Off the Workbench - Mark

Just like waiting at a Bus Stop, when you get one 'Off the Workbench' post,  along come three!!

This time a contribution from Mark, showing three of his excellent German WW2 tanks.

Two JagdPanthers

and what I belive is a Hummel

AHPC XVI: From Mike W - My last post of the Challenge or Odds & ends on my Workbench (45 Points)

 Well this is my last post for this challenge, as ever it had been fun and as the name implies - challenging!

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved in running the challenge, great work! And let's all join the two wee guys below and raise a glass to all our beloved minions...

As the title of this post suggests  I have literally looked to clear all those stray items on my workbench that have stalled and hit a backwater in the last few months.

First off are two Warlord Games ECW Highlanders who along with their compatriots are being readied for a potential future game. These two seemed to have been waylaid at the pub and were missed when I completed their friends last summer.

Two Highlanders celebrating the end of this year's challenge!

Although the figures give a sense of wearing tartan, actually bottled out trying to paint full tartan on these guys. instead after doing a base colour of green or blue, I used marker pens to draw lines in a chequered pattern over the base colour. I tried to make the lines follow the flow of eth cloth but didn't worry too much about making them too accurate.

A couple of spots in contrasting colours before applying a varnish - the important thing here being it was an oil based varnish as the markers were water soluble and using water based varnish literally wipes the lines out! Once the varnish was dry (overnight) I was then able to apply Army Painter washes & Inks to add shading to the cloth and it turned a dodgy child like tartan into something that is in my opinion tabletop passable!

The reverse view

Below is a test figure I did based upon a sprue of figures on the front of a magazine some time ago, I forget now if it was a Perrys or a Wargames Atlantic product....

Later War MP34 infantryman

Finally painted and based!

Another view

At my Wargames Club we are gearing up for a campaign set in the Marion Wars (Mary Queen of Scots) period of Scottish history. The crossbowman below us another figure that got separated and lost from his parent unit on my workbench...

.... yes, my workbench can get quite chaotic at times and usually only gets sorted and cleaned when my wife puts her foot down!

Completed Crossbowman

He could be on either side of the conflict

These Zombicide Invader Survivors have finally been completed, I started these when I was doing my Xenos earlier in the challenge.

Five more Zombicide Survivors

For some reason, I always struggle with doing the survivor figures in these post Apocalyptic games - the monsters always seem more fun to paint. That said I'm almost decided to use North Star figures to provide the Survivors for scenarios I put on as I will develop stats cards for them to be Mining Corporation Marines, providing security for the Corporations mining sites - I like the figures better and I find them more fun to paint!

In case you wondered, Commander Amadi in the Yellow Power Suit
and Madame Singleton to his right

Left to Right: Cloud, Emma & Val

20mm WW2 Axis vehicles

By Mark.

 l'm painting the last of my leftovers l have in my odds and sods box most of which are late 19th cent. So will have to have a big victorian civil war battle at some point but the rate that l'm painting at the moment will probably be in 2 years time!

Russian tank pressed into German service

Anti-Aircraft half track

Above tank is generally known as P40-painted as used by Germans in anti-partisan actions and at least once against Brits in 1945, originally an Italian vehicle.

AHPC XIV: From GrahameH - More 15mm Cold War Battlegroups

 In a previous post I showed my US Cold War Battlegroup (BG) which I had finished and was then hoping to get some other non-completed NATO BGs completed without getting distracted. So in order to give myself a little encouragement I listened to the "Team Yankee" book. All was going well until they described the attempt by a US Armoured Cavalry Squadron to act as a speed bump in the face of the Warsaw Pact armoured advance. Spoiler - it didn't go very well for the US. Then the troubled started. "I'd like a Armoured Cavalry Squadron" I said even though it not on my list to do. However, I summoned up all my will power to keep to my original plan, failed and here it is. 

 Its not to big as I left out the artillery battery as it the same as the other US BG. The figures etc are all 15mm Battlefront. 

The HQ - MG, Stinger, CO and a M113 (20pts)

Armoured Cavalry Troop

There are 2 of these each consisting of 8 men and a M113 ACAV. (24pts x 2 = 48pts)

Support

M113 ACAV for the Recce Unit and 1 M106 with a 120mm mortar. (16pts and 4 for the mortar crew (20pts)

Two Armoured Cavalry Tank Troops (Each of 2 M60s) (32pts)

So the US Armoured Cavalry Squadron = 120pts 

Then I thought I wonder if I could add a US Air Assault BG. I have a Russian one and a British one. 

Never really sticking to a painting plan due to my butterfly issues, here is my US Air Assault BG.

A A10 Warthog, a AH-1 Cobra and 2 Chinooks (32pts) (the Cobra is Battlefront, the Chinooks are 3D printed and I have no idea where the A10 came from. 

