Rapid Fire! Spanish Civil War armies in 20mm

Still far from finished - this one is one of those that will never be finished - you can see here a few models that are enough for some battallion sized RF games on the SCW theme. Together wilth my usual conversions based on Revell, Airfix, Esci and Zvezda there are plenty of proper Irregular Miniatures and some BUM figures. Tanks, artillery and armored cars came from FtF, Minairons, Panzer Garage, Irregular Miniatures and Pegasus. The aircraft are Special Hobby, KP, Azur, Valom, Super Model, Italeri, SMER, Heller and Airfix.

The BR-20 bombers for Rapid Fire! Rules in 20mm size

 

Bombers from the 30s are one of my favorite themes in the history of WW2. I had these two Italeri Italian BR-20s for decades in the stash. Originally they were to be painted in Italian colors and fight in the desert or droping some bombs over England. But two other important users of the BR-20 were the Nationalist Spain and Japan. So, these two flew to these countries as I had no bomber for Franco and only one Betty for Japan. 

The original kits are from the seventies but they withstood well the passage of time. These ones are from the 80s but look much more recent. My models had the German version on the cover and date from 1984. 

Around 1937 the Japanese bomber force was in desperate need for a modern bomber for its operations in China as their KI-21 Sally were taking too long to be produced. Knowing of its usage in the SCW, Japan bought 82  BR-20 from Italy. Like this they can be used in the war against China or in the first few months after Pearl Harbor against the Allies. 

The camouflage was the Italian one of the first 72 delivered (the second one of 10 was in the blotches camo you can see on the Spanish model). 

The big Hinomaru are provided in the decals and make the model quite striking. 

 

These should have been shown before the aircraft as they were made first. For a long time I wanted some bomber stands but all solutions didn´t seem right. So I glued two flutes using Araldite resin, as cyanoacrilate produces some vapor in the transparent plastic, and used two CDs as the ground base (heavily textured with small stones for balance) and the aircraft support base (painted sky blue). Like this the bombers are 35cm above the table in a relatively  stable base and fighters can be on top of one flute only at about 17cm height. 

The Spanish model was painted with green blotches using the same sand base as the Japanese version. 13 of them were delivered to Nationalist Spain. 

From period pictures this camouflage looks to have been very effective. Recently I saw a YouTube video on the shooting down of Yamamoto and apparently one of the strenghts of the US airforce in this action was the green painting of their P-38s which, coming from below and over the jungle, were undetected until the last second. 

All markings were hand painted. 

The markings are for an aircraft of squadriglia 230 whose symbol was a stork catching a frog. 

Next: a video on the German 'specials' for Market Garden. 

Airfix nostalgia batch from the 50´s built and painted

 

Some two years ago I found a batch of eight very old bagged Airfix models from the 50´s and 60´s for sale in our local flea market in Coimbra. They looked OK, for the exception of the card which contained the instructions of the kit, completely ruined. No parts missing and a group that could be useful for a number of wargames scenarios. Besides I could revisit models like the Lysander or the Gladiator that I had decades ago and that got ruined on their own or eaten by my dear Breque, an Epagneul Breton that loved to chew plastic. Probably he simply loved everything I did, and my scent was probably in the painted models. 

They were like this. At the beginning the seller wanted 75 euro each but in the end I took the lot for 90 euros after explaining him that the instructions were not understandable, with paper that got so moldy that self destroyed while touching. Of course this is BS as you can find the instructions easily in the Web. Only the Comet Racer was put aside as it has no purpose in wargaming. All these models took some 20 minutes each to build, with closed cockpits and a flow of super glue in all joints in order to harden the construction. All decals were mostly ruined and markings had to be hand painted. 

I already have a number of these Fiat G.50 bis for my desert Italians so this one was converted for the SCW Nationalists, and the G.50 Freccia version. For that the rotor of the changed and a piece of heated plastic covered the open cockpit. I just followed the nice cover of the AML kit for the painting scheme. 

When I opened the Gladiator bag I could see the very old Airfix way of having a pilot. I think this one must be from around 1957, so 11 years older than me! The pilot convinced me that the Gladiator I had in the past must have been the Matchbox one. 

I used this standard camouflage as it fit the two squadrons present in France 1940 before being replaced by Hurricanes, and the ones present in Crete. 

In the end it became 'Joe' Fraser aircraft of No 112 Squadron at Crete, 1941. 

The Westland Lysander became one from the No 13 Army Cooperation Squadron in France 1939/40.

The only part missing (slipped from the holes in the bag) from the entire lot was the right wheel of the Lysander. I had to built on from scratch in plastic card, GreenStuff and a new small wheel copying the left one. 

I already have several of these both in plastic and die-cast but this P-47D is always a nice addition. 

I like a scruffy finish to the under parts of the aircrafts. Yes, that is the hand of your beloved author but the left one that is only used to hold stuff and not the one that really makes all this magic!

A Grumman Gosling for the RN joined the ranks. Its something virtually useless for wargaming but its cute. The colors are not the right ones as I copied some printed painted instructions. 

