28mm HYW Front Rank MAA

The recent visit to Innsbruck and the armour displays there have inspired me to pay a quick visit to my medieval war chest where I have a number of Perry and Front Rank miniatures still awaiting the Brush treatment.  The choice fell on a 28mm charging mounted Man at Arms from Front Rank, which was an easy choice really as these minis are always a joy to paint with their beautiful animation and flowing lines. The ample horse caparison also allows for the intricate heraldry we all love so much and after tons of deliberating the choice fell on a quartered design with a central shield bearing a continental type of chevron. Anyway, here it is. Apologies as some of the pics don't have optimal exposure but I hope you can appreciate it nonetheless.

A few days in the Sexten Dolomites and Innsbruck

Being grounded with all the travel restrictions since March last year (pretty much like everyone else), my better half and I decided it was high time to run the Covid gauntlet and risk a quick dash overseas.  The choice fell on the open air of the Sexten Dolomites in the Italian South Tyrol -  a world heritage site - and later a few days in the lovely city of Innsbruck.

The cool alpine air made such a refreshing change from the suffocating summer heat of home which even now persists and shows no sign of abating. A few days of hiking in wide open spaces like those of the Alps is a luxury which we do not even dream about on our miniscule island, so it was with particular gusto that we took to our walking boots and sticks.  And once in Innsbruck there was the added pleasure of the Andreas Hofer gallery and the medieval exhibits in Ambras Castle, a veritable treat for military history buffs. Hofer was the innkeeper who organised Tyrolean resistance against the French in 1809-10 and is highly regarded as a folk hero in the Tyrol.  He managed to engage and defeat on various occasions Bavarian troops but was ultimately betrayed by a fellow Austrian, captured and executed.

A room with a view.  Our hotel high in the Sexten alpine meadows commanded breathtaking views

 

 

 

 

 

A cable car ride up to the Rotwand brings you to easy hikes with marvelous views

The old city centre of Innsbruck as seen from across the river Inn

 

 

 

The Andreas Hofer Tyrol military museum contains a nice array of hardware

A marvellous rotunda painting celebrates Hofer's struggles against Lefebvre's Bavarians in 1809

Late medieval jousting armour at Schloss Ambras

A nice selection of 15th & 16th century armour at Ambras

There's more to Innsbruck than just museums !

 

Panzer 38(t) Ausf G in 1:35 scale

Even though this is supposed to be a wargaming blog, I'm really into these larger scale tank models now. I have to admit it is a very nice facet of our wonderful hobby which until now I had only touched upon occasionally. My latest model is a 1:35 scale Panzer 38(t) Ausf G from Hobby Boss. These early tanks proved to be very resilient and even though production was discontinued around 1942 (they had become hopelessly obsolete by then), they continued serving practically until the end. The 38(t) hailed originally from Czechoslovakia - the "(t)" in its designation stands for tschechisch which is german for czech according to wiki - and even though it stopped being used as a front line tank mid way during the war, it's hull and chassis formed the basis of the Marder, Hetzer and Jagdpanzer 38. It's four large road wheels are unmistakable! 

 

This kit from Hobby Boss is extremely well produced. Parts fit perfectly, are extremely well moulded and highly detailed. It's a pity that the only interior detail is in the turret and the interior of the hull is completely devoid of detail. I even had to scratch build a partition in case light from one end of the hull would be somehow visible at the other. Seems to me a bit nonsensical to put detail in the turret but not in the hull as going for an open turret hatch would surely reveal the empty hull interior below. The version I opted for is a 1944 Bulgarian army vehicle painted entirely in dark yellow as was also customary for the Wehrmacht in the later war years. It seems the Bulgarians had only ten 38(t)'s delivered during the war. I was not aware the Bulgarians used a black cross insignia on their tanks, very similar if not identical to the markings the fascists used in the Spanish Civil War in pre-WW2 years. So you see, you also get to learn stuff apart from enjoying the build!

 

The extensive riveting on the wheels, hull and turret made for a lot of painstaking washing and highlighting (each rivet was individually washed with oils and highlighted in a buff colour) but it is such an outstanding feature on the model that it seemed a shame not to invest some more time on it. In the end I was quite pleased with the way that turned out.  Weathering and general polluting was with the usual AK pigments and washes.

 

The Emperor returns?

