Finished: 15mm Morris Quad Tractors

Hi folks,

Having been sidetracked into starting another batch of minis, I finally got the basing on my last few mini's I had prepped for the AHPC Challenge that finished last month. My final four (for now) Quad Tractors:

Nothing hugely special about these guys, as i have recently finished the other four for the battery. However, it was a nice moment for me to have the whole unit 'finished' to a certain degree.

However, as with most collections completed over a period of time, I did have cause to re-visit my artillery, and look again at what units I had decided to represent. I did have three troops of four guns, one troop for 126th (Highland) Field Regiment, RA (white '42' on red over blue) and two troops of 128th (Highland) Field Regiment, RA (white '44' on red over blue).  128th Field would have normally been allocated to 154 Brigade, whereas I didn't really have any attachment to 126th Field, and I'm not actually sure the reason I picked that unit initially.

Then there was the small issue of my earlier Quads being in my version of 'mickey mouse' camo, whereas the new Quads were not. So I decided to have a rethink.

As such, my 'new' Quads have gone on to form a battery of 128th (Highland) Field Regiment, to support my 7th Bat, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of 154 Brigade.

My 'old' Quads, and associated vehicles, have now been re-badged to make up 4th Field Regiment, RCA. These guns will support my Canadian Infantry Company from 2nd Canadian Infantry Division (Infantry Regiment is TBC), and represent guns which feature heavily in one of my favourite Normandy accounts, that of George Blackburn. His book, The Guns of War, is stunning. Eye opening, engaging and hard to put down. Well worth a read if you've not read it yet.

The complete gathering of Highland Division guns now looks like this (less OP, command and staff teams):

Nice little grouping of German prisoners, Jocks drinking tea and an infantry patrol. 

While my Canadian Troop now looks like this:

Meanwhile, the Canadians have found a chicken and barrel of something interesting...

While their comrades prepare to survey another gun position. 

This has neatly allowed me to separate out different styles of painting and gun basing, into different units.

I've a bit more work to do updating bases and possibly highlighting old Quads, but on the whole, I'm happy I took the time and effort to sort out the new unit markings.

On the building queue just now are 6 Sherman DD's and three Sherman Crabs. Tonight I also dug out my 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry Humbers, as I'd like to add more recce to my Brits. Meanwhile, Dave is cracking on with some fantastic American D-Day stuff for our mega Utah Beach game on the 2nd of June. Stay tuned!

Finished!: 15mm Crusader AA, 15mm Quad Tractors, 15mm LCA Passengers (pt1)

Hi folks,

As I've continued with my AHPC entries, I thought I should get caught up here with what I've finished recently.

First up, a couple of Battlefront 15mm Crusader AA tanks for my Polish 24th Lancers:

These are the second pair of these I have painted, with my 144RAC squadron having a couple as well. As with my Lancers, I've made use of the yellow recognition panels on these chaps.

Next up, some 15mm Battlefront Morris Commercial C8 FAT (Field Artillery Tractor) - commonly known as 'Quads'. These are marked up as part of 128 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. This unit was one of the three 25 Pdr equipped artillery regiments of 51st Highland Division. The guns for these were done a while ago, so this is just me shaving the lead mountain and finishing off part of the unit.

And then lastly, half of the Canadian passenger figures for my LCA's. These were entered in the Saturday 'Fellowship' competition round, but as 'normal' figures I was painting anyway, I don't expect them to score highly.

I've the rest of these chaps for my other 3 LCA's to finish this week (onto the highlighting stage currently) and at the moment one vehicle to enter for next Tuesday, which will put me 20 or so points short of my target, with under two weeks to go! At this stage, I doubt I will get all the vehicles I had prepped done by the end of the challenge, but shouldn't have many left over.

AHPC - 'West' Bonus round entries

Hi Folks,

Lots of blogging this week!

On Saturday night (and into the early hours of Sunday) I was feverishly working to try and finish off an entry into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge bonus round for Sunday. This bonus round theme was 'west', so having thought a bit about how West connects to what I'm working on, I established a few big connections.

Firstly, my FoW stuff is for the western front. Secondly, the trucks I have been working on are of Canadian manufacture - which led me to consider Canada's contribution to the war effort. Thirdly, Canada was one of Britain's most important allies - a western (geographically and politically) ally no less! The Canadian connection also works on another level for my collection, as my Highlanders were under the command of 2nd Canadian Corps during Operation Totalize.

Given all of this, I quickly established that I would use these trucks as my entry!

This set of vehicles, along with the other 5 I am working on, have taken a bit of time to get to this point. Prep wise, there is very little stowage on them, mainly because of the nature of the trucks. However, I did want to follow the idea I had many many moons ago - the trucks should be made into little dioramas. This would mean:

- Bases had to be trimmed from those trucks with a cast on base (6 of the 8). These then needed to be added on to a FoW Medium base to allow room for figures to be added

- Figures suitable for dioramas had to be sourced. This was something I had been working on for a long time, which has now come to fruition.

- I would need to do 8 dioramas, which was a challenge in of itself.

- The dioramas had to be logical, follow a 'theme' for Normandy and work with each other (to a certain degree).

The concept for the 128th Field Regiments trucks was that they here being harassed by some unseen sniper. Something that was common in artillery positions which were moving forward to keep up with an advance.

So, with a sniper lurking in a hedgerow somewhere nearby, what would be happening in the battery position?

For the first base, I went for a typical event that occurs in every Allied account of Normandy I have ever read. Troops 'foraging' to supplement their tinned rations. As such, I have to likely characters, returning from a 'fruitful quick wander' round the nearby area. One of them clutching a cask of Calvados and the other with a chicken - which was "Awready deed when we fun'it Sur!"

Finding themselves on the receiving end of a snipers attention (maybe it was his chicken?), they have taken cover behind a truck.

These figures are from the Battlefront 'Commonwealth Infantry' pack, with head swaps using the 'Guards' heads that were available separately.  The lighting in these pics isn't great, but it does look like the facial details need some work, as does the chicken! It is possible the light has just bleached them out a bit - they were actually both of squared paper when the pics were taken!

Next up, a survey team. This consists of an officer with a piece of survey equipment (my take on a 'No. 7 Director'), and a Private with a survey pole. The sniper has interrupted the work of laying the guns on the 'zero line', and the officer is looking rather impatient... Somewhere 'up front' an infantry unit might be looking for fire support.

Both figures are older Flames of War infantry figures. The chap with the pole was actually a pioneer with a Bangalore torpedo!

Lastly, we have a 'patrol' of either local (infantry) Jocks who have been roped in to help, or some of the battery troops (they look a little too well equipped to be the latter). These guys are being sent out to deal with the sniper. I think the chap on the corner looks suitably happy about his role.

Some shots of the three:

All three of them together. Imagine the sniper is somewhere 'above' the top edge of the picture.

So that's it! I've another 5 of these to do, which I should finish this week in time for my Thursday submission deadline. If you like what you've seen here, can I please ask that you check out my entry here (and check out the other entries as well!). I'd appreciate it if you could take the time to vote on my 'Canadian Jock artillery vehicles'! My entry in the challenge also talks a little more about Canada's significant manufacturing contribution to the allied victory.