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Friday 28 December 2018

Australian Sniper, Flamethrower, 2 Inch Mortar, Anit-Tank Rifle, FO and Medic in the PACIFIC 28mm

Here are some more Support teams for my Late war Australian in the Pacific.
I have used a mix of Perry 28mm plastic and metal figures with some conversion done to transform them into Aussies.

Spot the Aussie sniper in the jungle.
Completed figures.
Medic,Flamethrower and sniper, all are Perry 8th army plastic miniatures which have been converted to represent Australian troops in the Pacific.
To convert these plastics:
  1.  I first tapered off the bottom portion of the shorts with a hobby knife and applied Green stuff putty to convert them into long trousers.
  2. Trimmed off the plastic helmet and replaced some of the figures with the a metal Australian slouch hat, again available from Perry miniatures.
  3. The medic was a made by matching up 2 different body torso pieces.  
  • * The flamethrower was scratch build with plastic sprues, brass rod and Evergreen styrene pieces and whatever was lying around.
  • * The sniper's scope was added from the Late war British kit and a piece of  branch was used to represent the fallen trunk of a tree.

Medic, FO (metal figure) and sniper 
Medic
 

Anti-tank rifle team both figures are metal Perry figures.

Flamethrower 


2" mortar team, Perry metal figures 


Cheers John 

Tuesday 18 December 2018

AUSTRALIAN MATILDA TANK 28mm


This is the first of many Support options for my Late War Australian Platoon in the Pacific theater. 
The model is a 28mm, Warlord games resin model.
I used  my previous posted  tutorial for painting British vehicle as a guide to paint this model, using Vallejo Model colour 'Russian Uniform' for the overall colour of the vehicle.



 Matilda crossing a clearing in the jungle.

VMC 'Russian Uniform' was used for the base colour of the vehicle. 

I was not sure what colour to paint the tankers' beret, so I just made it black as the British tankers beret. 

The water line marker was painted using  Vallejo Game Color 'Carme Marron Tan' with a touch of brown added to darken it slightly .

The light colour pipping from the engine bay to the exhaust was painted using VMC white grey and coated with a wash of Nulin oil.

VMC Flat Earth was used for the mud effect.

Spare tracks where painted with VMC Black Grey and washed with VMC Cavalry Brown.

In order to field any version of the Matilda, (2 pounder,Close support or Flamethrower)

I  deepen the hole in the gun turret using a hand drill. and milled metal rods using my hand motor in the desired  shapes to simulate the different gun barrels.


Thanks to John 'Truscott Trotter' for pointing out the colour of the beret was  brown  and TasminP for pointing out my mistake with the insignia number.

This is the brush I used to apply the highlighting  coats on the panels of the tank after the initial base coat was applied, its just a cheap brush but does the job.

Cheers John 

Saturday 4 August 2018

WATER TOWER

My inspiration for scratch building a water tower came from reading, Chain of Command, At the Sharp End. page 12 describes the Terrain for a campaign, stating the presents of a water tower in the middle of a wheat field.
Hence I decided to add a water tower to my collection of buildings.



Completed Water tower

Poster added for a bit of interest
Water gauge is added next to the ladder on the water tank.
The tower separates , accommodating a maximum of one Team.

HOW I MADE IT:
To make the tower I raided the recycling bin and salvaged 2  containers, one made from plastic, the other cardboard.
I reduced the height of both containers to 7cm with the use of box cutters.

Trimmed cardboard strips into strips of 4cm x 1cm to the simulate the metal plates surrounding the water tank.
Glue the cardboard strips in place with PVA glue.
I was fortunate to find an inverted lid which was fixed in place with super glue. 
If you are unable to find such a lid, you can improvise by cutting a thick piece of cardboard and glue it in place about a cm above the lip of the on a normal lid creating a raised area.
This the lid for the bottom portion of the water tower.
cut out the inner portion of the lid with hobby knife.
lid is super glued in place on top of the stone portion of the water tower and glued a single layer of cardboard strips just below the edge.

