Tanks everywhere

Latest update from Steven...

'Quick update. Decided to get some intensive practice with the air brush by doing the colour modulation on my German tanks... all 77 of them. Even though they are a long way from finished, they are still quite a sight. I like how the Maus' turret is larger than some of the smaller tanks in their entirety.'

Panzer IIIN

From Steven:

I finished a platoon of Panzer III Ns yesterday. I have continued use of colour modulation and working on weathering techniques. I think these are a bit better than the Panzer IIs. Using decals for the numbers and balkankreuze worked a lot better. 

 I have painted a lot of grey and brown recently, so I might mix it up a bit and try painting some of those Garrison Admins you sent me recently. I will aim for a bright, bold and cartoonish look.

Steven's Panzergrenadier company

Latest from Steven:

'I know it has been a while since I sent you anything from my painting desk. I’ve been holding off so I can show you the entire SS panzergrenadier company I’ve been working on. Here they are! 90 figures all based up (the thought occurs you can do a full DBA army with less).

The figures are a mix of Battlefront, Forged in Battle and Peter Pig. The three manufacturer’s figures are compatible – there are differences if you know what you are looking for, but the overall effect is fine – which gives a real variety in the poses.  The uniforms are about two-thirds summer (green) oak leaf camo to one-third autumn (orange) oak leaf camo, so there are very few figures the same. I painted some Peter Pig Afrika Korps figures as SS – the peaked caps instead of helmets provide more variety.

I also spent a lot more time and effort doing the bases. Baueda do a nice range of scenic bases, as well as individual crates, barrels etc. There are some tree stumps and fallen logs I modelled from green stuff too. I took a lot of inspiration from an excellent Fallschirmjaeger army I have seen online. I really like this guy’s stuff.

Some pictures below. As ever, photography has been a struggle. There are lots of details such as the SS collar insignia, and markings on some of the headgear, which just don’t show clearly.'

Figure 1 The whole company arranged into three platoons plus HQ.

 

Figure 2 A more ground level view

 

Figure 3 Figures on the Baueda scenic bases. The far-right (political views aside) figure is a Peter Pig DAK painted as SS

 

Figure 4 The middle base is another scenic base, whilst the other two have individual crates etc added.

 

Figure 5 Another closer view. The middle base has a bomb crater modelled with green stuff (although the SMG-wielding sergeant partially obscures it).

 

Figure 6 Close-up of the HQ (front).

 

Figure 7 Close-up of the HQ (rear). The company commander and the sergeant with the raised hand are each wearing a watch which I modelled with green stuff. They are tiny!

 

Figure 8 The figure kneeling to fire doesn't have a camo cover on his helmet (this is a Forged in Battle figure, and a number of them have camo-less helmets), so I painted the SS decal on the side. Again, it is tiny. I made good use the “psycho” paintbrush for these details. From my research, I think these decals were only on the right side of the helmets.

 

Figure 9 The same base from the other side. The prone LMG team are Peter Pig DAK. This shows the insignia on the Einheitsfeldmutze cap. The standing figure is Battlefront, so this base has miniatures from three manufacturers. I think the mix works well.

 

Figure 10 Close-up of the Lieutenant and his team, showing the SS collar insignia.

 

Figure 11 The tree stump was scratch-made from a lump of green stuff. I have also made use of ready-made flowers throughout the company to give the bases more variety and colour.