From FrederickC - Early War French Division Légère Mécanique [New Acquisitions] (580 points)

My third submission for the challenge is a selection of early World War 2 French tanks, transports, and troops of a Division Légère Mécanique (DLM), or Light Mechanized Division. They are something that I have been thinking about for a while, and they have finally come together in time for this year's painting challenge.

 

First up are the armoured vehicles consisting of a mix of Char B1 bis, Somua S35, and Renault R35 tanks. The Char B1 tanks are 3D prints by the same friend who did my Polski FIAT trucks, while the latter two types are Solido diecast tanks that were repainted to give them a unified camouflage scheme. Historically the DLM tank battalions were equipped with Hotchkiss H35/H39 and Somua tanks, but I already had the R35s, so I went with that. The heavier Char B1 was not found in the DLM, but I always liked the look of it and added two to my French force. All the tanks were given a coat of USA Olive Drab surface primer using an airbrush. (In the case of the Char B1s, they got a coat of black primer first.) The brown and yellow were applied by brush, and then the whole tank got a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade. After the decals were applied, all the vehicles got a wash of Vallejo Model Wash European Dust around the tracks and road wheels.

 

 

 

The Char B1 served in the armoured divisions of the French army, the Division Cuirassée (DCr). It was armed with a 75mm howitzer in the hull, and a 47mm gun in the turret. Although well armed and armoured, it suffered from the design of a one-man turret, where the commander had to act as both loader and gunner as well. My two models are 3D prints done using an STL file I found online. There must be a flaw in the file because the right track system printed with the tracks misaligned so that they touched the fender at the back of the tank, and didn't sit evenly on the table. To solve the problem, I used a fine blade saw to cut off the right track, reposition it correctly, and glue it back into place using super glue and baking soda (or sodium hydrogen carbonate for the chemists in the crowd 😉). My friend used different resins in the two prints, giving one model more flex than the other. That was the first one where I sawed off the tracks, which worked fairly well. When I went to do the second model, pressure from the blade caused the back part of the fender to break off, along with part of the exhaust system. I still don't know where the missing piece went, and it has probably been sucked up by the vacuum cleaner by now. I was able to rebuild the missing area from bits and bobs from my box of scratch-building supplies. I also added radio aerials to both tanks, but I probably only needed to do that on one model. Radio sets were not distributed below command tanks in the French army.

 

 

 

The Somua S35 was considered a 'cavalry tank' in the French army, and was one of the main tanks in a DLM. It had good speed, adequate range, and a gun powerful enough to destroyed any enemy tank it was likely to encounter. Like the Char B1, it had to deal with the problems of a one-man turret, as well as poor mechanical reliability. Its suspension system was too weak, too complicated, and the cast armour made it difficult to repair in the field.  The models are Solido 1/50 diecast that I purchased years ago, but as I acquired them individually off of eBay, they had two different paint schemes. One was sold green, while the other had a random green and dark brown camouflage pattern. As well, one of the tanks was missing the gun mantle off the main gun and the turret machine gun, so I scratch-built replacements. Now they look like they belong to the same unit.

The last pair of tanks are Renault R35s that saw service with the French Bataillon de Chars de Combat (BCC), as well as some that were sold to Poland and other countries. It was armed with a low velocity Puteaux cannon. Again, it suffered from a one-man turret, and rather slow speed. Some of the men from the Polish 10th Motorized Brigade, having escaped to France, saw service in these tanks in May 1940. These are also Solido 1/50 diecast models picked up from eBay when they were still fairly inexpensive. One was originally solid green, while the other had a green and tan camouflage pattern on it. I prefer the look of the three colour green, brown, and tan, although all the various colour combinations were used in 1940.

Now we come to the transport part of this submission starting with six Laffly S20 TL trucks designed to transport a squad of Dragons Portés, or motorized dragoons of the DLM. These are again 3D prints done by my friend from an STL file I found online. The file generated a very detailed model, but one that may not stand up to the rigours of the wargame table. My friend said he broke off the two side mirrors and the windscreen while trying to get the first print he made free from the supports. Afterwards he adjusted the files to remove the support problem, and the rest printed successfully without any issues. I also managed to snap off a side mirror, and a rear tire of two separate models while prepping them for painting due to rather fragile axles on the models. Once again I resorted to the super glue - baking soda combination to get a strong repair. I also scratch-built replacement mirrors using some florist wire and a small plastic disc made using my leather hole punch. All the models were primed black, followed by a coat of USA Olive Drab. The seats were painted using Vallejo Tan Earth, and the whole truck got a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade, followed by Vallejo Model Wash European Dust around the wheels and fenders.

