Syrian Dalek

Added some extra armour to my BMP VBIED and removed the crew....most of the time it will be a static target anyway. Also added a Syrian Dalek...basically a towed BMP-1 turret. Yes, really.

Glorious German Panzer! (No, it's not)

Almost done with the L3/33 now. Still have not found the baggy with the buckets, but did find some AB figures in my stash and this assault gun commander was perfect for the tankette. So I cut him in half. I now have a figure that is worth more then the tank it is in. Go figure.

I just finished basing and sanding my entire Iraqi YW-531 collection in the back. As soon as I can trade or buy guns for them and filled the remaining holes, they can go into the painting drawer.

Also, adding more useless beutecrap to my collection, these have just arrived.

The creme de la creme, ready to harass US Paratroops in Normandy (and get shot to pieces in the process). I'm making 4 runners (2 grey, 2 yellow) and the 5th one will be a burnt wreck.

And then there are these guys, courtesy of cheap Chinese imports, Easter Island heads

These are a tough rubber/resin kind of product, They come 4 in a row, but I cut them all apart and rebased them. Some have mould lines, and I scraped a few off, but will most likely not bother with the rest. They are for Frostgrave:Ghost Archipellago or any other Pulp jungle setting I'd want to use. Ignore the Mistery Machine though, that's for Gaslands, needs new hubs, dirt, armour on the glass and some kind of weapon.... A few bigger heads (10cm plus tall) should arrive tomorrow.

Eins, Zwei, Polizei!

A bit of progress tonight on the Police armour.

 L3/33 got iron pin MG's with a bit of plasticcard to complete the look. The original barrels are very flimsy and will not stand up to wargaming use. Also drilled out the left headlight and busted it.  The same goes with both fender that have been bent out of shape.

 I'm copying a picture of one in the Balkans, that has stowage on the back as well as a bucket....I have those in my stash somewhere, I need to find it so I can finish this one for paint. Also my bag with commanders...though to be honest, any guy with a helmet will do for this.

The 7Tp and the 35S739(f) both got iron barrels as well, and when I was wrecking the fender on the Somua the PE horn cover popped off and I heard it falling "somewhere".....so I just wrecked the fender some more. both are now ready for grey primer. After this just one Panzer 35 R to build and then this part of the force is done

Scourge of the Partisans

As a friend of mine has a bag of Gebirgsjäger ready for me, why not add a small force to fight the Partisans, and allocate some top of the line equipment to them?

 

The S-Models Pz. Kpfw 35S739(f) is a really nice model. Main body is quick enough to build, then some fiffly plastic parts and finally some Photo etc, my first ever. If you take your time these bits aren't terribly hard to add. I used a toothpick, a drop  of superglue and my round punches to roll the photoetch with and it came out ok I guess. It should look nice in grey, and I need to practice that on something (not this model!).

As I am aiming for this:

 

...I might need to add a antenna pot for a German radio to the turret as well. Who knows. For now she is going in the ready for paint pile, and her unbuilt buddy back in the stash.

30 day kit challenge! Day #2 - #5 progress

Right-O, this building business is keeping me off the computer a lot, so that is a good thing for starters. So here is my progress sofar.

The Day #1 Build - 52-K 85mm AA gun (22nd of May)

Now fully based up, I just need to make 4 simple wheel mounts and then she is ready (and can be added to the count)

The Day #2 Build - S-Models BMP-1 (23rd of May)

This is a salvage job from some second hand tanks that I bought. The turret had been raised by almost 10mm, the commanders hatch has been cut away, the lights are missing and the commanders head was actually a home sculpted bears head......jeah, odd, innit? Also the trackwork was broken. Most of this is fixed now, need to add some small details and redo the hatch. I have magnetised the BMP turret.

Paint scheme will be for the Taliban/Northern Alliance/Rebels/Raiders, so mostly weathered green and that is it. Turret will be useful when I make the Technical conversion with it or for use on other vehicles or fortified positions.