The Ground Forces 

HQ and the 3 Infantry Companies 

This was before the entry of the Humvees so most of the transport is Mutt 151 jeeps (From Army Bits) 

(2 vehicles and 34 figures, including crew for the jeeps) = 84pts

Support Company - M151 with TOW (2 vehicles and 6 crew) = 28pts

Recce Platoon - M151 and 7 figures (22 pts)

Airborne Tank Sqn - 3 X M551 Sheridans (Army Bits). Apparently the 82nd kept their Sheridans during this time period. (24Pts)

The Artillery Battery (2 Guns, 3Vehicles and 12 figures) = 56pts (all Army Bits who make some wonderful US Infantry) I think the guns are a bit late for 1984 but they will do. 

So that the US Airborne BG at 246 Pts. 

Right back to the Plan

West German BG 

West German BG (most of the infantry was already painted so just the vehicles)

HQ and two Sqns of Leopards (7 vehicles) 56pts - Battlefront

Leopard Recovery Vehicle (8pts) (Army Bits)

4 Marder 1s for the HQ, if not an armoured BG and three Infantry Coys (Battlefront) (32pts)

Second Part of the West German BG.

The Artillery Battery - 2 X M109s and a M113 FO (Battlefront) (24pts)

Support Company - 2 M113 (for the Milan Teams) and a M106 with 120mm Mortar - 2 crew. (28pts)

AA Platoon - a Roland (this was suppose to be a Gepard, but that model has been drafted into the Dutch BG) (8pts)

Recce Plt - a Luchs (8pts)

Any then the Butterfly Syndrome hit again 😒

West German Fallschirmjager BG

AT Company - 2 Wiesels with TOW and 2 with 20mm *Butler 3d printing) (32pts)

Pts = 112pts

I need 5 KraKa transport for this unit. These are little go-kart things but I can't find any in 15mm. Anyone know of anyone who produces these please let me know?

Friday Night Games: WW1

Friday 26th May saw the first week of a WW1 game put on by Phil, using his recently rebased French & German figures and a newly created set of rules for early war battles loosely based upon John's Boer War rules.

French 1st Battalion of four companies and an MG Platoon.

The game saw a force of five French Infantry Battalions and their supporting Artillery stage an attack against a German position, atop a long ridge held by two German battalions with additional battalions arriving in support.

The Germans were ably commanded by Dave & Rupert whilst the attacking French were commanded by Mike W, Mike N, Ollie & Steve. Mike N commanded 2 battalions of Zouaves, whilst the others had a battalion each of a full Infantry Regiment. Mike W, commanded the Regiment overall.

Attacking French Zouaves, accompanied by their attached Artillery's FOO

1st Battalion assault against German positions starts to go in and casualties begin to be taken

The French opted for an Oblique attack on the German lines, with their left flank (1st Battalion) leading first with the Zouaves, following and then the 2nd & 3rd Battalions going in from left to right.

Vive la France! as the Zouaves push on the central German position.

More of the Zouaves with a view of Ollie's battalion in support to their right 

A wider view of the central attack by Mike N & Ollie's forces

As with any WW1 scenario it is the Machine Guns and Artillery that rule the battlefield, here it is no different. Above can be seen the white targeting markers from German Artillery landing amongst the Zouaves.

And a close view as Artillery takes its toll on the gallant Zouaves

On the Left its grim for both the French & Germans, Mike W's French casualties are high but so are Dave's German casualties. To the rear can be seen German re-enforcements arriving to plug the gaps in the German lines on the ridge. 

WWI Tanks Again

Following the success of last week's game, Mark was able to re-run a much larger version of the game on Friday 14th October. This saw 3 German A7Vs pitted against 6 British Mark IV tanks - 2 x Male and 4 x Female. He was again using the 'What a Tanker' ruleset, with some added complications.

A good view of much of the table-top battlefield, with German
& British destination markers clearly on show

Close-up of one of the German A7V vehicles.

This wasn't as unfair as it sounds as the Female Mark IVs only had Machine Guns to fire, so it put 3 x 57mm German Guns against 4 x British 6lbrs. Additionally there was the complication that the British had 6 independently minded Tank Commanders in John, Rupert, Dave, Mike W, Phil & Nigel, whilst the Germans only had to co-ordinate the Prussian minds of Mat & Steve, along with the lone Saxon - Paul, visiting us from Somerset!

Rupert's Tank trundles onto eth Table-top being coaxed along by two crewmen

Dave & Nigel's vehicles crossing the trench lines via a convenient gap,
meanwhile Mike W's tank is broken down with the crew desperately
trying to get it going before the German Artillery spots it!

Both sides had a designated position to be captured and they went for it from the off. Although order of movement was random, all the British entered the table (except Rupert's land ship - as it was dawdling at the rear without a successful move roll).

At the top of the table can be seen Phil's 'Edge of the World' Mark IV
being hunted by Saxon Paul's A7V. Meanwhile,
Mat's Prussian A7V is closing in on Rupert's Mark IV.

Then appeared the Germans!

Another shot of A7V number 507!

Ultimately a number of British Tanks were able to cross the Trench lines, despite many mishaps and breakdowns. In the end numbers told as the Germans were not able to stop all the British vehicles and finally two of eth three Germans were disabled and the other trapped by surrounding British tanks on their victory marker.

Parting Shot!