Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 14) The 3rd US Marine battalion and one more Amtrac

 

Third USMC battalion and 1st Regiment finished together with one more LVT(A)1. Once again these figures are a compromise between the uniform, equipment and organization of the USMC battalion at Guadalcanal and the ones of the later Pacific war. The LVT(A)1 is also for later battles as it was used for the first time at Kwajalein, early 1944. The model is Altaya with added crew for the Brownings. 

The Revell US Marine is a great set. The figures are well designed with all small weapons that the USMC used: M3 SMG, Thompson, Garand, BAR and M1 rifles and even a flamethrower. The problem is heavier weapons as nothing comes inside the box. So they had to be made up once again. 

The Bazookas are Airfix and SHQ with converted Revell marines holding Hasegawa shells. 

The Brownings HMG 1917 are Revell and Matchbox, all with Evergreen sleeves and added water cooling device. The No2s are Atlantic and Matchbox. All No3s are Revell and SHQ. 

The Brownings 1919 have Hasegawa firers with SHQ guns and plastic tripods. On the left there is an Airfix firer with changed tripod. All No2s are Esci and Hasegawa. 

The 81mm mortar is scratchbuilt and has an SHQ, a converted  Revell and the old Matchbox officer, probably the most copied and used 20mm figure in the world. 

The 60mm mortars are again scratchbuilt and have Revell conversions (the one with the rifle raised above the head), another Matchbox conversion and a SHQ figure. 

This one became strange as the Airfix radio man  looks like the grandson of the officer. Even so I like to think of this officer as Chester Puller in order to balance things! The figure with Walkie Talkie is SHQ. 

Next: A return to Vercors

RF! in 20mm - A little known armoured encounter somewhere in nowadays Pakistan, the battle of Al-Lie

 

A little known armoured battle of WW2 happened in Pakistan (some sources say it was Afghanistan) at a place called Al-Lie, between several units of armoured vehicles of Japan, Germany, Slovakia on one side and USA and USSR on the other:

- The Japanese got lost in the jungle looking for the body of Yamamoto and ended up a bit to the west;

- The Slovaks found the Eastern Front too dangerous and a task force derived a bit more to the south east looking for more peaceful areas;

-The Germans had to be in control of everything Axis;

- The Soviets, without radios on their tanks, got lost and now were too scared to return because of NKVD thinking they were deserters;

- The US simply had to be everywhere even if it was not their damn business!!

Two conclusions are known about Al-Lie battle, no one survived to tell the story and it didn´t happen. 

After this BS story what really made me making this bunch was the fact of having these models sitting for too long on the cue and all were WW2 bits for continuing a number of armies. 

The one waiting for longer, maybe 10 years, and already built (given by JF or JMM) was this Esci late KV-1 that will go the winterized Soviets. 

This Mig T-28 is one of the oldest model kits of this tank, dating from the mid 90s. I found it in one of the last model shops in Lisbon, the Casa Antunes. 

The model is a piece of hell to be built as it is made in resin and lots of photo-etched parts and thus made for standing in a shelf and not wargaming. But as I´m a shelf wargamer everything will be OK. 

Two more T-35 monster by S-Models. Only four to reach the 10 mark as ordered by Master Colin and Richard in its supplement for Russian units 41-42. In fact the 8th Mechanized Corps used them at Dubno, which is my target for Barbarossa. The last four will not have the aerials as they only existed in the command tank of the company. 

This "Long Tom" and HST is a second one to be built and is the consequence of an exchange made years ago between a full Altaya collection and some miniature racing cars. A Matchbox figure and a base was added, a quick glass paint and sand color drybrush and its ready to go. 

Some 10 days ago or so I received a nice parcel from a Spanish wargamer friend, JZ, which had plenty of very helpful bits and pieces. Among them there was this Horch 830 radio car of the early war period, probably by the extict BUM and copied from the Wespe model. The aerials were added and a few more details also. 

Not sure about this aerial arrangement but it looks nice to me. 

