Roco WW2 Leader Set

 I have been after the elusive Roco WW2 Leader set for decades, since the late 90s in fact when I started with 15mm WW2 as an alternative to 20mm and 6mm. I can't say it has been a particularly dedicated search, but when I mentioned it recently, one of my blog followers helpfully pointed me at a set for sale on eBay.

And here it is, still in the original packaging held together with very rusty staples. It is a very odd collection, being a mix of national leaders and some senior commanders. Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, Mussolini and De Gaulle, but then Eisenhower, Rommel and no less than two Goerings! How about Patton and Monty? In my head I'd convinced myself it it included a Montgomery, but clearly not.

Howls of pain from Roco collectors worldwide ensued as I prised the pack open. Here are the guys all stuck on their painting base sitting on top of the air fryer. They are such lovely slender sculpts and perfectly proportioned, just like small AB figures. No ugly metal blob dwarves here! Tbh, they are a wee bit big for 15mm, OTOH most of them are larger than life personalities, so why not be a bit bigger. 

I need to have a think about paint jobs for these guys - I've already got a Hitler and Rommel so I can do them in different uniforms. The big question mark is Goering, although I'm minded to do one of the Goerings as Kesselring. I'm very pleased to have a De Gaulle, I need to get him painted up before the next France 1940 game! Stalin will also come in very handy as I'm a bit short of senior Soviet officers, the same applies to Eisenhower. As for Churchill and Mussolini, well, I'm sure I'll find a use for them.

I'm thinking this is going to be a bit of a slow burn painting project, so batches of these figures will appear in the next few months.

Roco 15cm Panzerwerfer 42 auf SWS

An armoured self propelled multiple rocket launcher, who doesn't need one of these?The Panzerwerfer 42 auf Maultier was rather more common but Roco went with the SWS version as they already made the SWS chassis and they look fairly similar. This was another Bring and Buy item from COW, and I thought it would be handy for all sorts of things in various levels of game.

Like its 37mm Flak pal, this is really nicely moulded, especially the definition on the external ammo bin lids. 

The nebelwerfer mount looks quite imposing too. You can see the engine deck moulding well.

Rear doors and ammo racks.

This one also took and inkwash well over the camo scheme, really bringing out the hatches and wheel detail. I used outline balkan crosses for this one, which I generally prefer on late war vehicles, but my stocks are getting a bit low.

Roco 3.7cm Flak auf SWS

The Germans mounted Flak guns on virtually anything with wheels or tracks, and the Schwerer Wehrmachtsschlepper (SWS) chassis was no exception. Yet another COW Bring and Buy purchase to add to my German flak resources.

This is a lovely model, although someone nameless (Mr Gow perhaps?) has glued the gun mount together at a jaunty angle. The 37mm gun is quite imposing.

As ever with Roco models, really crisp moulded detail. This SWS seems to have some applique armour on the front too. The tracks are very crude, but largely hidden by the folded down sides, and the wheels are very nicely done.

Nice breech detail on the gun, and the ammo rack lids are well moulded too. There is a fine mesh pattern on the folding sides but this has been obscured by decades worth of paint. At some point I may make some crew figures up, but I just wanted to get it painted and based.

I gave it a basic balkan cross on each side, otherwise the usual three tone camo, mud all over the running gear, then topped off with a brown ink wash (W&N Peat Brown) and a light overall drybrush. The ink ran really well into the deep mouldings, even on the wheels.

Roco Flakpanzer IV

The good old Mobelwagen (furniture van), who said the Germans don't have a sense of humour? According the Chamberlain and Doyle, this clunker was actually called Flakpanzer IV (2cm Flakvierling 38) auf Fgst PzKpfw IV, and entered service in 1943 along with the 37mm version in the Flak platoons of panzer battalions.

What a ridiculous vehicle, but better than a Flakpanzer 38(t) I guess. I never owned one of these before, but I did convert an Airfix Pz IV into one (using a spare Roco Flak Vierling mount). As I've been looking at higher level 15mm games I thought I'd better invest in some more Flak for the Germans and this was sitting on the COW Bring and Buy, so hard to resist.

It is a big old beast, the chassis looks a lot bigger than 1/87th, but it will be mainly floating around behind the panzers so I don't think the size discrepancy matters too much.

The engine rear is fairly crude as are the tracks and running gear, but these are ancient old models and good enough for wargaming. I could have painted up some crew, but given how unlikely it is to get used, I didn't bother. Maybe I'll make some if I plan a game using it.

Just the usual late war German three tone camo and basic balkan crosses. The real things seemed to be fairly plain generally and I'm sure it will see service at some point. Into the 'less used' box with the Elephants, Jagdpanthers, Pz Is and T35 it goes.

Roco Radio Truck conversion

Well, after the popularity of my Roco Dodge Radio Truck post, here is another one. Another truck I picked up at COW was a half converted crane lorry on a US chassis. The crane had been removed and a crude tarp made out of cardboard put around the truck bed. I toyed with converting it back to a crane again but in the end went with a larger radio/command truck.

I added a couple of radio antenna from brass and added some raised ventilation slits.

The cab and radiator are nicely detailed.

On this side I added a door, and filled in the rest of the back with some plasticard as well as adding more slits (they all help give it a bit more depth when drybrushed).

This got an overall OD paint job, with a brown inkwash over the cab and a pinwash around the raised bits on the rear as I didn't want to stain the vast expanses of flat surfaces. A drybrush tied it all together nicely and I'm pleased with how it came out.

I later discovered it is too tall to fit into my standard slimline A4 boxfiles without bending the aerials. Oh well, into the box with the King Tigers it went. 

Roco Dodge Radio Truck

I picked up a few bits and pieces on the Bring and Buy at COW earlier this year, once of which was that Charles Grant staple, the Dodge radio truck. I thought it would be handy for either my US or Russian forces, and although it is 1/87th, I do use some Roco things with my 15mm troops already and it looks OK.

It is a lovely little model, with well defined details and certainly a lot less clunky than the QRF metal ones. It is distinctly bigger than 15mm offerings, but not excessively so and as this is the only Dodge Radio Truck I'll own, I don't think it matters to much.

Lovely radiator detail. It has lots of raised lines and bumps which take a drybrush very well. I also like the empty windows which give it far more character than painted on glass/perspex.

And nice detailing on the rear truck body. I didn't add any antenna as the post bases are already there, and just did the whole thing OD without any markings so it can be used by Russian or US forces.

I first saw these in Charles Grants 'Battle', providing transport for the company HQs in his mechanised Russian infantry companies, and finally after almost 50 years, I actually own one!