From DallasE: 15mm Battlefront Israeli M113 Zeldas for the Yom Kippur War (50 points)

Continuing the new "Israelis in '73" project, here is a box of Battlefront M113s. These are literally the stock M113s the BF sell for every other army, with some Israeli crew and a set of Israeli decals stuck in the box. Now I'm not complaining, these are super little models, but they do need some work to be Israeli Zeldas - and I did some of that work, but not all of it.

The defining feature of the Israeli M113 in period had to be the gypsy-caravan look with tons of stowage. Battlefront used to sell specific "Israeli stowage" packs but these aren't available anywhere in their current sales chaos. I also couldn't find any on eBay or the other usual places. So I had to order some 15mm stowage from Redog. Pretty good stuff but took a long time to get here. 

I stuck a LOT of stowage on these vehicles but did not build the racks that the Israelis equipped these vehicles with. I figured this was OK given the small scale.

HOWEVER... what I didn't do was scratch-build the special exhaust pipes that the Israelis equipped their M113s with. You'd see it in the picture here - they extended from the exhaust on the right top of the vehicle, and down the side. Try as I might I haven't been able to determine the exact rationale for the modification. I presume that the exhaust mod was done to address the problem of the exhaust being right in front of the "family hatch" on the top - but Conscript Hugh had extensive experience riding in M113s in the '80s and didn't recall any excessive exhaust coming into the troop compartment. Maybe in the Middle East the heat combined with exhaust presented a particular problem. Anyway the special BF stowage kits came with modded exhausts and I would have loved to have those bits. Oh well. 

For crew I used the dudes supplied in the box. You get four guys with MGs firing from the hatch, two guys yelling, and a couple sets of crews for more modern M113 weapons, AT missiles or something - not relevant for 1973. It was kinda tricky to get these figures settled in the hatch, but I ended up putting a blob of greenstuff on the vehicle floor and sticking the models' feet into that.

I think the models look pretty cool with crew hanging out of the hatch.

I did build one without any crew though. For this one I cut up some spare MGs and stuck them to the vehicle deck.

The BF decal set is great, and includes a bunch of the Israeli vehicle ID tags, one of which is seen just above the chevron.

I really like these models. Now I have to get to the IDF infantry which I ordered from Khurasan, and is sitting at my parcel service in North Dakota. Not anxious to go to the USA right now but I will have to get down there soon as I have a ton of parcels waiting.

Points:

4x 15mm vehicles (8 each) = 32 points

6x 15mm crew (2 each) = 12 points

3x 15mm half-crew (1 each) = 3 points

Total = 47 points 
 

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Cracking additions to your Israeli Force Dallas! The extra attention paid to crew and their inevitable mountain of "gubbinz" has really paid off and gives them a realistic 'lived in' look. Again your subtle chipping and shading on the bodywork nails 'the look' - great stuff! Take a few extra points for the extra conversions

- Paul

From DallasE: Battlefront Magach-6s for the Yom Kippur War (40 points)

Well I have GregB to thank once again for further hobby escalation... several years ago, encouraged by Mr. B, I built up a small force of Egyptians for the Yom Kippur War. Greg had Israelis and we had a few good games, including a game at PrairieCon that made it into the pages of Wargames Illustrated, no less! But sadly Greg now lives in Toronto with his IDF and it occurred to me I should maybe paint an Opfor to face my Egyptians, so here we are!

I was able to get a box of Israeli Magach-6s (aka US M60 Pattons with some choice modifications) from Meeplemart in Toronto. The Battlefront site recommended that the smoke dischargers be eliminated from the turret fronts as the Magach-6 didn't have 'em. That was pretty easy.

I don't have a ton of spare 15mm stowage so the turrets just got a couple jerrycans glued on. I have a bunch of resin stowage coming from abroad to stick onto the BF Israeli M113s I'm building next.

