Frankenstein Monsters - Zvezda King Tigers with 'Porche' Butlers Printed Models turrets

Hi folks,

Another recent side project for me, partly driven by a new book I picked up during the 1st lockdown. I've a few of these Dennis Oliver books now and find them pretty useful. I also added the Jagdpather, Jagdpanzer and StuG titles to the collections this year. The Tiger book I primarily picked up due to my planned Tiger force based on Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 101 for 8 August 1944. 

I will admit to being taken with the idea of having a couple of the King Tigers in my collection. 

Given the type of large, scenario style, games we enjoy playing as a group, I'm always on the lookout for bits to add which may add challenge or an interesting learning opportunity. I've read a bit about Operation Goodwood this year and with my growing collection of British armour, thought it would be fun to do a scenario game for that at some point (3 full squadrons by the time I have my Cromwells done). I also thought it would be interesting to have a couple of very big kitties in the collection. 

Unfortunately, Battlefront are not currently producing their Normandy era King Tigers, and Ebay prices are a bit mad. So I went looking for other options. Obviously, I couldn't be satisfied with using the later style turrets (although a very few of these do seem to have made it to Normandy)

I finally picked up a couple of the Zvezda 15mm King Tigers, which come with the later style 'Henschel' turrets. I know these are not the technically correct turret names, but they are the common terms, so I'm sticking to them for now. 

These kits go together pretty easily, although I recommend paying attention to some of the assembly walkthroughs on Youtube as there are a couple of bits which can trip you up. I assembled this beastie whilst playing in Dave D's recent Zoom game, and paid probably less attention that I should have - like not accounting for magnetizing the turret and hull. 

My cunning plan was then - as a trial - to pick up a couple of the earlier turrets from Butlers Printed Models (BPM). These are not the highest quality prints, with a bit of printing evidence visible on them at close range (they don't use resin printers, but FDM). At a distance though, they don't look too bad. 

Size wise, the BPM turrets are a good match, and look 'right' on the Zvezda hull. The BPM turret does come with a 'Battlefront' style turret peg (about .5 of an inch wide), which I removed with a modelling saw. As the FDM style of printing them leaves these hollow, it was easy enough to roughly add a magnet. 

Unfortunately, my haste and lack of thought in building the first hull led me to having to cut a hole in the bottom of the Zvezda turret for the magnet, and attach it in place using a length of sprue glued to the inside bottom of the turret. The hull magnet is on the outside of the hull, rather than the sensible approach of being inside the hull. The 2nd version I build will have the magnet inside the hull and turret. 

The Zvezda kits cost me about £5.25 each, while I paid £4 each for the turrets (when postage was included, which doubled the cost from the £2 price). I suspect a larger order from BPM would have made this more worthwhile. 

Missing Zimmerit on these models is a consideration, given that the early hulls would have had it from the factory, and I am tempted to try and add some myself. However, this might be a step too far modelling wise at 15mm, and remains a distant idea. 

Finished: Command Panzer IV's and Flakpanzer 38t's

Hi folks,

Better progress with painting in the last week or so, with four tanks finished in this week. I've also managed to get the next two on the modelling table - a couple of Brummbars. I may also add my German radio truck, but will have to sort out figures to go around that.

These finished models are again for 12th SS Panzer Division.

First up, my two command tanks for my Panzer Companie. This time around, these are Battlefront models, which scale pretty well with the PSC ones. They do have slightly different hull shapes, but I am happy enough using these as my HQ vehicles. Again, some seafoam branches were applied - I've a new method of doing this, using gloss varnish instead of superglue, and matt varnishing before I put the leaves on. This sped the process up and seems to bond the branches well to the hulls.

These are numbered 704 and 705. 705 is actually the commander, while 704 is the 2ic.

To provide some cover from the dreaded Jabos, I've also got a couple of dinky little Battlefront Flakpanzer 38t's.

These are un-numbered, as I could find no decent info on what markings they should have. Online searches showed possibly the number 12 in use, but no context or confirmation that the vehicle shown was even 12th SS.

