Tuesday 18 February 2014

German Reconiassance vehicles

Continuing in my efforts to post pictures of my second half of WW2 Germans I now show the halftrack recon elements of my forces.



They are from Forged in Battle. Three resin castings with different stowage (plus some additions from my bits' box). As you know Forged in Battle vehicles are cast with integral bases. Some individuals (well imbeciles would be much more appropriate) are always screaming (often on the (PMT page) against them (the same idiots I fear that have persuaded Forged in Battle to not have cast on pikes on its new phalangites... well after having drilled open and put steel pikes on scores of phalangites I am more and more persuaded that it is a stupidity... in 15mm cast on pikes are a must! but I am digressing). Well the bases are not intrusive and more importantly the screamers did not realized that the way the bases are put in also permit Forged in Battle to produce crisp and inexpensive casts. I like them, they are cheap, they paint well, ergo I do not complain.

Well after so much pontificating here are some details:

 I painted them some years ago. Considering my good friend Asako saw them this means that I was still a PhD candidate and still living in LPH with a lot of nice people around.

For them I have used a three tone camo without anything special. They are just a recon element. I doubt I will have the table space to deploy a full recon company in a recon mission, but they can work as an addition for a lot of other formations or being employed in a reduced reconnaissance company.

First Panzer Grenadier Platoon



Well, I have been quiet on the blog front for several weeks. Do not worry, i have taken pictures (few) and painted (quite a lot). I have finished my 15mm 1985+ US force, painted some Hellenistic, started to refurbish my WW2 Soviets, and finished the Warriors for my UK Warrior Infantry Platoon. I also completed my regular Iraqi troops... anyway I have a backlog of posts...

so time to show you my first Panzergrenadier platoon.


In the above picture the platoon is seen in its Gepanzert configuration. Of course removing the Halftrack it becomes a standard panzergrenadier platoon and I can use it as a Motorisiert unit with truck or without.  The infantry squads are modeled with two MG42, thus you can use it for Panzergrenadier or well equipped grenadier units. The figures are Battlefront while the Hanomag are from Peter Pig. The Platoon, being the first one has also individual squad leaders so I can use it not only for IABSM but also for Chain of Command.


I like the halftracks. The Peter Pig  are modeled (as one of the options) with integral camouflage. They are 251C rather than D, but the are really nice. Obviously you have also the platoon command vehicle with the 37mm gun. I like the PP becaus eit has the simplified (more common) mantlet.

The infantry is from the 352nd Division Infanterie Kompanie that Battlefront released some time ago. I liked it because there are troops in camo smock and zeltbanh. I used the plastic urban bases.









I have to admit that my love for zelthbanh has been reduced after having painted the whole company... but I am happy with them, even if having painted them for gaming the faces do not really look good in enlarged pictures. The individual squad leaders are based on pennies.