(1/72-1/76-20mm) Homage to the LRDP and SAS

These were my originals, salvaged from the loft, in a "North Africa Box" - I think they had been lying there for over a decade. The classic Revell-Matchbox LRDP Chevrolet and Jeep, plus a a bunch of Dixon 20mm metal SAS miniatures. They had been mostly base coated so I completed "the gaps" in the coverage (see below, their "potential" is evident): 

The same kit slightly different angle, there must have been a trigger happy cameraman on duty (see below, note the original paints were Tamiya, I toyed with using the  (partial) Tamiya collection I still have, but decided to move onto the Vallejo Game Colour range - partly because it is easier to squeeze out the paint after shaking):  

I decided to add a basic brown/sepia wash (from the dregs of a large Vallejo dipping pot - which I liberally dipped more water into, as not to spoil everything with a tarry residue instead of a light wash) spread over the base paint and then repainted the base colour back over (sparingly) after which I would then follow up with "spot highlighting" later (see below, my frequent chats with the "good" painters from various GW shops seemed to be paying a dividend, transferring 'fantasy techniques' back to historical WW2 and why ever not; a little close up of the detail):  

 

Panning out with the picture to see a wider scope and the "weather worn look" is what I was hoping to achieve (see below, a nice little "nuisance and mischief making" LRDP/SAS combination to harass the Italian and German DAK rear areas): 

Note: The exact painting sequence of these shots might be out of order. 

I plan to use the vehicles and figures as follows: a two man team in the Jeep and a three man team in Chevrolet, hence five SAS dismounts (see below, now I do know I have two more kits somewhere in the loft to pull out and make, so that will represent my SAS Squadron as thankfully I have sufficient Dixon metals to cover them too): 

I do like the animation of the original Matchbox figures (see below, slightly smaller 1/76 as opposed to 20mm metal [Dixon size] but their relaxed posture I think is just right, and of course a man with a classic pointing arm!): 

So there it is, thank you BBC "SAS Rogue Heroes", you certainly bought some life into some old toys I had stashed away :) 

BBC Series - SAS Rogue Heroes (North Africa)

With some trepidation I started to watch Episode One of the new BBC - SAS Rogue Heroes series. It had come with dare I say it, surprised recommendations from fellow some wargamers whom I deeply respect for their taste and acumen, so I took a deep breath and watched (or rather binged it on iPlayer). The jury was out in parts, the legend and the lore of the SAS are so easily overdone but as the story progressed I was totally hooked (for better or worse) but would it hold up in the cold light of day? It certainly had all the trappings of a professional marketing sell, the line-up of actors had clout, a "sexy rock and roll-heavy metal" sound track to boot and a very pacey delivery! (see below, would this montage of history, fiction, rock music and brat-pack acting [in a good sense] actually work?):     

And the verdict was .. well .. after some (short) deliberation .. I thought it was bloody brilliant! Somehow it all came together and seemed to get the gist of all the madness and stupidity associated with that era of the war - spot on. The wife even watched the series all the way through with me (partly due to the link with Sex Education actor and the lad who played the strapping Irishman [despite the beard]), it was simply such gripping television. Well done BBC how you pulled this off I do not know, in my heart I was expecting a "bitter lemon". There should not be a way that 1970's and 1980's rock music [Motorhead] could work for WWII - but it did. How? I still don't know, but do not care! Previously I was an instrumental "Where Eagles Dare" soundtrack person for top war stories but heck, (Rock Music) it worked, along with racing jeeps across the desert. You would, wouldn't you? The depiction of the LRDP was superb, they could have been over easily done, but no, a taxi service with guns who could navigate the desert like nobody else could. As for the storyline: I was laughing at moments, crying at moments and literally in awe - terrified at what was going to happen next - moments when I though "don't be daft - they wouldn't would they?" It has left me rushing for Michael Asher's history of The Regiment for the back story (it has been on the bookshelf long enough waiting to be read) .. and I bet I will get an Xmas book (and there are a few of them already out there) from the supermarket book isle! Sure I will find "discontinuity errors" as bits will have been simply "ripping yarns" but I love the disclaimer .. "the most incredible and unbelievable bits are the bits that are probably true"! Spoiler alert .. the last episode ended with Stirling down (captured), but will there be a Series Two following Paddy Mayne (and perhaps shots of Stirling musing in Colditz)? Meanwhile I unpacked "Undaunted: North Africa" and took a look at my 20mm Western Desert collection (with the classic LRDP set and some Dixon SAS metals, Strelets SAS-North African figures and Italians/DAK). There is a game or two in there to be had there ;) 

28mm LRDP or SAS

These came from a Wargames Illustrated "free" sprue of figures with the magazine and have been lurking around for some while now. Seeing as I am in 28mm assembly mode they passed through the production line quite quickly (see below, balaclava and Arab headdress a plenty):

The only trouble as such with the free sprue was that they did not fit int the 8th Army collection I was assembling which was from the Perry's 8th Army pack. Warlord figures are just so much chunkier and bigger than the Perry's equivalent models. The solution is that these troops serve in different sections and don't mix in my order of battle.