 

Repaired mirrors on the right

While I was working on the other vehicles. I remembered that I had a Tamiya 1/48 model kit of a Citroën Traction 11 CV staff car sitting in a box in the basement. I originally wasn't sure how I wanted to paint it up, but in the end I decided to add it to my French force. It was an easy kit to assemble, and I painted most of the exterior using an airbrush while the parts were still on the sprue. From unopened kit to complete vehicle in less than a day.

 

At last we come to the troops, in this case Dragons Portés. All of these figures are very recent acquisitions from Crusader Miniatures. We will start with a platoon of three squads and a platoon headquarters. Each squad consists of ten men, including a man carrying a Fusil-mitrailleur Modèle 1924 M29 light machine gun, and his No. 2 holding spare magazines. All the squads have an extra figure armed with a Viven-Bessières rifle grenade cup discharger, as this is one of the options in the Bolt Action rules. One of the squad leaders is carrying a MAS-38 submachine gun.

 

Finally we have have some support weapons consisting of two Hotchkiss machine guns, a Hotchkiss 25mm anti-tank gun, an 81mm medium mortar, and a 60mm light mortar. At some point I want to add some ammunition boxes and spent casings to the bases, but I didn't have anything appropriate in the bits box. That will have to wait until some point in the future, but for now I am calling it done.

 

 

For painting up the Dragons Portés, I followed the guide below from 'Flame of War' fairly closely since I had all the necessary colours in my inventory. Two exceptions are that I used USA Olive Drab instead of Gunship Green on the vehicles, and I used Army Painter Leather Brown instead of German Camouflage Orange Ochre on the soldiers' ammo pouches and Y-straps. After the figures were painted, they got a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone Quickshade. As mentioned in my previous submission, this leaves the figures with a glossy sheen, but I will spray them with a matt coat when it is safe to work outside. (It is currently -24°C, with a windchill of -33°C in lovely Winterpeg, Manitscoldout. 😱)

 

Since most of the vehicles and all the figures are new acquisitions, I will claim that Library category for this post.

 

 

 

The points being claimed are as follows

 

54 x 28mm foot figures @ 5 points each = 270 points

 

13 x 28mm vehicles @ 20 points each = 260 points

 

3 x 28mm artillery pieces @ 10 points each = 30 points

 

Library section 'New Acquistions' @ 20 points = 20 points 

Sylvain: If "Early WW2" were a family, I would be the "little" brother while you would be "BIG" brother. This is an outstanding submission in quantity, quality and description.

Quantity means the biggest point bomb ever for the Monday Crew.

Quality means an uncompromising paint job on these historically accurate miniatures.

 

Description means a text that reflects your passion and your research for this particular era.

Bravo!

From FrederickC: Skirting 'The Great Abyssal' aboard Lady Sarah's Star Yacht [Cybertron][Klendathu][Coruscant] (150 points)

 

We have left Arrakis behind us with a terrible case of sunburn, and I'm still shaking sand out of my boots and trouser pockets. The plan is to do a short hop over to Cybertron, and then take Lady Sarah's Star Yacht past the Great Abyssal to Coruscant with a quick stop on Klendathu along the way. So three stops in total and two yacht tickets. I plan to spend some time in the lounge while aboard the yacht to see if they can mix up a Blue Meanie like the ones they serve at the Blauwe Blome bar on Tycho Station.

Interstellar Yacht by Shusei Nagaoka

 

Cybertron (#9 on the map) - home planet of the Transformers, a shining metal, technological world, and the theme is 'Transformational/Transformative'.

Gandalf: Through fire... and water... From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought him, the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I have been sent back, until my task is done.

Aragorn: Gandalf.

Gandalf: Gandalf? Yes... that's what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name. 

Gimli: Gandalf! 

Gandalf: I am Gandalf the White! I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide.

The figures of Gandalf the White on foot and mounted on Shadowfax are the older Games Workshop Lord of the Rings castings. I have included Gandalf the Grey in the photos for the 'Before' and 'After' comparison.

