Rapid Fire! in 20mm - a few more vehicles for the (apparently unfinished) Ariete Division

 

On the way to Bir-El-Gobi on the 19th November 19431, and passing Djebel El-Moron-Salvini, the two batteries of Autocannoni su Fiat 634N attached to Ariete are ready to create havoc on the advancing 22nd British Armoured Brigade. To the left you can see the most powerful of the two types, the Autocannone da 102/35 su Fiat 634N and to the right, the 76/30 version.

There are some nice profile and period photos of the 102/35 version which helped to scratch built this one. As you can see from the drawing below from the Online Tank Museum the mudguards were different but very difficult to change on the soft plastic models I used as basis for these two. 

The original Fiat 634N was a bit more than 60cm longer than the Lancias 3RO 100/17 (the IBG models I built last month) so these cheap Chinese Aliexpress models used as a base are bigger and about right (maybe some 4-5mm longer models than they should). 

The Online Tank Museum also provided the basis for this nice camouflage.

The other model is the Autocannone da 76/30 su Fiat 634N for which the same cheap truck was used. There isn´t much information of the real thing, on the contrary of the previous model, but even so the general appearance can be made from the available lousy quality photos available.

Regarding the gun itself, the web gives a much better result with this diagram helping the final layout. 

The crew used on these ones should have been the big Italeri 24mm artillery figures due to the models being a bit longer than they should. Unfortunately I had none of them anymore and had to use Esci conversions (Alpini skiers turned into Black Shirts), Waterloo and StreletsR figures. 

The internal arrangement of the two models was apparently different and mine came out like this. 

The base models are from a very cheap pack from Aliexpress (10 one-piece trucks for a total of some 4 euros!). They are generical WW2 US trucks I presume. You can see to the right the original model and to the left the cut-out model used for these two models. The main changes are to cut out the cabin and the cargo sides and make a new front part of the engine. 

Here you see the different materials used on the 76/30 version: card, EverGreen plastic card, wood and bits of plastic to make the gun. 

The 102/35 version was more complicated as the gun is harder to make, seats are arranged in a different position, side platforms and ground supports due to a heavier gun.

The wheel drive was a monstrous one and drive sprocket of a Tiger tank was used for it after some cuts.  

Finally a family photo of the couple already crewed and ready to be primed. 

Next: frankly I´m around plenty of stuff for the nowadays conflict in Ukraine but I think its of very bad taste to show it now with the events still going on. Lets hope it finishes soon so it can be part of history and we can play with it. 

Rapid Fire! Desert War 1940-43 in 20mm - More antennas to the DAK

Near the Oasis of Ras-al-Bendtrees a group of German OP's and transmissions personnel gathers in order to organize the available information on the enemy. The radioman even picked a confusing piece of information from the British saying that Nomadland won the 2021 Oscar and not Leni Riefenstahl's Tiefland. Verdammt Amerikaner...

The figures are Simon's Soldiers from his pack of German Panzer HQ but adaptable to the DAK. 

The Phanomen Granit 25h radiowagen is the Attack model. The model is very complete but I only used the plastic and resin parts leaving aside most of the fiddly photo-etched and replaced it with plastic parts. 

Its a pity Attack didn't make the extended antenna version. 

I couldn't find much on this vehicle's usage by the DAK so I left it almost without symbols and waiting for better and more informative days. 

The Saurer RR7 were used by the 15th PD on its artillery battalions. The models are MiniGeneral PLA 3d prints. Once again two coats of varnish were sprayed on them before painting and most of the printing lines were gone. 

A few plastic torsos, antennas and stowage were added and you get something completely different for the Afrika Korps. 

Next: France 1940.

Rapid Fire! Western Desert 1940-43 in 20mm - Benito´s anniversary

Benghazi, 28th of July 1942. Right in the middle of Maydan al-Shajara square, the one that unites Gamal Abdel Nasser Street and Amr ibn al-As Street a group of Italian military gathers for the commemoration of Mussolini´s birthday . 

This apparently cultivated paragraph is nothing more than a pretentious way to show a kind of knowledge that I don´t have as all of it came from the Internet. The proof of that is that by re-reading the name of the first Street mentioned, the name Nasser popped out and - after searching in the Internet - its obviouly the ex-president of Egypt of the 50´s and 60´s. 

This post is also an homage to the great Rapid Fire! Monty´s Desert Battles by Master Richard Marsh. This book is in fact among the best researched rule's supplements I've seen but sold less when compared to others like D-Day or the old Market Garden as Master Richard pointed out a few months ago. So, Master, don't worry as you forgive them as they don't know what they buy, sorry, say! 

