Felix's Gaming Pages

Sd.Kfz. 251

This Sd.Kfz. 251 was on display at Bovington. It was captured by British forces in the desert. One of the pictures taken after its capture shows a barrel strapped to its right exterior. It has a special step near the rear doors that identifies it as an ambulance.

The Sd.Kfz. 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was a World War II German armored fighting vehicle designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the Panzergrenadier (German mechanized infantry) into battle. Sd.Kfz. 251s were the most widely produced German half-tracks of the war, with at least 15,252 vehicles and variants produced by seven manufacturers.

The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a vital part of the German war effort, and it played a significant role in many of the German victories of World War II. It was a reliable, effective, and versatile armored vehicle that was well-liked by the German troops who used it. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a major factor in the success of the German mechanized infantry, and it helped the Germans to achieve many of their early victories.

Here is the same Sd.Kfz. 251 taken on a previous visit to Bovington, but that time it was painted grey.

I also published on the blog a photo of the OT-810 at Duxford. The OT-810 is a post war production copy of the German World War Two Sd.Kfz 251 half track.

I have a 15mm Flames of War versions on my workbench:

- - Panzergrenadier Headquarters
  - Panzergrenadier Platoon

In addition I have an old SDD one that was on the workbench too:

- - SdKfz 251 Armoured Half Track

I have photographs of various models in the SdKfz 251 Miniatures Gallery.

First look at the sprues

Over on the Warhammer Community site they are discussing the design of the new models for Legions Imperialis. It also means we get a first look at the sprues.

The sprues show that the model tanks have a fair few parts (along the same lines as the Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft models).

When asked about the challenges of designing the models, Daren from The Design Studio said:

There is a little compromise between accurately representing the details of the larger kit, and making something that people will enjoy putting together, painting, and playing with. By necessity certain aspects have to change, for technical and aesthetic reasons. You can’t expect people to make a six-part Tactical Space Marine in a game that can require hundreds to play, so simple infantry are the way forward.

Despite the number of parts I am still looking forward to the release of Legions Imperialis.

Tracked Rapier

The Tracked Rapier was a self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. It was based on the towed Rapier system, but mounted on the chassis of a modified American M548 tracked carrier. This gave the Tracked Rapier greater mobility and speed than the towed system, making it more suitable for deployment in forward areas.

This Tracked Rapier unit was on display at RAF Cosford.

The Tracked Rapier was armed with four Rapier missiles, which could be fired against a variety of targets, including aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles. The missiles were guided by a semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) system, which allowed the operator to track the target using a sight mounted on the vehicle. The missile was then guided towards the target by a radio link.

The Tracked Rapier entered service with the British Army in 1981 and saw action in the Gulf War in 1991. It was also exported to a number of other countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Tracked Rapier was retired from British service in the early 1990s, but it remains in service with some other countries. It has since been replaced by the Starstreak missile system.

Legio Custodes Orion Assault Dropship

This Legio Custodes Orion Assault Dropships was on display ay Warhammer World.

Created as a dedicated assault dropship for the Legio Custodes, the Orion can carry a full task force of the Emperor’s Talons into combat. Protected by frontal armour superior to that of the Legiones Astartes Thunderhawk Gunship, its Arachnus heavy blaze cannon and Lastrum bolt cannon can swiftly clear a landing zone of hostile infantry and armour with brutal efficiency, allowing the units within to deploy before it soars back into the sky to unleash death upon any foe who dares approach.

Legio Custodes Caladius Grav-Tank

This Legio Custodes Caladius Grav-Tank was part of the displays at Warhammer World.

Often deployed in situations requiring the heaviest of weapons the Legio Custodes could bring to bear, the Caladius pattern Grav-Tank. Utilising technologies and systems derived not only from the Dark Age of Technology, but from developments made as a result of the Great Crusade’s two centuries of warfare, the Caladius was well-protected and highly manoeuvrable, perhaps the most powerful battleline armoured unit of its size in the Imperium’s forces.

The principal armament of the Caladius is the double-barrelled Iliastus accelerator cannon, an advanced weapon which was to become the precursor to the main weapon of the Legiones Astartes Sicaran Battle Tank. The Grav-Tank is also armed with a twin-linked Lastrum bolt cannon, exemplars of bolt-weapon technology whose bolt shells are customised mass-reactive heliothermic warheads, hand crafted by the artisan weaponsmiths of the Lastrum Core Clan on Terra.

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth on display at Warhammer World.