Used a hand grinder to etch details onto the plastic container.

Drilled 2 holes thru the plastic lid to accommodate 2 water overflow tubes.


Glued in place tubes and below is the view from the inside of the container.



Based the tower on 15cm x 13cm MDF, the ladders where made with metal wire cut to size and fixed in place with a soldering iron.

Ladder glued in place.
Primed with black undercoat.




  • I used Tamiya color  Acrylic Paint XF-6 to carefully wet brush the exterior of the tank allowing the black primer to show through.
  • For the stone  portion of the building I use stone grey and highlighted with some ivory mixed in with stone grey. I then used different washes to stain individual stones.
  • For the water I first painted PVA glue on the surface of the plastic to create a bit of a ripple. Once dry I use Vallejo Model colour Black Green to paint over the PVA, while still wet I mixed in a bit of Vallejo Model colour Iquai sand into the Black Green paint  and painted the water close to the rim of the tank.
  • I applied two coats of Tamiya X-22 to the surface of the water to a bit of a shine.

some images found on the web of water towers I used for inspiration.




cheers John 



Friday 27 July 2018

Saving the Honourable "Tootles" Ash Scenario , AAR

In the Toofatlardies 2016 Summer special, page 124 is a scenario:


Just before Operation Overlord "Tootles" Recon flight  was shot down ,captured and held   prisoner in a Chateau  near the coast of France.
Group Captain Ash cannot be allowed to be transferred to the Gestapo in Paris as he knows and carries a brief case  with vital information for the invasion of Normandy. 
 A rescue plan is put in motion to rescue him.

The table set up with a road leading to the Chateau where Tootles is held.


The British force put together  for the night rescue mission.
2 x Senior Leaders, 2 x Sections, 1 x PIAT team, 1 x ATR team and 1 Sniper (not in photo)
The French resistance has also provided a German truck.


The night of the mission.
 Chateau surrounded by barbed wire.
All the Germans are classed as Green.


2 guards patrol the perimeter of the barbed wire around the chateau using 2D6 for movement and 1D6 to determine which way they are facing at the end  of their movement.
 Another guard is positioned at the front door 1D6 is used to determine which way he is facing after each British Phase. 


A Senior and Junior Leader are on the 1st floor.
One soldier is guarding "Tootlels"


One soldier is manning the LMG on the ground floor day looking out thru the window.


2 x Junior Leaders and a section of infantry are asleep in the top level of a barn with a SdKz 222 and SdKz 250 parked near by.


A guard post is positioned at the start of the road leading to the Chateau.
one soldier is stationary using 1D6 to see which way he is facing each Phase.
Another guard is moving along the outer perimeter of the boom gate using 2D6 for movment and 1D6 for facing.

On the completion of a British Phase all the German guards are activated to roll for movement and which way they will be facing.
They may also attempt to spot thru the dark up to 12" forward and 3" either side of their forward vision rolling 2D6  and rolling higher than the distance as per grenades usage for a successful spot.

Once the general alarm is activated both sides will be is able to see up to 12" forward and 3" either side of their forward vision.

The start of the Mission.
The Senior Leader decides to by pass the road block and  split his  force with 
One Senior Leader, Section and ATR moving tactically thru the wheat field on the right.
One Senior Leader, Junior Leader, Section and PIAT moving on the left.
A Junior Leader and one rifleman are with the truck  off table yet to be deployed.
The sniper is deployed on the wheat field on the right.

As the troops made there way to the designated points they survived 3 close call spotting attempts  by the guards patrolling the perimeter of the barbed wire.


The troops on the right get into position.
the troops on the left also are in position and the senior Leader sends out a man to hopefully silently eliminate the guard but fails on his D6 roll. 

The local alarm is activated.(the images now in colour)
The troops in the Chateau and the barn house are alerted to the penning danger.
while the guards at the boom gate are not yet activated.


The British team on the left put the guard down with rifle fire while the bren kills the guard at the front door. 
With the gun blaring away, the General alarm is activated and the call for reinforcements goes out.

