Sunday 21 February 2021

Rapid Fire! Late War Eastern Front in 20mm - A few more Soviet vehicles moved by Steve Shann's " The Seelow Heights" wargames book

 


Under the attack of  a German artillery barrage, Russian tanks move to the front passing on the destroyed village of Sepp Maier while the artillery tows and ambulances look for shelter in the rearguard. 
The  'retreating' vehicles are 3d resin prints while the advancing tanks are AER and Fujimi.  



The 3d resin print Gaz ambulance is an amazing one piece model. The detail is all there and the friend who printed them for me just rescaled them to 1/72nd scale as they were originally made for his own collection of 28mm models. 


The white bonnets and red crosses adds some interest and they are my first ever Russian ambulances.


The white colour only became white on layer number 3 over the green base!


Look at the winch on the STZ-5 model! Again, a one piece model. How these things are done I have no idea.


Already painted the STZ-5 are really cute machines and I think they were the inspiration for the German RSO. I see them towing mostly the 76,2mm AA gun but they were used to pull a vast array of other weapons. 
The shell burst are Frontline Wargaming.


The AER T-34/85 have too large and long guns and were replaced by a piece of EverGreen tubing. 



Equipped with new guns they roll "Na Berlin!".


One more Fujimi model was added to the collection. Steve Shann mentions a total of 18x T-34/85 in one of his larger scenarios so now I`m only short by two models of this late T-34. 

His book is very good and packed with informations about one of the last big battles in Europe's History . I alreday have all Germans for any scenario but still miss those 2x T-34/85 and all the 6x  Sherman 76mm in Russian colours.  



The AER SU-100 is a straight from the box built. 


Next: A Royal Navy/USN escort carrier in 20mm 

8 comments:

  1. Great stuff as always... Hard to believe how good the 3d resin prints are becoming. Do you have a stash of Fujimi, or are you buying from the Evilbay place? I'm after a couple and have been horrified by the prices.

    Cheers, Dave

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    1. Thanks Dave. Resin prints have nothing to do with PLA in fact. They are only the same in the computers drawings:) regarding the fujimi stash, yes I still have a few inside boxes and the one in this post was built for ages and waiting painting.

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  2. More cracking work there and the printed models are lovely, allowing unusual kit to be fielded, which is always good:)

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    1. Thanks Steve. True. The only problems with resin 3d prints is me being 53 by now and having most of the collection already made from other materials. I think it's the problem of the majority of us. For the younger generation of modelers and wargamers it will be heaven.

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  3. Steve Shann like all the Rapid Fire authors is "evil" They always manage to have equipment in their Orbats that you are short of.

    Just waiting till the end of lockdown to give the scenario a try.

    The 3D resin bath printed models look wonderful, I need one, but I'm not sure waht my wife would say!.

    Will

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    1. The book, OBs and scenarios look over good. I'm thinking about a few solo wargames as they are quite suitable for that. Regarding the other issue hide them from your wife, she doesn't need to know and use her credit card.

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    2. Steve has our blessing for his project Will but he's not a Rapid Fire author, unlike Colin and I who, as you know, operate from secret lairs with an army of evil RF henchmen who research what wargamers have already got so we can create orbats that drain their wallets or frustrate their searches. I am now making the sound of a diabolical laugh...

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