A Horde (almost) of Hummers

One of my (ridiculously too numerous for words) projects that has been plodding along in the background for a long time is finally starting to see the light of day.  I've been collecting HMMWV kits and models for years now and am now starting to work my way through them.  Very, very slowly...

Anyway - as always it seems the kits/models I got most recently tend to get finished the fastest - so here they are in no particular order.

This is a AN/TWQ-1 Avenger.  Basically a HMMWV with a Stinger SAM system turret, which also mounts a .50 cal HMG.  This is a resin model from The Hobbyden.  It's not the world's greatest model, but I'm not the world's greatest modeller so.....  I think it looks great and as a wargaming piece it couldn't be simplier or more fit for purpose.

This is a M997 Maxi Ambulance.  Like the Avenger it's a standard HMMWV chassis with the specialist extended and heightened Amblance rear cabin.  This is a Revell Kit which also comes with a TOW Carrier.  I think this is a simply beautiful model so it jumped straight to the front of my queue.

These next two are HMMWV RED-T's.  RED-T stands for Remote Electically Driven - Turret.  Imagine an engineer looking at a M2 Bradley and saying "I bet you I can fit the same gun onto a Hummer!"  And he did.  A few were made as prototypes but it never saw service... in reality.... so why not in my gaming I say.  If it's good enouigh for Twilight:2000 it's good enough for me!

Let's be honest.  It's not the best model - a free 3D print from Thingiverse - and my original 3D printer was kind of going through its death throes at the time, but it was the only one I could find at the time and again - it will do for gaming.

These last four are HMMWV M998 Troop Carriers with their tarpulin's raised to keep the chaps in the back dry.  These are from BobMack3D and are simply excellent.  The plan is for these guys to be the platoon vehicles for a US Light Infantry platoon.

And finally the mini-horde.

That's it for now.

Thanks

Richard

M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Platoon

 After completing the M1 Platoon, the next logical step was to complete an M2 Platoon.  A bit of armoured infantry can never go astray and in 1/72 I can use these vehicles as either M2 BFVs or M3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles - so two platoon options for the price of 4 models - not bad.

Like the M1's I've owned these vehicles for quite some time and only just now felt confident enough to stow and paint them.  Pretty sure this lot includes 2 Dragon diecasts, 1 Trumpeter kit and 1 Revell kit.  I have a feeling the Trumpeter kit is the only one you can show with the commanders hatch open.  Could be wrong...

So here the platoon as a whole:

Now broken two to two sections.  The Platoon Commander's element:

And now the Platoon Sergeant's element:

And now some individual vehicle shots:

So that's this lot of M2's done.  Like the M1's there's plenty more left to do, but I think I'll be moving onto to more infantry of a new platoon of M113's in MERDC next.

Thanks for looking.

Richard

Sticking to the Dutch 3D Print theme...

Just as the title says, today I'm sticking to the Dutch 3D printing theme. 

As part of an ongoing, soon (I hope) to be revealed project, I needed a couple of Dutch Leopard 2A4s.  Fortunately I had a couple of very old Matchbox Leo 2 kits, which I was able to "quickly" make.  As if I do anything quickly!

One of these kits came with West German smoke dischargers, which would look like these:

Originally I thought I could convert these to look like the Dutch smoke discharger layout, which I knew to be different, but couldn't quite remember how.  So I looked it up:

or a bit closer:

So not much chance of converting what I had to look like that!

Fortunately I stumbled across a designer in Cults3D who had already designed a set for 3D printing.  It can be found here.

Now what follows are not the 2 greatest photos I've ever taken, but you should get the idea of my new Dutch Leo 2NL turrets, with proper smoke dischargers, an FN MAG (just blu-tacked in place for now), cam nets and a wire reel like in the photo above.

I will take better photos once the model is complete, but the 3D printed smoke dischargers are exquisite and came out beautifully.  Once again I'm very chuffed with the result.

Thanks

Richard

Luchs & Fuchs WIP

 No - not a rude phrase in German (at least not this time), this is a basic descriptor of how I have been keeping myself busy on some of the colder days we've had recently.  Consigned to one half of the house - the bit with the fire - I decided it was time to start my next project - some more German recon units.

Just as an opener, I've got to say the 1/72 Revell Luchs Spahpanzer 2 is a beauty of a kit.  At the same time, it's pretty easy to do your head in with the whole suspension.  Looky here:

While it was enough to drive me crazy - there is a real beauty to it at the same time.  Admittedly, I did leave a few bits off the suspension - but for me, this is meant to be a wargaming model, not something to make and look pretty on a shelf - so there is a limit.

I decided I needed something to differentiate the 4 different Luchs (I've already completed one years ago).  I designated 1 to be the Platoon Leader, and 1 to be a section leader.  The only negative I have with this model is that there are NO open hatches.  So I had to open a few:

... and add hatches, and some insides for the crew to stand on.  Honestly, I'm more than mildly chuffed with how these turned out.

After building 3 Luchs, I decided to build a 1/72 Revell Tpz Fuchs.  I had two previously built, so thought this would be a doddle.  And it only had 3 sets of wheels instead of four.  What could be easier.

Well, I can only say I must have been more than half out of it when I started the kit, and somehow managed to continue in that vein for the remainder of the build.  For whatever reason I had serious issues building this kit.  I even had to use a wad of green stuff when I realised that parts I had ready to add after the top of the hull had been added to the chassis, actually needed to be added before you had glued the top to the bottom.  Never quite done something that stupid before, but it fit the general theme so there you go.

Again I decided it needed to look different to the other 2 Fuchs I have, so after looking through the Tankograd book, I decided to add a Milan, from a Revell Marder kit.  It appears quite elevated in the pictures so I need to add some plastic tubing, which I jazzed up a little.  Here's how it turned out:

If you look closely you can see the green stuff near the front of the model.  Needless to say most of the front is going to get a cam net thrown over it!  I'm not going to say I'm chuffed with how this one turned out, but hopefully once cammed to within an inch of it's life, and painted, I should look quite good.  I hope.

So that's largely it for my model building.  Now it's starting to warm up a little, I hope to get onto the painting sooner rather than later.

There has also been some progress in the garage/games room.  More on that soon.

Richard

What! More Marders?

Yes, it's true - a couple more Marders for my mate - who I've now made 7 for with this lot and I still have 2 more to go...

Not much more to tell you so I'll jump straight into the pics - pretty low quality as I was in a rush...

So there you go.  1 Platoon Commander's track and one standard track with Milan

Thanks

Richard

Some more Revell Marders

I've recently finished a few more Marder 1A3s for a friend and this time I managed to take some photos before they were delivered.  Let's get straight into it then:

Marder 1

Marder 2

Marder 3

And now all three of them together

And that's it for now.

Thanks for looking

Richard