Felix's Gaming Pages

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

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. 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.

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.

Belthanos, First Thorn of Kurnoth

Belthanos, First Thorn of Kurnoth – Belthanos leads the eternal hunt that keeps his master Kurnoth’s spirit in bloom. Cloaked in leaves and riding atop a Carnelian Greatspite made of pure life magic, he chases down those who would harm Ghyran so that his howling followers might rip them apart.

The Battle of Osgiliath

This Battle of Osgiliath diorama was on display at Warhammer World.

Shadows fell upon the ancient, ruined capital of Osgiliath, a city now a shell of its former glory, yet its strategic importance was greater than ever. It was the last river crossing before the gates of Minas Tirith, and the fate of Gondor hinged on its defense. Under the command of Faramir, a weary garrison of men fought desperately to hold the line, but they were no match for the cunning of Sauron. In a brutal, surprise attack under the cover of night, a vast horde of Orcs and men from the East and South crossed the Anduin on secret barges. The fight was a desperate and doomed struggle, and under the terrifying shadow of the Nazgûl, Faramir and his men were forced into a chaotic retreat. The fall of Osgiliath was a devastating defeat, opening the path for the full force of Mordor to lay siege to the White City.

More photographs of The Battle of Osgiliath.

Undercoating the T28 Super Heavy Tank

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.

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.

The next stage will be a green basecoat.

Gloster Meteor

This Gloster Meteor 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.

After the Second World War, European air forces faced the challenge of modernising their fleets. For the Belgian Air Force, this meant transitioning from piston-engine fighters like the Spitfire to the new era of jet propulsion. The answer came in the form of the Gloster Meteor, a twin-engine fighter that had already made history as the only Allied jet to see combat in WWII.

Belgium became a major operator of the Meteor, eventually acquiring a total of 355 aircraft, more than any other overseas customer. The first to arrive were the Meteor F.4s in 1949, which equipped the Beauvechain-based 1st Wing. These were soon followed by the more advanced Meteor F.8s, a variant with a stretched fuselage, a redesigned tail, and a more powerful engine. The F.8s were so vital to Belgium’s air defense that many were built under license in the Netherlands and by the Belgian company Avions Fairey.

The Belgian Air Force also operated the two-seat Meteor T.7 trainer and the all-weather night fighter variant, the Meteor NF.11. The introduction of these aircraft allowed the Belgian Air Force to establish dedicated night fighter squadrons and modernize its pilot training programs. The Meteor era saw the formation of the “Acrobobs,” an aerobatic team from the 1st Fighter Wing at Beauvechain, which was a precursor to the famous “Red Devils” display team.

The Gloster Meteor was a workhorse for the Belgian Air Force throughout the 1950s, serving as the backbone of its fighter and night fighter squadrons. It wasn’t until the arrival of more advanced aircraft like the Hawker Hunter and Avro CF-100 Canuck that the Meteor began to be phased out. The last Belgian Meteor, a target-towing version, was retired in 1963, marking the end of a significant chapter in Belgian aviation history. Today, a few examples are preserved in museums, a testament to the jet that helped launch the Belgian Air Force into the modern age of military aviation.

Construction of the T-55

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.

The construction is very simple starting off with the hull of the tank.

The tracks are then added.

The next step is dependent on if you are making the T-55 or one of the other variants. The Operational Unthinkable has instructions for the T-44 and the T-54. The Battlefront website has instructions for the T-55AM but not for the T-55. I did find the T-55 instructions using a bit of Google and Archive.org.