Yuzhnaya Ozereika landings 1943 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules

This Landings at Ozereika project started 5 years ago and is now completed. Most of the models are scratchbuilt, like the case of all boats, but the infantry, tanks, artillery and aircraft are from the usual plastic brands. This is a very heroic action of the Soviet naval infantry which cost them dearly without results, exceptuating fixing many Axis reserves which allowed the "Little Land" diversion to become a sucess that is still celebrated in Russia as one of the biggest Soviet exploits of WW2.

If you want to see the eight part construction of this project go to https://jpwargamingplace.blogspot.com/ and write "ozereika" on the search bar. I also advise everyone to visit the amazing site https://www.o5m6.de/redarmy/index.php were you can have great information on many aspects of WW2 including most of the material that was used at Ozereika.

26. Volksgrenadier Division in 20mm, Ardennes 1944, for Rapid Fire! rules

The 26.VGD became famous when it encircled the 101st US Airborne during one week at Bastogne in one of the most famous sieges of WW2, the one with  a "nuts" in the middle. 

16. Luftwaffe Field Division in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules, Normandy 1944

This Division was one of the companions of the more famous 21.PD in the summer of 1944. Some nice uniforms and plenty of horse drawn artillery makes this one a different and challenging unit to build.

If you want to see more on this check the tag '16 LF FD' and you can see 12 posts on the building of this unit.

Rapid Fire! Blitzkrieg in 20mm - German reinforcements for balance

After last months flood of French material that arrived to the front line - that is, my basement - I had to balance things making some more Germans.

The artillery comes from some the old and venerable set of Revell German artillery, probably the most useful and well built soft plastic set ever. The artillery Sdkfz 253 is from Altaya and only the only extra was some black wash and sand dry brush to finish it.

Most of the artillerymen are already used and I had to manage with some other options like the Revell DAK figure (painted here as an artillery FO) and the old Airfix Luftwaffe standing pilot which suits well other branches of the German army if differently painted. 

Three more BMW combos from Zvezda were built and also two Command Pz I from S-Models. 

The S-Models received extra crew from Esci and PSC besides the usual aerials and stowage. 

The figures hanging from the side hatch had new arms in Greenstuff for a more natural look of this awkward position.

The Esci commander on the left also received new arms for them to sit correctly in the turret. I think that new arms, even if not as well proportionate as the original ones, have a better look than the original classic multi-pose figures which many times look like Karate fighters.

Next: A WWII Cossack regiment.

Rapid Fire! France 1940 in 20mm - The 12e Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval (5e DLC)

Just finished the last big unit of the 5e DLC, the 12e RCC. Its mostly a copy of the 11e Régiment de Cuirassiers that I made a few months ago. I used more of the Hat French WWI cavalry figures, EWM cyclists and MMG's, Lancer Miniatures 25mm AT gun and a few Caesar figures for some specific stands. 

The support squadron is EWM and Caesar mostly. The work on the EWM MMG's figures is on the coat in order to make it unbuttoned, and on the puttees in order to turn them into cavalry boots by using filler and painting them black. The horse holders are Caesar figures with Hat standing horses.

The 25mm SA34 AT gun tow was built in Evergreen. The horse is one of those nice Revell German horses of the artillery set pulled by a conversion from Caesar and a Hat driver.

The conversion of the Caesar front figure had to have a relocated rifle, unbuttoned coat and a new arm to pull the horse's reins. 

The whole group can be seen here on this nice picture of May/June 1940 taken from this post

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=131235

The Mle 1911 cart for the Hotchkiss MMG's is also scratch built using Airfix horses, Hat driver and a Revell MMG. The cart itself is made of Evergreen plastic card with resin copies of some plastic wheels.

The three mounted cavalry squadrons have plenty of Esci horses as many of the original Hat were used for the horse holders.

The Esci horses were taken mostly from the Scots Grey set and a few details on the horses equipment were added.

                                   

The fourth squadron, like in the 11e Cuirassiers, ride their butt-pain bikes due to the lack of horses.

The HQ of the regiment has Hat cavalry figures and Caesar foot. The 60mm mortar is scratch built.

Not sure about the boxes for the 60mm mortar and ammo as I never found any picture of them. I just used some old ones from the Italian Esci Alpini set. 

The command stand is the usual Hat figures with the cornet having a Hat Napoleonic British arm instead.

The family moved to a T1 after the pictures but now they are on the way to a much bigger house on my basement.


Next: more French 1940 probably, command cars and the last two H-39 for all big units. Also the two cavalry regiments in dismounted positions is a possibility.

Rapid Fire! 20mm - 16. Luftwaffe Field Division, Normandy 44, part 4: Russian limbers for the field artillery

The 16.Luftwaffe batteries used captured Russian guns whose limbers are necessary in plenty and don't exist in the main stream plastic brands. So I scratch build  all the 16. Luftwaffe limbers. It's not a very difficult task if you keep it simple and I could use finally the extra stock of Revell German horses I had, besides being fun and cheap. 

If you google 'Russian limbers WWII' plenty of images of this model will show up, mainly the 1942 model,  and you are done with references. Specially follow the images of 1/35th scale models. 

The idea was to use my beloved Evergreen material to produce the carriage of the limber and to use extra wheels from the Airfix 88's carriages, Atlantic, and others I had around of undetermined origin. 

The curved rail was made in wire. Metal was also used for the wheel's axis.

All you need is to C.U.D.I.G ( cut, open, drill, invent and glue).

The holes in my fingers come from the electric drill 'cuding' other holes in the carriage for the curved rail, so be careful with this devilish device. 

Reading, Hmmm? A very dangerous activity in nazi Germany...He will end up in the Russian front and not reading Pravda...

The rest of the model are Revell horses and horsemen from the artillery set. The seated soldiers are Preiser and Revell.  You also need to glue a pick and a shovel respectively on the right and left sides of the carriage. The perpendicular bars are sewing needles bought in a Chinese shop for a few cents after running out of the equivalent Evergreen item.

With 10 limbers, 40 horses were necessary and all will be used for the batteries of 76,2mm and 122mm.  

Next you will see these ones painted, that is of course if I don't start something worse. 

Keep tuned. 

Rapid Fire! 20mm - WWII German field artillery

In my opinion the Revell German artillery set is one of the best achieved models ever.

In a small box you find an artillery limber pulled by six horses and two 105 howitzers, besides many artillery men in very realistic poses  and small parts like ammo boxes, shells and such. 

I'm showing you these because I've just stolen two horses from each set in order to have more horses for the Luftwaffe artillery.

 

With only four horses these stands ocupy less space on the table (shelves, on my case) and are faithful to the Rapid Fire! OB's.