Felix, Author at Felix's Gaming Pages

Mark I Tank

The Tank Museum is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. I visited the Tank Museum before in 1984, 1997, and 2016, but recently made a return visit.

In the World War One exhibition at the Tank Museum they have a Mark I tank attacking a trench.

This Mark I tank is painted to represent tank number 705, C19 Clan Leslie, as it was on the 15th September 1916.

Later the tanks were painted in a standard green brown scheme, as the camouflage became pointless once the tank was covered in mud.

Though painted as C19, unfortunately the Tank Museum has no idea of the tank’s actual identity. This tank was presented to Lord Salisbury in 1919 to recognise the use of his estate at Hatfield Park for trials of Mother in January and February 1916. His golf course was converted into a battlefield, complete with trenches, parapets, craters and large amounts of mud. This Mark I was displayed outdoors at Hatfield until it came to the Tank Museum in 1970.

The Mark I had steering wheels attached to the back of the tank.

More photographs of the Mark I from a previous visit to the museum.

Painting the Deimos Pattern Rhino

The Rhino is the most widely used armoured personnel carrier in the Imperium. Based on ancient STC technology, the fundamental design is robust, reliable, and easy to maintain, with an adaptive power plant that can run off a wide variety of fuels.

I bought the plastic Deimos Pattern Rhino when it came out in the summer, you can see the workbench for that Rhino here. I was lucky enough to get a second Rhino for a Christmas present. The model has many more parts and is a more detailed kit than the original plastic Rhino kit that came out in the 1980s. I constructed the model to the instructions, though I left the tracks off to paint separately. I gave the model an undercoat of Citadel White Scar. I gave the model a couple of light coats of Daemonic Yellow. I also painted the bolter and exhausts with Leadbelcher. I then shaded the model.

For the next stage I used some Citadel Layer Yriel Yellow. I took a large brush and gave the model, what I would call, a heavy drybrush. I put paint on the brush, and then used some kitchen towel to remove most of the paint, and then using a heavy stippling process added paint to the model.

The plan was that this would take the flat surfaces of the model back to a flatter base colour.

Some of the areas where the shade pooled will probably need some more work.

See the workbench feature on the Deimos Pattern Rhino II.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk I

The Spitfire is the most famous British fighter aircraft in history. It won immortal fame during the summer months of 1940 by helping to defeat the German air attacks during the Battle of Britain.

1566 Spitfire Is were built and this machine at RAF Cosford is the oldest surviving example of its type.

The prototype made its first flight four years earlier as Britain’s industry geared up to re-arm against the threat from Nazi Germany. From the beginning pilots recognised it as a thoroughbred combining a perfection of design with superb handling characteristics.

Perhaps the greatest compliment paid to this aircraft was made at the height of the Battle of Britain by a German ace, who in a moment of anger and frustration, turned to his Commander in Chief and demanded a squadron of Spitfires!

More photographs of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk I at RAF Cosford.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk I at RAF London.

Spitfire Mk1a at the Science Musuem.

Painting the Predator

The Predator is perhaps the best known and most widespread variant of the basic Rhino chassis. Augmented with superior armour and firepower, it entirely sacrifices the Rhino’s troop transport capacity in favour of ammunition and generators for its formidable weapon systems.

Having got this kit for Christmas, I started putting the model together. For painting I kept the sponsons separate and I can easily remove the turret as well. I gave the model an undercoat of Citadel White Scar. I gave the model a couple of light coats of Daemonic Yellow. I painted the main weapon, and the exhausts, with Leadbelcher. It was then onto shading the model.

The plan was that this would take the flat surfaces of the model back to a flatter base colour.

Some of the areas where the shade pooled will probably need some more work.

See the workbench feature on the Deimos Pattern Predator Battle Tank.

Challenger 1

At the entrance to the Bovington Tank Museum is a Challenger 1.

This is one of the prototypes of British main battle tank developed in the 1980s, crew of 4, powered by Rolls-Royce Meteor CV12 diesel engine. The production Challenger 1 was fitted with Chobham armour and armed with a 120mm gun and two machine guns.