Overtyrant Greasus Goldtooth, or to give him his formal title, Tradelord Greasus Tribestealer Drakecrush Gatecrasher Hoardmaster Goldtooth the Shockingly Obese, is the fattest and most powerful Ogre Tyrant within the entire Ogre Kingdoms and holds the current title of Overtyrant, the Tyrant of all Ogre Tyrants.

More photographs of Ogres.

Continuing to paint the Mekboy Workshop

This workshop is the main model from the Ork Mekboy Workshop boxed set. It is the only part of the kit that actually needs to be constructed, the barricades and scrap piles are single piece models.

All Mekboyz can perform battlefield repairs using no more than a weighty wrench-hammer, a sack of nails and a healthy dose of gumption, but most do their best work in the comfortably anarchic surrounds of their own workshop. Meks are more than capable of cobbling together a workspace from whatever is lying about, with rudimentary workshops springing up from battlefield wreckage even while the bullets are still flying.

I gave the model an undercoat, some parts were done with Corax White and other parts with Leadbelcher. I then started painting the parts of the workshop.

I used Snakebite Leather contrast paint on the workbench in the workshop, and then used Leadbelcher on the different tools on the workbench.

I finished painting the back wall of the workshop with Basilicanum Grey contrast paint.

I used Gorthor Brown on the insulation.

I also used Bronze and Gold Sharpie pens for some of the metallic aspects of the model.

See the workbench feature on the workshop.

Legiones Astartes Support

We are now starting to see some of the other models that will be released for Legion Imperialis.

Over on Warhammer Community they are showing off the contents of the Legiones Astartes Support box.

In the box you get four Leviathan Dreadnoughts, four Deredeo Dreadnoughts, four Rapier batteries with crew, and four Tarantula Batteries.

This box is packed with heavy firepower. Leviathan Dreadnoughts are some of the toughest units to crack below Knight-scale, and are more than capable of messing up heavy tanks with their mix of weaponry. They’re joined by Deredeo Dreadnoughts, which are absolutely stacked with devastating long-range armaments.

The Legiones Astartes Support box also adds Rapier Batteries to this selection of Dreadnought death-dealers. These semi-automated carriages are used when Legions need to rapidly deploy ordnance that is too heavy for even Legionaries to carry unaided, trundling into terrain unfriendly to tanks. Tarantula Sentry Batteries armed with lascannons or Hyperios air-defence launchers are generally deployed as point-defence weapons, but are often dropped in ahead of the main Legion battleline as disposable assets, where they exact a heavy toll on advancing opponents.

These are all plastic models and all look very nice. I do wonder how fiddly they will be to put together.

Valentine Tank

This Valentine Tank was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.

The Valentine tank was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during World War II. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in eleven marks, plus various specialised variants, accounting for approximately a quarter of wartime British tank production. The many variants included riveted and welded construction, petrol and diesel engines and a progressive increase in armament. It was supplied in large numbers to the USSR and built under licence in Canada. It was used extensively by the British in the North African campaign. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be both strong and reliable.

The Valentine first entered service with the British Army in December 1941, with the 8th Royal Tank Regiment in Operation Crusader. It quickly earned a reputation as a reliable and well-protected vehicle. The Valentine’s armor was particularly effective against German anti-tank guns, and it was also equipped with a powerful 75mm gun that could penetrate the armor of most German tanks.

The Valentine was used extensively in the North African campaign, where it proved to be a valuable asset to the British forces. It was also used in other theaters of war, including the Western Desert, Italy, and the Far East.

The Valentine was not without its flaws. It was relatively slow, and its armor was not as thick as some of the German tanks. However, its reliability and firepower made it a valuable asset to the British Army.

After the war, the Valentine was phased out of British service. However, it remained in service with other armies for many years. The Soviet Union, for example, continued to use Valentines until the early 1950s.

The Valentine tank was a significant contribution to the British war effort. It was a reliable and well-protected vehicle that was used extensively in all theaters of war. The Valentine’s legacy can still be seen today, as many examples of the tank are preserved in museums around the world.

Valentine Infantry Tank Mk III at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Battle Titan

This Adeptus Titanicus scale Warlord Battle Titan was in the displays at Warhammer World.

Warlord Battle Titans bestride the battlefields of the Imperium, their thunderous tread heralding the destruction of the enemies of Mankind. A mainstay of the Collegia Titanica, Warlord Battle Titans are among the largest and most powerful war machines ever devised by the Mechanicum.