Tinkering with Franken- Wirbelwind

Some quick "almost there" workbench shots... this is a bit of a Frankenstein and has been delayed way too long, in fact so long that two alternatives are available... anyway. JTFM panzer IV hull, Company B Wirbelwind turret, kit bashed company b/ rubicon flak 38 and dremelled bolt action crew! 

Thankfully there is no need to take this route anymore, I’d recommend the Rubicon or Warlord models as a much easier option. The Company B turret is a bit "old school", but had the advantage of being first to market but needs a lot of work to get to acceptable ( for me at least) 

Tinkering with... Panther F

I’ve had a bit of a hiatus with this blog, but am now getting back on track. 

After reading the new Panzers in Berlin book, I was inspired to create a Panther F. 

Originally with only speculation on their operational use the book confirms with several photographs. 

On to the build.... I had a old JTFM Panther in the spares box which was ideal, sort of. The JTFM Panther seems to be modelled on the Panther II prototype hull, which makes it awkward to use normally. The difference (in 1/56) between the II and F hulls is minor, primarily some redefining of hull plates ( hence the green stuff lines) so it’s a good donor. 

 The supplied steel wheel set was replaced with a spare track set from a Warlord Panther G which worked fine with some filler pieces. Other alterations were substitutions with rubicon panther spares to upgrade the resin versions 

Still some work to do on this one, but it needs to sit a while whilst I get some other Panthers moving.

Tinkering with... Company B Wirbelwind

 

Sometimes, inbetween commissions, I get distracted! 

I picked up the Company B Wirbelwind turret from Great Escape Games, it is just the turret with flak 38, absent of crew, but usefully both the spare barrel boxes. I decided to marry this with a spare JTFM hull and a Warlord flak 38 crew from the spares box. 

 

The gunner needed some fettling to assume a realistic position, and I decided to recreate the sighting assembly, and add some detail to the flak. Not too much, as most wont be seen once mounted in the turret.

 

 

The complete crew, all fettled!

The Warlord crew has an annoying figure with arm raised or pointing, so this was cut and repositioned.  When configuring with the turret, I found the crew sat better if I removed their feet.

 

Early shot of the turret with flak and crew, all dry fitted as they will be painted separately.

 

 

Yes, I will drill out and straighten the barrels.

 

This is the Company B turret married to the JTFM Hull. Unfortunately the turret needed a lot of filing give the surfaces an acceptable finish. On looking through references,  I decided to add the field mod camouflage hooks and wire, used in Normandy for attaching foliage.

The hull has some mods, the extra barrel cases have been added, with associated brackets, also added were the late war mod of two towing hooks, form the spares box. the JTFM tracks are nicely rendered so I decided to lose the front fenders.

 

The turret sits quite nicely in the hull, although I did add some supports to lift the turret slightly so that the turret could traverse clearing the turret fairings.

 

 

Interestingly, and just like buses, I get one and two more come along, one in the wings from Warlord and, together with an Ostwind, one from Trenchworx in the USA. Am tempted by all, and ironically also the 12SS Normandy field conversion, with the 38 mounted directly on the hull, just not sure I'll be able to shift all of them..... decisions decisions.

 

This one just crept in the schedule, its an "opportunity" paint so will need a new home once complete, its slipping in with an interesting 1946 commission, more of that later.

 

As always, lost going on behind the scenes, most not reflected here. I have, and if I say so myself,  a lovely Fall Blau, France 1940 commission; just being photographed. Extensive mods for this set and I'm really happy with the results, although they've taken ages.

 

I also have a spare Warlord Puma, which i'll need to shift in short order.

 

Anyways, enough for now, theres a subscribe link on the right hand side for regular updates.

 

Steyr Raupenschlepper Ost (RSO) - 1/56th JTFM - FOR SALE

 

 

 

Been waiting to get my hands on some of these for a while, so really pleased when two turned up. Some mods, as always, but nothing major. I remodelled the rear portion of the tarpaulined version and added some stowage and rear frame on the other. Adding the windows was a bit tricky as you'll note they have rounded corners! Also a two part build as they have drivers! Anyway, the one with the full tarpaulin is now with its new owner, the one above is spare, so is for sale if anyone is interested

 

 

As always loads of full fat pictures of this one and some sneaky other commissions up on my flickr:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/troop-of-shewe/sets/ 

 

And a plug for the "subscribe" link to the right ----->>>

 

Loads of stuff coming through at the moment, most of it at the detailing/final detailing stage so I'll try and keep track with the blog.

