operation unthinkable Archives - Felix's Gaming Pages

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.

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.

Undercoating and painting the Comet (A34)

The Comet (A34) was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of World War II. It was designed to provide greater anti-tank capability to Cromwell tank squadrons. It was armed with a 77mm HV, a derivative of the 17 pounder, with the result it was one of the few British tanks with the firepower to challenge late war German designs.

With three models I decided I would vary construction. I then gave all three models a white undercoat.

The next stage was to paint the underneath of the model with Army Painter Colour Primer: Angel Green to add shadow and depth.

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

The next stage will be painting the tracks and stowage.

Painting the Königstiger tanks

I bought Operation Unthinkable boxed set, a Clash of Steel Starter set, containing the British and German tanks. It contains 17 tanks, two of which are the King Tiger tank.

The Tiger II (or as was informally known to the Germans who fought in it, Königstiger), was a 70 tonne heavy tank.

Having constructed one of the King Tiger models, I started making the second one.

The next stage was a white undercoat.

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.

Undercoating and painting the Tortoise (A39)

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.

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.

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.