Normandy

Trumpeter M4A3 Sherman and M4 Sherman Tank Mid Production

~ Colonel Mustard ~ Leave a comment

You can never have enough Sherman Tanks. I had previously bought a pack of three Shermans from the Plastic Soldier Company, but felt they were a little on the big side, so wanted to try a different angle. I purchased these two Sherman kits from Trumpeter at around AUD $10 per kit on line. Somewhere between a fast build and normal kit, i was very pleased with what i found in the boxes.

You have the option to build the bogey wheels from individual wheels and parts or just use the one piece bogeys that are supplied. I didn’t see much difference so opted for the lazy route. I can keep the spare wheels in my spares box. The hull has plenty of moulded on detail, which may not suit everyone, and i guess doesn’t match up to the PE and other detail found on Dragon and Unimodel tanks. But hey, i reckon these are pretty good looking little tanks for your money.

The commanders hatch can be open or closed, i think you need to cut it in half to open it up. You also get a choice of 50 or 30 cal machine guns to go on the turret. There are a couple of wooden crates for stowage, but i added plenty of my own to the tanks, and also some spare track bits i had kicking around. Adding extras to these guys certainly improves their look.

The vinyl tracks can be tricky to put on, and i had read some horror stories about Trumpeter track problems. I made sure i stretched mine very carefully to fit around all the wheels before attempting anything. Then i glued them starting over the top wheels first before letting that dry for a long time. Then putting glue on the sprocket wheels and folding the tracks around and under the tank. Once this was dry i would add glue on the bottom wheels and add some weight on top of the tank (turret off) so the glue would stick. I didn’t worry about connecting the ends of the tracks together until all the glue was dry. As long as you have stretched your tracks enough to touch, connection at the end should not be a problem.

The highlight of these kits are the decals! I wanted to make them British Shermans but could not resist the awesome decals that came with them. “To Hell With It” and “Classy Peg” just look great on the olive drab tanks.

 

Airfix Bedford Trucks QLD & QLT in 1/72 scale

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The real shame for me these days about building Airfix kits is that they are mostly 1/76 scale and do not fit with all the other great new stuff out there. For old times sake i really want to buy some and relive those early days…… its a sign of getting old all this nostalgia. Fortunately Airfix do make a 1/72 scale kit of Bedford Trucks, the QLT and QLD, and i was very happy to build a couple of these a while back.

My British Army in Normandy definitely needed some transport to get them around the country side, and a few Bedfords are just the ticket. These are fantastic models from Airfix and fill a big hole in the 1/72 scale plastic choice for British trucks. The only other option i could find were from the Polish company IBG Models, which were more expensive for only one truck in a box. Airfix give you two trucks in one kit. Bonus.

Building these little fellas is a breeze, clear instructions, all round a great little model. I only struggled a little with the drive shafts in the chassis. I made sure i had them all fitting on a dry run before gluing. No drivers included, so i chopped down some HaT British Tank Riders who do a good job. Just make sure you paint the seats and inside of the cab and put in your painted driver before constructing the cab….. I also used more HaT British Tank Riders in the back of the troop carrying QLT. These HaT figures are great value and you get 44 men in a box, but if i do more i cant help wanting to buy more AB Figures instead.

I followed the suggested paint scheme with an olive drab and black camo scheme plus khaki drab and black for the tarpaulins. I actually used a permanent black marker to mark out the black camo scheme and then filled it in with black paint after that. Supplied decals are excellent and give you plenty of choice! There is no debate about these kits if you need British trucks go out and buy some! Some pictures below!!!

 

 

Hasegawa Humber Armoured Car 1/72 scale

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While i was on the Hasegawa modelling wagon i dragged out these two Humber armoured cars i made a while back, and thought i should add them to my blog. Great value when you buy from Japan or China these guys were no more than USD 10 each delivered to Australia. Better than buying from the UK at close to the same in pounds…..

As usual with Hasegawa models they were easily put together and not too complicated to build. I didn’t like the metal axle rods and lack of suspension. You need to fix the metal rods so the wheels do not slide from side to side or rotate. I should have fixed these two to an MDF base to prevent any slippage and also as they are quite delicate. They come with some stowage items like a box or two and some rolled blankets/tarpaulins. The crew figure, which typical for Hasegawa, is awful. So i replaced him with a crew man from Battlefield Miniatures. I also added aerials so the forward recce team can radio into headquarters when they spot the enemy.

Choices for your British in plastic 1/72 scale Humber Armoured Cars is extremely limited, and in fact i think only RPM make an alternative version. I haven’t seen that model but can recommend these Hasegawa kits as an excellent addition to any British force.

Looking at these pictures i may go back and add some more mud/weathering/dirt to my vehicles as they look a bit clean!

Zvezda German MG Teams in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

Just a very quick post on a couple of German MG teams painted up and based ready for our next clash. Coming in a box of two for a few dollars this is a great little kit and good value. The poses are excellent and look really good hiding behind a grassy knoll. Based on small MDF squares and painted in SS camo these dudes will bolster the firepower of my German troops.

Taking photos of figures with my phone is not the best but i hope you can make them out OK!

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River Sections and Rustic Bridge

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 1 Comment

Finished some river sections and a rural bridge this week. The river sections all made with 3mm MDF cut to shape. I then added modelling clay river banks. The banks were then sealed in with a coating of acrylic filler, and then coated with a thick layer of sand and PVA glue. Some bigger gravelly bits were glued close to the waters edge. The water itself is just blue and green spray paints, the photos are actually a bit brighter than real life. The banks were sprayed brown then dry brushed with a lighter shade of brown and then flocked with a  couple of greens. I added some reeds made out of an old cut up paintbrush which came out OK.