History tells that Napoleon Bonaparte landed in Malta in June of 1798 on his way to Egypt and in the seven days he stayed here he revolutionised the entire legal and social systems and abolished slavery. He was so ahead of his time that some of the laws he established then are still in force today! Bonaparte sailed to Alexandria on 19 June, never to return. 

Or so you thought.

Some local newspapers this week reported that famed director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down, The Duellists, gosh the list is endless!!!) is shooting his new movie Kitbag in Malta.Or parts of it at least. The subject? Napoleon’s early years and his ascent to power culminating in Austerlitz.  The Emperor returns! Huzzah!

Scott shot most of Gladiator here in Malta back in 2001 or therabouts with Russel Crowe and Joachim Phoenix so it’s not too surprising that Phoenix will be returning to Malta as well interpreting the part of Napoleon. When shooting Gladiator Scott enlisted hundreds of locals as extras for crowd scenes and such so it’s logical to expect that a similar number of people if not more will be needed to re-enact Napoleonic  troops and civilians. With this in mind me and my mates - most of whom are very experienced Napoleonic re-enactors and have travelled most of Napoleon’s battlefields - will be keeping our eyes and ears open for opportunities to take part in the film. One thing is certain - at 5’5” or thereabouts don't expect to see me as a Grognard!

If this materialises filming wouldn’t start before next year probably. In the meantime, watch this space......

                                    

https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/arts/film/111669/malta_set_for_ridley_scotts_napoleon_epic_kitbag_with_joaquin_phoenix

https://lovinmalta.com/lifestyle/film/gladiator-and-joker-star-joaquin-phoenix-to-return-to-malta-for-ridley-scotts-napoleon-epic-kitbag/

Panzer 1 Ausf A in 1:35 scale finito!

 It's been some time since I last posted - a mixture of other priorities, working at my desk, carrying out loads of home maintenance and sheer downright disinterested laziness. Maltese summers are punishing - this one particularly so - and drains most of one's energies except to go to the beach or drink ice cold beer when it gets a bit cooler in the evening. The Euro Cup and Olympics didn't help either!

But enough excuses. The reason I am writing again is that finally - and I stress the word finally - I have managed to finish my Hobby Boss 1:35 scale Panzer 1 Ausf A.  It's been four months in the making (shame on me!) but here it is at last.

I opted for the German Grey version - the 'Negrillo'

The hatches were left open so that at least some of the interior remained visible

The driver's hatch allows a decent interior view

I tried to give a heavily used look to the tank

Starboard wheel assembly showing accumulated dust and grime

Port view. All dust weathering was done with AK pigments

The hull was weathered with a combination of oil washes and AK pigments

Tamiya panel liner and ink washes brought out the open hatch details

Top down view showing commander's position

View through the driver's hatch

I must say it was a shame to lose a lot of the interior detail but unfortunately that's how it is with AFV's. The engine cover although not cemented is firmly kept in place by the exhaust pipes and rear viewing port and if removed it can easily scratch or break some parts. So again, all the engine detail is lost from viewing -  thank goodness I took loads of pics before sealing it in!  Still haven't decided if I should put the model on a base. Probably I will but I just want to get it out of my hair now and start something else straight away while the mojo's back.

Hope it won't be another five months to the next post!!!

Panzer 1 Ausf A in 1:35 scale wip

If I really had to exert myself to find some sort of positive side to the pandemic it would be that the longer indoor hours are ideal for larger scale modelling or gaming projects. For the last few weeks I have been busy at my latest build - a 1:35 scale Pzkpfw 1 from Hobby Boss. Now this model is a bit different from most since it has a full interior build - hull, turret, and engine - so really it's two builds in one, internal and external. 

The kit - it is such an early model of the Pz1 that there is also a SCW variant

The interior is highly detailed but from my research I soon realised that I would have to make some additions. All external viewports needed to have latches, hinges, and rivets added and furthermore all electrical wiring in the crew and engine compartments was missing.  But the main headache was the interior colour. I have come across a lot of confusing references - some entirely in Ivory (the Germans used a colour called Elfenbein), some entirely in a dark hull red colour, some claiming a mixture of both with the lower hull in red while the upper hull and turret in ivory. Others mentioned a light blue differential while others still added a dark green differential since the Germans were cleverly passing their early tanks on as agricultural tractors to circumvent the Versailles treaty conditions!  Actually all these colour schemes were in force at some time or another but it is not always clear at which point they were employed between 1935 and 1945. I decided to do a Spanish Civil War vehicle and my final choice fell on an entirely Elfenbein interior but to be honest I am still not sure if I made the correct decision.