Note: I also had to use some "too hand" wooden bases (purchased from The Works a while ago) to give them a stable platform.

Crusader II Update - Models Constructed

The recent Crusader II 20mm WWII tanks move from recent acquisitions to recently built over the weekend (see below, nice little kits that went together without too much fuss at all):

No turret machine gun provided, I will improvise something later. However I must confess not to miss the fiddle it would have entailed (it would have been tiny) in the build. The only confusion was exactly where to fit the raised rear decking as not to obstruct the pipes leading to the exhaust unit. A dry assembly would (should) have helped (when will I ever learn I kinda ploughed on and hoped for the best - but it all came out OK in the end).

Which means if I follow the principle of building and trying to complete what you last bought (a dangerous thing for a wargamer to try and do) - I must explain to myself what [or rather why?] I bought the Warlord Games Classical Greek Phalanx for (Answer: "Mortal Gods m'Lord!" and that seems to be a very good buy) and also the Perry's 28mm WWII American GI Infantry (Answer: Guilty as charged - insanity - scale creep up to 28mm in a period I had already both covered in 20mm and 15mm, due to some very bad influences from Hartlepool and great cover art). I know in fact I will also but the US Infantry from Warlord Games [and perhaps a Sherman Tank!] as I am getting addicted to Warlord Games 28mm plastics. My excuse is that I am using them as a catalyst to jump start many other stalled projects - they simply get the juices flowing. There are some very talented sculptors out there! 

WWII 20mm British Crusader II Cruiser Tank ArmourFast

While picking up the M18 Hellcat I decided that the early 8th Army needed some beefing up, well I say beefing up (see below, either the Command Squadron or the start of a third Medium Company - he said talking in Command Decision OoB terms):

Again as there are two in the packet it is a bargain IMHO and so "two by two" I should finish off that early 1941 7th Armoured Division Tank Battalion!

Command Magazine Issue 34: Death and Destruction and Issue 10: Alexandros

I was doing a lot of rummaging around in the loft and garage and came across my boxes of zip-lock games from XTR Corporation, aka Command Magazine. In their heyday they rivalled and IMHO surpasses Strategy and Tactics. I started looking through them in more detail and ruminating. I (for some reason now lost to me) had separated the magazines from the games in different boxes. Hence I naturally spent a whole afternoon "pairing" them back up. Alas there was a missing copy. I remember having a copy of issue # 34 "Death and Destruction/Gazala" but I had that sinking feeling Ihad leant it out (and although I later asked the person in question) it was never returned - I distinctly remember the Western Desert, Rommel and Gazala being the reason for the request. I had hoped that I had merely misplaced it but alas, by the end of the evening I could see no other place it could be (the "box search" had extended to 'all other corners' of the house. Sharing the burden with my friends is the closing sessions of Ramillies, they commiserated and advised wargames shows and online searches .. so I Googled and end up visiting SecondChanceGames (see below, and came up trumps with Issue#34):

Making a "good" out of a bad I also spotted what I think is arguably Command Magazine's best game "Alexandros" from Issue #10 (it runs neck and neck with Issue #14 Midway [double blind game of the classic battle]). This was one Command Magazine missing from my collection, although I had played with a friends copy and remember the bitter taste of Persian arrows felling my attempt at being Alexander (but it was a great game). As well as a (Macadonian biased) campaign system it had an innovative little tactical battle system which I plan to use with my collection of DBA armies (see below, it seems to be a fore-runner of Phil Sabin's, Lost Battles in gridding the battlefield area - one definitely to play again, whereas Death and Destruction is the "monster game" addition to Proud Monster, aka Barbarossa 1941):

Note: Although I cannot say that I would play "all" of the Command Magazine games, there are quite a few pearls in amongst them. They were heavily criticised towards the end re: play-testing but still retained great insights into the periods they covered. I am left with one remaining "mystery" in that I have the Command Magazine and one game from Issue #44 but the Sealion game is "missing". I have the awful feeling I have put this one "somewhere safe" as part of a project - but where? The searcj parties are still out looking ;)

