Category: world war two

Flames of War French Hotchkiss H-39

The Hotchkiss H35 or Char léger modèle 1935 H was a French light tank developed prior to World War II.

Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because it proved difficult to steer while driving cross-country, instead being adopted in 1936 by the French Cavalry. From 1938 an improved version was produced with a stronger engine, the Char léger modèle 1935 H modifié 39, that from 1940 was also fitted with a longer, more powerful 37 mm gun. It was intended to make this improved variant the standard light tank, to be produced in a number of at least four thousand to equip new armoured divisions of both the Cavalry and the Infantry, but due to the defeat of France in June 1940 total production of both subtypes remained limited to about 1200 vehicles

So far I have two of these blisters and each contains three tanks.

You can make them up either as the H-35 or the H-39. As well as the resin hulls and turrets you get metal tracks and rear engine covers.

Flames of War French Somua S-35

Somua S-35

The Somua S35 was a French cavalry tank of the Second World War. Built from 1936 until 1940 to equip the armoured divisions of the Cavalry, it was for its time a relatively agile medium-weight tank, superior in armour and armament to both its French and foreign competitors, such as the contemporary versions of the German Panzerkampfwagen III. It was constructed from well-sloped, mainly cast, armour sections, that however made it expensive to produce and time-consuming to maintain. During the German invasion of May 1940, the Somua S35 proved itself to be a tactically effective type, but this was negated by strategic mistakes in deploying its units.

So far I have one of these blisters.

Flames of War French Somua S-35

I really need three for a Medium Combat Platoon and a fourth as a command vehicle… well this one may be the command vehicle and I’ll get the other three at a later date.

15mm Plastic Panthers

15mm Plastic Panthers

One of the latest releases from The Plastic Soldier Company are 15mm Panther tanks.

The kit comes with all the respective parts to make either the A, D or G variants.

I already have a box of the Flames of War Panthers, so probably won’t get this kit. However the plastic kit is very good value at £17.95 for five tanks, compare that to the resin/metal box from Flames of War which is £41.00. Of course not everyone likes plastic kits and may prefer resin models.

Another advantage of the price is that you could use them for scenic pieces too.




Undercoating the Flames of War German Panther A Platoon

I bought this box set as it was available at Hobbycraft for a much cheaper price than the list price last year.

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II.

Having made up the Panthers, the next stage was a white undercoat, making the models ready for the basecoat.

This is the command vehicle.

See the full workbench feature on the Flames of War German Panther A Platoon.

Constructing the Flames of War German Panther A Platoon

I bought this box set as it was available at Hobbycraft for a much cheaper price than the list price last year.

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II.

Having cleaned the castings, I then started the construction process, first by gluing the tracks onto the hull. Then adding the extra components of which there is a fair few.

I found fitting the front mudguards the most challenging part of the model, it wasn’t easy to fit them flush and in the right position. I decided not to model any of the Panthers without them, as was shown on the box.
For the command vehicle I added some extra stowage from the Panzergrenadiers Headquarters pack. For this vehicle I also kept the armoured skirts off. For the others I either used the full armoured skirt or cut them down to represent battle damage.

Some of the models come with “extra armour” in terms of road wheels and spare tracks. Sometimes this is sculptured on to the turret or hull. I added additional “extra armour” to some of the models.

The following pictures show the finished Panthers before they are undercoated.

I found fitting the front mudguards the most challenging part of the model, it wasn’t easy to fit them flush and in the right position. I decided not to model any of the Panthers without them, as was shown on the box.

For the command vehicle I added some extra stowage from the Panzergrenadiers Headquarters pack.

For this vehicle I also kept the armoured skirts off.

For the others I either used the full armoured skirt or cut them down to represent battle damage.

Some of the models come with “extra armour” in terms of road wheels and spare tracks. Sometimes this is sculptured on to the turret or hull. I added additional “extra armour” to some of the models.

I added some extra stowage from the Panzergrenadiers Headquarters pack.

The next stage will be an undercoat.

Constructing the Flames of War German Panther A Platoon

I bought this box set as it was available at Hobbycraft for a much cheaper price than the list price last year.

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II.

Having cleaned the castings, I then started the construction process, first by gluing the tracks onto the hull. Then adding the extra components of which there is a fair few.

One of the Panthers is going to be my command vehicle and so I have modelled it with the tank commander in the cupola. I will also be leaving the “skirts” off, in the assumption that they have been lost in combat and have not yet been replaced. This will also differentiate the tank from the others in the platoon.

I will also be leaving the “skirts” off, in the assumption that they have been lost in combat and have not yet been replaced. This will also differentiate the tank from the others in the platoon.

Flames of War French Renault AMR-35

The Automitrailleuse de Reconnaissance Renault Modèle 35 Type ZT (AMR 35 or Renault ZT) was a French light tank developed during the Interbellum and used in the Second World War. It was not intended to reconnoitre and report as its name suggests but was a light armoured combat vehicle, mostly without a radio and used as a support tank for the mechanised infantry.

During the Battle of France the AMR 35s were part of armoured and motorised divisions, the vast majority being lost during the first weeks of the fighting.

Flames of War French Renault AMR-35

This purchase was a bit of a mistake, I thought I was buying the Renault R-35… however in the end I decided to keep them.

Flames of War French Renault AMR-35

Flames of War British Daimler Dingo

The Daimler Scout Car, known in service as the “Dingo” (after the Australian wild dog), was a British light fast 4WD reconnaissance vehicle also used in the liaison role during the Second World War. In 1938 the British War Office issued a specification for a scouting vehicle. Out of three designs submitted by Alvis, BSA and Morris, the one by BSA was selected. The actual production was passed to Daimler, which was a vehicle manufacturer in the BSA group of companies. The vehicle was officially designated Daimler Scout Car, but became widely known as Dingo, which was the name of the competing Alvis prototype.

The Flames of War blister comes with three of them.

These are very nice models. I will probably use them with my Late War British, though they have the potential to be used for Early War too.

These are resin models with metal wheels and crew.

See the full workbench feature on the British Daimler Dingo.

Flames of War German Panther A Platoon

I bought this box set as it was available at Hobbycraft for a much cheaper price than the list price last year.

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II.

The resin and metal certainly fills the box.

There are five Panthers in the box and the hulls and turrets are in resin.

These are clean castings and the detail is very good, the Panthers for example have the Zimmeritt paste and you can see how the where it has “chipped off” has been modelled onto the hull.

Each of the castings is different, with this one there are spare tracks attached to the turret as extra armour.

They are very clean castings and the small piece of flash on the turret with this model was basically all that needed to be cleaned off.

The castings needed mininal cleaning before the next stage of constructing the models.

See the workbench feature on my Flames of War Panther A Platoon.