My bridge was scratch built using foam board covered with embossed plasticard. Details were added with modelling clay. The road way was just cardboard bent and glued in place. Painting involved various different colours including grey, light brown, sandy yellow and pink.

The river sections were all 15 cm wide and from 30 – 40cm long. I need to make some shorter bits and also some more 45 and 90 degree turns for variety. Photos below!

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ACE Dingo Armoured Car Part 2

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I built the second ACE Dingo i had in my kit box. This time i learned from my previous attempt and so the construction process was much smoother. It took plenty of extra plastic removal to make sure all the parts fitted without gaps. I was also able to get my wheel alignment much better by getting the suspension on early in the piece. Still i had to cover some dodgy bits with stowage items. A definite improvement on the first attempt at this kit, but i would still try the S-Model Dingos rather than this ACE kit.

I added my AB Figures Dingo crew, one driver and one officer with binoculars. They were a tight fit but really make all the difference!

Here they are scouting out a very fancy French country house!

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Dragon Stug IV Late in 1/72 scale

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Picked up this little beauty at my local hobby store. Unfortunately these days you pay more at the store than on line. Retail shopping is a dying breed…….

Its official I love Dragon kits. Even if I have to pay a little bit more for them compared to other manufacturers, its worth the money. This little Stug was a pleasure to build. Starting with the wheels which are moulded separately making it super easy to paint the outer tyre part black and the inner hub dark yellow, before fitting them together. The tracks themselves are one piece flexible plastic/rubber which I much prefer to the really fiddly multiple part tracks I have struggled with on other kits. I didn’t quite manage to get the sagging weight effect of the top tracks – something I need to investigate further next time.

The top section is excellent and full of detail. Some hatches can be modelled opened or closed, so next time I will add a commander and crew. Everything fitted together perfectly with no issues. I primed and painted the bottom section before gluing on my pre-painted wheels. Then the tracks went on, before I glued the top and bottom together.

I went with a dark green on yellow camouflage scheme, and a dirty brown wash to blend him into the base. I couldn’t recommend this Dragon kit more highly, and will buying a couple of more of these to make up a troop.

Check him snooping around a Normandy village in the following photos.

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Zvezda 88mm Gun & Crew

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

I needed some heavier anti tank weapons for my German Army in Normandy and you cant really be without one of these famous 88mms. I don’t think Zvezda call it an 88mm, its something like a heavy flak gun or similar. Anyway the Zvezda kit is an awesome model and very easy to put together. I picked it up at around USD 5.50 from the Ukraine, so pretty reasonably priced. It goes together very easily and has good detail, perfect for my needs. I think on a par with the Hasegawa 88mm (which I will show in another post sometime). The Zvezda gun comes with a base and crew, but I wanted something a bit more exciting. So I made a square MDF base that would fit the gun plus some room for the crew. This was textured with PVA glue and sandy dirt from my front garden. I replaced the Zvezda crew with a much better crew from AB Figures, except for the gunner who was part of the original crew. I glued the crew onto the base in some modelling clay to blend them in, and also added some shell casings and live ammo boxes to add to the scene. The crew were painted in my usual peadot plane tree whatever SS camo scheme, which is getting better, and more time consuming, the more I do it. The 88mm gun was primed black, sprayed dark yellow and then given a wash in chocolate brown/black. After a highlighting in a lighter sand yellow the gun was glued onto the base with the crew. I found it much easier to place and paint the crew once they were attached to the base, and then add the gun afterwards. I added some green flock to the base and hey presto we are ready to rock and roll.

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Red Brick House

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 1 Comment

Finished my latest Normandy house this week. This nice little red brick number will add some more residential addresses for my Normandy villages and some good hiding spots for house to house action.

My semi-detached two storey house is scratch built from a simple plan I drew up. Starting with foam board walls which I covered with plastic sheet embossed with a brick pattern. WIndows are framed with balsa wood, plus shutters, doors, lintels, doorsteps all done with 1mm balsa wood from Bunnings. Its all mounted on 3mm MDF for strength. Chimney pots are made from some hard plastic tubing I got from somewhere, can’t remember where, just cut into short 6mm sections and glued on.

The interior has some wall paper (wrapping paper) and a removable 1st floor with attached wall so you can have men on the ground floor and first floor. The roof is also detachable, and I made this out of some plastic sheet I bought that is embossed with a roof tile pattern.

The whole thing was painted a mix of red oxide and bright red, then I rubbed ground up white chalk pastel into the surface. This created the effect of white mortar between the bricks. Window frames and other details done in white, and the shutters red and yellow for a bit of a change.

The base was covered in sand then painted dark brown and flocked in a couple of grassy colours. Pictures below!!!

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Dragon Horch Heavy Cars in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

I needed some more transport for my German squads to get them smoothly and quickly round those little Normandy lanes. These Horch cars from Dragon Models came up, and at two kits in a box for less than $20 from BNA Models, I could not miss the opportunity. As usual with Dragon kits I found them really nice to build, with enough details to make things interesting, but not too fiddly to be annoying. Everything fitted together perfectly, and I would highly recommend this kit. I am on the look out for maybe a halftrack or two from their range.

I added my usual drivers from AB Figures and painted them up in the finest dunkelb. All ready to go. Photos below show them in convoy with a Panther and just posing in a country lane.
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