10mm Western Desert Project for 2019

In my WWII wanderings I have not really "dug deep" into the Western Desert but that is destined to change in 2019 as one of my local wargaming groups is "going to do it in 10mm" (Pendrakon). As background to the campaign I decided to rummage through my board game collection and found something rather interesting that I want to "take out for a spin" (see below, it was once in a box but I foolishly threw it away - it is Attackix Games dating back to the early 1990's [they also did a Normandy Waterloo, Interstellar Wars, Battle of Britain and Arnhem - would be interesting to know if anybody out there played them]): 

It has simple, intermediate and advanced levels of play. Should be fun for an evening or two then we could get some ideas for a campaign system. Lots of painting to do before the tabletop toys are ready though!

28mm 8th Army Progress

After many a cut, glue and splice "The 8th Army" boys have taken form (see below):

I decided to follow the basic "Order Of Battle" pattern as per the Perry's literature for 37 out of the 40 figures. That gives me three basic infantry sections (NCO, Six rifles, Bren Gunner, Loader, Rifle) and a command section (Junior Officer, Senior NCO, Radioman, Boyes AT Rifle and Loader, 2" Mortar Man and Loader). In Chain of Command terms the extra body in the Perry's list is the Radioman however pair him up with another Officer type figure and you have a nice FOO team, that leaves two "extra figures". The choice seemed relatively straight forward as the most useful piece of kit in the British Infantry platoon arsenal is the 2" Mortar to lay down additional covering smoke. Another one of these please!

This necessitates a slice and slice of plastic as I had to convert the laying down Bren team to be "walking with the Bren" so I could make the second mortar unit. All is well that ends well though, next up is the painting job ;)

28mm WWII Perry Plastic 8th Army Bren Team

Something I said I would never do .. (see below, 28mm WWII Perry 8th Army Bren Team):

But they are "very nice" Mr Kipling! The intension is "just" to build up a platoon of the 8th Army to combat a platoon of the DAK in Chain of Command .. watch this space!

More Shermans (ArmourFast and Tank Magazine)

Coming out of the box two at a time from the ArmourFast range, the Sherman M4A2 version, destined to be painted up in 8th Army desert camouflage for Operation Supercharge in the Battle of El Alamein 1942 project:

They will round up a composite tank battalion. To go with my:

• Three painted Hasegawa Crusader Mk III's.
• Three partially painted Airfix Crusaders
• Two unpainted Hasegawa Grants
• One Airfix unpainted Grant
• Two unpainted Matchbox (yes they are old) M3 Honey's. 

Against which I plan to throw an assorted bunch of Axis DAK and Italian armour + Anti Tank guns (the latter of which needs to be fleshed out somewhat).

Meanwhile in France near the borders of Germany:

This ("too bright a green" which desperately needs some weathering and application of mud) M4A3 Sherman of the 756th Tank Battalion of the US 5th Army. As its gun is shorter than my other US Sherman's it will probably be designated as the 105mm Howitzer of the battalion (yes, yet another 20mm Tank Battalion project).

PS: This was another £2.99 bargain at the Yorkshire Trading Company store:)

North African Campaign: 8th Army RTR Crusader Squadron

Digging around in the old "model box" I came across a vintage (made some eleven or twelve years ago) squadron of Hasagawa 6pdr armed Crusader III's in North African colours.

They are obviously looking for some DAK or Italians which is a pity because I have not painted many to date, concentrating my early/mid war Germans on France and Russia.

Nevertheless they are an exciting bunch as they are also useful for Tunisia with its eclectic collection of old British and new American kit. Those with fine eyesight may even see decals on the mud-flaps. Wonders will never cease!

As you can see from below I went for "the desert has been rather rough on me look."

This three tank squadron is part of a two squadron formation (I always had the aim of making it to a full three squadron regiment at some point). The currently "part-painted" other squadron being earlier Airfix Crusader I's armed with a 2pdr pop-gun and wacky lewis gun turret at the front. The third squadron was then intended/planned to be comprised of Airfix Crusader II's (just mounting the 2pdrs losing the silly lewis turret) but alas Airfix seem to have discontinued their Crusader kits for the time being.

Methinks unless Airfix releases the Crusader again this regiment will never be finished as intended. Never mind Monty! My get out clause is that around El Alemain all sorts of tanks were thrown together into tank regiments. They seemed to be one light squadron of Crusaders (mixed types) and two "heavies" of Grant/Sherman mixed groups, So I just need to paint up more of the latter.

The "Iron Fist" (see my bookshelf) has a good chapter on the Supercharge operation in the El Alemain battle.
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