Thursday 9 March 2017

From PeterD Curtgeld (45 points)





My Curtgeld project is a team effort with Sylvain.  I've finished my piece of the project and will be handing it over to Sylvain shortly.  The base is unfinished as Sylvain's  wizardry includes terraforming the base.


We wanted to go with something that Curt could use on table and decided that a weapon team that would fit his SCW project might do the trick.  This is a Perry model of an Italian  20mm Breda Auto-cannon from the brothers' WW2 range.  The Chain of Command lists allows such a team as support for both the SCW and WW2, so it seemed to fit the bill.  Although it was officially an AA gun, it has a decent ant-tank and anti-personal effect under CoC, especially for the SCW.  I will note that CoC specifes a team of 5 and the Perry pack comes with a team of 3, but Curt can work that out - he doesn't strictly go by the lists anyway.



I will be happy going back to the SYW!
This set was a brand new release during the Challenge, but I liked the look of and was looking forward to a modelling challenge.  Well I can safely say that I now know my modelling skill limits and this gun is definitely past them!  Adventures encountered on the way included the following mandatory steps.
  • Not being sure how things fit together and finding the Ikea like drawing that almost helped
  • Gluing bits to my fingers and my fingers to each other and everything else
  • Almost gluing bits in backwards
  • Losing a key piece and having to replicate it (a round base is now replaced by a washer and a piece of card)
  • Assembling the gun and carriage without the gunner for painting, only to find out that I couldn't fit the painted gunner under the painted gun.  I had to disassemble the gun to get things together.
  • Having bits that I was sure were firmly glued on drop off unexpectedly.  Of course as soon as I took the photos, I picked it up by the gunner and the rest of the gun and team fell off. 
The end result is rougher than I would have liked and a definite bodge together in spots, but hopefully people apply the two foot rule and see it mostly in action on table.
Note the many, many tiny parts!  Also the gunner comes cast onto the seat so it's not as illustrated!
Painting wise, I found several museum examples of the weapon in a medium green with black gun barrel etc.  Action photos tend to be from North or East Africa and show a sand coloured carriage and barrel.  I went with the green and black to avoid an all over tan effect.

Action photo with what looks like the green/black gun and a mostly naked but much wimpier crew.  Terrain could be North or East Africa


The Perry crew are in tropical kit and are very stripped down.  Sylvain's comment was that they are also very beefy!  The Italians in the SCW went into the theatre in Tropical kit but most pictures that I've seen include long pants, and they changed to warmer wear over the winter.  I guess that this crew has been working their gun hard and it's been hard work.  I went with generic tan clothes with brown leather belts etc.  The pecs and abs gave challenges but layers of various fleshtones with washes seems to get the effect OK.

I quite like the Officer with binoculars



Well, I can certainly commiserate over instructions(or lack of). Still that beast of a gun will certainly give an adversary pause! That is a very nice green chosen and the Italian lads look very fine as well(I'm almost shocked to see an abscence of lace!)
I'm sure the Snowlord will very much appreciate this and will find a use for it within his devious machinations!





17 comments:

  1. Thanks very much David. Beast is how I've described it! And I am quite happy to return to the Lace Wars!

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  2. Nice gun and team Peter :)

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  3. Ah, Peter and Sylvain, this is just fabulous! I had no idea this kit had been released. I'm sorry to hear it was such a bear to assemble, but it looks more than fine to me. This Breda is going to be an excellent addition to the SCW collection and will prompt me to start in on the Italians of the CTV (Joy! Another project!). Thanks again! :)

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    1. I hope it works for your collection Curt, but don't blame me for another project you already have a stupid little Italian tank! A fair share of the issues in construction were between the seat cushion and the cutting mat!

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    2. Ah, right! That CV33 is so ridiculous that I always think of it a captured artillery tractor. :)

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    3. It was still front line equipment in 1941!

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  4. Lovely looking gun and crew, you can't tell the troubles you've seen!
    Best Iain

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  5. Very well done, kudos for sticking with a tough and finicky model.

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  6. Great work Peter. I have zero patience for the modelling side of the hobby, and can sympathize with your frustration. Crewed weapons like these are a particular hazard, but I mess up even the simple ones...

    Congrats on sticking with it, even while it was sticking to you!

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    1. Thanks Greg. I am fine with simpler kits buts this was pushing my envelope (and buttons)!

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