Back to the desert in WW2

Did I need more allied infantry for North Africa - No, but these new Strelets sets were too nice too ignore. Firstly their Australian Infantry in Attack and Heavy Weapons assembled into a platoon plus supports

Only Boyes AT rifles are missing, but I probably have enough anyway. The 2 inch mortar and radio operator are conversions from other Strelets sets.

I've already got the infantry for the Free French, but the Strelets heavy weapons set will give them a boost.

Finally, not really the desert but a pair of US 155mm M1 long toms from my latest print run. I'll need to sort out some suitable crews for these.

WSS French Dragoons plus one Dutch

It's taken a while to get these done, they are, a combination of the Strelets Dragoons "in attack" and "on the march". Five were painted as French and one as Dutch. I went for a varied set of uniforms rather than matching an orbat.

Regiment Royal (just spotted I didn't finish the lace on the drummer

Regiment Asfeld/Hauefort/Saumery

Regiment Grammont/Beauffremont

Regiment Lesparre/Granville

Mestre-de-Camp General Regiment

Finally the Dutch Guard Dragoons also called Eppingers

And the printer is back in action

My first batch straight off the printer, but having checked all are about 10% undersized.

The Dutch Napoleonic Infantry are regretably undersized compared to my British Army. They match quite well to the original Springwood figures at 20mm sole of foot to eye, but not to the 22mm second edition Springwood figures that I used. The Pak$£ are also undersized, somehow I forgot to enlarge them from my previous print run and now I have three approx 1/87 scale versions!

On the Workbench - March 2022

Is it March already? It seems like I've only just started February. So I'm way behind plan and family has revealed that they will descend on us in late April/May. So it is time to fire up the printer so space can be cleared in sufficient time. So on that basis my plan is

• French Dragooons and one Dutch for the WSS - just undercoated
• More British & French Cavalry for the WSS
• Australian infantry and heavy weapons for North Africa WW2
• Free French Foreign Legion heavy weapons for North Africa WW2
• Restart resin 3D printing with some 20mm Napoleonics

Best wishes for the future to all Ukrainians at the moment, please donate to the DEC appeal in the UK or whatever is possible locally.

Re-equipping my French army for 1940

A very large batch of 3D printed resin has now been finished, with all the French vehicles I could find files for. I have subsequently found more I "need" and I'll print them when I next start up the printer. The basis was the equipment needed to fit the orbats in the new Rapid Fire books for 1940. The mass:-

The Laffly S20, ten are needed for the two Dragons-Portee battalions in a DLM, plus a couple of modifications to produce portees for 25mm ATG's. Although I have some of these I have bought the files so I can print off more.

A pair of Chemilette-Lorraines with trrop carrying trailers for my for Chasseurs Mecanises in a DCR. I need to print a couple of fuel trailers for another scenario.

AMR35s for the cavalry, quite weak but as good as a Panzer I. I need to print some ZT-1 turrets to be upgrade them with a later fittes HMG. I also haven't finally decided whether to give them disruptive camouflage.

A Renault AHN to provide some heavy transport and a Laffly S20 Radio truck, a really lovely model.

Finially the remnants, a pair of requestioned Citroen-Avant cars accompany a Citroen P28 AMR halftrack (The body was an EWM reject, I just printed a turret). The Citroens had quite weak wheels that had to be supported.

The main STL file I still need to find is one for the Latil field car and ideally a Paris bus such as a Renault TN4 or TN6.

Cavalry for the '45 and SYW

These are the new releases from Redbox for the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, but they will work just as well for the Seven Years War. I painted up 6 units from 4 boxes and by using a few Jacobite left overs added a trio of generals. Only Dragoons were present in the '45. The Horse was in Germany. Since I already had some cavalry I painted one as British and the other two as Hanovarian

The 3rd Dragoon Guards

Hanovarian Lieb Regiment

Hanovarian Dachenhausen Cavalry

9th Dragoons, not involved in the '45 but could replace the 11th that fought at Culloden if needed as it also had buff facings.

13th or Gardiner's Dragoons, performed appallingly at Prestonpans and not much better at Falkirk

14th or Hamilton’s Dragoons, didn't perform any better. Neither regiment participated at Culloden, but the 10th Dragoons who were there had yellow facings.