Recent replacements for my Late War German Panzers.
Left, PzIV-J, right PzIV-F for HQ.
Vallejo Model Colors and Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Inks.
I favor the PzIV variants and the PzIII’s. I do not need Tigers or Panthers. I will however take a few Luchs (Lynx) if anyone is passing out “cats”.
.
Battlefront(TM) Late War Germans are excellent little castings. I favor the resin and metal versions but their plastic minis are very detailed and I must add very satisfying to my methods and tastes.
I have completed a company of Panzer IV H’s for France and Northwestern Europe Theatre of Operations. I needed some reconnaissance (Aufklärungs) options, so I built three (3) of the 8-wheeled, or “8-rad” SdKfz 234/1 & 234/2 Puma.
The 234/2 Puma carries a 50mm L/60 main gun. I can use 3 or 6 models in my army. Sometimes a Colonel just wants his Aufklärungsabteilungen troops to go with the 20mm auto-cannon option. I have the turrets that fit onto the same chassis to make two squadrons of 234/1 “8-rads”. Not as much ‘bite’ as a tank gun 50mm L/60 but plenty of fire-power.
These machines are quick and have a good punch too.
The SdKfz 234’s are fast, power weapons, but they lack very much in the armor department. I have to keep the 8-rads clear of Allies’ tanks and bazookas.
The Puma is good to find troops ‘gone to ground’; dislodge them; then scoot out of harms way before reinforcements or the ‘heavies’ arrive to twist their tails
A lone Albatros D III
The Itallian Front also has its Aces. Austro-Hungarian aviators vs Reggia Aeronautica. Here Oberleutnant Ludwig Hautzmayer in his Albatros D III takes the direct approach with Maggiore Francesco Baracca flying a SPAD XIII who seems to have jammed guns! Double BLAST! No-no, on second thought, remember chivalry Herr Hautzmayer, please. Both are within range and must be on reconnaissance.
Ciao!
Auf weidersehen!
The “Direct Approach”.
This version of the gaming mat is a work in progress but it plays much better than a bare table top. More and updates on the gaming mat will be posted later.
The hand-painted gaming mat–a WIP.
I started with this the very enjoyable Wings of War™ by the incomparable Nexus Editrice (defunct), but now produced by the glorious people at Ares Games™ as Wings of Glory™. Huzzah! Visit Ares Games™ thus:
Ares Games™
Interesting Reading
I include some excellent sources for more information, and perhaps your enjoyment too, on the Air Battles on Italian Front, the aircraft, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops, K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen, and the aces of the Italian Royal Army, Regio Esercito.
Franks, Norman, Russell Guest, & Gregory Alegi. Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air aces of WWI. Grub Street, 1997.
Martin O’Connor. Air Aces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1914-1918. Flying Machines Press, January 1986.
Chant, Chris, Mark Rolfe (Illustrator). Austro-Hungarian Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing, 2002.
Guttman, Jon. SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2002.
Medals, Merits, and Honors
Baracca
Maggiore Francesco Baracca: Gold Medal of Military Valor, three Silver Medal of Military Valor, British Military Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Belgian Order of the Crown.
—-
Hautzmayer
Oberleutnant Ludwig Hautzmayer : Order of the Iron Crown, Military Merit Cross, Military Merit Medal, Medal for Bravery, Order of Leopold.
———-
Keep on gaming!
This is a follow up for the Panzer repaint project.
Previously, I presented the middle-green base coat. The Stugs have gone through a color transformation. The other Panzers and vehicles shall follow soon.
PREVIOUSLY 
The Group Picture–Stugs are at the back row of this picture
CURRENTLY
The Stugs display an olive green, dark green, gray, and red-brown, in an ambush pattern I saw at the Patton museum.
I have used these paints and some others I had at the paint bench.
| Color/ Couleurs | Code/Codé |
| Red-Brown / Rouge-Marron |
Vallejo 982 |
| Gray / Gris |
Vallejo 995 |
| Green-Brown / Vert-Marron |
Vallejo 114 |
| German Camo Orange / Brun-Orange |
Vallejo 128 |
Painting camouflage can be a daunting task. I have seen too many paint schemes. I have received a lot of expert advice from arm-chair generals. The camouflage I present here matches my collection very nicely.
