Author: Felix

15mm British Light Tank Mk VI

The Tank, Light, Mk VI was a British light tank, produced by Vickers-Armstrongs in the late 1930s, which saw service during World War II.
Don’t remember the manufacturer.

15mm British Light Tank Mk VI

I have painted this model. I gave the model a black undercoat, I drybrushed it with some brown paint. It is in need of a re-paint!

15mm British Light Tank Mk VI

I may use it for scenery…

15mm Aircraft for Flames of War

One of the decisions that Battlefront did that I didn’t understand was going with 1:144 scale for their aircraft. Well not that I didn’t understand because it actually does make a bit of sense in some ways. Firstly from a scale perspective smaller aircraft will “look” higher up than if they were true 15mm. Secondly there are lots of plastic kits in the 1:144 scale making it very easy to find aircraft models that aren’t in the Flames of War range.

However one of the downsides of this is if you want to model an actual airfield for Flames of War or use a downed plane as a piece of scenery or an objective. In the forthcoming Vietnam range the helicopters are 15mm scale as they do sit on the battlefield. Ah well.

One range I have found online is Armaments in Miniature that make a wide range of 1:100 aircraft including gliders. They also make a nice range of landing craft too. However as they are US based and I can’t find a UK reseller, it would mean ordering from the US. Not that I mind doing that, and I do do it, however, adding on duty and VAT will double the prices so what are nice models, become very expensive models. It doesn’t help that there are very few photographs on the Armaments in Miniature website.
The traditional scale for model airplanes is 1:72 and this is great if you play 20mm games, however there are very few models in 1:100 the scale for 15mm and used by FoW for their tanks and vehicles.

Since I got into FoW I have been looking for aircraft models to use. The first I found were some Airfix pre-painted models for £5.99, not a huge choice, but you can get the Me109 for example.

I noticed that Revell did some similar kits, but these were of modern planes so not much use for FoW unless you were playing a Final Countdown style scenario. This is now even easier with the new Vietnam range if you wanted to use helicopters and tanks…

I didn’t get any of those, but continued to search and look at model shops to see what I could find.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find in Antics some Italeri die-cast planes from World War Two in 1:100 scale. I haven’t been able to find a list online of the entire range, but I did manage to pick up a Me109, an FW190 and what really pleased me was a couple of Early War French Dewoitine D.520 planes.

The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the opening of World War II. Unlike the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, which was at that time the Armée de l’Air’s most numerous fighter, the Dewoitine D.520 came close to being a match for the latest German types, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was slower than the Bf 109E but superior in manoeuvrability.

Now these are die-cast models so the detail is “lacking” and the finish is very glossy, but I think with some work these will look fine.

Eldar Hornet

This photograph is from the Forge World displays at GamesDay 2010 which is when we first saw the Hornet.

The Hornet is a light tank employed by Eldar armoured forces in a fast reconnaissance and raiding role. Piloted by a single crewman, it can be found in the forefront of Eldar aspect warrior assault waves, speeding ahead of heavier Falcons and Wave Serpents and often operating alongside other high-speed attack craft such as jetbikes and Vypers.

A couple more photographs of the Hornet.

15mm “Austin 7” Cars

I have a few of these cars, I initially thought they were Austins but not so sure.

As with some of my other metal models I can’t remember the manufacturer of these. After a bit of internet research I believe it is an old SDD miniature. Not convinced totally, but other miniatures in the box it was in carry SDD codes.

I have given these models a not very good white undercoat.

My intention is to use them as transports for the Home Guard or for scenic purposes. I wonder if any manufacturer out there makes 15mm (1/100th) scale 1930s French cars?

Eldar Hornet

These photographs are from the Forge World displays at GamesDay 2010 which is when we first saw the Hornet.

The Hornet is a light tank employed by Eldar armoured forces in a fast reconnaissance and raiding role. Piloted by a single crewman, it can be found in the forefront of Eldar aspect warrior assault waves, speeding ahead of heavier Falcons and Wave Serpents and often operating alongside other high-speed attack craft such as jetbikes and Vypers.

I do quite like the model and if I had the time, money and inclination for Eldar I would probably get some, but as I don’t, I won’t! I much prefer this over the Falcon.

15mm Universal Carrier

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong.

Produced between 1934 and 1960, the vehicle was used widely by Allied forces during the Second World War. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. With some 113,000 built in the United Kingdom and abroad, it was the most numerous armoured fighting vehicle in history.

As with some of my other metal models I can’t remember the manufacturer of these.

They come with separate tracks.

I have thought about converting them into Panzerjäger Bren 731(e), these were carriers captured by the Germans and fitted with a triple Panzerschreck mount, probably the first armoured vehicle to be fitted with anti-tank rockets.

These metal models are not as well defined as the Flames of War resin models, so in the end I might use them for scenery or objectives.