15mm Foliage

Hi folks,

I thought I should take the time to do a little post detailing my attempts at 15mm scale 'realistic' looking foliage. It's a pretty simple process and only involves seafoam sprigs, 'leaf' shaped flock and superglue.

The main components came from http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com - here.

The Seafoam sprigs arrived in a decent sized box - certainly enough to keep me going for quite a while.

While there was also a decent sized bag of the flock like stuff.

So, grabbing a set of clippers I snipped off a couple of smaller sprigs of the seafoam. I then applied dabs of superglue to the sprigs and dipped them in a tub filled with the flock.

I left this to dry for a while (I did two of these at once) before clipping up one of the sprigs into much smaller 'branches'. As I was going to something the had to look in scale and that would have been applicable by the crew - especially a crew used to sitting in ambush or defensive positions - I mainly used the smaller clippings to decorate the turret and break up the hull a little. I had previously applied some of the camo netting that I had been using to the tank, so the foliage just went on over that.

Once I had the quantity and shape I was happy with, I did use some Vallejo beige brown paint to touch up the colour of the sprigs. I didn't paint any of the leaves, but may come back to that in the future depending on how the other

Turret only

Turret and Hull done

Final version

So all in all quite easy to do. Oddly enough, I picked up a book on Operation Totalise at the Leeds wargames show. One of the pictures in the book is this:

Picture used without permission

Which features Wasps, a Churchill Crocodile and a M10 covered in foliage - although the M10 has a lot more foliage on it that mine does!

6MMRPC: Painting chart update

Hi folks,

It's been a while since I updated my painting chart. A decent amount of green starting to appear!

6MMRPC: M10C, Wasps and Universal Carriers - Finished! (Tanktober Offering)

Following up from last nights post, I grabbed some shots of the various other vehicles I have been working on and managed to finish.

Again, crew figures have still to be done and added, but the rest of these models are done.

First up, my lonely M10 Self Propelled 17 Pounder gun (M10C). Bearing the markings of 6th Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery - this unit was the Corps level anti-tank regiment of 2nd Canadian Corps during Totalize. I managed to pick up the corps decal from Doms Decals, and the Arm of Service marking was a over painted field regiment decal.

Then we have 3 Wasps - flame throwing Universal Carriers. These guys have the markings of the Middlesex Regiment, 51st Highland Division. This unit also provided the 4.2" Mortars and Vickers MMG support to the Highland Division, and I was surprised to find that they operated the Wasps as well.

A very small and quick model to paint, these guys just need crew figures and they should be done.

Then we have 3 Universal Carriers. These guys are marked up and 7th Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, 51st Highland Division. They form one of the 'squads' of Universal Carriers for my infantry list. There are 1 with a .50 HMG and Bren, and 2 with two Brens.

And lastly, some more pictures of the Crocodiles:

So just crew to do and some turrets to be magnetised and that will be all these guys totally done. Next up I'm going to do some more Universal Carriers and my 3 M3A1 Stuarts. Hopefully I will make a start on them this week.

6MMRPC: Finished! Churchill Crocodiles

Hi folks,

A busy weekend away, but I managed to get these models finished on Friday. Only crew figures to add to the 2 troop command vehicles, and that's them! There are still a few needing magnetised, but I'm not counting that as part of the painting process currently.

In the longer term, I am going to pick up one more Churchill Croc to finish off the 2 tank troop. I didn't aim to have 5, only obtaining the extra 2 as replacements for poor castings on 2 of the others (which I have more or less hidden under camo netting) - but since I ended up with almost 2 full troops, I may as well finish them.

More pics of these guys are planned, but above are pics of one of the troop command tanks and another of the troop tanks with it's fuel trailer.

The tanks are decalled up as Churchill Crocodiles from 141 RAC, 31st Tank Brigade. I've gone quite light on squadron markings due to lack of space on the turrets and being a little unclear as to what the markings should be. I could find very few pictures that clearly showed the tactical markings. As I understand it, as the junior regiment of 31st Tank Brigade these markings were in blue, which shows up poorly on period black and white pictures.

Although this regiment ended up working as part of 79th Armoured Division, administratively it remained as part of the 31st Tank Brigade until late 44/early 45, hence the lack of any 79th AD markings.

WiP - 15mm M10C Foliage

Hi folks,

I've been experimenting with foliage on my M10C, and could do with a little input as to whether it adds anything to the model/looks natural, or if I should just give up on the idea. Opinions welcome as while I think it looks good, I think I might be a little biased!

So far, I have only added some to the camo netting on the turret.

I'm thinking I will touch up the 'branches' with a darker brown shade, as they are just the colour of the sea-foam sprigs at the moment. I am looking for genuine negative or positive feedback on this, as it is a big change from what I have done in the past (deliberately so, I wanted these to stand out as not being 'just another' British unit, with them being Canadian).

Leave a comment and let me know!