Day #3 Build - 2x FtF Polski Fiats (24th of May)

 Super useful and good looking medium truck. Not that hard to build, but you have to keep an eye on 2 things. The front axle mount, including the bumper, is really, really thin. I added extra blocks of plasticcard to strengthen it. Secondly, because it is so thin, if you use too much glue like I accidentally did, it practically melts the wheel nubs and the wheels just sag a lot. Use it sparingly (like I did on the 2nd model, much better)

 Number 2 in progress.

By itself, the cover doesn't sit well. Added 4 pieces of thin plasticcard to improve that so you can get more dual use out of it. One of these will be a civillian for Pulp and WW2 uses (and a bit after), the other is for the desert war. Really good kits, I can reccomend them a lot :) #1 is finished.

Day #4 Build - Airfix salvage job (25th of May)

I picked up a cheap Airfix Rescue Vehicle set at Militracks this week, and it was missing a few parts. And do I really need a fire extinguisgher vehicle? Nah...... In comes some trimming, a full front repair and using PSC donor parts, we now have a civillian beauty for Partisan Warfare of for Operation Sealion.

 Quite a bit of chopping and fitting of donor parts, but that should do it, FINISHED!

Rear end. Good as is.

Day #5 Build - Dapol Water Tower (26th of May)

Dropped in the mail this morning, brandnew. Made it a bit different and kept the space between the legs open so I can park stuff under it or whatever I can think of. It's quite big so will work quite well for 28mm too.

A little detailing is needed but essentially done.

Day #6 Build (27th of May). I've grabbed this one: 

....but other then cleaning parts, nothing yet sofar.

So, sofar 2 done, and the rest is waiting on finishing but I keep going at it. It's nice to be very motivated to get them built and ready for paint.

To boldly go.....pink?

I decided I wasn't busy enough yet and did something I should have done aaaages ago. I set up a Dutch Battlegroup FB page. Now I can finally start to take in how many are interested, what scale or scales they use, what kind of questions they have and perhaps find a way to do a meetup for people who are interested in learning about the game and giving it a try. Well, that is the plan anyway.

Then real life intervened as due to a miscommunication Kim actually wanted me to clear out the girls room and replace everything with new furniture in 2 days time (GREAT) and on the 2nd day, in the eraly hours we got a phonecall from my dad telling us both girls are sick, please pick them up asap as they kept us up all night. Best laid plans and all that....I rushed through the building process, cursing along the way, but we got it finished and Kim picked up the kids as my knees are now really shot. As sick as they were though, they loved seeing ther new layout, beds etc, and fell asleep in record time.

The room when I was finished....Kim then came in for cleaning, matress covers, sheets etc. Supergirly, superpink, and the first thing they did when they saw the bed is stuff their stuffed animals in the little house at the end. So cute :)

Dead tired, but a lot less stressed out now. The payment for school has been sorted, I'm slowly getting the hang of typing blind, and I've sold over a dozen kits in the past week so just made a preorder for 1 box of S-Models Crusader I/II's, 1 box of S-Models Matilda CS and 1 box of Roden Armoured Car 1920 for pick up at the TWENOT meeting at Overloon in March. I had preferred to pick up 2 boxes of Crusaders but alas, he only had one left. This will be the start of my British force for Afrika. I had planned thne Light Mark VI's to have been the start, but the JB Model comes without sand channels so I've put those in the BEF box for later. The PSC Mark 9 is now also put in the Afrika box and one box gives me a full unit. Now to raid the bits box as there should be a spare 40mm Bofors plus tow there somewhere. Troops can come later, Piers keeps dropping hints about something from PSC and I'm pretty curious about it.

And there seems to be some grand conspiracy about getting my room back in order...every time I plan to make an effort of clearing it, something else unexpected pops up and ruins it. And I'm stuck in some mental blockade that I want a lot of this mess gone and sold before I do anything useful hobby wise.

Oh well, that gives me more time to find a Caunter colour I like and can replicate a ton of times (and does not have any blue in it). Oh, and 2 kilos of 0.6mm floral wire is a lot of wire! But it will be fun, I say.