The models are mostly MiniGeneral 3d prints and a few repainted Amercom DieCasts. The figures are Waterloo1815, Italeri, Esci and Airfix. 

This will be the command of Ariete armoured division and it is made of surplus Italeri figures from their artillery sets. 

Here Generale de Brigata Fancesco Arena comforts Generale di Divisione Guiseppe De Stefanis about the course of the war:

 - Its not your fault, Sir. We choose sides poorly... once again!

This MiniGeneral AS37 was turned into a Bersaglieri gun truck with the help of an Altaya 20mm Breda and a few converted plastic figures. 

In order to achieve the "Italian Sand" I mixed Vallejo Yellow Green with Desert Tan Base.

The netting is normal gauze dipped into a pool of Khaki Grey and PVA glue and modelled in situ while drying. 

The figures came from Waterloo1815 and the firer is a heavily torned Airfix Italian soldier. 

The 20mm AA Bredas are MiniGeneral with Airfix converted Italian figures. Most of them got new arms in order of to perform new duties. 

Well, here they are defending very well the well. 

 

These two will go to one ot the Bersaglieri Type AS battalion. I don´t have many Italian figures with their characteristic colonial sun helmet so the M33 helmet had to do.

This Lancia R3O was also became another gun truck and again for the Ariete 8th Bersaglieri Regiment.  

I had never seen the small 47/32 mm gun on top of such a big truck until I found this picture in Batailles&Blindés Hors Série nº26.

Again a MiniGeneral 3d print without printing lines. 

The gun is Waterloo1815 from their Folgore artillery set and the figures are Italeri leftovers with a new plumed helmet.

The figure raising its left arm was originally pulling the string of a heavy gun with its right hand. A flame lowered it but many scars can be seen from the brutal surgery. È la Guerra. 

The M13/40 is another nice model from MiniGeneral. Even the flimsy side step is implanted on the model which is a very detailed piece with all rivets and small parts clearly showing. 

There are some printing lines showing through in the frontal armour of this one. They are in fact easily disguised as the Italians used sand bags in order to increase their 30mm frontal armour.

The command tank of 1st company, X tank battalion.

With a battalion of medium M13/40 done this is the start of the second battalion.

These oldies but goldies L3 tankette and Lancia 1ZM (Amercom) were also added just because they were waiting for too much time in the painting cue. But they are only good for the first RF yellow book related to 1940/41. 

These two Lancia 3RO will tow the Italian 88mm guns I made years ago or can be used in a multitude of roles as supply or troop carrier trucks. 

 

Lastly, two AS37 for the command groups of the Bersaglieri battalions. Some light printing lines can be seen in the engine cover but a pair of flags solve the issue.

Next: With too much stuff waiting and mail coming it will continue to be WW2 for sure.

Rapid Fire! Desert war 1940-43 in 20mm - Numbers for the British 8th Army

A British Task Force prepares the defence of the oasis of Ras-al-Boris. This time the force defending Ras-al-Boris is prepared against any kind of injury, virus or desease suffered by the British and some proper medical measures were taken as you can see by the Ambulance Jeep.

The M-7 Priest SPG Regiment got its 4th vehicle. Again an Altaya repainted model. 

The 25pdr and Morris tow is the 6th and last for the towed 25pdr Regiment. Altaya repainted and soft plastic crew. Only the seated crewman is a hard plastic figure from PSC.

This is the 3rd 6prd Portee so a full Motor battalion is complete but still far from the necessary eight for an Anti-tank Regiment. Again repainted Altaya with a soft plastic crew from Esci, Airfix and Matchbox.

This part will be longer while I will try to show how you can take advantage of the leftovers of the PSC box of M3A1 Light Tanks built for Ozereika.

I found on the web an award winning 1/35th scale M3 painted in this kind of blue and just copied it. 

All symbols were hand painted (that can easily be seen 😕).

At the moment a complete M3 Honey battalion of 10 models is done. 

As told in the previous a total of six models can be made from the PSC box, three of them directly from the sprues an another three with a few extra parts.The 30.cal Browning is made of 8 small parts stuck and drilled together. 

The driver's plate is easy to make. Not so much for the gun and I was lucky to have kept 3 mantlets from Hasegawa's M3 models. The gun itself is metal tubing with a cover of drilled plastic in its thicker part. 

The bottom part of the chassis is Styrofoam with a few plastic parts added. You can use superglue on the Styrofoam to glue whatever you want if you apply a generous coat of PVA glue before. 

But the funniest part of these builds was this small Matchbox Jeep converted to an ambulance. Two stretchers from Airfix were added as well as a scratch built intravenous infusion system. 

Next: whether the motorcycles of the QVR for the 1940 BEF, some soviet gliders and planes or the Naval infantry for Ozereika.