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Home Guard Thornycroft Type 2 Bison

The Bison was an extemporised armoured fighting vehicle frequently characterised as a mobile pillbox. Bisons were produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of different lorry chassis, it featured a fighting compartment protected by a layer of concrete.

The Bison was not very mobile, and was only intended for use in static defence. However, it was relatively cheap and easy to produce, and could provide valuable protection for troops against enemy fire.

Bisons were used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to protect aerodromes and by the Home Guard. They acquired the generic name “Bison” from their main manufacturer, Thornycroft.

It’s a good illustration of the desperate state of the defence of the United Kingdom in 1940. Take a lorry and add some concrete to turn it into an armoured vehicle. They were really no more than mobile pillboxes.

You can imagine that in the event of an actual German invasion that regular forces and Home Guard would build similar improvised vehicles to support the defence of the country against the invaders.

From a gaming and modelling perspective, there are some 3D printed models out there. Of course improvisation opens up a range of conversion opportunities as well.

TIE Striker

A streamlined variant of the classic TIE fighter design, the TIE striker is designed for atmospheric patrols over important Imperial ground-based installations.

These are models from the X-Wing game.

X-Wing is a miniatures game from Fantasy Flight games that recreates the dogfights in the Star Wars universe between X-Wing fighters of the Rebel Alliance and the Imperial TIE Fighters.

French Char B1 at the Tank Museum

The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before the Second World War. It was a specialised heavy break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char de Bataille, a “battle tank” fighting enemy armour, equipping the armoured divisions of the Infantry Arm.

Among the most powerfully armed and armoured tanks of its day, the type was very effective in direct confrontations with German armour in 1940 during the Battle of France, but a slow speed and high fuel consumption made it ill-adapted to the war of movement then fought. After the defeat of France captured Char B1 (bis) would be used by Germany, some rebuilt as flamethrowers or mechanised artillery.

It is a big tank, but only for 1940, by the end of the war heavy tanks were huge in comparison.

It is one of my favourite tanks, probably down to the Matchbox kit I got when I was younger.

I do have a 28mm Char B1 for Bolt Action which made its way onto the workbench to be made up as a FFI version used in 1944 and 1945.

There are some 15mm versions for Flames of War too.

Marauder Destroyer at Warhammer World

The Marauder Destroyer variant was developed during the second war for Armageddon after heavy losses in the Naval airforces.

Orkish dominance of the skies over certain areas of Armageddon forced the few remaining Marauders to be refitted to operate at night, flying at extremely low level where they could evade detection. Their new heavier weapon payload made anything which got in the way seriously regret it!

I first saw this model at GamesDay 2008.

More photographs of the Marauder Destroyer.

More photographs of the Imperial Navy.

A34 Comet at the Tank Museum

This A34 Comet tank was on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington.

The A34 Comet was a British cruiser tank that was developed in the late stages of World War II. It was based on the Cromwell tank, but it had a number of significant improvements, including a new 17-pounder gun, a fully-welded hull and turret, and a new suspension system.

The Comet entered service in 1944 and was used by British armoured units in the final stages of the war in Europe. It proved to be a very effective tank, and was credited with knocking out German tanks.

The Comet was also used by the British Army in the Korean War, where it again proved to be a very capable tank. It was retired from British service in 1958.

The Comet was a very successful tank, and it was one of the most important British tanks of the Second World War. It was a major improvement over the Cromwell, and it was able to give the British Army a tank that was capable of taking on the latest German tanks. The Comet was also a very reliable tank, and it was easy to maintain. The Comet’s success led to the development of the Centurion tank, which was the main battle tank of the British Army for many years. The Comet’s design features were also incorporated into other British tanks, such as the Challenger and the Chieftain. The Comet is a reminder of the British Army’s ability to develop and field effective tanks in a short period of time. It is also a testament to the skill and dedication of the British tank crews who used it in battle.

I do have some of the Flames of War plastic models, but they are still currently still in their boxes. However, more recently, I got the Operation Unthinkable boxed set I have the Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. The GF9 Operation Unthinkable boxed set, the British versus German, contains 17 tanks, three of which are the A34 Comet Cruiser Tank, the Unthinkable Comets on the workbench.

Reading the Hot War books from Harry Turtledove has inspired me to think about gaming some scenarios from the books. British Comets and Centurions versus Russians T34-85 and T54 Soviet tanks with American M26 Pershing and M48 Patton tanks. In the book there are also Sherman manned by (West) German forces.

Why such a liking for this tank, well, as with other models, I suspect that it was because I bought and made the Matchbox Comet many, many years ago.

