What have I been painting?

I've been spending some time trying to clear the loose ends on various projects in between painting the Quar. With my current Quar all painted up I thought I better post these before my memory fades. First up was the last 4 gladiators that I had. There was a Murmillo, 3d printed by Mitch, 2 Secutors and a Thraex from Crusader miniatures.

This brings me up to 18 Gladiators, 4 lions and a bear. I think I have most of the more common types covered. Probably just 1 or 2 more to complete the collection. Next up was a few bits and pieces for my Afrika Corps to represent the 609th Flak battalion for the Tebega gap scenario. There is a Sdkfz 10/1 SP 20mm and a Sdkfz 7/1 SP Quad 20mm AA. There is also an additional Quad 20mm AA gun.

The last things I painted up were 3 Scots Covenanter regiments for Simon. I do have a fourth nearing completion. Then I can paint up the lancers and dragoons and get them all posted off.

I'll be so pleased when the last of the ECW figures are done. I can hopefully make a start on my Republican Romans.

Rapid fire Reloaded - first game

So last night my DAK forces got their first game in. A 200 point force with a 50 point support option against Mitch's New Zealanders commanded by Sean. Mitch concentrating on the rules and umpiring the game. Pretty certain we got a few things wrong with the rules, but they seem quite quick to pick up and easy enough to play. For future games a stat sheet for the vehicles in use for quick reference would speed  up the game while learning the rules. As you play them more, less need for a reference sheet.

I didn't produce a AAR so just some photos of the game. In essence it was a meeting encounter in the desert. My Panzers attacked down the left, knocking out a couple of Shermans before eventually being caught in a crossfire and forced to retire. On the right my infantry and artillery got into a slugging match with their New Zealander counterparts, by games end it looked about honours even.

DAK artillery advancing

Panzers sweeping across the desert

New Zealanders appear

First casualty of the day

1st company moving up to support the gun line

Let's get them two Shermans

Bren carriers. These were a pain all game

Bail out!!!

1st Sherman taken out

The second one up in smoke as well

1st Panzer IV taken out from a Grant hiding in the dunes

2nd Panzer IV knocked out by artillery

3rd Company deploy to support the Stug

Lots of New Zealander infantry advancing

So, we go again next week. Mitch is organising a smaller scenario as we continue to learn the rules. Must admit, I enjoyed the game and looking forward to the next one.

Last minute DAK additions

So with 1 day to go to their first game  I needed to add a little extra firepower to the army. First up is the Pak40 75mm AT gun, just in case Dave fields plenty of armour. The model and crew are all from Peter Pig.

Next up was a pair of 105mm howitzer. Lovely models from Forged in battle.

The last addition was a pair of 81mm mortars, these are from Peter Pig.

I've now got the last of the AT guns and crew on the painting table. I just need my order of MDF bases to arrive for them. Dave also kindly dropped of the last of the 3d printed vehicles for me. 7 sdkfz 10s to tow the AT guns. 1 though will be used for my early war Germans.

Once these are done I can get back to the last remaining units for the Marston Moor game.

More DAK

With my first game on Thursday night getting closer, a few more figures crossed the finish line. First up is a battalion commander with a 50mm mortar team and 3 spare bases of riflemen. These are all from forged in battle.

The second batch is some sdkfz 10s to tow my AT guns. These 4 are from forged in battle. Just need to get the drivers painted up.

Now I have a race on to get a few more pieces done for Thursday. Doubt I'll get them all done but I've a Pak40, 2 x 105mm howitzer, 6 Pak38s and 2 x 81mm mortar teams on the painting table.

A few more DAK vehicles

I've made some more progress on these. I am aiming at the 400 point force from the Tebaga gap handbook which should give a decent size force with plenty of options. So first up is a Sdkfz253 OP halftrack, an additional kubelwagon and a Opel Maultier command truck. These are all 3d prints provided by Mitch.

Next up is a couple of Sdkfz 11 prime movers to tow some 105mm howitzers, when I get around to getting them painted up, These are also 3d prints from Mitch.

The last two are a couple of Panzer IIs, again 3d prints from Mitch. I love these small early war tanks, useful for recce but not a real match against other tanks.

So another 7 vehicles were added to the pool. I've got four sdfkz10s on the painting table. There is also a number of AT guns to do but I need to order some bases first as I've run out.

DAK Vehicles

After my Normandy trip, I finally managed to pick up a paint brush again and get a few more vehicles done for the DAK. These are a mix of tanks and transports. First up is 3 more Opel blitz trucks. These are from Forged in battle. They are just a fraction smaller than the others I have and come with a moulded on base. I still added them to my MDF bases which hides the size difference.

Next up is another 3 Panzer IIIs. The workhorse tank of the early DAK forces. These are all Zvezda kits. Nice and quick to put together.

Lastly was a pair of tanks I picked up off EBAY. They were labelled as Panzer IIIs, but 1 is a Panzer IV. They are both Battlefront miniatures. They are slightly bulkier that the Zvezda kits. However the Panzer III has the short barrelled 75mm which I needed for the army and Zvezda does not produce one.

So I now have built up quite a collection of vehicles for my DAK forces. I will need to concentrate on adding more artillery, AT guns and tractors to round the army out.

So 31 vehicles done. I've got a couple of Panzer IIs's and 4 Sdkfz 10s to get done in readiness for their first game.

DAK Transport

In the Desert war mobility is the  key. So my infantry will need plenty of transports to keep up with the Panzers. 

So the first batch is 5 Opel Blitz trucks, will need some more of these. The 2 on the left were printed by Mitch, the other 3 are from Paint and Glue.

Next up is 3 Hanomags. 2 of these had a miscast front wheel and the models were not as well defined. Mitch was going to throw them away. I persuaded him not to, used a bit of modelling pitty to create a dodgy wheel. They'll be fine on the tabletop.

Lastly is a couple of Kubelwagons and Steyr heavy cars. These were printed by Mitch with the exception of the Kubelwagon in the centre which is from Paint and Glue.

And here they are all together. Will definitely need some more as well as plenty of tractors for pulling the AT guns.

I'm getting down to the last few models and figures to complete before needing more. Shame I've run out of undercoat to get the last 3 Panzer IIIs done.

433rd Panzergrenadier, C Company plus supports

With all the rain yesterday in the north east, I got plenty of time to get some painting done. So here they are, C Company, 433rd Panzergrenadier. Like both A and B companies these are all from Forged in battle. Their boxed sets are great value.

Now all infantry needs supports, so I needed to get some of these added. These are the 1st 4 of 8 HMG teams. Their is also a couple of Pak38s (I need another 6 of these).

Lastly, I just had to have one. No German force is complete with at least one of these 'big cats'. Also it annoys Mitch. So a Tiger I from the plastic Soldier company. I've had this sat un-built for years. You may also notice I've started adding some decals to the vehicles.

Very happy with my output on these. 3 companies of infantry, 6 support teams and 11 vehicles in less than 2 weeks.  Still got a few things need adding, namely some trucks, more AT guns, mortars, AA Guns and a few more tanks. Hopefully get a game in when I get back from Normandy next week.

Should get back to the ECW shortly.