S&S Models TPz Fuchs

 A while back a mate sent me a couple of S and S Models Fuchs to paint up for him.  A good while back...  So, rather than be embarrassed any longer with how with how bad a friend I am, I recently pushed these to the top of the ridiculously long paint queue and now they're done.

Here they are:

It's a good solid model which comes with a wide selction of stowage options - I've only used a few of those options here - and I think it comes up really nicely.

I also decided to try something different when painting them.  I airbrushed on the base NATO Green colour and then used make-up sponges to add in the NATO Black and Brown.  I think it came out quite well and was pleased with my first attempt at sponging a NATO cam pattern.  I think because they are fairly hefty/solid models, the sponge works well.  I'm not sure I'd use it on a plastic Revell Fuchs though.  I don't think it could stand the punishment of the way I sponged these.

Anyway - that's it for now.  Thanks for looking

Richard

56 Wheels later.....

 Time for another model update.  Today I finished 7 OT-64 SKOT Armoured Personnel Carriers.  This was a Czech/Polish jointly developed APC that these countries would use in-place of the BTR-60, 70 and 80 series and were considered to be better in many ways to the Soviet designs.

The models themselves come as STL files from Matt Hingley (of Elhiem Figures) and can be found at MyMiniFactory for the very reasonable price of $8USD.  I can't speak highly enough of them.  They are extremely well designed, robust, hollow and simple to print.  They are also very versatile as I hope the photo's below will attest. 

Matt's files allow you to print the following variants:

SKOT-2A

This version of the SKOT is fitted with a BRDM-2 turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG.

SKOT-2AM

This version of the SKOT is fitted with the same BRDM-2 turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG but is also fitted with 2 AT-3 Sagger ATGM on the side of the turret, protected by an armoured plate.

SKOT-2AP

This version of the SKOT is fitted with a new high-angle anti-aircraft/helicopter WAT turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG.

All the turrets fit the same vehicles - so by printing additional turrets you can get a variety of forces with the same models.  I printed 7 SKOTs and here's some combinations I came up with:

This is the simplest and probably most commonly field option.  2 Platoons of 3 SKOT-2A and a Company HQ in a SKOT-2A.

Similar set up to the last set, but in this case the Platoon CO's vehicles and the Company HQ vehicle are SKOT-2AP.  I understand they were typically limited to one SKOT-2AP per platoon.

In this last set I've replaced the Company CO's vehicle with a SKOT-2AM.  Again I understand that these were fairly rare vehicles and the Polish ARmy Lists allow you to take them as a Platoon Support vehicle.

Perhaps I need to print off at least 1 more of these...  maybe next summer.

Painting wise I took a slightly different tack to my usual approach and tried something new.  I sprayed them with a black undercoat, then gave them a base coat of Vallejo US Olive Drab froma spray can.  I like the fact that they are a slightly different green tone to my standard Soviet stuff.

I then dry brushed them with a couple of coats of VMC USA Olive Drab lighted more with each successive coat.  Now the new bit.  I then used AK Brown and Green Camouflage Paneliner as a kind of pin wash.  I then took much of that off with White Spirits leaving what you see in the pics.  Next time I'll ventilate the room better as I was left with a massive headache! I then applied a mud/dust wash with some pastels and again took most of that off with Vallejo airbrush thinner. Finally I gave the whole vehicle a very light drybrush with Citadel Zandri Dust.

I'm quite happy with the result and I think it took less time than my normal approach.

So I love these Elhiem SKOTs - they went from zero to complete in pretty rapid time for me and give my Poles a really unique look they deserve.  Now if Matt could design an OT-62 TOPAS my Polish dreams would be complete!

Joyeux Noël

 Merry Christmas everyone - this time with a bit of a French flavour.  It's taken quite a while to put this all together, but today I've uploaded the all new French AFV Data set.

You'll notice straight away that there are a few vehicles here not currently found in any of the French Army Lists.  That will change at some point in the future but for now you'll have the stats to include these vehicles in games if you so choose.

A few new vehicles in the French AFV data cards includes ( but is not limited to)

- Leclerc Tank

- AMX-30B2 Brennus

- AML 60-20 Serval

- AML-20 Eclairage

- Panhard VBL

- AMX-10 RC Surblinde

Many of these vehicles are listed as "Speculative" under the rules, some as int he "real" world they only came in the early 1990s, but prototypes were around in the late 80's - others because they were export vehicles or prototypes which did not necessarily see service in the French Army.  I've included these for fun, as i could easily imagine the French deciding maybe not to send those armoured cars to Africa as planned, now they're involved in WW3 in Europe!

You'll find them all here and they will also appear in the Data Cards section of the blog accessed at the top of the page.

As always, if you find any errors, please let me know and I will make the required changes.  If your favourite obscure French AFV is missing and you'd like it included, again - let me know and I'll see what I can do.

