Mad March

  More Mad March modelling madness completed, this time a soviet radio truck from ICM, I had a devil of a time fitting the wheel arches, but it is together! 

Cheers

Matt

Mad March Wip II

I purchased these last year in preparation to add artillery support to my American Armour, I have also pitched some 155mm towed but need tractors for them to complete the battery. 

These are fast build Italeri, I think I had them built in around 3 hours. Nice little fast build kits although the tracks leave a little to be desired. I will add American crews from Alder or AB after I have painted them. 

Cheers

Matt

Mad March WIP

 The kit building commenced this week for my mad march entry on the Wargamers Forum. 

First up some 1/72 resin and plastic bits for my Egyptians and a Star Wars X wing Revell model. 

Resin Armo BTR 50 model

A had to add new plastic bits as the model I purchased second hand was knocked around not looking forward to the wire grips and fitting the resin tracks this weekend. 

ACE models BTR 50.

Like all ACE kits a bit of a challenge, single track links are driving me nuts, plus I need to add wire grab handles. 

ICM BTR60 

Lovely kit, lots of detail bits, careful when sanding as I broke sone of the fiber parts.

Revell X Wing 

lovely little kit went together in 20 mins. I did manage to break the laser sponson with a drop ….. :(

Hopefully complete this weekend for the entry 

Cheers

Matt

Birthday Haul

 Last week was my 55th birthday, as a treat we visited the champagne district of France, we stayed in Épernay then visited a number of champagne house (17), Reims cathedral and Museum and managed three 1814 Napoleonic battle locations. When I returned home I had a number of packages awaiting pick up.

The most exciting was the Old Guard band by Warlord Games, some books on Stalingrad, French Indian war bits, French Waterloo uniforms, American airborne medics in Normandy, six T54 for my ongoing Egyptian project for Yom Kippur war, a new gardening trowel and sone zinnias for my garden. 

Very blessed with great gifts from Vanessa, Allison, Mum, and my mates. 

Cheers

Matt

Egyptian BM-13NMM "Katiusha"

BM-13NMM "Katiusha"

Next unit for my Egyptian army is a multiple rocket launcher mounted on a ZIL 131 truck. I actually need to paint my BM21 Grad launchers too.

 I have only seen these in use for the 56 parades, they are listed in the 18th battalion but not used in combat use for 6 day war or Yom Kippur that I am aware of. I will use these in support of my infantry mechanised brigade.

The kit is from ICM models. The kit was missing the Armoured flash shield, I should actually build one! 

Cheers

Matt

Crusaders! Part one

 I know I promised myself, but off the rails already when I pulled these guys out of the drawer last week and painted them at the end of last week. The miniatures are from gripping beast and have painted up nicely, the lances are from Mirliton, shields hand painted. These chaps will join my new outremer army.

Cheers

Matt

Vendee / Chouannerie - French Revolution Project

 Vendee/Chouannerie Project 

This year as one of my major projects I want to complete my French Revolution Project and associated Royal Catholic Armee and French Revolution army. I have also been working on a ruleset at 1/10 figure scale over the last 5 years and hopefully will get it published later this year. 

I really want to fight five of  the battles from the great Galerne that are within 20 to 80klm of my house and involved a number of our neighbors families and the Hercé family that lived in our house. Both the French and the Royal Catholic armies are quite small so it suits to reduce the representation factor of units and makes leaders for troop inspiration more important. 

Eventually by the end of the year I want to have a big enough army to replay a few of the local smaller battles and within two years the larger ones like Le Mans, Entrammes, Chateau Gontier,  and Dole Bretagne.  

My first units will be a few Revolution French and some of the royalist additions to Chouan collection.

Cheers

Matt

Fallschirmjager two

  The remaining rifle platoon of warlord metal and plastic figures, overall quite happy with them, support crews to come. 

Egyptian Cold War transports

 

 Egyptian army 67-73 part 1 transport

First up some transport for my Egyptians, I have a mix of plastic, Diecast and resin models from grubby tanks, some 3d printed models. The plastic kit include trucks, APCs, midsole trucks, artillery, plus T55s, T34/85 and SU100. I do need to add some more detail bits to them, but good to get them done for our club games next month. 

First up my first troop transport trucks. 

Cheers

Matt

Napoleonic French casualties

  I have been busy this last week since returning and have managed a number of hours at the desk. First up some 28mm Napoleonic French casualties from old glory and out of ammunition markers. A simple afternoons painting, then basing on warbases dials, ready for General de Brigade or Grand Armee games. 

Cheers

Matt 

Fallschirmjager Part one

  Next off the desk are some fallshirmjager that I have been working on since before Christmas, I detest camo at 28mm it is hard to capture in scale…. The miniatures are from Warlord and will be used in my skirmish collection, although I am not that impressed with the figures and may sell them on I think. 

Squad one

Sniper

Officer 

Action shot!

Cheers

Matt

A Cunning plan - 2024

2024 A cunning plan 

This year I will be back in Oz for Christmas up to Cancon convention then back to France in March.  Big plans this year hopefully they will all meet some success! Wargames bookings are almost complete with only a few Wargame holiday weeks remaining in May, June and July, otherwise complete. 

Plans this year in no particular order

• 18mm AB French infantry brigade or more 
• 28mm WW2 (I know I swore I would not but ……
• 28mm ancient Greeks just to compete the army really
• 28mm ancient Germans (left overs from last years project yes there are more) 
• 28mm Caesarian Roman’s 
• 20mm Cold War Warpac, complete two battalion motorised infantry, vehicles, artillery and support equipment 60 infantry, 20-30 odd vehicles and 2 aircraft and one chopper. For my VDV (Quite a few kits to build)
• 20mm Yom Kippur Egyptian vehicles and aircraft 16 vehicles and two aircraft. (Assembling of kits required) 
• 28mm Napoleonic Prussians, British, Austrians and French infantry and cavalry  60-80 figs (undercoated, and several hundred to assemble) additions. 
• Random 20mm vehicles, ww2 Dutch, ww2 Belgian, allied and German, just so I do not waste airbrush time really! (Lots prepared) 
• Gaslands cars - 8-10 matchbox cars to be converted about 20 crew plus some terrain. 
• 1/72 Ww1 aircraft more allied and Jasta builds (need to be built) 

I will also try to do a few pieces mostly at a whim and if it involves ww2 or modern aircraft (which I love building), random theme pieces, naval or space ships perhaps also. .

All the best to everyone this year, may you produce pieces of art worthy of the brush God!

Cheers

MattW 

French Wargame Holidays

Mayenne, France

More Germanics

  After 80 days on Holiday in Australia in the sun I have returned to France and based up some of the figures I completed whilst being away. I had a small shopping spree at Cancon Australias largest Wargames convention around 25 thousand people over 4 days playing tabletop games plus general public. It was great to catch up with a few of the mates, look at some great looking tables and games and help my unpainted pile grow a little where I clocked the business class baggage allowance by 2kg…..! 

AHPC Aussie “bad batch” with my first purchase French guard cavalry 

I brought these Germanics with me on holidays in Oz, where they travelled the east coast for 1300klm, every  now and then I managed to get quite a few painted when there was wet weather or we were not visiting friends. I failed in my planning bring enough transfers to complete all of the painted ones. So now ordered and hopefully they will arrive some time this week. 

The figures are a mix of Warlord Germanics, Foundry Germanics and some hand painted and decal shields. 

28mm Warband One

28mm warband two

Archer unit one 

Archer unit two

Slinger unit one

Slinger two

Slinger three 

Cheers
Matt