Gun crews received some greenstuff on their helmets, to make them the SS covered style. A small amount of stowage and some tree branches finishes them off. As usual, I also mixed up the uniforms, so they have a mix of Heer and various SS camo patterns.

Only the Brummbars, 3 Stugs, 5 Panthers, the radio truck and 3 Kubelwagons to do of the planned German stuff, so progress is being made!

Finished: 12th SS Panzer IV's

Hi folks,

It feels like these have been work in progress for quite a while, but this week I managed to get the final bits and bobs done! I normally give myself between a week and two weeks to finish a platoon off, but between waiting on decals and health issues (and time sunk into playing the new Battletech PC game) I spent more than 6 weeks on these. 

There are a total of ten 15mm scale Plastic Soldier Company Panzer IV (PzKpfw IV Ausf H) models in this batch, painted to represent tanks from the 1st and 2nd 'zug's' of 7. Kompanie, II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12, 12th SS Panzer Division. As per roughly 8 August 1944. Turret numbers for the two platoons are 715 to 719 and 725 to 729, as per the details in 'Waffen-SS Armour in Normandy - The combat history of SS-Panzer Regiment 12 and SS-Panzerjager Abteilung 12, Normday 1944'. 

I've organised a force to paint, although I recently picked up another pack of 5 of these which will give me a full company once painted. Two resin and metal Battlefront models provide the HQ unit. 

The force is based on the following diary entry:

8th August 1944, II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12:

"0630 hours: departure of the 5.Kompanie (with 5 Panzerkampfwagon IVs), the 7.Kompanie (with 12 Panzerkampfwagon IV's) and the assigned Tigers of the "Wittmann" Abteilung via Grainville and Hautmesnil towards Cintheaux."

Of note is the fact that 8 Tigers set out with them - within 6 hours, 1 had broken down before reaching the combat area and 5 were destroyed by allied forces within a few minutes - including Wittmann's Tiger. Three of these Tigers were likely destroyed by a single Firefly from the Northamptonshire Yeomanry (33rd Armoured Brigade) firing at around 800 meters, with the two others (probably including Wittmann) likely falling to the guns of The Sherbrooke Fusiliers (2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade) firing from a concealed position 450 meters away on the flank. Although tanks from B Squadron, 144 RAC also claimed one Tiger kill firing from the North of the Tigers position, while two other Canadian Fireflies fired from the North West... And at no point in the various versions of Wittmann's demise are the presence of so many Panzer IV's mentioned...

Also of note is the fact that the diary entry mentions no inclusion of Jadgpanzer IV's from SS-Panzerjaeger Abteilung 12, although that units diary entry states it was involved and eyewitness Canadian testimony states that two Jagdpanzers were knocked out on the Caen-Falaise road itself by the Sherbrookes. 

Anyway, some better shots of each Zug:

And some individual shots:

I'm not too pleased with the decals, but there are limited options for turret numbers in these ranges. My Doms Decals are for lower numbered Kompanies and the individual tank numbers don't include any 7's. I had thought about overpainting to make them a bit darker, but my hand painting it not neat enough. I may revisit in the future if I get round to printing my own decals properly!

As usual, I went for a bold edge highlight, which looks a bit odd close up on the camo, but I think the group shots at a bit of a distance show off the effect of this style at a bit of a distance. 

Next up the two HQ tanks (giving me the 12 7. Kompanie tanks) and a couple of Flakpanzer's. Hopefully these will be a bit quicker to finish!

Work in Progress...

Hi folks,

Ok, so I've not been very good at keeping the blog updated over the last few weeks. Mainly because the shoulder issue stopped me working for a week or so before it cleared up as quickly as it came. But that temporary stop, combined with the slow progress on the Panzer IV's and the release of the Battletech PC game, led me to slow to a crawl hobby wise.

Thankfully, I've now made some progress and have pictures to prove it!

Just waiting on the gloss drying on the 2nd lot of 5, then I can start thinking about decals and worrying about sorting bases!

I also assembled the Chaos cultist gang I had been thinking about. Still a few more bits to get (need some models to use as chaos spawn for when the rituals go wrong and a chap with a heavy weapon of some description), but I'm making progress!

