The Plastic Soldier Company Churchill Tanks in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

One of the most distinctive and original tanks of World War Two and one of my personal favourites please meet Mr Churchill. Choices to build Churchills in 1/72 scale are quite limited. You can have a go at the old Airfix in 1/76 scale, but that kit is really out of date and probably worth avoiding. Your only other choices are the Italeri model which seems to be very hard to find or a Dragon version or two, which usually end up being overpriced.

So great news that the Plastic Soldier Company have a two tank box of Churchills. You get the option to build four different versions, basically by giving you four different gun barrels. I went with the 75mm and the 105mm support gun. Value wise they are definitely better than buying two Dragon kits. They are just great little models, awesome chunky detail, they really capture the essence of these super cool tanks. As always with Plastic Soldier Kits they are easy to put together, so it doesn’t take long before you can get them into the action. You get some extra track to add on to the sides and the turret plus a commander figure if you want to leave the hatches open. Would be nice to have two different commanders to mix things up.

Painting was easy. A black undercoat, followed by an olive drab top coat. Then a black/brown wash and an olive drab highlight. I used some Plastic Soldier Company decals plus some Airfix numbers i found that looked good down the side of the vehicles. Some dark brown and light brown muddy bits finished him off. Check out my photos below. You can also see the comparison to my other Dragon Churchill in one of the pictures. I think if you need Churchills get a couple of boxes of these, they are better than anything else out there!

Pegasus Waffen SS Set 1 Part 2

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 8 Comments

 

Well it’s nice to get back to my dining room table and finish some stuff off. These figures by Pegasus have been hanging around for weeks as i struggle with painting German camouflage schemes on tiny dudes! I painted around ten of them a few months back but needed to finish off the rest of the platoon. They really are nice figures and i think probably the best Germans you will find in plastic. Lots of great detail, and numerous different, useful and realistic poses. Quality wise they are on a par with the better metal figures out there. These are great value for money when you compare to their metal brothers. I also have Set 2 in my treasure trove out the back, so will crack on with that when i get the chance.

Mounting plastic onto 10 cent pieces gives them some weight that i like on the table. Less chance of them taking an impromptu nap while on the job. I used an olive green base with camo brown and dark green splotches, then followed up with further contrasting dots of all three colours. It’s a real pain in the ass, and takes me hours to do, but i kind of like how these guys turned out in the end. Probably worth the effort, although my eyeballs may disagree. Its not oak leaf, its not pea dot, i am not really sure what it is, but it looks good enough for me.

The lads below have just jumped out of the Opel Blitz trucks (Pegasus again) at a dodgy looking bridge, which could be primed for an ambush…. Better be safe than sorry and lob a few grenades in there first. If nothing else you may catch a few fish.

Squad Leader by Avalon Hill

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While i was on my road trip i managed to find a copy of the original Squad Leader on eBay for less than twenty pounds. As i was in the UK on our trip it was perfect timing to pick it up and bring it home in my suitcase and save the freight to Australia, which would have cost at least twice as much as the game itself! Feeling nostalgic for this all time classic of a board game i was super excited to crack it open when i returned home. Back in the 1980’s my big brother used to play this and i remember enjoying sneaking in a game or two when i wanted a break from the table top action. I am happy to say nothing has changed after thirty years. This classic from Avalon Hill is just as good as i remember. So much fun. It is just complicated enough to keep you interested, but without detracting from the cool and speedy game play. The copy i managed to buy is in excellent condition and 100% intact, and my painting and modelling may go on hold for some time while i charge through some of the exciting scenarios in the game.

Also thinking that the Squad Leader rules could easily be transformed into some excellent table top wargames rules just need to come up with a hex to centimetre conversion rate, and probably some other stuff. I am going to get hold of the second set called Cross Of Iron which i think includes more AFVs and more rules for vehicle combat. Better get onto eBay and see what’s out there! If you have not ever played Squad Leader you should go out and try it, perfect for a evening at home and takes up way less space than getting a full table top game going…….

The Plastic Soldier Company

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Colonel Mustard is still on the road and so reports are a little different in nature while he is a few thousand miles from his dining room table!

I have the good luck to have a brother and a sister who live within 10 miles of Henfield, where the excellent Plastic Soldier Company have their HQ and distribution centre. So a quick email to Will the commander in chief allowed me to drop in and visit. I really needed some Sherman Fireflies for my British, and with only Armourfast offering an average looking model, i knew Will would have the best tanks for my requirements.