When I was visiting the museum in 2016 it was hiding…

There was also a prototype Challenger 1 on display at Duxford.

Making progress on the Forge World MkIIb Land Raider

The Land Raider is an Imperial main battle tank and troop transport which serves as the “armoured fist of the Space Marines.” The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is one of the earliest marks of the standard pattern of Land Raider. The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is the only pattern of the standard Land Raider Phobos that uses the older armoured sponsons, as they do not allow the weapons they hold to fully rotate.

I got a Forge World MkIIb Land Raider and was originally painting it up as a Grey Knights Land Raider in desert camouflage. I wrote up some reflections on my MkIIB Land Raider, on the current state of the painting and what I needed to do next. I had a few issues fixing the bolter guard on the top of the superstructure. I eventually managed to glue in the armoured shell. I then touched up the damaged areas with a brush and some fresh paint.

I am still painting up the icongraphy. The front ramp is being painted as stone.

Once that is done I will be shading the model to add depth (and weathering).

See the full Mark IIb Land Raider workbench.

Gloster Gladiator

The Gloster Gladiator is a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.

The Gloster Gladiator was the RAF’s last biplane fighter and the first to feature an enclosed cockpit for the pilot. Deliveries began in 1937, with Gladiators continuing to serve in the early years of the Second World War.

During the Battle of Britain, Gladiators of No. 247 Squadron protected the Plymouth naval dockyards, frequently escorting inbound convoys. Withdrawn from UK front line defence in 1941, they continued to be used for metrological reconnaissance and training.

The Gladiator on display at RAF Cosford was built in 1937 and was employed on trials and training duties, Although it never took part in the Battle of Britain, it is used here to represent the Gladiator’s role in that conflict.

In the world of the Very British Civil War which is post 1936, you might expect to see squadrons of Gloster Gladiators flying from the aerodrome at Brockworth, and fighting for the Royalist Army of the Severn Valley. The Gloster Factory was in Cheltenham which was at the heart of the Severn Valley.

N5628 – Gladiator II forward fuselage is on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. It is displayed unrestored

Shading the Predator

It was then onto shading the model. I am using the same process I used with my first Deimos Pattern Rhino. I used some Citadel Reikland Fleshshade Shade.

I did a heavier wash than the first Rhino I painted.

This did mean the Shade pooled in certain areas. I am hoping that this will be covered up when I do the deeper drybrushing next.

I also shaded the tracks, this I did with Agrax Earthshade Shade. Once this was dry I drybrushed them with some Leadbelcher.

See the workbench feature on the Deimos Pattern Predator Battle Tank.

M24 Chaffee

This M24 Chaffee was on display in the car park.

It has French markings.

The M24 Chaffee was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the War in Algeria and the First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee after the United States Army General Adna R. Chaffee Jr., who helped develop the use of tanks in the United States armed forces. Although the M41 Walker Bulldog was developed as a replacement, M24s were not mostly removed from U.S. and NATO armies until the 1960s

Plastic Legion Vindicator

Over on the Warhammer Community website they have previewed a new plastic Legion Vindicator.

The last word in mobile wall-removal packs a massive centerline-mounted demolisher cannon – a huge shell-lobbing bombard that trades the long range of artillery for awesome destructive power. It’s quite content to turn anything it hits into confetti, but excels at cracking Fortifications and other buildings.

Of course Forge World gave us a resin conversion kit many years ago.

The Deimos pattern is an early type of Vindicator used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, although many are still operational in the service of Space Marine Chapters in the 41st Millennium. A powerful assault tank, the Vindicator’s principal armament is a heavy-calibre demolisher cannon capable of shattering fortifications and breaching the armour plates of tanks with equal ease. It is invaluable in urban warfare as it can blast and shunt its way through barricades and obstacles, enabling troops following behind free passage through streets that might have otherwise swiftly degenerated into kill zones.

This Forge World Space Wolves Legion Vindicator was on display at Warhammer World.

The new plastic kit also allows you make a Vindicator Laser Destroyer. This Legiones Astartes Ultramarines Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer was on display in the cabinets at Warhammer World.

Deimos Vindicator Laser Destroyer at Warhammer World

Another model to add to that wish list.