Painting was straightforward - AK Green-Grey washed with Agrax Earthshade for that lived-in look, tracks Mechanicus Standard Grey washed Nuln Oil, and some sponge chipping with Vallejo German Camo Black-Brown. A light dusty drybrush of Rakarth Flesh around the wheels and lower hull and it's done. Decals are Battlefront of course. 

Bone-dome helmets needed a little carving to look right for '73 as the supplied crew have more modern headgear with bulges for the headsets. Uniform and helmet were painted Vallejo Khaki. Groundwork is Steel Legion Drab, drybrushed Khaki, with static grass and tufts to suit.  

Scoring is easy.

5x 15mm vehicles (8 pts each) = 40 points
 

Dallas

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Nice job Dallas - they look great! Its amazing how the small details in white (and the light blue goggles) really make a difference.  

Its always hard when you have matched armies with a mate but you then get geographically separated. Happens to me rather frequently sadly.

40 points well earned :-)

- Paul

From Matt W - Egyptian APC & Trucks (75 points)

This week the weathered improved and reached a high of 18 here in the Upper Loire France, so I cracked out the airbrush and got some paint on some Arab Israeli war kit. I then panel lined then weathered with pigments. A simple job on these, a bit frustrated as I cannot find vehicle tactical markings or sense to Egyptian Registration plates for 1973 war. 

When my SHQ order arrives I will stick in some crew 

Three transport trucks

BTR 152

Rocket battery 

20mm vehicle @ 15 points 

5 x vehicles 75 points. 

Cheers

Matt

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Great looking Egyptian vehicles, Matt. It's interesting to see the unique silhouette of the BTR and the Russian designed rocket launcher - definitely vehicles of their time. While the trucks are less-than-exciting, they will provide important logistical support to your on-table troops (and tempting targets for the Israelis). Well done! (...and Sarah and I wish we were enjoying the upper Loire right now...)

- Curt

From AlexK: Hawkins Hill and a long, slow slog into the Arab-Israeli war (38 points)

So for Hawkins Hill I need an entry from a project over three years old, I really only have one project that fits this brief and its my stop/start tank forces for the Arab-Israeli wars. I generally get one or two tanks done a year for this and it has been really slow going, I'm not sure if its even something I want to game when all said and done, but I do like the models and it may well end up just being a painting project over a wargaming project.

So for my entry I present a 15mm T55 painted up as part of the Syrian forces involved in the 1973 war. It is a Plastic Soldier Company model and was nice and easy to finish and paint up, it goes well with my IS III from last years challenge I think.

Points wise I think its 38, 8 for the model and 30 for Hawkins Hill and that should be enough to get me to the Snowlords peak I hope.

This is a lovely figure and you've done a great job on it. The drooling blue Snowlord awaits. Gird your loins

From MikeW - 11 x 1/144 (10mm) Arab-Israeli Tanks (33 Points)

Arab-Israeli AFVS, waiting a pint job!

Rummaging around in my workbench drawers I came across another bundle of 1/144 (10mm) tanks earmarked for the Arab-Israeli Wars collection, this time the majority were for the Egyptian Army, you may remember earlier in this Challenge, I was able to do 5 Israeli Super Shermans <here>.

In this batch  have just two Israeli Tanks - their Recon AMX-13 Tanks, acquired from the French, the only country in the 1950s that would openly sell military vehicles to Isreal. It had a unique design in that the engine runs the length of the tank on the right side, with the driver on the left.

Top / Down Views of Israeli AMX-13s

It features an uncommon two-part FL-10 oscillating turret, where the gun is fixed to the turret and the entire upper turret changes elevation. The turret its-self is set to the rear of the vehicle and holds the commander and gunner.

The weakness of the design was that the main gun was serviced by pre-loaded 12 round auto-feeders, when ammunition was expended the vehicle had to retreat to cover to allow the auto-feeders to be restocked by the crew form outside the vehicle!

Side shots of the AMX-13s

By 1967, Israel had acquired about 400 AMX-13s and formed three AMX-13 battalions, all of which fought actively on all fronts during the Six-Day War.

Despite its limitations, these vehicles were used as front line battle tanks, as and when needs required.

