flames of war Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

Thinking about that 15mm German Armoured Train

After much consideration I did in the end get a German Armoured Train for Flames of War. Though they were not used on the Western Front (as far as I am aware) it is my intention to use it against British (and American) tanks. Then again I might just get in a few Soviet tanks for a quick game.

Well that plan which I decided I would do, was back in 2013, and then like too many projects, it got shelved and put in that pile of shame, that I guess quite a few of us have.

There was another kit I liked, which I didn’t get, which was the Tank Hunter Car.

I have been thinking about getting the models out again and getting them painted. I think what may have delayed the model was the fact that the completed models on the Battlefront website (at the time) were painted using an airbrush.

They don’t sell them on the Battlefront website any more, and they seem to sell on eBay, so another option would be to sell them and then buy some different resin models to add to that pile of shame. Decisions, decisions.

15mm ruins

I noticed on the Amazon site that there are quite a few companies out there who are producing 3D printed ruins at what I think are quite reasonable prices. I also remembered that I have quite a few old style 15mm resin ruins that are in various stages of painting.

I think before I start buying more ruins, I really ought to find and finish painting what I have already.

Painting the T30 Heavy Tank

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

The T30 was designed at the same time as the T29 Heavy Tank. The T29 Heavy Tank was an American heavy tank project started in March 1944. The Heavy Tank T30 was developed to counter new German tanks, such as Tiger I, Tiger II, and tank destroyers, such as the Jagdtiger, or Soviet heavy tanks, such as IS-2 or IS-3.

Having constructed the tank, the next step was a white undercoat.

I then sprayed the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green. This is to add shade to the model before applying the basecoat. It looked a bit like this similar T29 model.

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

Next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the T28

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 both the Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks and the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks. In that box there are two T28 Super Heavy Tanks.

The T28 super-heavy tank was an American super-heavy tank/assault gun designed for the United States Army during World War II. It was originally designed to break through German defences of the Siegfried Line and was later considered as a possible participant in the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.

After constructing the two models, I gave the two tanks a white undercoat.

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

Next stage will painting the tracks.

Painting the T-55

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 T-55 is a series of Soviet-era medium tanks that were introduced shortly after World War II. It is one of the most widely produced tanks in history, with over 100,000 units built in the Soviet Union and under license in Poland and Czechoslovakia. The T-55, along with its predecessor the T-54, became the backbone of armoured forces for the Warsaw Pact and many other nations. The tank featured a low-slung, compact design with a cast, dome-shaped turret and was armed with a 100mm rifled gun. While it was considered advanced for its time, its design was later outmatched by more modern tanks. However, its simple, rugged, and reliable nature has allowed it to remain in service with various armed forces worldwide, often with significant upgrades.

Having made progress on the T-55 models the next stage was a dark green base coat with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

Having thought this was too dark, I have been using Army Painter Army Green Spray on the two T-44 tanks.

Painting the T29

I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks. Three of these are the T29 or T30 Heavy Tank.

The T29 Heavy Tank was an American heavy tank project that was started in March 1944 to counter the German Tiger II heavy tank. Although it was not completed in time for use in World War II, the T29 served as a valuable testbed for post-war engineers to apply new concepts to artillery and automotive components. The tank featured a powerful 105 mm T5E1 gun and a massive, heavily armored turret. With a weight of approximately 64 tons, a crew of six, and an upgraded V12 engine, the T29 was a formidable and innovative design for its time.

Having constructed and undercoated the model, the next stage was adding a shadow.

I then sprayed the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green. This is to add shade to the model before applying the basecoat.

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

Next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the ISU-130

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

The ISU-130, is a tank destroyer based on the IS-2 chassis armed with an 130mm S-26 gun.

Having constructed and undercoated the models, 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 decided that this was too dark, so for these models I then gave them a light spray of Army Painter Army Green Spray.

This will then be my testbed for the models and my other Soviet tanks.

The next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the IS-3

I had ordered Operation Unthinkable boxed set containing the British and German tanks. I decided I would add to the game by ordering the other Operation Unthinkable set, which contains American and Soviet tanks. There are three IS-3 tanks included in the boxed set.

The IS-3 is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl) became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks.

I had already constructed two of the IS-3 tanks, so it was a relatively easy process of constructing the other one., to which I added a commander figure to the cupola on the turret. I also gave the models a white undercoat.

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

The next step was to paint the models with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

I think this colour may be too dark.

Painting the Centurion Mk3 tanks

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 in the box, of which four are the Centurion Tanks. They can be constructed as a range of variants.

The Centurion tank was one of the most successful post-war tank designs. It was introduced in 1945, just too late to see combat in the Second World War. However, it went on to serve in a number of conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Arab-Israeli wars. The Centurion was a well-balanced tank with a good mix of armament, armour, and mobility. It was armed with a 105mm rifled gun, which was capable of firing both high-explosive and armour-piercing rounds. The Centurion’s armour was also very effective, and it was able to withstand the fire of most enemy tanks. The tank was also highly mobile, and it was able to keep up with the latest advances in tank warfare.

For the first model I put together, I went with the Mk3. I did think about the Mk1 initially, but I did think I would initially model two Mk3 tanks and two Mk1 tanks, however in the end I decided I would model all four models as Mk3 Centurions. I modelled them with various variations though, including missing skirts.

The next step was a white undercoat.

I wanted to give the models some shadow, so I sprayed the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green.

Then the models were sprayed with Army Painter Army Green Spray. I wasn’t too happy with the result after the paint had dried, that I gave the models a second coat (in places) to ensure coverage across the models.

Next stage will be painting the tracks.

Painting the Panzer IV/70

The Panzer IV/70, was a German tank destroyer based on the Panzer IV chassis, it was armed with the 7.5 cm Pak 42 L/70. Officially, only the L/48-armed vehicle was named Jagdpanzer IV. The L/70-armed vehicle was named Panzer IV/70.

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 Panzer IV/70.

Having constructed all three models, one with skirts, one would have missing skirts, whilst the other one would have damaged skirts.

The next thing I did was give the models a white undercoat.