I've made a bit of progress with the Grenzer figures and am pretty well halfway through the unit. I'm liking the look of these with their brown coats and blue trousers. Hopefully I'll complete the whole lot soon.
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| The drummer is a head-swop conversion from a DK grenadier. The flag (half finished at the back) is my first attempt at a 'coke can' flag in the style of Wellington Man. |
In other news, Goya came over last week and we had a go at a 20mm WW2 Western Desert game. I've had a bit of a thing about the early period of this campaign for many years and had been gradually (very gradually) building some forces using Airfix stuff. However the advent of 3D printed vehicles has given the project a shot in the arm as it cuts out the rather tedious business of assembling kits.
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| Goya's Matildas defend a ridge. The closest is a resin model, the next is a 3D version from Butler's Printed Models and the last two are Airfix from Goya's collection. |
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| The British soft-skin vehicles hunker down behind the ridge. The 2pdr Portee model is a 'ready to roll' one from Rapid Fire expertly assembled and painted by Goya. |
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| My German infantry briefly capture Showaddy-Wadi before being forced to retreat by massed machine gun fire from Goya's tanks. |
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| The situation at the end of play - a sort of draw. |
Goya and I both like the organisation charts in the various Rapid Fire books but we've struggled to get to grips with the RF rules. We're currently rehashing a set of my own rules written 30 years ago in the hope of getting something playable and fun.
Splendid desert stuff! Currently engaged in assembling similar. Avoid the PSC Honeys - see latest entry on the blog.
ReplyDeleteYour 2pdr portee is actually a Britannia model rather than RTR.
Neil
Thanks Neil. I'm avoiding all PSC as I'm trying to stick with 1/76 scale for all vehicles.
DeleteWith the command figures almost complete you have, in my opinion, broken the back of this unit - I always struggle until I get them out of the way so I can concentrate on the rank and file. Kudos for trying WM's coke can flags - I chickened out and instead went for heavy gauge aluminium foil from large (catering) tubs of coffee.
ReplyDeleteRob, I’m sure foil would work just as well. The coke can method worked out right first time which amazed me - not sure if I could repeat it!
DeleteThe Grenzers are looking great, lovely uniform. Good looking WW2 game as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks Donnie.
DeleteI like your new infantry, those pink crimson cuffs are very striking.
ReplyDeleteStephen
Thanks Stephen, you can’t beat pink as a colour choice in a military uniform!
DeleteGreat Grenzers Ian! That brown coat/blue trouser combo is very striking.
ReplyDeleteThe desert game looks wonderful with so many vehicles on the table.
Cheers,
Lee.
Thanks Lee, over half the vehicles are from Goya’s collection, many that he made in his youth!
DeleteLovely looking Grenzers Ian…
ReplyDeleteA cracking desert war game… there seems to be a fair bit of interest in this period at the moment…
All the best. Aly
Cheers Aly! I think there is a bit of nostalgia around wargaming this period with memories of John Saunders articles in Miniature Warfare and his Airfix book.
DeleteMy Coke-can Cuirassiers salute you, Ian. Will the Grenzers be carrying their colours into skirmish line, or is this to be a close-order battalion? I'm intrigued by the drummer too - is he a conversion?
ReplyDeleteLove the tanks. Since he seems to be winning I assume Goya's fielding a New Zealand brigade!
Matthew, I’m intending to base them as a close order unit but I might allow part to deploy as skirmishers. The drummer is a DK Austrian grenadier drummer with a head swap. Ah, not NZ but probably South African!
DeleteVery interesting and enjoyable post. For a couple of days Blogger has refused to allow me to comment on anyone else's blog, but it seems to have relented, so here I am, better late than whatever. Desert war game looks great - my knowledge of the period is so skimpy that I can only look at the pictures with my mouth open, but I am impressed.
ReplyDeleteTony, my knowledge is skimpy too but Goya seems to know a thing or two!
DeleteLovely stuff as always Stryker. Funny to see the WWII desert war included, as that is the only modern theatre I have any interest in. I think it stems from my days of yore playing Afrika Korps! In any event I have just a few tanks and a handful of 8th army Airfix figures painted. Far from the collection you and Goya have amassed!
ReplyDeleteThanks David, I think my own attraction to the period dates back to playing on the floor as a kid with the original 8th Army Airfix figures and also later to the John Sanders articles on wargaming the desert war.
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