPM is kindly designing and two Land Rover 110 from Cararama have to do for the moment. Later on these two will pass to more administrative issues.  

Back to the figures you have in this company from L to R a stand with a LAW firer made of the old ESCI figure firing the M-47 Dragon. Still in the same stand is another ESCI figure from the German modern group with a new 'Fritz' US helmet. I converted a number of them as they are carrying true German G3 used by the Portuguese army. On the second stand you have another ESCI modern German carrying the MG42 (still in use here but the most common would have been the HK21) again with new head. The ammo bearer also has a nex box on its right hand and the rifle was placed on its back.  Other stands are a mixture of Revell US with ESCI US and ESCI NATO figures all having their M-16 rifles with cut-off  handlers to look like G3. On each left shoulder there is a small Portuguese flag sometimes not visible due to the camouflage pattern of the uniform.

I also repainted this Altaya M-548 for the SP artillery to be built.  I used again a ESCI figure with new arms and the Browning came from the Revell WWII US infantry set. The camouflage net was made of NOCH Birch leaves dipped on a thick coat of PVA glue that was painted after drying. I already used this trick for my latest batch of Churchill Tanks. 

Finally two F-16 from Altaya in true Portuguese colours were added. Here Altaya distributed all main aircraft used by the Portuguese airforce - F-16, A7 Corsair, Alphajet, etc in national colours.  Only the crew wasn't there before and they are made of GreenStuff, so no two alike.   

Next: probably the two missing companies of Leopard A2A6 for the BrigMec or maybe some M-109s or even a M-88 recovery vehicle I am inventing.