Felix, Author at Felix's Gaming Pages

Battle for Berlin 1945

Squad level action from the end of World War Two at Colours 2025.

I went to Colours 2025 at the Newbury Racecourse last week. Its been a fair few years since I have been to Colours, I have a feeling it might be as long ago when Colours was at the Hexagon in Reading after they changed the name of the show from Armageddon. Anyhow the show was great and there were a fair few traders there, I did buy something.

On the top floor though were all the demonstration and participation games. I thought the scenery for the participation game, the Battle for Berlin 1945 was excellent, though I think it was trams which caught my eye.

I did participate in the game, using my usual tactics of messing things up… enjoyable though.

The Gladewyrm

From the enchanting, ethereal forests of the Mortal Realms emerges the Gladewyrm, a stunning model for any Sylvaneth army in Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

This serpentine spirit of the woods isn’t just a beautiful model; it’s a formidable force on the tabletop.

Weaving through the battlefield, it embodies the cunning and savage nature of Alarielle’s children.

Undercoating and 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.

Painting the Königstiger tanks

I bought Operation Unthinkable boxed set, a Clash of Steel Starter set, containing the British and German tanks. It contains 17 tanks, two of which are the King Tiger tank.

The Tiger II (or as was informally known to the Germans who fought in it, Königstiger), was a 70 tonne heavy tank.

Having constructed one of the King Tiger models, I started making the second one.

The next stage was a white undercoat.

Having given the tanks a white undercoat, I then used a brown spray to basecoat the underneath of the models.

The aim of this spray is to add shadow to the model rather than using the same paint across the whole of the model.

The next step was a coat of Army Painter Desert Yellow Spray.

The next stage will be brush painting the camouflage.

Sud Aviation Caravelle

A former Sabena Sud Aviation Caravelle airliner is on three metal stilts was on display at the Musée royal de l’armée et de l’histoire militaire or Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

The Sud Aviation Caravelle was a pioneering French jet airliner developed in the 1950s by SNCASE (which later became Sud Aviation). It holds a significant place in aviation history for its innovative design, which featured rear-mounted engines and a clean-wing configuration. This layout, which became common on many subsequent short and medium-range airliners, reduced cabin noise and allowed for a quieter flight experience for passengers. The Caravelle’s design also incorporated a licensed copy of the de Havilland Comet’s nose and cockpit. Entering service in 1959 with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and later with Air France, the Caravelle was specifically designed for the European and Mediterranean markets, providing a faster and more comfortable alternative to piston-engine aircraft. Over its production run, which ended in 1972, 282 Caravelles were built, and the aircraft was used by airlines on every continent.

This Sud Aviation Caravelle was operated by Sabena, which was the national airline of Belgium, operating from 1923 until its bankruptcy in 2001.

Undercoating and painting the Tortoise (A39)

One of the Clash of Steel Starter Sets have been on my wants list ever since I found out about them at the beginning of the year. I ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks.

There are 17 tanks, two of which are the Tortoise heavy assault tank. The Tortoise heavy assault tank (A39) was a British heavy assault gun design developed during the Second World War, but never put into mass production. It was developed for the task of clearing heavily fortified areas such as the Siegfried Line and as a result favoured armour protection over mobility.

One I had already constructed, decided to put together the second one as well. The next stage was a white undercoat.

I wanted to add some shadow to the model, so I painted the underneath of the model with a black spray.

After that, I wanted to capture the dark bronze green of the Tortoise prototype that is at the Tank Museum.

So, gave both models a spray of Army Painter Angel Green Spray.

The next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the ISU-152

I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks.

The kit also allows you to build the ISU-122 and ISU-152 variants as well. As there are five kits I decided I would build three at the ISU-152, and two as the ISU-130.

The ISU-152, is a tank destroyer based on the IS-2 chassis armed with a 152.4 mm ML-20S gun-howitzer. Since the ISU-152’s gun was mounted in a casemate, aiming it was awkward, and had to be done by repositioning the entire vehicle using the tracks. Therefore, it was used as mobile artillery to support more mobile infantry and armour attacks. It continued service into the 1970s and was used in several campaigns and countries.

Having constructed the three models, the next step was a white undercoat.

I then sprayed the underneath of the models with a black spray to add shadow and depth.

For the basecoat I used Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

I do think this might be too dark, so trying something different with other models to see if I need to repaint them.

Battle of Henrysburg

Anyhow the show was great and there were a fair few traders there, I did buy something. On the top floor though were all the demonstration and participation games. One game which caught my attention was the Battle of Henrysburg, an episode from the French-Indian Wars.

The British have launched a surprise raid on the rural settlement of Henrysburg, torching homesteads and scattering civilians. Their goal: to isolate and capture Fort Lacolle, a modest but strategically vital French outpost guarding the Richelieu corridor. With the fort under siege, French forces — including Canadian militia and Indigenous allies — are racing north through dense forest to mount a counterattack and break the British lines.

Painting the T-44

I have the Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the American and Soviet tanks. The GF9 Operation Unthinkable boxed set, the American versus Soviet, contains 21 tanks. Six of these are the T-54-1.

What I didn’t realise was that the T-54-1 model can also be made up as a T-44 or a T-55 as the different turrets are included. This gives even more flexibility over just using them as T54-1 tanks.

I decided to make two of the models as the T-44 and the other four as T-55 models. The construction is very simple and I also gave the model a white undercoat.

In order to add shade I sprayed the underneath of the model with a black spray.

I had originally planned to paint the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green, but I think it was too dark. So, I used Army Painter Army Green Spray instead.

The next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the Tigers

One of the Clash of Steel Starter Sets have been on my wants list ever since I found out about them. I have the Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks.

Operation Unthinkable was the name given to two related possible future war plans developed by the British Chiefs of Staff Committee against the Soviet Union during 1945.

In the box, as well as the rules, counters, and dice, are seventeen tanks, two of which are Tiger tanks. I had already constructed and undercoated the two Tiger tanks.

Having given the tanks a white undercoat, I then used a brown spray to basecoat the underneath of the models.