Heavy Metal

I have managed to paint enough German infantry to put on a game and thought it was about time that they got a bit of armoured support. First up, a couple of Wehrmacht work horses, the Panzer IV and STUG III. Even in 1945, they could still do a good job defending the Fatherland. Both are from the very impressive Plastic Soldier Company range. At around a fiver apiece, you really can't beat them. Not only are the models themselves very nicely done, they tend to come with all sorts of added extras in the form of crew figures and stowage. They really benefit from the use of an air brush, particularly for the German 3 colour camo scheme.

These models, two armed with the long 75mm and one with the 105mm have been liberally decked out with stowage, some from the PSC stowage box, some from elsewhere. Real campaign models. The Panzer IVs are a bit more clean cut - I don't know why but they don't seem to suit the "cluttered look". As you may have noticed, none of them are sporting any markings. Partly this is because many late war German vehicles tended to eschew such things, but also that I haven't found a way of applying the transfers in such a way that doesn't make them look too obvious. Work to do there! I will almost certainly add crosses at the very least to most of my vehicles in due course.

I have over 50 more vehicles in various stages of completion, but they do take a fair amount of time to do, particularly the weathering. Watch this space.

Late War Buildings 5

My initial objective was to get enough smaller houses done to make up a couple of villages. Having done that and bought enough extras to make a couple more at a later date, I thought I would try something a little larger. These projects tend to be driven by what I can pick up on EBAY and this factory was too good to pass up. Again I got it for just a few pounds, in its original white brick and grey roof condition. I just re-painted it and put it on a base.

Here it is, front and rear views. As with the houses, I wanted the option of a larger footprint so I added a small area to the rear - just a shed, a flower bed and perimeter fence.

Add the two together and a very serviceable built up industrial area is achieved.

I have a couple more models waiting to be completed - a hotel and a brewery if memory serves. I have also been picking a few more complex two and three storey buildings for my biggest project - a German town. I have around half a dozen suitable buildings already, but will need as many again to achieve the right look. I also have a couple of churches to complete, so plenty to do. I am currently cobbling together a set of WW2 rules, using bits "lifted" from other sets and a few ideas of my own. They will also be card-driven, to try and inject a bit of uncertainty and movement into my games. Having used Rapid Fire! ever since they were published, I am looking for something with a little more detail, but not complexity. At the moment, they are just scribblings on scraps of paper, but I think they might work.

Late War Buildings 4

The first of the buildings used has already featured in previous posts, the simple German cottage.

To which is added a small garden, with tree. Adding greenery of any kind, but especially trees, really brings these modules to life.

The next building is altogether grander, a really nice house, also via EBAY. A garden has been added to the side of this house. Notice how the cobbles leading from the steps continue into the garden. These little details really do make the difference.

And finally, the linking annex, which turns these two individual structures into a small war gaming street. Here seen from the rear.

And from the front with the Volksturm moving forward in its defence.

None of this is rocket science, just a bit of patience and imagination. Going forward I hope to be able to expand on this concept with other modules, including industrial and particularly "town" rather than "village" styles.