I decided to go with a plausible paint discipline for Northwestern Europe in 1944 that has some historical precedence. Likewise, I think the pattern shown in the Stug picture will work well in the forests of Belgium and in the towns and villages of France and Germany, the most likely wargame terrain though which my forces will dash.
A bit of highlight and a wash with ink should finish these minis.
A First Glance
An gaggle of Grognards, Old Guard Grenadier ready for a primer coat.
15mm Old Guard Grenadiers newly mounted on painting caps
I like a tan shade with a lot of tooth. Krylon™ matte tan primer fits the bill; will not obliterate details at 15mm-18mm; covers well with thin (really thin) application; has a quick nearly odorless dry. I have to admit, the details on a mini are the main reason I choose one over another producer.
After a long session of painting straps, webbing, and various accoutrements, I will happily paint a battalion in great coats and shako covers. My collection has minis from several producers.
I enjoy the firing pose with fixed bayonet ready-for-action.
Very detailed for a 15mm mini
This mini is incomplete at this time. It is my study for blocking in the painting. I paint in assembly line fashion with ‘uniform’ armies like the French of Napoleon, King George’s Loyal Army, and Romans.
The remaining battalion await en billet for their turns under the lights.
And a back view; see how thin I primed this mini; note the bottle cap for the evidence.
Part of the technique calls for patience to add several thin layers of color. Smooth paint mixing is another quirky skill I am trying to master. Then the illusion of light with shadows and brightness must be natural for the mini otherwise I turn out a ‘painterly’ product with a tinge of the ‘artificial’ look I try to avoid.
I like hints of shadow over against something ‘staged’ mainly because I am not very proficient at painting, yet.
Bon chance!
Discussion about military equipment color, pattern, and variations can make for interesting side lights to this hobby, variation being the operative word here.
I like to have some good reference sources within reach for the varied interests I pursue in Wargaming. Recently with a 15mm Flames of War Panzer repaint project I nosed around in some of my source materials. I was reminded of a fairly good and inexpensive book that may be of interest to others.
German Tanks of World War II In Color (MBI Pub., 2000) is well organized by tank type; light to heavy with a few wheeled support vehicles included. It is mainly a book of color representations of German Panzers in collections or on static displays. The pictures tend to be the average coloration with few historical unit references. That is fine. The book gives a good feel of the fundamental colors and a few camouflage patterns. Tank fluff is mainly good.
What is missing? Only the paint…well sorta.
Examples of the Panzer III N and Panzer IV F1 and Horch Kfz 15 light transport as they would appear if I had assembled them from the package. These are the same minis from the previous post sans cammo.
Some re-assembly required
SuperClean loosened the paint down to the primer. After about twelve hours of sitting in the SuperClean bath the hard work was over. Nice paint-free minis. I have soaked minis for a mere four hours and had great results. Varnishes and sealers require more time.
As a precaution I used nitrile gloves for this project. SuperClean is caustic to skin. I need my skin.
A very soft toothbrush served as the scrubber. Now the Panzers and transports sparkle, resin and pewter glory.
Some re-assembly is required
The glacis plate and main gun bits came off. I suppose the previous owner had used a PVA type glue. CA a.k.a. cyanoacrylate adhesives and ‘hot glues’ usually do not succumb to SuperClean™. PVA or polyvinyl acetate or ‘white glue’ however melt to mush.
I like SuperClean for this type project. It is friendly to most plastics, resins, and pewters. Old School lead will not withstand the powerful action however.
Some solvents and paint removers are not-so-kind to resin. I learned a hard lesson with denatured alcohol and resin. It will destroy resin of the Battlefront™ variety.
Soon it will be off to the spray booth for a little airbrush love.
I was fortunate to receive the option to acquire a shoe box brimming with Flames of War™ (FoW) German Panzer and Mechanized minis from a friendly games shop owner.
Recent Acquisition off to the Soaking Tub
The color scheme does not fit my present FoW Northwest Europe German collection. There will be a FoW Campaign in the Autumn. I have U.S. paratroop units and this box of minis will add to the German units I plan to enter in the Devil’s Charge. This time the confrontation with the Allies in the later months of 1944 will be in 15mm scale as soon as the old paint is removed and a fresh coating is applied.