Its like one big candy store for the WW2 modeller. Tanks and vehicles line the shelves and order after order are loaded into boxes. Will was extremely friendly showing me around. If i had more luggage space i would have picked up more than my box of Fireflies.  Now i cant wait to get home and get cracking. Although i do have some PSC Churchills and Universal Carriers to get started on too.

So if you are in the vicinity of Henfield i highly recommend dropping into PSC HQ, with prior warning of course, oh and some cash in hand for some super goodies.

The Imperial War Museum, London

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 1 Comment

So Colonel Mustard is on a field trip for a few weeks and leaving his workbench aka the dining room table for a while. With limited opportunity for any modelling my blog takes an alternate angle. Landing on the sunny shores of Great Britain i had to visit the Imperial War Museum in London.

The ground floor is dedicated to World War One and is amazing. It covers every last detail you can possibly think of. Video footage, artifacts, original weapons, uniforms, maps and everything else you could possibly think of. There is even a full size reconstruction of a trench underneath a tank. Great stuff. If you want to know about World War One this is the ultimate source.

Second floor turns to World War Two and was my favourite mainly because of the Sherman tank and the Willy’s Jeep! Oh and there is a T34 on the ground floor. Mmmmmm tanks.

It’s a must visit for anyone with an interest in anything military and very well done. The floor dedicated to the Holocaust is also a must see, and while extremely sombre and confronting, reminds us of what atrocities and stupidity the human race is capable of. Things we still see today unfortunately around the world.

“Painting Wargaming Figures” by Javier Gomez

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I had read a few very favourable reviews of this book and had to grab a copy for myself. I am old school, well actually i am just old, so by definition old school i guess, so i like having books to read rather than just whizzing through pages on the internet. Its the same with music, i still buy CDs and really don’t like downloading stuff. It’s a hangover from owning vinyl records as a child. So much more fun to have the covers and the sleeves and the words. Anyway this book turns up on my doorstep and it certainly did not disappoint.

Mr Gomez details every aspect of miniature painting in a very clear and concise manner. He covers every technique you could require, all backed up by many examples, and step by step guides. All the text is accompanied by some excellent photographs of his hand painted figures. If you want to improve your painting skills and get inspired then this is an essential book to add to your library. What i liked was the comprehensive coverage of pretty much any colour, texture or figure. If you need some tips or advice its all right here. Aimed mainly at 28mm figure painting and the earlier historical periods such as Ancients and Napoleonic, it still easily translates into other scales and periods. Even though i am heavily entrenched in WW2 20mm gaming i still found the whole book a very useful and worthwhile purchase.

You should charge out like the light brigade and grab yourself a copy!

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Unimodel M36 Tank Destroyer in 1/72 scale

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I actually got the next bit all wrong. What i really wanted was an Achilles Tank Destroyer for my British forces in Normandy. What i managed to buy was an M36 Tank Destroyer which i don’t think was even used by the Brits much. Anyway it was too late once i had clicked the order button on my favourite Ukrainian model store’s web site, and soon a couple of M36 kits were on the way across Asia towards Australia. For a wargamer looking for an Achilles or any other M10/M36 variant 1/72 scale in plastic, the options are very few and far between. In fact i am not sure there are any other manufacturers out there who make versions of this tank in plastic.

But who cares i really liked this kit. The more Unimodel kits i build the more i like them. The link and length tracks work well and the bogey wheels all look great. The kit comes with some excellent photo etched details, which although fiddly, really add to the detailed look of the vehicle. I did struggle a bit with getting the headlight protectors looking right, but nothing wrong with a bit of a challenge! The two piece turret needed some extra sanding and work to fit together and also to fit into the hull. Plus the contents of the turret were also a bit tricky and needed some special handling. But it all worked out in the end. There are some excellent pioneer tools to add onto the back, which makes a nice change to the boring moulded on type deal. I also added some rolled up tarps on the roof. The 50 cal Machine Gun looks good on the open turret, and i will be adding some crew men at some point too to finish the whole thing off.