The Australian Boomerang is my first and ready to fight the Japanese. Here it shows the colors of  a sample at Mildura in 1943. 

Finally, an Iranian F-5 fighter jet joins two die-casts in the shelves in my struggle to balance my Iraqi air force that counts some 30+ machines.  

Next: a video of the Ukrainian army in 2022/23 or the Iraqi 3rd Saladin AD. 

Rapid Fire! Spanish Civil War in 1/72nd scale - 1st Bandera of the Legion

This Bandera is made out of metal figures from IM, green figures from BUM, desert yellow from Japanese Esci/Matchbox and Russian Italeri and Brown ones from Revell WWI Germans and Esci WWII Brits.

The trousers of the Japanese were enlarged at the top in order to look similar to the Granadero trousers of the Legion.

After a week of practice ( painting, I mean) 1st Bandera gathers around the village of Casa de Piedra somewhere in North/Centre/South Spain trying as always to conquer Madrid from the Rojos.

The mortar stand has two metal IM and the old plastic copy of the Japanese officer from Esci. As in many other figures the head was shaven and a GreenStuff Isabelino was modelled instead. The rest of the sword was made into a sort of mortar shell.

The Japanese uniform, as well as the Russian, suits most of the SCW Nationalist infantry as they have very close cuts.

The Banderas of the Legion had extra Mg's here the ones from the Matchbox along with firers. To the left the ammo feeder is Esci British and to the right both feeder and observer are Revell German WWI.When modelling the borlitas on the caps I didn't notice I've made them too big and now they look like cucumbers.

The command stand has an IM flagbearer, a Russian Revell officer with many cuts and scars and a BUM gastador.

Metal IM figures. For those who look at Irregular Miniatures with suspicious eyes take another look at their SCW range which not only is very complete as the figures are very well sculpted.

Here you have the Japanese from Esci (first three); an helmeted figure with WWI head, japanese  Esci torso and legs from cheap japanese copies.

This LMG has a Japanese firer and a BUM figure.

Lastly a Picture of all types used: Metal IM, Revell Russian (kneeling figure), Esci Japanese (charging) and BUM.

Next: I think I'll go for break on the SCW and show you some WWII oddities or Gulf War stuff.

Rapid Fire! Spanish Civil War in 1/72nd scale - Tanks and Guardias de Asalto

After all they 'pasaran'... At Dos Molinos a column of triumphant PzI advances clearing the Ex Republican positions.

The models are Minairons. They are easy to build, three in a box and they even offer the 20mm Breda conversion turret. In the one above even the Matchbox Monty gave a hand proving the suspicious role the UK had in this war...

This is the standard Pz I this time with a figure from PSC with a new beret.

Hey, Pavlov's T-26 counter attacked and the tiny Pz I are all gone or destroyed! After all they didn't 'pasaran' as it happened so many times during the SCW in which the positions were conquered only to be lost in the next assault.

The T-26 are Minairons again. Simple but well designed models with two in a box. This one has a Irregular Miniatures Russian paratrooper cut to fit the turret with its Degtyarev Mg. The command version on the previous photo has a metal antennae scratch built around its turret.

The ground is only secured with boots on the ground. Six companies of Guardias de Asalto arrive. For Rapid Fire! I represent them with five figures as they were 60 per company only . They are a mixture of metal and soft plastic conversions.

The command stand is a full IM filled with rejubilant figures.

The mortar stand shows the a Guardia de Asalto in blue uniform (right) made out of

a) Head from the Chinese copy of Airfix 8th army officer;

b) Upper body from Esci US WWII mortar firer;

c) Legs from Revell Marines.

The other blue figure is IM and the grey one is again Revell with a new head.

An all IM stand .

In most two-figure stands I try to place one metal and one plastic figure. In all stands you can see the same Revell Marine changed with new headgear and weapons.

More of the same this time. The figures in the extremes are the same Revell Marine figure but one has an Isabelino cap and the other one uses the usual gorra de plato of the Guardias de Asalto.

Next: Legionários or planes, or may be both.

Rapid Fire! Spanish Civil War in 1/72nd scale - Republican artillery and cavalry

Near Dos Molinos the Republican artillery deploys before the advancing Nationalists. But here they 'No Pasarán'.

The box of the FirstToFight 75mm Schneider gun comes with a pair of highly detailed model guns. When I first looked I thought some kind of mistake hapenned and FTF got them in 1/100th scale or something like that. But no, after some measures I concluded its the others I have from other brands that are a little bit on the large size.

The crew are Irregular Miniatures and they go well with the guns.

Also four HAT Russian Putilov 76,2mm guns also joined the defense of Dos Molinos.  The models are simple but a pleasure to build with only a few pieces on the contrary of FTF guns.

These are the limbers, now painted, from two posts ago.

For the spanish artillery green I used GW Waaagh!Flesh - damn stupid name, but very close to the true colour I saw in Spanish museums.

The cavalry mixes the until now useless Hasegawa cavalryman and Revell Cossacks with Adrian helmets.

Next: armour, probably.