Also from JZ came all these that went for the Japanese. The Sumida Type 92 armored car is resin a copy of the Skytrex one I already have. I painted it with the same SNLF colors. The truck to the left pretends to be a Nissan 80 but it started as...

... a firemen truck. Here it already got some plastic side pannels to look more like a cargo truck...

...and here it got new wheels and a tarpaulin. 

These diecast pickups started like this but here you can already see the final arrangement with hot glue on the windshields, new wheels and cargo to disguise the strange stuff on the back.

Three more Praga trucks from FtF going to the Slovak Fast brigade. 

And three more Slovac LT-35 to conclude the armour of the same brigade.

Next: another video on the Iraqi 1991 army

The Japanese Infantry Division in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules

Most of these models were inside the cabinets with figures hidden in card boxes and glued to thin card for many years by now. Recently the Pacific bug bit me and this one had to come out, particularly after reading books and seeing films and videos about Guadalcanal. So I painted the last few boxes of Japanese infantry on the stash and mixed them with the old ones already made. For artillery I found Assymetric Wargames in Italy, which makes in 3d printed resin everything you may need for Japanese guns (including prime movers), together with the possibility of getting quickly the great Simon´s Soldiers figures. Regarding tanks and SPs I simply cleaned some dust out of them as they were made for a long time.

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 13) The 2nd US Marine battalion

 

One more Marine battalion made mostly of Revell figures but with plenty SHQ in the support weapons.

These battalions are organized for late war with this structure heavy on support weapons. If you place just a part of these support weapons on the battalion command they can be used also for Guadalcanal. 

The mortar tube is Esci and the bipod is a 60mm one from Valiant 1st edition. The pair matches quite well as the tube is "normal" 1/72 and the small bipod is a big 1/72nd part. 

The Bazzoka No1 figures are Airfix and hard plastic Esci and all No2 are conversions from a flamethrower (L) and riflemen from Revell.

All figures are SHQ with the exception of the lying down one that is Matchbox. The 60mm tubes are Valiant but instead I used the MMG tripod of the sprue and converted it into a mortar bipod. The mortar like this looks smaller and closer to 1/72nd scale. 

The MMGs are hard and soft plastic Esci with Airfix Marines as No2s. These got a bent arm with fire as they are originally throwing a grenade. 

The HMGs are all SHQ less one that has an Esci gun and firer (bottom right). This one got a new tripod made of plastic replacing the original which is a one piece figure+ HMG. 

The radioman is the wading Revell figure with changed arms, new Thompson SMG and Hasegawa radio on the back. The antenna can clearly be used also as a telegraph pole! The Marines didn´t use the camouflaged helmet at Guadalcanal with this only showing up at Tarawa but I prefered to paint it as it can be used in plenty of actions and its a famous characteristic of WW2 Marines. 

Next: the last few Japanese prime movers and staff cars. 

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 12) More Asymmetric Wargames artillery and Simon´s Soldiers figures

 This post completes the regimental artillery (75mm guns), 81mm mortars and regimental command stands for a Japanese Infantry Division.

The Asymmetric Wargames guns are Tiger Ace 1945 resin prints and Simon´s Soldiers Japanese artillerymen go very well together. 

The guns are the Type 38 model and the figures are a mix of both field artillery and anti-tank figures. 

I didn´t have around any bigger bases so instead of six figures in a base, each regimental command was divided in two bases, one with officers and flag and the other with telephone and radio operators. 

According to witnesses (me, so don´t bet any money on it) this dialogue was real: 

- Don´t worry Major Toyota, this will be our last Banzai charge.

- I know Major Suzuki, and our first...

The 81mm mortars will go to the second and third regiments. The Japanese tended to have few medium mortars as they had plenty of knee mortars of 50mm distributed at company level.

Next: the last post on build up of the Japanese Infantry Division with Asymmetric Wargames prime movers and staff cars. 

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 11) The first US Marine battalion

 

This first Marine battalion is set for late war Pacific, from Tarawa up to Iwo Jima. There is more heavy infantry weapons support is this battalion than in the ones at Guadalcanal. Up to May 1944 a RF! Marine battalion should have only one of these three 60mm mortars, two MMGs (no HMGs) and the 81mm mortar, everything allocated to the support company, while in late war these heavy weapons were integral of the rifle companies and thus in larger numbers. Also the Marines at Guadalcanal still didn´t receive the bazooka, even if this one was already used at Operation Torch, in Tunisia. 