 

As for the build itself this is a really excellent kit and very few parts proved problematic to fit. When it came to finishing the interior I imagine any vehicle in which a crew is spending long hours would end up pretty messed up after a few days on campaign. So I tried to give a very dirty appearance to the interior with all types of oil, fuel, mud, and assorted grime on the lower hull flooring.  I hope I haven't overdone it but I doubt anyone would wipe their boots clean before entering a tank! The driver's feet position I messed up particularly badly seeing that it would have been constantly trodden upon and I also added rust, paint chipping and grime to both the floor and side wall. I reasoned the worst of the wear would be in the lower hull, getting less and less grimy further up in the upper hull and turret. 

Lower hull with transmission in centre foreground and driver's position on right

The Pz1's Krupp M305 engine is beautifully rendered

 

Lower hull driver's position

Lower hull interior. The port latches, hinges, and rivets are all built from scratch

 

Turret interior with suspended commander's chair. Again, all port structures are from scratch

 

The two MG13 7.92mm machine guns are highly detailed

Next to the ammo rounds in the upper hull I noticed what seems to be a toolbox which I couldn't possibly leave empty. So I quickly ordered a toolset in 1:35 scale from Mathomodels and filled the box with tools. I think it came out very nicely.

 

Mathomodels photo etched tool set. Cool!

The tools snug inside their box next to the ammo rounds

With the interior practically done it's now time for the exterior

 

I still have to do some pipework around the radiator in the engine compartment and a few touching up here and there but I consider the interior mostly done. I will now move on to the tank's exterior and hopefully upload the next post with the finished model. There are two Spanish Civil War colour versions and still haven't decided if it will be the full dark grey 'Negrillo' or the later three colour camouflage pattern in sand, green, and brown.  Jury's still out on this one!

 

Until next time, keep well. 

 

 

Dragon Stug III Ausf B in 1:72 scale

This week's AFV is a 1941 Stug III Ausf B serving on the Eastern Front in 1:72 scale from Dragon.  The Stug III is my second favourite German AFV after the Panzer IV and I was looking forward greatly to this build. However, I must say that this Dragon model was a bit of a disappointment following last week's Sdkfz 231 build.  My biggest gripe was with the tracks and wheels.  These came into one single rubberised piece and was not convenient at all to fit onto the hull. Even worse, the tracks have no holes on the individual chain links and have whopping mould marks on the front and rear which cannot be removed. The model only consists of a single sprue and is made up only of a handful of parts - very few in fact.

            Only a handful of parts on a single sprue. Note the solid track assemblies in black at bottom

 The only way to solve the wheel and track issues was to resort to heavy weathering and try to 'suffocate' the lack of detail under the mud and grime. So I opted for a wintry look where some vehicles were rapidly whitewashed in a thin coat of white paint over the standard dark panzer grey. This frequently resulted with the grey showing through the thin coat of white. Furthermore as the crew would need to walk on the vehicle itself to enter and exit, most of the white paint would be rubbed off on the top surfaces with all the frequent comings and goings.

To simulate the weathered paint with the underlying panzer grey showing I decided to try out the 'hairspray method'. This consists of giving the model a coat of hairspray over the basic panzer grey colour and decals applied. Once the hairspray dries, a very light coat of white is airbrushed onto the model, decals and all. Once dry, a wet brush with shortened bristles (to stiffen them a bit) is used to reproduce scratches and worn out paint.  Hairspray is very sensitive to water and soon melted away together with the white paint, exposing the panzer grey underneath.  I had never tried this before but thank heavens for Youtube!  

Finally I applied heavy weathering and mud to the underside and lower hull to simulate the messy terrain these tanks must have operated in during the Russian winter.  Helped cover most of the defects I mentioned before too.

I must also include a word of thanks to Steve Jones Scale Modelling Site on Youtube which has an excellent series on building this particular model. It is a brilliant and helpful channel which served as a big inspiration and reference source.

 Now I am working on a much larger model, a 1:35 scale Panzer I Ausf A from Hobby Boss. This will take much longer to complete so it will be some time before my next post. However, I might put down a wip post at some point.

Stay safe and carry on hobbying!