La Prima Squadra del Fanteria Italiana

Ever since painting up a squad of Italian Infantry for friend Pat of Wargaming with Silver Whistle fame I knew I'd to paint me up my own Italian force for use with Chain of Command. But having had a particularly bad time painting the Perry Italians for Pat I decided to go with mainly Empress Miniatures for as much as possible. I'll throw in a Perry figure here and there but am aiming to keep their number as low as possible.

SCW - 7,7cm Feldkanone 96 n.A.

Having only recently finished the T-26 tank I felt the urgent need to continue with the SCW theme. After all the miniatures are just superb. For quite a while already I had a hankering to do an artillery piece. These don't really feature in Chain of Command due to their range, but I figured I could get away with using it as a stand in for a PaK. After all both sides used their artillery in a direct firing role if the need arose.

Review - Perry Miniatures US Infantry 1942-45

Well, I don't normally do any reviews on here but I felt the latest plastic release by the Perry brothers warranting a change in routine.

But first things first:
Neither did I receive the miniatures for reviewing purposes, nor was I offered any compensations in order to do so. Also I don't have any affiliations to any of the companies named in this article. Thus all of the below is purely my (completely subjective) opinion and thus you may feel free to disagree with my conclusions.

Autoblinda 43 - SdKfz 203(i) - 3D print

My first forays into 3D printing are starting to pay off. I found the file for the Italian AB 43 armoured car over on Wargaming 3D and thought it'd be perfect to see how 3D printed models would work in 28mm. I have a few minor niggles with the spare wheels not looking like the real thing and there not being a choice for open or closed hatches being the biggest of my issues. Also it's lacking a few minor details like the antennae and headlights but other than that it's a very nice model and considering the file is available for free makes it a real steal. I added a few details (antennae, stowage and headlights) from my bits box and must say I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

Last entry to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge: Curtgeld, French and a smattering of 15mm

The canal simply didn't fit into the booth

A last Hurrah of sorts really. Despite having reached my highest points total yet -most of it due to bonus points- I haven't been as productive by far as I'd have wished to. Especially when compared to what I managed to paint last year I'm a little disappointed  by my own efforts. Still it was a jolly good ride and an experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss.

Panzerjäger I

I'm once again back with more Panzergrau in tow, today in the form of the puny Panzerjäger I by Warlord Games. What struck me as rather odd with this vehicle was the lack of any crew besides the moulded in driver. Thus I had to press gang some Perry Miniatures from their DAK range. They're maybe a little scantily dressed for service in France, but they were the only figures I could find out there which seemed to fit.

T-26 tank

When Rubicon released their plastic T-26 late last year I kew I had to get me one of these iconic tanks. As with others of their kits I was rather impressed by both the quality and detail these guys have managed to put into this kit. Once I had chosen which of the ten possible variants I wanted to make the assembly was straightforward. It also came as a pleasant surprise that there were more than enough parts to build another turret to go with the tank.

1940 BEF

Having just added to my Early War Germans I felt it was about time to add a little to their opponents. Some of you might remember earlier efforts of mine (has it really been 4 years again?)  on much the same figures. Believe it or not it took me the best part of a month to get these fellas done and dusted. I blame a rather busy schedule with me being away from home for the most part of that time.

Last rites

"Nicht wofür wir kämpfen ist das Wesentliche, sondern wie wir kämpfen."

- Ernst Jünger -

Over the channel and far, far away...

Just a quick one today as I'm in a bit of a hurry really. At the moment I'm away with work most of the time and thus spare time with family and friends is at a premium. So, let's talk about channels today. When reading accounts about the fighting in Belgium, Northern France and especially Holland in 1940 what becomes clear immediately is the importance of streams, channels and similar water features as obstacles to the German onslaught.