Lastly, tonight I assembled the Really Useful Box trays I bought:

This is a 9L RUB, which holds 4 of the 35mm tall trays. For me, this means I can free up 4 boxes worth of FoW infantry (which includes a lot of wasted height in each box) and combine them into one single box with a lot less wasted space. My other boxes can then be used for taller models, like artillery and vehicles.

WiP Panzer IV's and some WW2 Wings of Glory

Hi folks,

I'm very aware I've not posted much since the challenge ended, but I am still here and still painting! Just not as quickly.

I've had some issues in the last week or so with shoulder and elbow pain, which I think is related to me leaning on my elbow too much at home and work. I'm trying to be more aware of my posture, but it is effecting how much time I can comfortable sit.

Last week I got my first 5 Panzer IV's glossed, then found I had incorrect decals for them. I've had to source some, but I've found very few sets of decals exist for German 7th Kompanie tanks... The ones I ordered arrived today, but I'll have to chop them up to get the correct number combos.

These Panzers will be from 5th and 7th Kompanie of II./SS-Panzer Regiment 12.

I've 12 Panzer IV's in total to paint, but might pick up another box of 5 just to give me the option of a full Panzer IV Kompanie. As it stands, these tanks will be part of my Kampfgruppe Waldermuller force, which was the 12th SS Kampfgruppe that counter attacked on 8th August, along with Wittmann's Tigers. I've also started working on the Flakpanzer 38T's.

StuG included just to compare how the camo scheme looks... Panzer IV's are glossed and waiting on their decals. 

WiP stuff - tracks and treads done on the Panzer IV's, as well as the stowage. Shells and ammo stuff is to go on some of the artillery units I finished in the last few months. 

PSC 15mm Panzer IV's

Gaming wise, last weekend we had a club gaming weekend, and a few of us spent the day playing the WW2 version of Wings of Glory:

The games were more or less balanced, but we found that randomising the approach vectors of the RAF fighters made the game a bit better - head to head vs cannon armed fighters does not go well!

In the final game, I had the little Hurricane that could...

The Hurricane can take 17 points of damage - the damage counters are drawn randomly, and at the point of being shot down I had 19 - with 11 of them having been draws of 0. The Hurri ended up with a bust rudder for a bit and on fire before I eventually took the final damage counters. I think the Hurri isn't particularity well represented stats wise - it's just a worse Spitfire really. I would have thought it would have had even 1 more hit point or slightly better guns (it was thought to be more durable and a better gun platform than the Spit). 

Fun game, and quick!

Next Project - and AHPC nomination

Hi folks,

So, having finished the AHPC challenge for this year, I've had a couple of weeks of 'admin' which has consisted of sorting through my recent Ebay purchases and figuring out what I wanted to do next.

As ever, I have a lot of options. I'd narrowed the list down to three options, which were to do SS Armour, Polish Cromwells or my 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry Humbers. I decided, since in the last couple of 'mega' games I've run I've had to borrow German tanks, that I should get my 12th SS armoured vehicles done, which will provide some opposition to both my Brits and DaveD's rapidly expanding American army. And, as I've managed to spread the madness further, Martin's British Paras! Apparently, we are now doing D-Day....

As such, I've been building, detailing and spray priming a load of German armoured vehicles:

Specifically the painting list now includes: 12 x Panzer IV's, 5 x Panther A's, 2 x Brummbars, 2 x Flakpanzer 38T's, 3 x StuGs, 3 x Kubelwagons and a radio truck (possibly for a little diorama).

I'm aiming to tackle things this way in order to keep some consistency of painting for the various units - although there will be variation, there won't be the same amount of variation as I would have if I painted the units 6 months apart. If i can get all of the above done in 4 months, I would be pretty happy - hopefully I'll make better progress than that!

In other news, with the AHPC finished there are some more voting rounds. Much to my astonishment it seems some kind souls have nominated my German artillery for inclusion in the 'Challengers Choice' vote. I can't say how chuffed I am at that, given the quality of the other entries that have been nominated. I don't expect to be winning anything, but it's really nice that someone felt my work was worth nominating! If you want to check out the other entries (and cast your own votes) you can find the blog post here: https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/ahpc-viii-challegers-choice-nominations.html



 

15mm Tigers and StuG's Finished!

