From JamesM: Battlefront German 2cm AA (56 points)

Hi folks,

Continuing with my Gunuary theme, this week I've some more German AA guns. There may be a theme here throughout the challenge!

These chaps are the lighter brethren of the 3.7cm guns I completed last week, being the single barrelled 2cm Flak 38. Quite a common light AA weapon used by the Germans, who tended to try to use AA cover to make up for the lack of fighter aircraft. Somewhere around 2000 allied aircraft were lost during the Normany fighting, the vast majority of them to Flak.

I've 4 of these guns, forming a light AA battery. Unlike the 3.7cm's these crews are painted up in standard Heer (German Army) uniforms. I even made an attempt at the red waffenfarbe (the edging to the shoulder boards, which denotes arm of service), with red being for artillery and AA crews.

After I had made the decision to stick with the larger style bases for these as well, I decided to keep the guns plain rather than go for a camo effect. In exchange I tried to apply some foliage, in the form of tree branches applied to the front of the guns and over some of the limbers.

The Germans tended to use these lighter guns as 'point defence' AA protection around particular important locations. However, at a push they could be used in a ground role if the enemy got too close.

I'm also playing with my new lightbox, so apologies if the pics are a little bright. The lights do seem to have washed out what little detail I have done on some of the faces.

To go along with these, I also painted some command figures:

These three stands will act as command stands for various units, if I use the version 3 FoW rules (unlikely, as I like the v4 rules and tend to make up my own army's to suit whatever historical scenario's anyway). But I have the figures so may as well paint them. Mixing up the positioning and basing helps to hide the fact each stand has the same 3 figures. Unfortunately, I don't think any of the SMG barrels made it to the end of the process - they were a real weak point on these figures.

Total of 21 x 15mm crew figures = 44 points
4 x guns = 12 points

Total = 56 points

From Ray

Wonderful brushwork once again James, I do like the addition of all the clump foliage, it does indeed add to the camouflage effect of the bases. I would never have noticed until you'd said that the command bases all have the same figures in them, great positioning ol' chap.
\I think you may well need a little more practice with your new lightbox, its a shame because the brightness has knocked out some of your luvverly paintwork.
These badboys will as you suggested earn you a devilish 56 points!