12 SS Panzer IV - 1/56th -

First pictures up out of a large split commission depicting AFVs of the 12SS, specifically for Normandy onwards. This is a JTFM Panzer IV, with a Warlord TC head and various stowage, stock and green stuff.

251 Platoon "in action"

Quite rare, these days, for me to show pictures of painted examples of my work actually on a gaming table! In the main, the last I see of them is when they are boxed up ready to ship off to the four corners. However, i'm pleased to announce that Neil Tew is busy managing a showcase standard demonstration game, incorporating my work on the AFVs, Toby at Artmaster studios on the figures and Dave at TM terrain, for not surprisingly the terrain! Whilst this is very much a WIP at the moment, Neil has sent me some quick shots of a game he had this weekend. Not the best quality pics (not my fault this time!), but enough to give a taster of things to come......

Pictures of the 251's can be seen in my flickr gallery, but will be the subject of a post in the near future.

Normandy Staghound - 1/56th- JTFM

JTFM Staghound, painted for Normandy. Lovely kit this one, two crew figures and additional stowage come with the kit. Note i have added additional stowage so not an exact representation. Decals form DOM's Decals IIRC.

Not quite got the hang of the new camera, so contrast is a bit iffy.

As always, click on the pictures for full fat, more pictures in my extensive Flickr gallery.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/troop-of-shewe/sets/

WIP Shot, not quite finished

Kitchen Table Update# 4 Allied 28mm

Just a teaser today, but you should be able to see some progression between the WIP shots.
First up JTFM Staghound and Warlord Quad (converted), both at the final weathering and detailing stage. Note decals applied and sealed, crew started. The two crew come with the Staghound, I've chopped them down a bit but nice additions. The Quad, has had a canvas roof added, rear superstructure mounting arrangements and rear view mirrors.
(as always click on the pictures for full fat "warts and all" views)

Warlord Churchill, just after decaling, you can also see the effect of washes and oil paint fading. The Quad is the unconverted version, as it comes

 Warlord Churchill, essentially post airbrushing, pretty plain huh!

Converted Quad alongside its standard cousin, you can see the effects of oil paint fading, sneaky Warlord Bren in progress, note no base!.

The next shot shows the painting detailing on the canvas tilts, prior to washes.

This little ensemble is the Warlord 25pdr set. I have mounted the figures on metal washers and fashioned the master bases to facilitate removal. The 25pdr has been slightly modified with the top shield replaced and modelled down.

And also hanging around, 12SS combo, two separate commissions. Heavily mod'd JTFM 251'Ds, mod'd JTFM 234/1, PzrIV and another lovely little Luchs ( with Warlord commander) more of these in later posts.

T34/85 & 76 Section

Last in the Russian batch for a while ( although two IS 2's planned down the line). These are the best (IMO) T34's available, 1/56 from Jeff at JTFM ( no bases hurrah!). I bought additional turrets so in fact there are only three hulls and six turrets. Crew figures are BAM/Warlord which fit nicely in the turret cupolas. Two of these are up for Sale.

As always, click for full size pictures or for more detailed pics and general eye candy peruse my gallery, link to the right  >>>>>

Stug IV

another popular paint, i guess because it looks menacing and has a very low profile. Spent a bit of time on this to make it different to the previous ones. Added additional track sections ( JTFM stowage) together with attachment points ( most people forget that historically they weren't glued on!), loads of stowage on the rear deck, mainly JTFM IIRC. Schurzen is fiddly but now Jeff does seperate track and plate section, not for everybody but looks great when "distressed", note the salvaged plate hurriedly chucked on the rear deck so its not lost in the hedgerows. The TC is the Warlord "Wittman" figure in the infamous leather U-boat jacket. I've gone for a more subdued overall camo on this, i think this relects more realistic field conditions without looking like its been in a french scrapeyard for years. Bit more tricky to pull off but i'm happy with it, maybe not enough contrast for the gaming community though :o).

Aerials are my current choice of stretched sprues......

As always more detailed pics in my flickr galleries, link to the right .