 

Klendathu (#10 on the map) -  home world of the Pseudo-Arachnids. The planet has many warriors and workers all over its surface. However, its brains and queens live deep underground and are capable of surviving an invasion by the Federal Military. The theme is 'An Invasion Gone Bad'.

 

On the morning of 19 August 1942, landing craft of the 2nd Canadian Division hit the beaches around the port of Dieppe. Red Beach, on the eastern half in front of Dieppe itself was assaulted by the Essex Scottish. The battalion was supposed to have armoured support from the 14^th Army Tank Regiment (The Calgary Regiment (Tank)), but the tanks arrived 15 minutes too late. LCT No, 2 landed three tanks of 13 Troop of 'C' Squadron - 'Cougar', 'Cheetah', and 'Cat'. 'Cougar' quickly became immobilized, and only 'Cheetah' and 'Cat' made it onto the Promenade. 'Cat' was able to take out a 47mm anti-tank gun near the harbour entrance,  however its 6-pounder gun, only able to fire solid shot, was mostly ineffective against the German defences. Eventually, 'Cat' made its way back to the beach, having fired off most of its munitions, and the crew abandoned it.

Churchill Mk III T68696 'CAT' is a repainted 1/50 Solido diecast model I acquired from a friend. It was originally painted in a desert yellow/olive green striped camouflage pattern for service in Tunisia, but I wanted it to match another Solido Churchill that I had that depicted 'Cheetah' (shown in the background). So the 'tank from Tunisia' was repainted using Vallejo Dark Earth, and then the vehicle name, numbers, etc. painted on freehand.

 

Coruscant (#11 on the map) - A city-covered planet, Coruscant is the vibrant heart and capital of the galaxy, featuring a diverse mix of citizens and culture. It features towering skyscrapers, streams of speeder-filled air traffic, and inner levels that stretch far below the world’s surface. The theme is 'Imperial'.

And nothing says 'Imperial' like a legionary of early Imperial Rome, equipped with lorica segmentata, gladius, and scutum. This is a 28mm plastic figure that came as a sample years ago with an issue of Wargames Illustrated. I was never sure what to do with it, and thought I might use it as a gladiator in our 'local arena'. I'm glad I had it on hand for this stop on the Challenge Quadrant.

 

Two tickets for Lady Sarah's Star Yacht - the two figures I painted for passage aboard the Star Yacht are (left to right) a Eurasian Solar Union SAW gunner from Ground Zero Games and a Rebel Commando from West End Games. Both date from the mid to late 1990's. I have painted them up in the colour scheme for the Ral Partha Galactic Grenadiers figures I use as 'Planetary Militia'. In the past I have used both GZG and WEG minis to augment the variety of poses and weapons in my squads.

 

 The points being claimed are as follows:

1 x 28mm vehicle @ 20 points = 20 points

1 x 28mm mounted figure @ 10 points = 10 points

4 x 28mm foot figure @ 5 points = 20 points

3 x Challenge Quadrant locations (Cybertron, Klendathu, Coruscant) @ 20 points each = 60 points

2 x Lady Sarah's Star Yacht @ 20 points = 40 points 

Blue routes were via Lady Sarah's Star Yacht

Time to drop into the Inner Ring
 

You're just rocketing around the planets here Frederick.  Nice work on Gandalf the White, really like those sculpts.  And yes, as we discussed in advance (see Ray he ran it past me in advance) I'll buy this as a transformation.  No arguments on Dieppe as an Invasion gone wrong and well done on those doomed Churchills.   I think I have that Legionary somewhere too, great job on the shield.  And finally nice to see some vintage SciFi figures given some love.

From Frederick C: A Mixed Bag of WW2 Vehicles (190 points)

 

I had a hard time focusing this week, ricocheting around from project to project without seeming to get closer to completion. Eventually things started falling into place, and I ended up with 9 completed vehicles. Some of these have been sitting in my 'IN' box for over a decade, so it felt good to finally get them ready for the gaming table.

First up is a DUKW with a British RASC driver. This was a toy dating from the 1960s that originally belonged to my younger brother. It suffered some 'battle damage' at some point, and my brother was no longer interested in it. I thought I might be able to fix it, and it seemed like the right scale for 28mm gaming. In fact, measuring its length and comparing it to the length of an actual DUKW, it works out to be 1/56. The only 'flaw' is that it only has a single axle in the rear instead of two. I have no idea who manufactured it, but it reads 'NOVELTY' and 'Made in Hong Kong' on the bottom. 