Hi folks,

A quick follow up on the post from earlier this week. Dom's Decals came through for me much faster than expected so I was able to get the stuff finished today. These are Battlefront models (15mm) with the Tigers being metal and resin and the StuGs being plastic (2 of the older style models and one of the newer).

Tigers:

StuGs:

Almost Finished! German 15mm Battlefront StuGs

Hi folks,

So this is an 'almost finished' post as other than hull numbers, which I am waiting on from Doms Decals, these assault guns are done!

These are plastic kits from Battlefront and are 15mm scale. Two are older 'open fire' plastic models while the one with the commander is a much nicer newer plastic kit from the same manufacturer. 

This particular unit is representing (roughly) Sturmgeschutzabteilung 1344. 

This unit was the Panzerjager component of  344.Infanterie-Division, but was ordered to proceed to Normandy independently in late July 1944. One source I have states "Stu.Gesch.Abt.1344 reportedly crossed the Seine during the night of 2./3.August. it was reportedly marching from the area south of Elbeuf and arrived with the 89.Inf.Div. on 7.August."

Two vehicles of this unit were knocked out by the Highland Division/33 Armoured Brigade in Tilly-la-Campagne on 8/7/44 and a intelligence report dated 12/8/44 mentions the wrecks and identifying markings. The village was cleared on the morning of 8/8/44 so the wrecks seems to have been there for a few days when the report was published. During the battle for the village '3 German SP's were knocked out, 25 Germans killed, and 85 prisoners taken'.

This evidence then does put the the unit in the correct area at the correct time. There are also references within various unit diaries to German SP guns operating during the night attack phase of Operation Totalise. In addition to this, in the days immediately prior to Totalise being launched 10 German PoW's were taken by the Canadians in the vicinity of Tilly-la-Campagne belonging to this unit. The report is a little confusing, stating that the PoW being interviewed was captured on the 5th, but that his unit arrived on the 6th... It does state that the PoW had provided information that his unit was supporting the 89. Infanterie Division. So good enough for me!

3 x Stug III G's finished:

Need to sort the end of the gun barrel out on these guys! Base is slightly chipped already as well!

Also need a light dry-brush on the decal - but I'll wait till the others are on first.

From Wiki:

StuG III Ausf. G (Sd.Kfz. 142/1; December 1942– April 1945, ~8423 produced, 142 built on Panzer III Ausf. M chassis, 173 converted from Panzer III): The final and by far the most common of the StuG series. Upper superstructure was widened: welded boxes on either sides were abandoned. This new superstructure design increased its height to 2160 mm. The back wall of the fighting compartment got straightened, and the ventilation fan on top of the superstructure was relocated to the back of the fighting compartment. From March 1943, the driver's periscope was abandoned. In February 1943, Alkett was joined by MIAG as a second manufacturer. From May 1943, side hull spaced armour plates (Schürzen) were fitted to G models for added armour protection, particularly against Russian anti-tank rifles, but were also useful against hollow-charge ammunition. Side plates were retro-fitted to some Ausf. F/8 models, as they were to be fitted to all front line StuGs and other tanks by June 1943 in preparation for the battle of Kursk. Mountings for the Schürzen proved inadequately strong, as many were lost in the field. From March 1944, an improved mounting was introduced; as a result, side skirts are seen more often with late model Ausf G. From May 1943, 80 mm thick plates were used for frontal armour instead of two plates of 50 mm + 30 mm. However, a backlog of StuGs with completed 50 mm armour existed. For those, a 30 mm additional armour plate still had to be welded or bolted on, until October 1943. 

Along with these three I've also got the two Tigers 'mostly' finished. Just some weathering to do on the hulls, and turret numbers for the turrets. 

Turret is still glossed - waiting on the decals. 

That's all for now - onto assembling a detailing a whole load of very poorly put together Shermans now!