To add to my confusion i kind of mixed up some British insignia on the tank with some US stars that were supplied with the kit. I like the white and yellow stars on Allied tanks, and i didn’t think anyone would object to my decal mixtures. Hey he can fight for the US or the British forces. Win win i say. Check out the photos below!

“The Dawn Of D-Day, These Men Were There, 6th June 1944”, by David Howarth

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Another treat for me arrived in the post from my friends at Pen And Sword Books, a history of the D-Day landings written by David Howarth. First published in 1959, this gives first hand accounts of all aspects of the Normandy invasion from start to finish. Beginning with the training in England, we read many different tales from all ranks of men, all with different stories of bravery and sacrifice. Rather than a very dry, factual account of events from the most important day of World War Two, every man’s and woman’s story is a personal one. Mr Howarth goes into great detail and effort to give each individual a history and a personality, from the British, Canadian and American soldiers, to the German defenders and the French civilians caught in the middle of it all. This makes it a very personal account of the landings, and one anyone with an interest in this huge moment in history should read. We read about paratroopers landing into flooded swamps in the wrong place, British specialized tanks sinking into mud and becoming accidental bridges, and all sorts of other amazing stories of bravery. The first hand accounts cover all the lead up to the invasion, all the different units that had special jobs particular to such a beach landing, and every parachute drop behind enemy lines. There is a at least one account for every beach landing at Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno. If you have seen The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, no doubt the two greatest movies depicting the D-Day landings, you will soon make connections between the stories in this book and how events were illustrated in those two awesome films.

For any wargamers out there this book will also provide much inspiration for planning any scenarios based on any aspect of the D-Day landings. Definitely worth a read on many levels!!

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Pork Chop Hill

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Nothing to do with the actual battle of Pork Chop Hill, i just liked the idea of calling a post that. But it does have everything to do with hills, and the construction of one. In the good old days (for me that’s the early 1980’s when Adam and the Ants and Duran Duran were wearing frilly shirts) my hills were books placed under random green blankets. These days my green mat is a massive improvement on the old blanket or the green painted ping pong table. But its too rigid to place items under it to create any hills or undulations on my wargaming table. After plenty of research and investigation i decided to have a go at constructing my own hills. This method is nothing new and all sorts of tutorials can be found on the net, but for a balance between value, visual effect and simplicity of construction i don’t think you can beat it!

I bought some polystyrene sheets 25mm thick from my art shop for a couple of bucks, plus some 3mm MDF from Bunnings, again a very cheap material. I cut out my required shape from the MDF, in this case just a simple oval shape. I then glued the polystyrene sheet to the MDF shape with PVA glue and left it weighted down overnight to dry. I reckon you can use any kind of polystyrene or insulation foam or similar. Once it was dry i cut the hill edge level with the MDF base, and then gave it a good sand with sandpaper until the contours were where i wanted them. Make sure you sand this stuff outside so you don’t inhale any nasties. That’s pretty much it. I gave the hill a thick coat of a cheap dark brown acrylic paint and then gave it a liberal coating of green flock. The flock i had is a close enough match to my green mat, well good enough for me anyway. I was pretty happy how the whole thing came out. Now i can make a bunch more of different shapes and heights to cover all situations. I am also going to make a big hill in two halves so it can be one big hill or two smaller ones that sit flush with the edge of the table. I also think grabbing some cork from the pet store and making a hill with a cliff will be a cool idea.

Check out the naked hill below and then the finished result!

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Zvezda Pak 36 Anti Tank Gun in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 3 Comments

Zvezda make some cool kits aimed at wargamers under the “Art Of Tactic” banner. Their Pak 36 Anti Tank Gun is great value and easily the cheapest option in plastic. It is such a tiny little gun there is not much point in spending big on any metal versions when you can pick one up with a couple of crew for less than $5. This kit from Zvezda comes in their usual grey plastic and takes literally seconds to put together. Detail is good, and at this scale i am not sure you could get any more detail onto the model anyway. The two man crew does the job, but i added a third crew man with binoculars. I think he came from another Zvezda kit so he fitted in nicely to make up the trio. It would be good to have a limbered version of this gun so when moving around behind his transport so i don’t have the crew all sitting there on the same base. It looks a bit weird. I might have to buy another kit for this purpose. So here is my “door knocker”, as the Pak 36 was called, covering a wheat field from among the bocage, with his Horch car ready to get him out of there in a rush if things get too hot…….