The Thaw of '46

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I have just seen this guide over on the Modelling News and thought of you;



For more details see this link;
http://www.themodellingnews.com/2017/10/read-n-reviewed-issue-55-of-panzer-aces.html#more

Tony

[Wyrmalla]

I don't think I've seen that at WHSmith. Bah.

I do like having magazines over looking at images on the internet. At the moment I'm set to read through a backlog of Military Modelcraft Internal issues, though they're for my modern project. At the moment that's my focus, to break up all the winter tanks I've been painting.

[dampfpanzerwagon]

I don't think I've seen that at WHSmith. Bah.

I do like having magazines over looking at images on the internet. At the moment I'm set to read through a backlog of Military Modelcraft Internal issues, though they're for my modern project. At the moment that's my focus, to break up all the winter tanks I've been painting.

I've just given a load of Model Military International magazines to Rob at Hysterical Games. Old military modelling magazines never loose their appeal for me. My favourite and the ones that I keep hold of are the older editions of Finesale Modeller, there is always some hint or trick worth searching out in them. For example pages 16 - 20 of Model Military International from May 2008 that I have on my desk as I write. It features a modified Trumpeter E-25 by Luke Pitt.

I'm sure you would like it.

Tony

[Wyrmalla]

Yeah, that was an E-100 sitting in the background of my modern thread. No, I'm not addressing it.

[von Lucky]

You talk to your tanks?

[FramFramson]

He's the tank whisperer. 

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Three interesting articles;



Details can be found here;
http://www.modellversium.de/kit/artikel.php?id=12147

and



Details can be found here;
http://www.modellversium.de/kit/artikel.php?id=12225

and


Details can be found here;
http://www.modellversium.de/kit/artikel.php?id=3213

Tony

[Wyrmalla]

Heh, I have a load of 1/35th scale magazines from the past year. Alt-history stuff seems to be a favourite in that scale, to the point that I think I have three issues on just that rocket launcher platform...

[FreakyFenton]

Wow! Had to check out your stuff again Wyrmalla! I did have a look way back when I didn't have an account, but now the collection grew!

Very impressive and lovely work and scratchbuilding. I envy the speed at which you put all these together!

Also, you mentioned the red arm bands on the figures on page 22. They are actually for identification, I believe as both Russia and Germany had white winter clothing, the two factions adopted red (for the germans) and green (for the soviets) or none at all. But on the german side the red thin armbands were so Wehrmacht and SS units could tell friend from foe.

I'm unsure of the Soviets and their identification, or if they had any, so take that tidbit of info with a grain of salt. I believe it is mentioned in a few books, such as Osprey's collection on german camo, as well as signal publications work. J.Borsarello mentions it as well methinks, to name a credible source.

[Wyrmalla]

Thanks Freaky. Yeah, as far as those identification bands. I believe that they circled out the bands (as someone probably said somewhere in these comments), varying up the position, colour and number of bands to confuse the enemy. As most models don't come with them I didn't really bother to stick them on the figures, but painted them where they existed (I guess someone forgot to take his band off).

For the moment we are planning on using Mantic Games The Walking Dead rules for a Weird War II game at some point. So I may post up some of that here whenever that happens. German soldiers coming across a horde of zombie German and Soviets on the Eastern Front or something. Other than that, there's not been much call to do much with this collection lately. I mean I have a load of other stuff which is barely used as it is.

Still, I had been thinking about doing some Soviet stuff, as I happened to come across material when working on my current modern projects which had prospects (I'm mostly looking for an excuse to do more T-44s and T-54s in a WWII setting). Underfire Miniatures Cold War Soviets look kind of appealing as well to use, with a bit of modification, as infantry too (or figures with SKS if someone does decent quality ones).

...But I have so much stuff to work on at the moment that most of this is just ideas. My list of outstanding projects which I already have models for would probably cover me for the rest of the year, let alone including ones I've considered starting.

[FreakyFenton]

Hrm, speaking of SKS's, probably looking foward to Warlord's Korea range at the end of this year, huh?

I'm really curious about that one!

I will also have to give your modern thread a look.

[Wyrmalla]

I'd be into the Korea range more for the weapon sets, more modern artillery and perhaps their metals (which have better proportions than their plastics). Though problematically Modern miniatures companies typically produce their vehicle kits in 1/50th scale, as opposed to 1/56th, so I won't get much use out of the Korean War vehicles.

