Photo Review of Liberation Miniatures BTR-60PB

Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on 3 Liberation Miniatures (or RH Models) Soviet BTR-60PBs.

I have pretty much avoided BTRs up to this point as I have plenty of BMPs, and who want to play Category B units (I thought), but after being stung by the Soviet Naval Infantry bug, the need became much greater.  So I succumbed...

...and was amazed at the quality of these little beauties.  These are extremely crisply cast models, with nary an air hole or bubble in sight.  Awesome detail and only 10 peices.  1 resin hull, 8 metal wheels and the turret, which is all 1 peice.

Everything goes together very simply and this is what you end up with:

As you can see - really well cast models - totally in love with these little guys - so much so they've already been sprayed and I hope to have them finished before the new year.

So heartily endorsed!  2 thumbs up!

Have fun

Richard

More massed M113 mob madness

Just a few quick pics updating where this little project has progressed to in the last few days:

These "specialist" vehicles have all had cam nets added.  I had some spare bits from an old ESCI M113, so have added spare track links to all the AFVs and additional wheels to a couple.

All these have had additional stowage added and cam nets.

I plan on using this one as either a standard APC, or if I need a "special" M113 - like an engineers vehicle or something like that.  I like the ladder and can imagine it being "borrowed" as someone thought it might come in handy.

This will be my command track, with a full interior.  It's an ESCI kit with a few bits and peices added on the inside.

This is my not-so-quick, but still dirty (and not 100% complete) conversion of a S&S Models M577 that I got a couple of years back from a mate.  I wasn't happy with the amount of detail on the back or front, part of the generator (and tracks) had been broken, and I wanted to see if I could make it crewed.

So I've added a number of ESCI parts - the rear ramp, the trim vane, headlights, track guards (cut-down) and driver's hatch.  To fit the 1/72 track guard to a 1/76 model, it needed to be cut down - and is still not perfect as you can see in the middle photo at the rear.  I also had to add so plastic card mud guards at the front as this was missing.

It took a while, but I drilled and dug out the drivers position, and have the hatch open, so it can now be crewed.  I need to add back the drivers periscopes.

I filed down the side of the generator and added a thin peice of plastic card, which I drilled a few holes though to represent what it really looks like.

I also added a large cam net to the roof and tent poles to the upper rear, as that's where they were stowed.

The tracks also need to be fixed, and I should add at least 1 jerry can to the rear and maybe some more stowage on the roof.

So whilst it's no where near perfect - it's good enough for me.

That's it

Richard

Massed M113 Mob

I was about to post another entry of Cold war photos, but I thought It was about time I actually posted a real work-in-progress post, to show what I'm actually doing rather than some far distant project.

For a while now I've been collecting things for my USAREUR force.  I've shown a few infantry in the past and some MERDC ideas, but never actually psuhed on and finished some vehicles for the project.  So today I decided to get all my M113's together and start to stow them, and then stick on some cam nets.

Happily I think I've probably got enough M113's now so it's time to actually do something about them - so here they are

So based on the last photo front row - left to right:
Airfix M113 ACAV, ESCI M113 (with interior details and rear ramp down), S&S Models M577, Altaya M163

2nd row - left to right
Easy Model M113 Ambulance, 4 S-Model M113, ESCI M901 converted to be a M981 FIST-V

3rd row - left to right
ECSI M901, S-Model M113, ESCI M113, Easy Model M113, S-Model M113, S&S Models M106

Rear Row - left to right
ESCI M901, ESCI M113, S-Model M113, Easy Model M113, S-Model M113, S&S Models M106

Obviously some have had the stowage started while others have none.

Now to get cracking on the cam nets and other stowage items to these can go on the painting list.

Thanks

Richard

Here comes another one...

Yes another project, just to add a little more stress to my limited and extremely un-focussed wargaming time...

So after posting nothing for a month, I'm going to try and make up for it in the next few weeks and get this blog and my gaming back on a Cold War track after delving heavily into WW2 for a while now.