The remainder of the post is made up from Egyptian tanks and AFVs, in their distinctive sand yellow paint schemes.

First there are three T34/85 Tanks, even by standards of the time an ancient relic, used by the Egyptians in an Infantry Support role, but often forced into armour v armour actions due to the speed of movement in the wars of the 1960s & 1970s.

3 x T34/85 Infantry Support Tanks

Also adding support to the Egyptian infantry units are the equally venerable SU-85 and SU-100, the SU-100 being identifiable by the 'pulpit' cupola on the right side of the fighting compartment of the vehicle. These vehicles tended to be in emplacements, to defend fortified positions occupied by their infantry comrades. I have one of each in this post.

The venerable Egyptian SU-85 

and it's big brother the SU-100, note pulpit cupola...

Next are three BMP-1s, these were available to Egypt for teh 1973 Yom Kippur War - where the BMP-1 was tested in combat for the first time on 8 October 1973. Egypt had received its first batch of 80 brand new IFVs in July and August 1973. A second batch of 150 vehicles was delivered between August and September. The Egyptian army used BMP-1s in mechanized infantry battalions of tank and mechanized infantry divisions (32–40 BMP-1s per battalion).

3 x Eygptian BMP-1s, ready for 1973, Yom Kippur Scenarios

Another view of the BMP-1 models

These three vehicles are my first specifically for the 1973 war, all of the rest of the collection are usable on both the 1967 & 1973 wars.

Finally we have an instance of an Egyptian Sherman M4/FL10 , whilst it is well known that Israel used Shermans and developed their own unique brand of Super Sherman and Isherman vehicles, Egypt was also a user of Shermans...

The unique Egyptian Sherman

Egypt, used about 150 of these tanks in combat during its 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel, and they developed their own unique variation with a French M4/FL10  75mm gun turret, taken from the AMX-13 vehicles it had captured in earlier wars, or sourced from elsewhere.

and another view...

And so the final vehicle in this group is an example of this mash-up!

POINTS
11 x 10mm Tanks @ 3 points Each = 33 Points

Excellent job on these venerable tanks, it is an interesting period that we are thinking about in 3mm

From MikeW: 5 x 1/144 (10mm) Israeli Super Sherman Tanks (15 Points)

A cheeky group of Israeli Super Shermans.

Extracted from my Lead Mountain were these 5 Sherman M4A4 tanks that where the basis for the Israeli M50/51 Super Shermans that paid an important role in both the 1967 and 1973 Wars.

Undercoated and awaiting attention!

I think these models were from Minifgs - though I may well be wrong!

So very quick job to build and to undercoat in white before leaving to dry overnight.

I've always had problems getting the correct shade for my Israeli vehicles - it seems to range from too brown to too green, too light to too dark. These were no exception!

I guess it would be easiest to go and buy a pot of paint that is the right colour - but as I do these figures in such a sporadic manner - I have never done that. So this time I painted a base colour of mid brown and then mixed a greenish, greyish colour to use to wash over.

Not overly happy with final colours

Unfortunately the paint dried very quickly and the wash became pretty much another coat - it seems about right when I added the white combat markings.

I usually get all OCD about having straight lines when doing vehicle markings - until I found out that the Israelis actually painted these markings on by hand and literally scrubbed them off and repainted on a fairly regular basis to keep everyone guessing what they meant. Clever!

So I use a white pen to literally draw on the markings and then I outline with an ultra-fine black pen, before varnishing the markings to keep them in place.

Lots of stowage on each tank

I then gave the models a wash of Dark tone - which was a bit of a mistake, as they got - well - very much darker!

I had to go in and do some dry brushing to lighten the models up again, end result is passable but probably not very Israeli looking - too grey and dark.

When mixed with other Shermans in my collection - they will stand out. Maybe I'll say that they are brand new off the production line and haven't had time to fade yet....

POINTS
5 x 10mm Vehicles @ 3 Points each = 15 Points


Nice little tanks Mike!

