Rapid Fire! Russian trench and fortifications, Kursk 1943

These trenches are made of  raw clay and PVA glue, all mixed by hand. When dry, the paste becomes very hard. The sand bags are repair putty. The trench supports are plywood. Everything is glued to a piece of hardboard.

Company trench with Mortar emplacement.

Company trench with Light Artillery emplacement.

Heavy weapons/infantry company emplacement.

Frontline Wargaming trench and log emplacement.

This other Heavy weapons/infantry company emplacement has an extra rear emplacement for artillery.

Another type of Company trench with rear support point.

Another Log Bunker by Frontline Wargaming.

Resin (DRW) Russian Bunker in 1/87th scale.

Heavy Artillery emplacement. I made many of these as they fit the medium and heavy artillery battalions you can see in previous posts.

Rapid Fire! Soviet Rifle Division (2 regiments), Kursk 1943

First Regiment: mix of ESCI, Revell, Atlantic and Airfix figures.

Second regiment.

Two Anti-Tank battalions: PTRS figures and 45mm guns - Irregular Miniatures (front); PTRS figures - Revell and 45mm guns - Evergreen styrene (back).

 

76,2 IG (Evergreen tubing and Irregular Miniatures) and 45mm guns (Irregular Miniatures). Trucks from Frontline Wargaming.

 

 

 

Rapid Fire! Russian Army and tank corps assets, Kursk 1943

Reconnaissance battalion: BA-64 and BA-10 - Frontline Wargaming.

Medium SP Battalion: SU-122 - Frontline Wargaming.

Light SP Battalion: SU-76 - Britannia.

Mixed SP Battalion: SU-76 and SU-122 - Altaya with crew figures from various plastic manufacturers.

First Light Artillery Regiment: 76,2mm field guns - Irregular Miniatures.

Second Light Artillery Regiment: 76,2mm field guns - Scratchbuilt from Evergreen styrene and metal wheels.

First 85mm battery in Anti-Tank role: Irregular Miniatures guns mounted on wheels.

Second 85mm battery in Anti-Tank role: Irregular Miniatures guns with dismounted wheels.

Howitzer battalion 122mm - Irregular Miniatures.

 

Super heavy regiment: 203 mm Howitzer - Irregular Miniatures.

203mm Howitzer with Skytrex crew.

Mortar Regiment: 120mm mortars - Atlantic with a mix of metal and plastic crews.

Corps Artillery Battalion: 152mm Howitzer - Irregular Miniatures with plastic converted crew.

 

Two Guards Mortar Battalion: BM-13 Katyusha - Frontline Wargaming (left); Cooperativa (right).

Rapid Fire! Russian heavy tank regiment, Kursk 1943

This KV-1 heavy tank regiment is made of three ESCI kits and one Frontline Wargaming (top right).

Churchill heavy tank regiment: Frontline Wargaming and Altaya models. The leader has a Fujimi crewman.

 

Another KV-1 heavy tank regiment: the two in the front are Frontline Wargaming; the two at the back are ESCI.

 

 

 

Rapid Fire! (1/76th scale) 2nd Russian tank corps, Kursk 1943

 The second Russian Tank Corps I made was entirely built in 1/76th scale excluding the T-70 which are 1/72nd scale. Also placed here the american Lend-lease M3.

4th brigade: T-70 - Britannia; T-34 Matchbox and Frontline Wargaming.

5th brigade: same as the 4th, with PSC T-70.

6th brigade: M-3 - Frontline Wargaming; T-34 - Atlantic.

The Frontline Wargaming T-34 with added MG, fuel drums and stowage.

This was a crazy project in order to use the Atlantic T-34 of which I had plenty. The Atlantic version is a reasonable hull with a T-34/85 turret filled with faults. So, if used from the box, something pretty ugly comes out. I cutted the turret in the same way as I did to the Armourfast ones and built the same mantlet with a new Evergreen 76,2 mm gun. This one has a ESCI crewman.

Two of the Atlantic T-34 went to the recovery version. Quite easy to do as you only need a new cuppola and some stowage.

Another battalion of  M-3´s. The four to the left are Frontline Wargaming and the one to the right is Airfix.

 

 

I placed the balance weight to the barrel of the gun and a Skytrex crewman, besides the normal stowage, antennae and MG.

 

 

Rapid Fire! (1/72nd scale) 1st Russian tank corps , Kursk 1943

This Tank Corps was built in 1/72nd scale for the 1943 Kursk campaign.

1st brigade: T-70 - PSC; T-34 - Dragon, Armourfast and Matchbox.

All BA-64 are Frontline Wargaming with plastic commanders.

2nd brigade: T-70 - Britannia; T-34 - Armourfast, and ESCI.

3rd brigade: T-70 - PSC; T-34 - Altaya, ESCI and Armourfast.

The excellent Dragon T-34. A marvel of accuracy and detail. Britannia crewman.

The PSC rendering of the T-70. Three kits in one box makes this rare kit pretty cheap. Besides it´s a beauty!!

The Britannia T-70.

The Gaz jeep (Frontline Wargaming)  of the corps commander (Irregular Miniatures figures).

The Armourfast is a too big portrait of the T-34, both hull and turret. So I decided to turn the majority into the 1943 T-34 version. The turret was cut and a new mantlet made out of Evergreen and GreenStuff was made. Besides, as in most of my kits, I placed bedrolls and scratchbuilt fuel drums.

The Altaya version: some black wash and sand drybrush and it´s ready.

The old ESCI T-34 1943, a veteran of many battles. So many that stowage hides some  scars made on the table top and some falls, probably.

 

The ESCI T-34 1942 with a Britannia commander.

 

 

 

The two Tank Corps.

The six Motor Rifle Battalions from the six Tank Brigades. The figures have small stands so they can be placed at the rear of tanks.

AA 37mm guns from the Motor Rifle Battalions (Irregular Miniatures).

 

The small PPSH armed figures stands placed at the rear of a T-34.