On with the new project: THE SOVIET INVASION OF SCANDANAVIA - 1986

To start the project I have written Army Lists for:

• Soviet Naval Infantry;
• Soviet Air Assault; and
• Norwegian Army

I'm in the process of preparing Army Lists for:

• Soviet Arctic Front Motor Rifle
• Danish Army
• Swedish Army
• Royal Marines (3 Commando - including Dutch Marines)
• US Marines (2nd Marine Div units)

and I haven't started but will need to do:

• Finnish Army
• Canadian Air/Sea Transportable Brigade
• Elements of Allied Mobile Force (Land)

I already have most of the stuff (including unmade kits) for the Royal Marines and USMC, and much of my Soviet stuff can easily have dual usage on the Arctic Front, so in some ways much of this is quite achievable  within a short timeframe.  However a ton of stuff will need to be done to represent the smaller nations, and work out a realsitic set of events or scenarios.

Now to the pics:  First up some Soviet Naval Infantry kit - including a load of photos of something I might even try to scratch build - something I have never done before.

Part of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet - including a Ivan Rogov class large landing ship in the centre of the photo, with a Lebed LCAC

Air Support - Forger's packed on the rear of a Soviet Carrier

Swimming PT-76's leading the beach assault.  BTR-60s bring up the rear

BTR coming off a Landing Craft

T-55 coming off a Landing Craft.  SNI appear to have stuck with the T-55 (I think because the more modern tanks did not fit in the landing craft and hovercraft) but extensively upgraded it, including using a small number of T-55AD1 which used the "Drozd" active anti-missile protection system and the T-55MV/T-55AMV which was equipped with Kontakt ERA.  More modelling (and scratch building options!

Another Landing Craft shot.  Note the black uniforms - guess I'll need to paint a bunch more Soviet infantry - in black this time...

Now my personal favs...

Aist Class LCAC - mega big - well-armed hovercraft - could hold 4 PT-76s or 2 T-55s or 3 BTRs all with varying amounts of troops.  Top Speed 130 kmh.  Can't see this appearing on my wargaming table anytime soon!

But this one...

 

 

 

Unfortunately no-one does a model of this in 20mm.  Best I could find was this Scotia Models Lebed in 6mm

 

 

 

 

Which is actually very nice - massive in 6mm, teeny tiny in 20mm so no use.  So I found some drawings:

 

 

 

 

So I think I'll have to have a crack at making 1 (or 2) myself.  No idea how to start so I'll keep looking into it.

 

Anyway, that's it for now.  Thanks to the wonderful internet and all those sites which offered up lovely hovercraft photos which I have borrowed.

 

Have fun

 

Richard





The Start of Another Project!

Or is that a sub-project?

Anyway, at MOAB a couple of weekends ago I came across a mate of mine who was off-loading some 20mm kit he had gotten for Cold war gaming (he always buys way too much!).  I knew he had previously purchased something I was interested in, and too my great happiness he was happy to on-sell these 3 Berlin Brigade Chieftain tanks:

I'm guessing you can pretty easily imagine the sub project...

This tanks are great for a bit of this:

But even better for a bit of this:

The little project won't happen straight away, but it will happen.  Just a small off-shoot of my BAOR force - these chieftains will be joined by a platoon of urban cam FV432s:

At least 1 FV432 with a Fox turret:

A Fox or maybe two:

And a couple of Landies:

That should suffice for a nice small urban warfare force.  Luckily the infantry will be painted just like the rest of the British Army so will double up nicely.

As if I didn't have enough to do already...

Oh well...

Richard

More excuses...

I took a few (very yellow) pictures of the commission I recently finished that took up most of my free time in the last few weeks.

Basically consisted of a large bunch of Elhiem West Germans, a couple of Israeli's pretending to be West Germans - including 1 headswap - and 2 Esci M48A2GA2s.

I was quite keen to build the M48s as I had always wanted at least a couple for my own West Germans.  However... after building these two I've pretty much decided against it.  Until someone brings out a decent diecast version of these guys, I'll be avoiding them.  I didn't like the odd way the undercarriage went together, or how various bits attached to the turret.

Anyway - all done now so back to my own stuff for a while - until I start on a couple of WW2 commissions.

Thanks and hace fun

Richard