Rapid Fire! NW Europe 1944-45 in 20mm - German late heavy reconnaissance

In late 1944 a group of wheeled and tracked German vehicles leaves the protection of Reich-Gazprom forest and probes in the open... in danger of finishing its fuel...

I had this group half built/painted for years and finally they are done. 

These two were the first 234/4 I had. They are Matchbox Puma converted into the 234/4 by opening/carving out the turret support area and inserting a 75mm Pak gun from Airfix. The sides shoud have had a small castle around which I didn´t build and instead some two component paste was used in the form of foliage to disguise the missing parts. The gun was placed a bit too forward but more on that later.

I was thinking these would be enough has I had the idea that Germans never managed to gather many of them in the same division. In fact recently I found a list on the web with the reference of all known units to have had 234/4 (Feldgrau page The Sd.Kfz 234 thread, p.11) in which the maximum allotted to any of the units was 6 of them. But the list only mentions 42 of the 89 Sd.Kfz 234/4 built (no track of the other 47 yet)  so there is always the chance of other units being lucky to have had a larger number. 

So one day another 234/4 came to my hands and this time was the old Airfix model with the wrong mud guards. This time I did the opposite of the previous models and placed Matchbox mud guards in the Airfix body. The result was much better than the previous models as the gun is in the correct position and not too forward. Besides, crewed with Skytrex models it became a very reasonable model.

I was thinking that these three would be more than enough...

 

... until Altaya released a few years ago its magnificent die-cast model. So, with 4 models of the 234/4 I just wish one day to find a damn unit with had at least 20 of the real things!

Last month Super Mário Laranja sent me these two marvelous resin printed PzII Ausf, L "Luchs". This is one of the very few WWII German models I still didn´t have and are pretty useful as they can be used in the Eastern Front (4.PD) and Normandy (9.PD). 116.PD is another possibility as I read somewhere. But the two last PDs belonged to the LXVII Pz Korps in Normandy so there may be a confusion here and 116.PD had no Luchs. Well, this is the pleasure about reading about German Panzers in WW2 - you are never certain :) 

Next: maybe another video on another big unit. 

Rapid Fire! Operation Barbarossa and beyond in 20mm - The 1942 Panzers for the first half of the year

Latest batch of German vehicles for the "Panzer Grey" period. The PzIII L are for the first half of the 1942 battles in the eastern front while the PzIIs and PzIVs can be used in 1941 not only in the eastern front but also at the Balkans and Greece.  

Once again, sorry for the paper printed swastikas, but they are only here because they were real in period German tanks.  

This time I asked (politely) to Super Mário Laranja to change its PzIII to the L version. Like this, by mixing these Ls with the G versions, a full 1942 Panzer regiment  can be gathered, at least in terms of the PanzerWaffe's workhorse of the period, the PzIII. So all these PzIIIs are resin printed to high standards. The only thing a bit crude is my own piece of styrene EverGreen glued to the right side in order to have a place to insert the antenna. 

The stowage is a mix of GreenStuff pieces with PSC German Tank stowage. The result is satisfying and I believe that commercially made parts are always better on top of some GreenStuff or similar material, as this last one serves as a bed for the resin, metal or plastic parts, avoiding an awkward placement. 

Also two Armorfast PzIVDs were added. The models are simple and they could have a bit more of details, particularly the abundant tools in the fenders which wouldn't harm the brand for sure. Due to its absence a number of them were scratch built in styrene or GreenStuff. 

Lastly, two PzII Es were added. Old and simple Matchbox models now sold by Revell. Still in need for a few more. I used the markings from Plowman's book 'Axis armor in the Balkans campaign'. 

Next: Maybe a new video but really don´t really know, just want this stupid war to end and be part of history. 

Rapid Fire! Western Desert 1940-43 in 20mm - Ariete Division complete

A strong Italian force leaves Ras-al-MarioDraghi oasis after filling their jerry cans. One more nostalgic post with the Ariete division having its last missing vehicles added. 

All models in this picture are MiniGeneral 3d prints in PLA. I continued to use my now trusty method of two coats of varnish spray before priming in order to disguise most of the printing lines.  

These ones here are not Ariete but from the 12º Autoraggruppamento. The two models to the left are the Lancia 3RO with 100/17 guns and to the right you see a captured Morris with a 65/17 gun. Both models could be used in the AT role, particularly the 100/17 guns which could fire EP and EPS rounds.  Maybe in the future I´ll add another Morris and also one Ford with 20mm Breda AA (when I find one) that also fought with this unit. 

The crew is StreletsR with the usual drivers from converted Esci. 

                    

The 3RO 100/17 models are IBG and are fantastic kits. Unfortunately, from the wargamer point of view, they are another nightmare to build with hundreds of small pieces and PE parts as they are scaled down 1/35th kits. In the end the result is very good but, come on, taking a week to build two models? I should have been suspicious when the kits arrived in boxes where you could place a WW2 bomber!

The last model for the Bersaglieri AA battalion was made using the MiniGeneral model coupled with Waterloo and StreletsR figures. 

Some jerrycans and a Breda 6,5mm were added and later on the crew and some stowage. I´m doing like this because of the two coats of varnish applied on the PLA prints before priming as the varnish may erase details on figures, etc. 

The Saharianna 42 to the right is the last model for my Arditi truck company; the middle model is a L6  ammunition carrier and the one to the right is the Carro Commando M40 for the Semovente batteries. All are MiniGeneral.

This Saharianna got a scratch built Solothurn 20mm AT gun. 

The original model has all hatches closed which is a pity. New hatches were made, Retrokit (?) figures and Breda 6,5mm added as well as a scratch built goniometer. 

Minigeneral Fiat 626 to be used ... everywhere. 

A few more AS37 from MiniGeneral for the Bersaglieri regiment. 

 

This last StreletsR Schneider/Ansaldo 105mm guns completes the Ariete artillery. 

Next: maybe Germans for Barbarossa and beyond.

Ariete Tank Division 1940-43 in North Africa, for Rapid Fire! rules and ...

This miniature unit was another one that started to be built maybe some 25 years ago or so in those days of the good old Esci M13/40 and Semoventes. Most of the infantry and Bersaglieri are plastic and have some kind of conversion as well as most of its support weapons as the Solothurn AT guns and Brixia mortars.These vehicles and artillery pieces are from plenty of origins and materials: Minigeneral and BPM 3D PLA prints; Esci; Italeri; IBG; Waterloo1815; ACE; StreletsR, HAT and Altaya die-cast. Well, the best thing is for you to see the video.