flames of war Archives - Page 30 of 41

15mm Cruiser, Mk III (A13)

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk III (A13) was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance, previous models of cruiser tanks having used triple wheeled bogie suspension. Like most British cruisers, the A 13 was fast but under-armoured and proved unreliable mechanically. Most were lost in the French campaign in 1940, but a few were used in Greece and the North African campaign in 1940-41.

I have had this tank for sometime. Don’t remember the manufacturer, though I think it may be an old SDD Miniatures model.

Using the Flames of War British Early War Paint Set I gave the model a basecoat of Cruiser Tank Green (202).

Might need a second coat.

See the full workbench feature on the A13.

15mm British Vickers Dutchman

I have had this tank for sometime. Don’t remember the manufacturer. It actually took me a while to work out which tank this was exactly… I used this site as a reference.

Mechanically similar to the Mark IV, though armament and other features were like the Mark II, the “Dutchmen” were a 1936 commercial version. 40 vehicles were sold to the Netherlands. All 40 were taken over by the War Office in 1939 before export. All vehicles were used for training only by the British Army. The term “Dutchmen” or “Dutchman” was an unofficial moniker.

Though never used in service, in the event of a German invasion (Operation Sealion) they probably would have been used to help defend the country.

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.

After giving the model a white undercoat, the next stage was a basecoat of Brown Violet (887).

As you can see it will need a second coat.

15mm Home Guard Bedford OXA

The Bedford OXA was a gun truck or improvised British heavy armoured car built during World War II by mounting an armoured body onto a Bedford OXD 1.5 ton truck chassis. 948 units were built in 1940-1941. The vehicle was used by British Home Guard units until 1942. As with many of my 15mm metal vehicles I don’t recall who the manufacturer was.

I gave the model a white undercoat. The next stage was a basecoat of Brown Violet (887).

This is a solid whitemetal casting.

I think it might need a second coat.

I also need to think about how best to “hold” the model so I can paint it more easily. Got use to painting models with bases for a while now, vehicles (especially small 15mm vehicles) take a bit of getting use to.

15mm Afrika Korps PzKpfw II

The Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II (abbreviated PzKpfw II). Although the vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while more advanced tanks were developed, it nonetheless went on to play an important role in the early years of World War II, during the Polish and French campaigns. By the end of 1942 it had been largely removed from front line service, and production of the tank itself ceased by 1943.

Though you can buy a resin version of the Pz II I was plesantly surprised to find a plastic 1/100th scale kit of the Pz II in a model shop for just £1.25. Bargain!

Made my Zveda, a Russian firm, they also do a 1/100th scale RussianT-26. Alas the accompanying kits for infantry are 1/72nd and the aircraft are 1/144th. Would have been nice if the models were all in the same scale. It would appear from the back of the box that this was designed for some kind of miniatures game.

You get one sprue in grey plastic. I don’t have any other 15mm Pz II models, so difficult to compare it to other 15mm models.

I did manage to pick up three of them. I am going to make them up as PzKpfw IIs for the Western Desert.

Basecoat for the Universal Carriers

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.

Having given them a white undercoat, the next stage was to spray a basecoat of Humbrol Dark Green to the underneath of the model to add shadow. The next stage was a basecoat of Warpaint British Armour.

Full workbench feature on the Universal Carriers.

Flames of War Cromwell ARV

Having given a basecoat of Humbrol Dark Green to the underneath of the model to add shadow the next stage was to do the main basecoat of Warpaint British Armour.

As you can see the basecoat has not coated the tank completely.

Looking at it, it might need a second coat, though I think a wash may solve some of the “white” problem.

Here’s the model with a second coat.

See the workbench feature on the Cromwell ARV.

Additional undercoat for the Universal Carriers

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.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.

Having given them a white undercoat, the next stage was to spray a basecoat of Humbrol Dark Green to the underneath of the model to add shadow when I do the main basecoat.

The idea is the keep the main part of the model with a white undercoat and the undersides to be darker than the rest of the model.

Full workbench feature on the Universal Carriers.

Flames of War Cromwell ARV

Having constructed the Cromwell ARV, the next stage was a white undercoat. I then sprayed a basecoat of Humbrol Dark Green to the underneath of the model to add shadow when I do the main basecoat.

The idea is the keep the main part of the model with a white undercoat and the undersides to be darker than the rest of the model.

The view from the underside.

Next stage will be the main basecoat of Warpaint British Armour.

See the workbench feature on the Cromwell ARV.

Flames of War German Panzergrenadier Headquarters

I purchased a Flames of War box of the German Panzergrenadier Headquarters. In the box you get a bunch of resin, plastic and metal. Having put them all together I gave the models a white undercoat. The next stage was to give the underbody a dark brown basecoat.

This will add shadow to the underneath of the model.

This is how they look from underneath.

I then sprayed the models with Warpaint German Armour.

As my can came without a nozzle, I have had a few issues using the temporary nozzle and as a result I oversprayed the model.

Not many problems, but as you can see in this view, one of the tracks on one of the models got a little too much paint.

I will probably see if I can “remove” the excess paint, otherwise this will be a very muddy SdKfz 251.

One thing I do like about FoW models is that in this set you get three different half track hulls rather than three of a single mould.

One of the key questions I am facing now is how will I do the camouflage. The consensus ont the web is to use an airbrush. I would like to avoid that if possible as it isn’t as convenient or as quick as I would like.

See the workbench feature on this boxed set.

15mm German SdKfz 251 Armoured Half Track

The SdKfz 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Nazi Germany’s Hanomag company during World War II. One of the most common, and best armoured of the wartime half-tracks, the SdKfz 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle. Widely known simply as “Hanomags” by both German and Allied forces, they were widely produced throughout the war, with over 15,252 vehicles and variants produced in total by various manufacturers.

This is an old metal model that I think was made by SDD. I am using it as a testbed for which method I should use with my Flames of War resin models and I suspect in the end it will probably end up as a piece of scenery.

Having given the model a white undercoat I gave the underneath of the model an undercoat of Humbrol Dark Brown spray.