A problem while doing the WW2 Marines is, at least in our 1/72nd scale, to use or not the camouflaged helmet, something that changes the appearence of the soldier and miniature. In fact the Marine´s camouflaged helmet was first introduced after Guadalcanal, at Tarawa, but was used on all other Island hoppings up to the end of the war. So I cheated Guadalcanal by a few months and painted the helmets in three color camouflage as it can be used for several years, from November 1943 up to march 1945, while the plain helmet is only useful for Guadalcanal Marines.

The figures in the rifle companies are mostly Revell with some Esci and hard plastic Hasegawa for variety. The intention of Revell with its Marines look to have been a bit like the 1st edition of Airfix Marines with most of the figures arriving at a beach, looking for cover or wading ashore.The Revell figures are quite well sculpted but the Revell plastic is very bad with figures breaking quite easily after some time of light and air exposure something that doesnt happen with Atlantic or Matchbox, for instance, which are much older. 

These are the extras that the three rifle companies have from may 1944 on. 

The three HMGs are late Brownings M2 turned into the 1917A1 model by inserting an Evergreen tube. The figures are Matchbox, Revell, Hasegawa and Airfix. 

The MMGs (M1919 Brownings) are Hasegawa (previous copies of the hard plastic Esci) and, to the rear, a sole Airfix that originally had the bipod, mostly used by the US paratroopers, here turned into a tripod. Two of the number 2 are Matchbox. 

The Battalion HQ company has two bazookas, a 81mm mortar and two flamethrowers. The last ones were used by the first time at Guadalcanal by the 2nd engineer batallion in January 1943.

The Bazookas No 2s were converted from Revell and Hasegawa while the firers are Airfix and hard plastic Esci. 

The 60mm mortars are from the 1st edition Valiant and are my first models from a set of over 200 sprues offered last month to me by master Colin. See? This is what you get for being loyal serf of your master and never escaping its dominium (or other sets of WW2 rules..).

The figures are a bit small as most are SHQ and Matchbox. 

The 81mm mortar is SHQ with a converted figure from Revell, the one wading ashore with its rifle above the head, an Esci and Matchbox figures. 

The Co group is Revell with a figure with the Hasegawa radio/telephone on its back. In fact the radioman should have a lighter rifle than the BAR but this Revell BAR is quite flimsy and looks like a small calibre rifle. 

Next: Asymmetric Wargames and Simon´s Soldiers Japanese artillery and crews. 

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 9) The 7th Japanese infantry battalion and the Anti-aircraft artillery

 

I´m done with Japanese infantry as I finished all models in the stash with two battalions still missing.Years ago I collected enough Japanese figures to make a full Japanese infantry division but some went to my Tarawa board as SNLF and others, specially HMGs, went to the 1914-1940 French and a few other places. 

This battalion is mostly Atlantic with some Chinese Airfix (1/32 downsized)  copies as they are about the same size. In fact not all Chinese copies are this nice and the more recent productions being clearly inferiors to the ones from the 80s and 90s. The Atlantic figures are not much loved by PSR but mixed with others of the same size they look good. In fact the figures are very tall, not a Japanese thing of those days, but if placed in its own units they provide extra variety. The HMGs are the Type 3, very similar to the original Hotchkiss guns and came from the FFL Strelets sets with my own conversions for the firers. 

The resin 3d printed 20mm AA guns came from Asymmetric Wargames and are very beautiful in just 3 pieces. The crews are modern Atlantic and are innacurate and small but fit nicely the small seats available. The puttees are non-existent and the helmet is missing the typical rim of the Japanese helmets. 

The Type 88 75mm AA gun is provided in two different firing positions which is a great idea. The figures are again Atlantic. 

Next: probably more Japanese artillery, Simon's Soldiers figures and staff cars, all from Asymmetric Wargames