The last of the original Data Cards that needs updating is the British AFV set and they're next on my list to do.  Then we'll start working through the East German, Polish and Czech Data Cards.  Then maybe the Swedes and the Finns, who also require Army Lists...  Still so much to do. 

Thanks everyone.  I hope you all have a great Christmas break and I'll see you in the New Year.  

Richard

The HSTV-L... or the LAV-75... or the RDF/LT... who knows...

The High Survivability Test Vehicle - Lightweight or HSTV-L was a light tank testbed developed under the US Army's Armoured Combat Vehicle Technology program in the late 1970s.  Only one of these vehicles was ever produced and it while it was originally made to test the concept of speed instead of armour, it was also used to test a number of other concepts, including its 75mm Automatic main gun.

Who doesn't approve of the idea of a 75mm Panther type gun, firing modern ammunition in something like full auto mode!

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about this vehicle here - mainly because there are some excellent websites out there with all that information so if you what to find more - here is a good place to start - that's a link to the Tank Encyclopedia article on the HSTV-L.

I came across this vehicle sometime around 1986 when I purchased this book:

Which has a number of illustrated plates of various vehicles including this one:

In TW:2000 it was always known as the LAV-75 - so that's my preferred nomenclature.  In that setting the LAV-75 equipped the divisional light tank battalions in the US Army's Light Divisions, as well as the assault gun battalions in the US 9th ID (Motorised) and replaced the Sheridan in the 82nd Airborne Div.

In Battlefront's Team Yankee game I believe they call this the RDF/LT.  I understand that was one of the many programs undertaken to replace the Sheridan, but beyond that I'm not really sure.

In my Cold War setting for Battlegroup, so far the LAV-75 is a Speculative Weapon that is one of the Light Tank/Assault Gun options useable by the US 9th ID (Motorised).  I intend to expand that at some stage to also cover the Light Divisions and the 82nd.  Maybe more...  Here's the AFV Data Card for the LAV-75

Anyway - a while back I bought an STL for the HSTV-L from Wargaming3D.  It's a lovely little model which I scaled up to 1/72 and it printed very nicely.  It comes with a large turret stowage rack which I now understand was used for instrumentation during some of its testing.  It's not shown in photo or TW:2000 drawing above.  I decided to leave it on as I like stowage, and I bet most tank crews like having a place to stow things as well.  The rack is quite light - so if you don't want it, it wouldn't be any drama to cut it off - or if you're more skilful than me - simply don't print it.  I printed 4 tanks to make up a platoon and here they are:

 

This will be my Platoon Commander's vehicle, with a Friendship Models commander.

 This is the second vehicle in the Platoon Commander's section of the platoon.

This is the Platoon Sergeant's vehicle, again with a Friendship Models commander.

This is the second vehicle in the Platoon Sergeant's section of the platoon.

Here's the platoon together

One thing I had a hard time with while I was making them was just how big I thought they were.  So once I had finished them I thought it might be worthwhile to put them besides a M1 to check out whether or not they really were that big.  I thought the result was quite interesting:

So they really were much, much smaller - just with a really long main gun barrel!

So that's my LAV-75 platoon.  I have more US Light Tank options in the pipeline, but before they get finished, I've got some Canadian vehicles coming up next.

So let me know if you like these crazy speculative vehicles and would like to see more and/or include them is some 1980's Cold War action.  You never know, if I can sort it out you may get to see a couple of LAV-75 derivative vehicles as well!

Thanks

Richard

Some West German vehicles

So like I said in the previous post a mate had sent me a few West German bits and bobs to paint for him - for which I got some very nice goodies in return - and due to a range of circumstances which I won't bore you with I was, strangely enough, able to knock them over fairly quickly.  The photos were quickly taken before the vehicles were packaged up and stuffed into my suitcase!

I was also able to try out a couple of things, including using my airbrush, so was generally pretty happy with the finished product.  Over a black spray undercoat I used Vallejo Air Colour NATO Green for the base coat and Tamiya NATO Black and NATO Brown for the cam colours.  I then did a black pin wash, used the Vallejo Air NATO Green as a dry brush, and then Vallejo MC Black Grey and VMC Flat Brown as the drybrush colours for the Tamiya cam colours.  Hope that all makes sense.

These first two are BobMack 3D prints of the Jaguar 1 with HOT ATGM fired under armour.  I was super impressed with these prints which were incredibly crisp and detailed.  Both designer and printer ought to be congratulated.  I added cam netting to one of them - all the other detail is simply an excellent model.

These next two are BobMack 3D prints of the Jaguar 2 with TOW ATGM.  Again - quite lovely printed, full of character and detail.  Again I added cam netting to one of them.  The TOW system shows excellent detail.

The last two are Hobbyden M113G with the MG mounts and the Milan mounts not added, due the likelihood of them breaking during travel.  Again I added netting too each of these and I think they came out looking great.

So that's it for now.  I'm slowly getting back into the swing of life and I hope to make a big dent into the unpainted and unbuilt stash of shame this year.

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