Mark Bedford’s Thunderbolt diorama.

This wonderful Thunderbolt diorama was on display at Warhammer World. There is lots of lovely detail in the model.

If it reminds you of Dave Andrews’ classic Thunderbolt diorama then you wouldn’t be too far wrong, it inspired the diorama above.

The Thunderbolt heavy fighter is one of the two main fighter aircraft patterns used by the Imperial Navy, the other of which is the Lightning air superiority fighter. The Thunderbolt is the mainstay weapon system of Imperial Navy fighter wings and is a rugged, well-armed and armoured heavy fighter with all-around capabilities, a good maximum speed and above-average manoeuvrability, powerful nose-mounted weapons and hard points located on the wings for missile or bomb load-outs. It is an aircraft that is well-liked by those who fly and service it and it has served the cause of the Emperor for many centuries.

The Thunderbolt’s primary combat role is as an air superiority fighter. It seeks out and engages enemy aircraft in dogfights or hunts enemy bombers to establish air superiority. The Thunderbolt’s greatest strength is its versatility, since it has good performance as a high-altitude escort fighter while it is also serviceable in the roles of a low-altitude fighter-bomber, night fighter or even as a reconnaissance aircraft when necessary.

Rolls Royce Armoured Car

The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car was a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used during the First World War, Irish Civil War, the inter-war period in Imperial Air Control in Transjordan, Israel and Mesopotamia, and in the early stages of the Second World War in the Middle East and North Africa. The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) raised the first British armoured car squadron during the First World War.

This Rolls Royce Armoured Car is the oldest vehicle at the Tank Museum still in running order.

It is over a hundred years old, built at Rolls Royce’s Derby Works in 1920 and first saw service in Ireland the following year. It’s painted as it was with the 5th ACC in Shanghai.

Spent time in Scarborough between 1922 and 1927, it was then shipped to Shanghai for 2 years before spending 1929 to 1938 in Egypt with the 5th Armoured Car Company, Royal Tank Corps, 12th Royal Lancers and 11th Hussars. After taking part in anti-invasion patrols with the 1st Derbyshire Yeomanry the car came to Bovington in 1940 and joined The Tank Museum collection in 1946.

See the workbench feature on the Tally Ho Rolls Royce Armoured Car.

See the workbench feature on my 15mm Flames of War Rolls Royce Armoured Car.

Somua S35 at the Tank Museum

This Somua S35 was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.

The Somua S35 was a French cavalry tank of the Second World War. Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to its French and foreign competitors, such as the contemporary versions of the German Panzer III medium tank.

The Somua S35 was optimised to fulfil the latter role; it had good speed, an adequate range, a gun powerful enough to easily destroy its to probable opponents the German Panzer III – and armour thick enough to be practically immune to the fire of both at normal battle ranges; the armour of any German tank in May 1940 could be penetrated by the S35’s 47 mm gun up to a range of 1,000 meters (3,300 ft). So it could carry out deep strategic penetrations and destroy enemy armour reserves trying to prevent them, possessing a good anti-tank capacity.

The Somua S35 was a well-designed tank, and it was considered to be one of the best tanks of its time. However, it was not produced in large numbers, and it was not available in sufficient numbers to make a decisive difference in the outcome of the Battle of France.

After the fall of France, the Somua S35 was used by the German Wehrmacht, and it saw action on the Eastern Front and in North Africa. It was also used by the Free French Forces, and it saw action in the liberation of France.

The Somua S35 was a successful tank, and it was considered to be one of the best tanks of its time. It was well-designed, well-armed, and well-armoured. However, it was not produced in large numbers, and it was not available in sufficient numbers to make a decisive difference in the outcome of the Battle of France.

I have a few of these in 15mm scale including a Flames of War Objective.

Flames of War French Somua S-35

Plastic Flames of War French Somua S35

Flames of War General de Gaulle

Thunderbolt Fighter

Painting the Comet (A34)

The Comet (A34) was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It was designed to provide greater anti-tank capability to Cromwell tank squadrons. It was armed with a 77mm HV, a derivative of the 17 pounder, with the result it was one of the few British tanks with the firepower to challenge late war German designs.

I have the Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. The GF9 Operation Unthinkable boxed set, the British versus German, contains 17 tanks, three of which are the A34 Comet Cruiser Tank.

With three models I decided I would vary construction. I then gave all three models a white undercoat. The next stage was to paint the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green to add shadow and depth.

Then the models were sprayed with Army Painter Army Green Spray.

The next stage will be painting the tracks and stowage.