Captain Blood's Western Desert: P.125 - SdKfz10 half-track with 2cm Flak 30

[Captain Blood]

Thanks

Turns out it's a Humber Mk II armoured car, not a Mk III per my orbat. So I'd better change that.

Anyway, just finished painting it. Here it is. Interestingly, although they date from 1941, I think this vehicle looks a lot more modern and more businesslike than most of the slightly Heath-Robinson looking British armour of the time...

The tin helmet hanging jauntily on the back corner of the turret, was copied directly from a wartime photo - improbable as it may look.

Quite a nice model this, although I'm at a loss to know why they included the two big bales of forward stowage, which I'd rather not have had moulded on. Odd.

The hatches, when open, are also just a bit too small to accommodate even the diminutive Perry tank crew half-figures. So I've had to model it with hatches battened down.

Apart from that, it was a reasonably good and clean casting, although as usual with Blitzkrieg, bedevilled by a few tiny air bubbles here and there...











Just Matilda to come!

[Quendil]

Looks great .  I assume you mean 1941 not 1841?  What base colour did you use?

[Ray Rivers]

Very nice! 

I rather like light armor, reconnaissance and thin skin vehicles.

So many times when someone says "WWII" folks automatically think of giant tank battles...

[Captain Blood]

Thanks Ray.

Looks great .  I assume you mean 1941 not 1841?  What base colour did you use?

oops - corrected!

The base colour is Vallejo Iraqi Sand lightened with white. Probably a 60:40 mix for the first coat, and then more white mixed in for the highlights...

[Ballardian]

Very nice, it's a handsome looking beast.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Excellent paint job.

[Keith]

Lovely - always liked the Humber. You've done a great job on it.

Those stowage bales are pretty ubiquitous so I can see why the made them a fixture here (look a little oversize but otherwise correct).

[Dr Mathias]

I love the armored car. When I was a little kid and played with diecast vehicles I always preferred them to tanks for some reason.

[carlos marighela]

Very nice Richard but at the risk of sounding a little negative I think you are at risk of becoming captive to a technique. There's a recognised ailment in the military modelling world known as chipping mania and you are exhibiting the early signs. The purpose of a technique is to enhance not dominate. The artist in you wants to display mastery of a technique but IMO it deteacts from the authenticity of the item being modelled. I'd be inclined to throttle it back a little and display more of your usual subtelty for which your figures are justly famous.

Yes, it's an accepted trope and one based in reality that most AFV are not parade ground spick and span but its equally true in reality that armoured crews spend most of their time maintaining the items they live and work in. RSMs, SSMs and most troop sergeants have an abhorrence of rust and are loathe to let it accumulate. Many WW2 vehicles had relatively short life spans, so they rarely got the chance to look like the heavily faded, rusted, scrapyard look so beloved of the 1/35 modelling brigade. The ones that did last had usually spent several soujourns in base workshops, where they usually got a touch up.

Gunge and stains certainly do accumulate in service but leaving aside mud and dust they tend to fall in discrete areas, usually where there is contact between something sticky like fuel or grease that binds dust to the surface. Wheel nuts, filler caps that sort of thing and it usually takes on a darker tone of the ambient dust.

Dust itself whilst it may fall uniformly on a vehicle tends not to stay uniformly. Wherever there is human contact it gets disturbed. It also gets disturbed by mechanical contact. Look at any tread pattern on a tyre, even your own motor car and you'll notice that the recesses are dustier and therefore lighter than the raised section as these are in contact with the road/ ground where dust gets dislodged. It's tricky to do in miniature and I'll readily admit I'm not great at this myself but lighter, semi viscous washes appear the best solution unless you fancy a very fine brush.

Hopefully I don't sound like I'm carping, the intent was to provide constructive feedback. I genuinely asmire your work, it's always a pleasure to open a thread displaying your handiwork. I just don't want to see another fine soul lost to chipping mania.

[Captain Blood]

Fair comment. Did go a bit overboard with the chipping on this one, although the photographs magnify and exaggerate the effect compared to viewing it at tabletop distance, which is, after all, how it's really designed to be seen.

[moiterei_1984]

Great work Richard! That Humber looks ace 
and while Carlos might be right I love weathering that's a tad over the top. Helps to create interest in otherwise rather plain looking vehicles without adding stowage till the driver can't see out of his vision ports anymore.

[Captain Blood]

Thanks

Meanwhile, next weekend is my first full scale test of the rules using the whole collection so far and with two/three players per side.
I've set up the table - still a temporary job - once the LPL is over, I'll be starting in on my desert terrain boards proper.
The table is 6ft x 5ft.
It will be a defence scenario, with the (slightly inferior in armour) British defending a small coastal fuel supply depot against a German thrust from the desert hinterland...





The Germans will initially have to cross open ground to get into the town... But then they do have better tanks

[Dr. Zombie]

Looking good. Even if it is just a temporary board..

[Phil Robinson]

Tis a fine looking table, Sir.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Very nice looking table