Reinforcements for the BEF

AS part of my final push towards NYE, Here's some of my new 3D printed resin vehicle for the BEF, plus a little bit of old rework.

Some Matilda Mk I. It's quite iconic, and quite expensive to buy, and my single milicast models feels quite fragile. By comparison these are quite robust having been printed in one piece plus the turret

A13 Cruiser tanks, quite good for the period but rushed into combat with inevitable results

A pair of specials a Mk VI light tank with an AA turret and a Guy armoured car the predecessor to the Humber, plus a First to Fight 37mm Bofors AT gun.

Finally some rework, these were originally painted for my German army back in the mists of time when very few trucks were available. The body is Airfix, but the cargo deck and tilt on three came from some soft plastic toys, that for some reason had this part moulded in polystyrene (I never managed to find any more of them)

A quick diversion to the Middle East

A pair of Austin armoured cars for Dunsterforce.

Dunsterforce operated in Northern Iran and Southern Caucasus in the period after the Russian Revolution

Napoleonic cavalry for Christmas

Jsu completed these few units over the festivities, They are the latest Strelets Austrian Uhlans and Russian Hussars

The bulk of the Hussars made a unit of Akhtyrka in memory of my long departed Hinton Hunt figures that were painted as the same regiment. Behind them is the Soum Hussars of which the four figurs on the left are new and the others were an incomplete unit I painted a while ago.

The Austrian Uhlans are from the 1st Merveldt regiment and fill a missing gap in my coverage of the Austrian army

Second Japanese Platoon completed

The figures for the second platoon were mainly those from the Strelets IJA in defence.

Asthere was one figure with a flag I had to try and paint a rising sun on it.

Catching up with the backlog

Vehicle crews for my 3D printed vehicles, most are Plastic Soldier. There are also a couple of Kettenkraftrads that had integral crews.

An early Christmas

With just days to spare I managed to acquire the much desired new releases from Strelets

Thanks to Models2U for their great service at this time of year

A new period - WW2 Pacific

Having previously sold off all my old unpainted Japanese as a project too far, I'm now back painting Japanese for Battlegroup Pacific. Dewfinately supported by the latest releases from Strelets. To start, my first platoon mainlt created using Strelets Japanese in Tropical dress so plenty of shorts.

Close up of the rifle squads

The light mortar squad

The 2 man HQ with extras such as an AT rifle, lunge mine and rifle grenade

Recon 2021

On Saturday I had my first and last show for the year Recon at Pudsey, Leeds (not counting the Warboots at Penkridge), So it was a pleasure to meet up with friends and other wargamers again. Unfortunately a number of traders and games failed to make it because of Covid and despite the lower numbers the cafe ran out of tea and coffee.
As usual I was with the Lance & Longbow Society and the game was a what-if from the Italian Wars. We played the game twice before the visitors dried up.

I was intriguiged by the 6mm Sudan game

Nearby was a lovely dark age bash "Ragnarok"

I only bought a couple of books and some brushes, but I did manage to sell off some of the surplus from the stash. I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed for York next year.

Wargame Amateur also has some pictures on his blog (link)

On the workbench - December 2021

It's certaainly been a roller coaster year and my painting and modelling has seen the same. The big change was the unplanned purchase of a 3D resin printer, that threw my plans into disarray. For December I will try and get a bit back on track and give myself a clear start for the new year. So I will work on.

• Crews for my 3D printed vehicles.
• More WW2 Japanese. 
• Napoleonc Austrian Uhlans 
• Napoleonic Russian Hussars 
• BEF tanks that I printed earlier in the year 
• and attempt to finish off as many of the odd bits that are lying around.

WSS Artillery - British and French

Just scraped in before the end of the month, my artillery for the War of Spanish Succession, The figures are a mix of the new Strelets sets plus some Zvezda Great Northern War figures. The guns are the same, I didn't use the smaller gun included in the Strelets set. Limbers are Revell Thirty Years War

French

British

I did notice that I forgot to add the map to the top of the barrel on the command Vignette.

Some useful Soviet bits & pieces

All Resin printed except the figures, from left to right a B4 howitzer limber (for whenever I need to move my 203mm gun), a mine roller for a T34 and a Field Kitchen

The Mine Roller is simply positioned in front of a T34 to make a PT-34. It works so easily that I'll have to print another one!

Every army marches on its stomach so this bit of rear area clutter just needed to be added.

Yet more WSS Cavalry

Another batch of War of Spanish Succession Cavalry. All Strelets and there seems to be plenty more in the pipeline to keep me busy in 2022.

Wyndham's Horse will complete Palme's Brigade for Blenheim

French Grenadiers a Cheval, I didn't need them, but since Strelets produced them and they look unusual I had to get them.

French Gentlemens Regiments La Baume and Tarnau part of Broglie's Brigade at Blenheim. A painting conversion of the Strelets British Cavalry

Alongside the French cavalry are a couple of new French Commanders.

A slight diversion - Gladiators

While back I bought a set of EM4 pre-painted gladiators at Penkridge warboot sale. I have now got around to basing them properly so they can be used for games.

US selection for NW Europe

Continuing on painting my printed resin vehicles this time my yanks gain a number of bits to "complete" my collection.

A trio of M10s, I only printed the turrets, the hull are from Fujimi M36, so I could switch them over as needed.

The middle vehicle has the Fujimi turret

A Dodge "Carryall" and 6x4 truck

An extra M12 to match my Fujimi model. I sold off its original partner a distictly larger Italeri model. Behind is a GMC Pontoon truck complete with pontoon.

More British for NW Europe

Another bach of 3D printed resin vehicles completed, this time to fill some gaps in my Commonwealth force for 1944-45

Some Recce, a couple of Staghounds, an AEC armoured car, with a Canandian Otter, I have left any decals off the Otter until I can sort out some Canadian ones. The others have markings for the Household Cavalry when they were part of VIII Corps

A couple of Archers and a Valentine XI command tank to support my 43rd Wessex.

A pair of D8 Armoured bulldozers, something I have wanted to add to my forces ever since the RF D-Day supplement. They flank a Ram OP tank for my PSC Sextons.

Looking at the pictures I need to put some more matt varnish on the decals

On the workbench - November 2021

The 3D printed resin mountain is slowly beginning to subside and I plan to be working on

• British vehicles for North West Europe - well underway
• US vehicles for ditto - well underway
• WSS 3 x French and 1 x British cavalry regiment - primed and ready to start painting
• WSS British & French Artillery
• Then start work on my WW2 Pacific Japanese.

Marmon Herrington's and friend

For may years I have desired some Marmon Herrington's in my collection especially after the 2009 Battleaxe Big Game, however it has taken till now to acquire (3D print) and paint some and I'm really happy.

Backup is provided by an Indian pattern carrier, a shame I couldn't find a larger decal for the 4th Indian Division

All for one

Or not finished for quite a while, my latest collection of King's Musketeers and Cardinal's Guards from Strelets.

The mounted figures

King & Musketeers

Cardinal & Guards

Various French "Gentlemen" with a General

The new cavalry merged with the old Mars version

The duelists

The rest of the foot figures

I added a couple of the Ultima Ratio Musketeers so I could make a complete musketeer unit for Pikemen's Lament.

There weren't quite enough for the Cardinal's Guards, but I'll just add the halberdiers in when needed.