A War in The East

[cuprum]

In the first phase of the conflict, the insurgents practically did not have any armored vehicles at all. They widely used rescue and demilitarized (for private non-military use) armored vehicles.


BTR-60, redone for hunting trips.


Or even bank cash-armored vehicles


Even the museum exhibits (a well-known case - the tank-monument IS-3 removed from the pedestal).




I also know of the successful attack on the Ukrainian block post, made with the help of two military armored engineering vehicles (the post was simply destroyed, like bulldozers, despite shooting from small arms).



At the same time, improvised armored cars were actively built and used in combat. Similarly, from the Ukrainian side, volunteer battalions were armed only with small arms and badly needed at least some armored vehicles.
After the appearance of a significant amount of regular armored vehicles on the battlefield, these "monsters" really began to be used only as armored personnel carriers for the delivery of soldiers to the front line.

[Wyrmalla]

And we're ranging too far into discussing current conflicts, rather than the models, as the board rules stipulate. :/

I threw together this monument. I'll fill in the border with some gravel (the milliput's still curing, so it'll stick if I do it now), and maybe stick a brass relief with a Hammer and Sickle on the front there.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice statue.

[mikedemana]

When I visited Ukraine a few years ago, I talked to some of the people about their views on the conflict. Very enlightening! Definitely an under-represented period for our modern games!

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com
http://leadlegionaries.blogspot.com/

[Ultravanillasmurf]

When I visited Ukraine a few years ago, I talked to some of the people about their views on the conflict. Very enlightening! Definitely an under-represented period for our modern games!

But not one to be covered on this forum (see thread sticky above).

[commissarmoody]

Oh do the middle East you should look at some of the mad max style APCs those Dash fellows had put together.
Watched a video with fully armored f150s assulte a pshmurger positions.... They got massacred. Lol
But still interesting.

[Wyrmalla]

I'm sticking with Europe, but there's a lot of potential with the Middle East. Specifically bikes with DHsK on the back for some quick fire support.

[commissarmoody]

I'm sticking with Europe, but there's a lot of potential with the Middle East. Specifically bikes with DHsK on the back for some quick fire support.

those do look pretty cool.

[Wyrmalla]

One of the shops is still being painted, a little at a time. That memorial was a lot quicker to do however.



Nothing too extravagent. Maybe a bit heavy with the bird crap.

And yes, I managed the BTR-4.




Its armed similar to the BMP-2, though with an unmanned turret. The Export version has a different turret ring which can accept the older turret, which lends it a lower profile. I like the sci-fi looking thing this one has right now out of the options.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice statue and BTR4.

What did use for the front of the statue?

[Wyrmalla]

What, the relief, or the stone work? The Relief's just a hackjob mess of greenstuff.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

The relief - I wish my hours of work was as good....

[Wyrmalla]

Earlier in the week I managed a game. Whilst there isn't any pictures of any figures on it, this was the setup. An abandoned industrial area in some bedraggled area of the world (Glasgow).




It could've done with a mat beneath it instead of that plain grey looking at it now.

Meanwhile, here's a shortlist of some "planned" projects (i.e. I'll probably forget about them within a week).

BTR-3:



One of the (many) modernisation projects of the BTR series undertaken by Ukraine. Its mostly a BTR-80 armed with a similar setup to the BMP-2. The  plan's to make this from one of those toy BTRs as I've said, rebuilding the roof and adding a new turret.


BTR-94:



An earlier BTR-80 modernisation attempt. This is before the 30mm guns were introduced, rather it has a ZU-23-2 in an unmanned turret. The design didn't hit it off (though the market's fairly saturated), but it was exported to Iraq and used locally. An Empress BTR-80 with a ZU-23-2 in a new turret should work (I have an 80A on order to use the turret for something else eventually).


BRDM-Nik:



Another in a series of proposed developments (an iteration on previous failed proposals). It was between this and the Ares plant's Gecko. This looks more sci-fi though (and less of a scratch build), even if I'm not 100% sold on the turret (i.e. compared to some of the upgrade packages out there for it). It appears to have some sort of transport capacity with the removal of the middle roadwheels (taken from another design).


BMPT-72 "Terminator-2":



Earlier I posted saying that I wanted a T-72. I'm not happy with how the ERA was turning out on that. Well, I found that with the failure of the Terminator project a cheaper alternative was proposed. This I've actually started on.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Nice board. Possibly could have done with a bit more light ^___^.

Nice set of projects, look forward to seeing how they turn out.

[Wyrmalla]

Its not quite been a month since an update, so nobody gets to whinge.

Through dribs and drabs of working on things I've thrown together a few more vehicles. Here's the BMPT-72 "Terminator 2" in a close enough state for painting. ...Screw building that turret again.




It'll be painted in that regular green/ tan camo scheme instead of a fancy digital one, just as the blue and orange ones the prototypes come in look weird.

I had said that I wanted a BRDM-NIK. Ah, well once the HLBS BRDM-2 actually turned up, looking at the blueprints of both vehicles made me realise I'd need to pretty much do a complete scratch build for how little of the original vehicle was left. Instead, rolling back the work a bit and considering I haven't had many Russian built modernisations, here's a BRDM-2M.



Which is pretty much a BRDM-2 with a BTR-80 turret, side doors and a replacement engine. Though I couldn't find any real world examples, this alternative does seem fun as well.



...Though I was told it was a silly idea.

Just a regular armoured truck, nothing to see here...



Or is it a BTR?



That's where that half of a BTR which I'd shown made of plasticard went. A mobile checkpoint fortification is its intended purpose I believe. It'll be painted as mostly rusted plates over the truck body, with beat up parts of salvaged BTR breaking through it in places (its supposed to be a recovered BTR-80, though that's a BTR-60 turret from the BRDM-2. I guess they just stuck whatever bits they had together. I could have given it the 80A turret...).