Rapier SAM System

 It's been very cold lately, so any desire to go into my freezing garage and take pics has been easily squashed.  Today wasn't so bad, and I had found all the bits for this little Rapier SAM Troop, so I decided to give it a go.

Here is the Rapier in action:

This is an S&S Models Rapier SAM.  S&S can provide you with an entire troop, emplaced or in the open (like this one), including all the vehicles etc.  Here I have used the launcher (with 4 missiles as per the 1980s) which comes with a small generator and the Blindfire Radar - which also comes with its own generator.  I have both of mine in the deployed position, but you could easily have them made up to look like they are being towed.

Here's a couple of close-ups, along with the vehicle that would have towed them:

The crewed optical tracker and the chaps saying look over there! both come from Armybits and were provided to me, very kindly, by Keith Armstrong, the designer.  I fiddled with them to convert them from 15mm to 20mm, which was a bit of fun.  Here's a couple of close-ups of them:

Finally, I found a Rapier resupply trailer (here) on the Wargaming3D website designed by VJM787 - who I'll just let you know is also a lovely chap - and printed it and a couple of piles of missiles - to go in the trailer and in a neat stack on the ground covered in a cam net.  Here you go:

Here's the trailer being towed by a Land Rover FFR.

Finally the "squeeze together" group shot.

So finally I have a Towed Rapier system and a Tracked Rapier system.  My British battlefield SAM systems are complete!

Thanks for looking

Richard

Finally... a new update

Hi everyone

Unbelievably it's been months since I last had the opportunity to post an update on this blog.  Like many I'm currently in self-isolation/quarantine at home after returning to Australia from the UK.  I imagine I'll be in this situation for quite a few months and again like many I'm going to use the opportunity to get a few things back on track - including this blog.

I have had some positive things happen over the last few months - with one of the most prominent being a published scenario in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine (Issue 106).  I'll have more information on that soon, including fixing the odd error that made it into the magazine and adding some stuff that was missed out a whole lot of random events that can spice up the scenario.  I'll see if I have any other pics that I took for the article that didn't make it into print and will share those as well.

But today I thought I'd share some photos of what's on my workbench.  Many of these of models I'm making/painting for a friend and a couple are for me.  I thought this would be a good way to bring the blog back up to speed.  I've also some pics of figures and some vehicles to post up as well - they'd be in the near future.

So - once again - on with the show:

Here's a couple M109Gs by S&S Models.  Not sure how well you can see but the spades at the rear are down for firing.

Here's another S&S Models vehicle.  This time a MAN Utility LKW  gl (4x4 Truck)

Next up are a couple of M113G's, this time from Hobbyden.  Very nice, straight forward models which just needed a bit of green-stuff to fix things like air bubble holes in the smoke dischargers.  Once painted I'll add the Commander's hatch , the pintle mount and the MG3 that come with the model.

This is another Hobbyden M113 variant.  This time a Panzermorser which comes with a metal 120mm mortar.

Yet another Hobbyden model.  This time a M577G.

Final M113 variant.  A  unique West German vehicle the M113 Beobachtungspanzer.  There was some significant damage done to this model, so it needed a fair amount of green stuff to fix it.

The final three models are actually for my collection - not my mates...

Back to S&SD Models - a lovely little Iltis with the soft top up.  I'll be using this for my Fallschirmjager Command of OP vehicles - amongst other uses.

Finally a couple of old school Unimogs, again from S&S Models.  These will be for my Danish Motorised Infantry.

So that's it for now.  Next post will be more W-I-P photos after cam netting has been added to some of the vehicles.

So stay well everyone, wash your hands and keep away from everyone!

Richard

Danish Centurion Platoon

OK - so there are some benefits of getting sick and having to spend a couple of days at home.  For one, despite the remnants of a killer headache, I was able to spend a bit of time and finish off the Centurion platoon.

So - let's get straight into it then:

Centurion 1

Centurion 2 (Platoon Commander)

Centurion 3

So Centurion 1 and 2 are Airfix, while Centurion 3 is by Britannia.  It appears that I completely forgot to green stuff the Britannia tank, which I'm both annoyed at and thankful for.  Annoyed that I forgot to do it, and thankful I didn't, coz I'd still be doing it months later!

All the tanks have AB Figures crew and S&S Centurion smoke dischargers.  Centurion 1 also has an S&S turret bustle.  The LLTV sights were scratch built by me, along with the turret bustle on Centurion 2 and some other bits and pieces on the two Airfix Centurions.  I added all the camo nets of course.

Finally some shots of the Platoon together:

Danish Centurions - Work-In-Progress - Part 2

Back in May 2015 I posted Part One of a Work-In-Progress for my Danish Centurions.  At the time I had made two Airfix Centurions and needed another one to make up a Platoon.  Finding a third Airfix one proved essentially impossible, so I got a Britannia Centurion instead.