The phase now is the Germans and the LMG is about to be activated to fire but a INTERRUPT by the British allows the section to fire at the German gunner who smashes thru the window onto the ground to join his dead comrade. 


The German player continues with his Phase and moves his troops in the barn down to the ground level hoping to move to the back of the Chateau. 
while the 2 leaders position themselves at the top of the stairs waiting for the inevitable.
As the German has rolled a double Phase he moves his troops out of the barn with one Junior Leader and 2 riflemen rushing towards the Sdkz 222.

With the next Phase the British have entered the ground level of the Chateau but are meet with 5 deadly grenades rolled down the stairs.
3 riflemen are killed and a Junior is wounded and knocked out as can be seen thru the perspex floor.


The British rush up the stairs and engage the Germans in Close Combat eliminating  all the Germans but suffering 2 casualties and the Senior leader receiving  a wound.


Ash is free but the Germans near the barn have opened up on the Brits on the ground killing one and causing 2 points of Shock.


The Krauts are about to enter the Sdkz 222 so the Senior Leader orders the Bren and the a riflemen to man the windows start firing and throw grenades.


The Bren on the corner of the Chateau also joins in and the Section is wiped out.
The vehicle crew manage to enter their sdKz 222 and move to line up a shot.


The 222 opens up on the Brits on the 1st floor scoring 3 points of Shock.


Meanwhile the Junior Leader in the captured German Truck is deployed  and smashes thru the boom gate rushing towards the chateau. 



Desperation sets in as the British move their wounded and dead out the building and into the truck while the 222 struggles to activate with his Command Dice.
Not only does Ash need to be rescued but no wounded or dead British trooper are to be left behind as the Germans need to think it was a raid carried out by the French resistance.
1 man can carry 1 wounded/dead man using 1D6
2 men can carry 1 wounded/dead man using 2D6



As more wounded are loaded the Bren gunner positioned on the corner of the Chateau  fires at the 222 hoping that it will not roll any saves but its not to be.
The Senior Leader activates the PIAT and ATR to move closer to the 222. 


The PIAT and ATR in position starting down at the 222.


 The 222 finally gets a chance to activate, achieves 5 HIts on both Anti tank teams but all have  no effect.
The PIAT fires and misses .


The ATR fires, HITS and the 222 fails to roll any saves and is put out of Action bursting into flames.


The Troops that have loaded the wounded /dead buddies  make their way down the road on foot.


More men make their way to the truck.


"Mission complete" Tootles is safe and on his way home.


Unfortunately for the Germans they were not able to deploy their reinforcement. 
On the 3rd Turn after the general alarm sounded they were to be deployed and enter the road on the right side of the Chateau .
Fortunately for the British only 2 game Turns clicked over.

Regulars.
Gestapo with a SMG 
Schwinnwagen and 2 of his henchmen with SMGs
Opal truck with 1 Junior Leader and 6 riflemen.
puma with Junior Leader
Sdkz 250 9 with Junior Leader.

Their mission was to grab "Tootles" and exit off the road.

The following week we played again, this time I was controlling the Germans. 
The Brits managed to silently eliminate 2 guards  patrolling the perimeter of the Chateau but sadly failed to eliminate the guard at the front door who activate the alarm.
 The British went on to  rescue "Tootles". 
Again no German  reinforcements arrived.


Some mods we added to the scenario.
  • one figure is able to carry one wounded/dead man using 1D6 for movement
  • two figures are able to carry one wounded/dead man using 2D6 for movement
  • The German LMG on the ground floor was only activated with the local alarm
  • stationary in the wheat field = light cover
  • moving in the wheat field =  Open
  • Once free, Tootles was given a pistol for self defence 
  •  We only activated the German Command Dice roll once a Alarm was activated.
Some thoughts after the game.
I think the German player should be allowed to roll his Command Dice from the beginning of the game to start accumulating Chain of Command points to use to End Turns, to speed up the deployment of his reinforcements.


cheers John