 

The original toy showing the 'battle damage' that needed repair.

 

The broken pieces near the back and the front right wheel well were filled in using epoxy putty, while the front windshield was fashioned from pieces of clear plastic cut from a CD case. The crates and fuel drums came from a Bandai Maultier kit, and the driver is an old Bolt Action jeep driver that I had in my 'bits box' along with the rolled up tarp. It is now ready to ferry supplies or a squad of commandos across a river or from ship to shore.

 

 

Next up is a Kübelwagen Type 82/3. This was a mock-up scout car/armoured vehicle with a machine gun-turret atop the cabin. It was apparently built for decoy and training purposes. I bought this from Wargames Foundry decades ago. It came with the Feldgendarm, but I only painted up the 'Kettenhund' as I couldn't decide the colour scheme that would be most appropriate. Eventually I thought Panzer Dunkelgrau would do just as well as any other colour, and now it's finally done.

 

 

Third on our list is a Bandai 1/48 SdKfz 3 Maultier that I picked up off Ebay. This was another project where I couldn't decide what colour to paint it, but I finally decided to go with Panzer Dunkelgrau with an Olive Green striped camouflage suitable for the Russian Front. The tarp was painted Tan Earth and given a wash of GW Agrax Earthshade. I then liberally applied Vallejo European Dust wash everywhere. The kit came with a cargo of four petrol drums and two large crates, but since nobody would see them with the tarp in place, I used them for the DUKW.

 

Next is a 3D printed French Panhard 178 armoured car that was from the same run as the two painted by Fellow Conscript DallasE. I used a different paint scheme that is based on a surviving example in the Musée des Blindés in Saumur, France. I used Vallejo Gunship Green and Chocolate Brown with a sharp black line in between. I left off the fifth wheel, but added a muffler on the right side made from a piece of plastic sucker stick. Sometimes it helps a recce unit to not be heard, as well as not be seen. The decals were all ones that were kicking around in my files, so I didn't have to free hand any roundels. 

 

The fifth item is a group of four M5 Half-tracks to provide some additional armoured lift capability to my 2nd Canadian Division. I am not sure if these were used in any of the infantry divisions, so I may have to mark them up for the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. The models are either Corgi or Solido 1/50 vehicles that all came in different colours and configurations. One was an ambulance version that had a tarp on it, and the back door was cut out. The tarp was tossed in the 'bits box' while the missing door was replaced using thin plastic card. Everything was painted a uniform colour and then 'muddied up'. The verdict is still out on what stars should be added and where, but the vehicles are now ready to take to the field and move a platoon of infantry in relative safety on the battle field.

 

The last vehicle of this post is a Warlord Games 1/56 resin and metal M10 Achilles mounting a 17 pounder. While this is a newer acquisition compared to some of the other vehicles, it sat on the shelf for a while before being assembled. When it arrived, the tracks were warped and didn't form a clean fit with the chassis. A bath in some boiling water and some careful pressure in the right places straightened things out to an acceptable degree and things proceeded readily from there. Two of the crew in the turret are part of the resin casting while the third crewman is in metal. All came with separate heads which can provide some variety if you want to field more than one. The tarps were added from my 'bits box'. 

The only two Canadian units that used 17pdr M-10s were the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment RCA of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division; and the 7th Anti-Tank Regiment RCA of the 1st Canadian Corps Artillery. Both Regiments would have had two batteries of towed 17pdrs and two SP batteries with 17pdr M-10s

 

The points being claimed are as follows:

9 x 28mm vehicles @ 20 points each = 180 points

2 x 28mm foot figures @ 5 points each = 10

(I am counting the three crew of the Achilles as one)

As I said in the title, it is definitely a mixed bag of vehicles, but they are now all done.

A fine collection of WW2 kit from a wide variety of sources.  For the me the best of the lot is the DUKW, but mostly due to its provenance.  I can see the pony tailed toy expert on Antiques Roadshow giving you grief for the conversions of the vintage toys however.  That Kubelwagen mod looks far more dangerous than the original, at least as far as the occupants would be concerned. I also realy like the weathering and tarps on the Canadian AFVs and the camo on the Panhard.