I needed to adjust the Britannia Centurion slightly as it is representing an Aussie Cent in Vietnam and has two spare wheels on the front glacis.  They were carefully removed and some camo netting placed there to cover any mistakes.  The head of the driver was severely miscast and had to be loped off!  Poor chap.  Apart from that I added some S&S Centurion smoke dischargers and filled in as many holes as I could before it drove me insane.  (Still missed plenty).

I sprayed all 3 of them black a month ago or so and that's when I hit my first major (and still not resolved) problem.  One Airfix Centurion took the spray perfectly, while the tracks on the second one turned extremely tacky and went glossy and remain so to this day.  It makes it really tough to handle the tank and I'm not 100% sure what to do at this point.  So after this WIP I'll concentrate on finishing the other 2 and then turn my attention to the one that's not playing nice.

Anyway - so rather than taking my normal route of masking off some black areas and spraying, I decided to simply brush paint on the light green cam colour.  Here is how they turned out:

So that's looking OK - ready of the next few steps...  You can see the Centurion in the middle is sitting on an old Itunes card.  I didn't want it sticking to my desk and if you look closely you can see track marks on the card!  It leaves marks on you finger when you pick it up wrong as well.

So let's ignore that one for now and over the next few days, I hope we'll see progress in the other two.

Onwards and upwards

Richard

SKOT News - from S&S Models

I've just been having a look in the recently added pics in S&S Models Photo Gallery and found something that 20mm Cold War Polish wargamers might appreciate - a couple of SKOT-2A variants!

First up the standard APC

And a command variant:

I'm guessing that at some time in the future I may be ending up with a few of these....

Thanks

Richard

Crewing some Bundeswehr Vehicles

In my ongoing effort to "finish" things I've gone back and added some necessary crew to a few vehicles - starting with an S&S Models Iltis:

The figure in the back an Elhiem MG3 gunner, as well as the Elhiem driver.  I've added some stowage in the back and then covered it in a cam net.  Kind of a waste of stowage!

Next up is an S&S Models M113G Panzermorser:

Here I simply added a single standing Bundeswehr mortar crewman from Elhiem.  There is really only room for one anyway.

Finally my conversion of an Italeri M106, into a M113G Panzermorser got two crew added:

This time I was able to add two Elhiem Bundeswehr mortar crewmen - one standing and one kneeling.  As I had complete access to the interior of the M113, the kneeling chap was able to fit inside - and looks pretty good!

That's it for this week - more on Monday

Richard

S&S Models FV438

Recently I showed you some W-I-P shots of some new BAOR combat vehicles.  Today I'll focus on a couple of S&S Models FV438s.  As far as I'm aware, these are the only FV438 variants available in 20mm.

As I said in the W-I-P post, I did some conversion work on these, mainly to get rid of the wading screens, and added a fair amount of camo netting to try and get the BAOR in combat look.  I also had to replace a couple of parts (because I lost them!).

So here are the finished beasties:

For some reason I managed to turn off 1 light when I took the second photo...

Anyway - that's them.  I'm rather chuffed to finally have these available in my orbat and very impressed with Shaun from S&S Models for making them.  Now I have to see what they can get up to in a game!

Thanks

Richard

Back to the BAOR - Work-in-Progress - Part 2

Quick update with a couple more photos.  Firstly a look at the FV438s with their cam netting:

And then a couple of steps later.  All vehicles have been sprayed black, then had blu-tac stripes added and sprayed with Battlefront Firefly Green spray.  The blu-tac was then removed and the vehicles black lined.

From here I'll be working on each of the vehicles somewhat individually (or at least a couple at a time).  I'll be focussing on the FV438s first to finish them in time for a game.

Thanks for looking

Richard

Back to the BAOR - Work-In-Progress - Part 1

I've got a few days off - so I thought I'd try and knock over a few different bits and peices I've had half started for a while now - or I just decided to push them to the front of the queue.
Here's a quick view of the start of this little Work-In-Progress.  First up - a miscast Cromwell FV432:

I've added the missing hatches and cleaned of some of the miscast track pieces.  This will serve as either an objective or just a bit of battlefield clutter.

Second - a couple of Cromwell FV433 Abbot Self-propelled Guns:

I did one with all hatches open and the other all closed - for the hell of it really...

Third - a Cromwell Spartan APC:

I have to admit I saw a picture a bit like this in the new Team Yankee - Iron Maiden book.  Now I have no idea whether or not You would have fired a Blowpipe/Javelin from inside a Spartan - but I thought it looked kind of cool - and it gave me a good excuse to model a Spartan with the roof hatches open.  I put the Elhiem Blowpipe/Javelin figure on a sabot - so I'll probably make another more "standard" infantry sabot as well.

Finally I have a pair of FV438 Swingfire Guided Missile Vehicle from S&S Models:

I've done a little work on these - the most difficult being removing the DD tank type screen that goes around the vehicle.  I beleive they were all removed anyway - and I didn't like the impact on the shape/vision of the standard FV432 hull the screen gives it on the S&S Model.

I think it looks heaps better removed, and anyway - I'm going to cover a fair amount of it up with a cam net.

That's it for Part 1 - Part 2 coming soon.

Thanks for looking

Richard