The First Batch for Paint Removal
My friend suggested a repaint and I agree. Recently several British Cromwell tanks and an entire Churchill platoon went from the drying shelf to the soaking tub. The paint would not adhere to the primer, my fault of course, for which I was truly sorry. Glub-glub off into SuperClean™.
Repaint and thin no more!
See more @ Battlefront Flames of War ™
———————————
What is the best product to remove paint safely from minis?
Have a go, your comments will be welcome here!
ANNE’S REAVER
The challenge: build a pirate ship for 25mm / 28mm game play. I could reveal more demands from the twisted mind who created this challenge but that would be giving in to a long post and the bitterest grog — minutiae.
We use the late Warhammer Historical Legends of the High Seas rules.
Legends of the High Seas–no infringement intended to copyrighted material
I think balsa, foam core, card-stock and some serious / hefty reinforcements because gamers are ham-fisted and break things easily. I want to use “Anne’s Reaver” more than once. I cannot wait to see her on display. All the entries get a spot in the window.
The top three Win, Place, and Show get the prizes. Just completing a Pirate Ship will be satisfying, but who am I to lower expectations. Show me the Loot!
My only concern is the naval guns for the ship. Purchased items are restricted. In the gray area are the guns for the ship; they should be ‘mainly’ scratch built.
The plan for “Anne’s Reaver” calls for 20 cannons. That is almost a cool $130 USD; not going to happen. I have a process that should yield enough gun carriages, efficiently, and cheaply. So I am half-way to having the cannon.
Twenty cannons arrangement will be flavorful and will represent a mighty threatening Buccaneer crew.
Someone may buy their cannons but the prize and the glory will be hard-won and a stinging reminder of what happens when someone must ‘win-at-all-cost’ quite literally.
Here is a snap of the prototype 28mm naval canon carriage.See the image for the explanation.
Gun Carriages for Anne’s Reaver
The trucks (or wheels) are complete now, but frugality and brevity are twins.
This is an impression or perusal of Napoleon at War, a Napoleonics rules set by Man at War / Spain that our ‘games group’ has elected to use. This is anything but a review.
As I read the rule book, Napoleon at War, I do appreciate the clarity of the presentation. Rules can be dry reading and tedious. The design is good; the illustrations accommodate the text marvelously. The illustrations and graphic embellishments enhance the text. Some have complained of errors in the narrative, however, my copy is well edited.
The rules as a whole have received good marks for playability, ‘and so say all of us’. That was the tag line at my local games shop.
Please wait a minute, group, I like the evaluation en masse approach, but I have searched for several years for fun, easy, straightforward rules. Let me make up my own mind. Thank you.
Now, I think Napoleon at War has achieved the “straightforward” criteria nicely. I am reading through the book at a little less than half finished with the ‘Combat Phase’ at present. I have finished ‘Movement’ and ‘Firing’. So easy to play will prove out or not later.
I like the Command and Control mechanic Man at War has as a feature of play. On another point, I was a bit perplexed by ‘move the General or Sub-commander last’ idea, however, after some thought I suppose the rule will work well on the table. Such common sense notions are welcome. One can discern play testing was done by and with the same wily scoundrels we all encounter whilst gaming.
I am committed to the Spanish War of Independence or Peninsular Campaign. My favorite units are the Spanish Partisan forces. Irregular units was one of the reasons I chose the Peninsular theater of operations. The Guerrillas were particularly telling on the outcome of the long war in Spain. Further personal interests with Wellington, Diez, Soult, Ney, and de Marmount as well as other considerations from Goya (The Third of May 1808) to Cornwell (Sharpe) influenced my decision to fight in Spain, figuratively. Keep the pun, please.
Well done, Sirs. The principals at Man at War deserve hearty congratulations. Thus far, the rules appear to be very playable. Now to see if my initial hope will be well founded on the game table.
Man at War: http://www.manatwar.es/
Devereux's Volunteer Company of Misfits & Ridiculous Diversions 