TamsinP

From ClintB - 6mm Meshah Meykanekeyh (30 points)

The second of Clint's entries today (he's got at least one more in the pipeline).

Please forgive the photography. Yes I know we all say that and we all mean it as well. Today an infantry company for my 6mm Arab-Israeli wars (1967) Six day war project. Although as it stands this is a complete company I will add another platoon as soon as I am able, but I for the moment have run out of mdf bases. I feel a small purchase is needed.


All the figures are Heroics and Ros. 1/300th scale or 6mm in wargames speak! The company consists of:

• HQ Platoon. A single BTR 152 APC with a Command stand.
• 1st Platoon consists of. 2 BTR 152 APCs, 1 command AK 47 assault rifle stand and 1 Blindicide antitank stand and 5 AK47 Assault rifle stands
• 2nd Platoon consists of. 2 BTR 152 APCs, 1 command  AK 47 assault rifle stand and 1 Blindicide antitank stand and 5 AK47 Assault rifle stands

So a total of 5 vehicles and 40 foot fingers mounted in 2 or 3 figures to a bases. Ok I will admit purists will want 4 figures to an Assault rifle base but I just ran out of figures and bases and have cut them down to 3 figures on each infantry base. In the game it will make no effect at this scale so I am happy to continue in this manner.

So the ARAB forces slowly grow. I will also be doing some Israeli infantry at a later date.

At least we aren't in peril of summoning any Shoggoths with the name of this lot!
Some nice additions to your Six Day War project Clint. These will score you 30 points.

From ClintB - P'Lugah Tan'Kim Company (22 Points)

Today we have more 1/300th scale (6mm) figures. I needed something for the Mig 17 to shot at! So the next stage was to create a "Maglach-2" Company. In this company there are 11 M48 "Patton " tanks in Israeli 
Service circa 1967.

The eagle eyed among you will note that the command Platoon (of two tanks) are slightly later model tanks with the M68 (L7) 105mm Tank gun while the others have the 90mm M41 gun. What, you cannot see a difference! Trust me it is there which technically makes the command tanks Maglach-3's. But for game reasons I will treat them all as Maglach 2's. It is a game and only a serious tread head will worry about it! OK then, I will buy a few more just to make you happy.

The very, very eagle eyed and those that really know the subject will notice the Battalion markings are also missing! To be fair They would be small on 15mm models and as I will not be adding more than one Battalion to any games without changing the tank type, Is it really necessary. I think it is more a case of me knowing the markings and wanting to get them right than wargaming practicality at this scale. But the turret markings are just about correct! Or at least as Correct as my brush will allow!

Other than the command Platoon each platoon has 3 tanks again if you want to criticise the TO&E you can argue that each platoon should have 4 tanks. But the reality of life/war/wargaming and all that stuff... full platoons hardly ever take the field of battle. So 3 tanks a platoon is more acceptable than a full and complete TO&E that you would expect on the Parade ground or the barracks.

I have included a few pics of them in action crossing my desert terrain. It is usually children with an excess of personality that point out the different desert colours but as I will be re-painting the desert early next year I am sure you will forgive me. And if you don't I still don't care!

The planned rules will be Flames of War, but the air combat  will be "Check your 6-Jet age". There will be a few more coming as the Painting challenge progresses but this should give me a few extra pre-Christmas points. But it is the shortest day today (or yesterday by the time this is published) and light is already going and the camera flash is only so good.

Anyway thanks for looking and Thanks for any comments. Cheers Clint

More mico-scale goodness today, excellent. As a self-admitted 'child of excess personality' I will say: wonderful work Clint! These Pattons really look the business, except, of course, when a few of those pesky Saggers get in the way to wreck their fun. ;) I also like your judicious use of vehicle markings. Not too much to clutter the model, but just enough to get the message across. Nice. 

For the most part, I'm not a huge fan of hex terrain, but I do like the care and detail you've put into yours, especially the wadi and the town in the last image. Lovely stuff.

This murder of Maglach's will give you 22 points!