Clockwork Goblin have said that they're doing a T-44, so there's hope that some vehicles of the Korean War period not covered already by Warlord sneak their way in. However, for my own collection, there may not be much on offer. Rather the North Koreans and Chinese were using WWII era Soviet stuff as far as I'm aware, which is already mostly covered by Warlord (what a coincidence...).

As of my earlier post I've forked out some of my WIPs. My modern projects so far have been focused on Soviet and Post-Soviet equipment, which has given me a bit of an appetite for those style of vehicle. If I can find the time I'll maybe see about working on some things. For the moment I'm considering a Soviet force with the following (and not just because I happened to just place an order with Blitzkrieg Miniatures for a few things too..).

T-44 > Make a second one (with a better paint job)



T-44/ 122 > I like the different driver's compartment style. Failing this another T-44 or T-44 100



SU-122/44 > the Tank Destroyer variant of the T-44. Had a Jagdpanther style casement, as opposed to the more angular one of the SU-122/54 (which actually saw (limited) production)



Panther II > I already have another of these. With all the heavy armour my Germans have, it may be more interesting to do one up as a Soviet vehicle (calling it the T-5/2 or something)



Uralmash-1 / SU-101/2 > T-44 based tank destroyer (won out over the SU-122/44 for production > still, didn't see service). Designed to replace the T-34 based SU-100, which had problems with its gun ramming into the ground on inclines.



Object-704 > KV-2/3 hybrid Tank Destroyer. I already started building this. The casement's pretty weird.



SU-57D/ 76D > T-70 based Tank destroyer with an enclosed casement. Similar to post-war ASU-57. The Soviet "Hetzer".



Gaz SU-85 > Another T-70 based Tank Destroyer (a coincidence that chassis was used post-war for other vehicles...) which lost the bid to the T-34 based vehicle which used the same namesake. Same chassis length as the SU-76 production model.



If I were to add infantry then I'd have to do something other than just using the Warlord Soviet figures. Something with either an SKS or AKM would be more the look I'd want.

Though searching through Soviet uniforms, they wouldn't really see more modern stuff in service for a few decades post-WWII as far as I can tell. So using say Under Fire Miniatures NVA line may not work and their Russians are in Summer uniforms.

Some models in Trench coats with the appropriate rifles. Though there seems to be a drought of models armed with SKS. All I found were some Eureka African fighters. I guess I'd need to hunt down maybe some Vietnamese figures or something if I wanted this rifle (but I'd need something, as I can't have everyone armed with AKMs for balance ). If anything Warlord's Korean War range could remedy this issue, as long as the guns aren't massive.

I have the models there for the tanks at least. Though it isn't set if I'll do much in the immediate future, as well I do have tonnes of other stuff to work on besides this setting. We'll see what happens I suppose.

[FreakyFenton]

Definitely a enthusiastic start and a massive project, but I'll keep my eyes peeled! 

[Wyrmalla]

We can hope.

Doing a bit of research for this, I'm finding myself at a loss somewhat to do with a few of the kits which I already have.

Now, without resorting to making fictional variants, so far the amount of interesting late-war versions of certain tanks seem light on the ground. Presumably as the Soviets were committed to certain chassis and unlike the Germans not prone to whims of fancy. Or rather not all the old Soviet archives have been opened up, and we don't know about the stupid and weird stuff yet.

Which is to say that I'm at a loss for what to do with a pair of T-34 and a IS-2 kit. I already have an Object 704 in progress from another IS-2 kit which is too much of a pain to duplicate, and at a push I'd stick an AA gun on the back of a T-34 ARV. However, I'm not really too into any of those ideas.

I'm partial to some of the T-34 and T-70 successor vehicles. Like he T-43 and LTTB, neither of which saw production (The T-43 was integrated into the T-34/85).




Though also problematically, it seems like for whatever reason the Soviets were into replacing the drive systems of their prototypes. Most of these vehicles failed, and their successful elements merged into the T-34, so this wouldn't be an issue if I was building the vehicle which actually saw service. However, for my own alt-history needs this would mean scratch building a good deal of these models ...barring the parts cannibalised for the T-34. The alternative of course would be sticking T-34 components onto these prototypes and making some fictional "production models".

As far as the IS-2 goes, well, I'm dealing with a similar issue which I found with a 1/48th scale IS-2 for my modern project. This chassis was quickly discarded and upgraded into the IS-3. The IS-3 however has some integral differences, and Warlord already make one of these, so converting the plastic kit to be one of these later variants may mean unnecessary work. Tsk, and again those damn designers just loved replacing the drive systems on the IS-2 era variants, which with all the hull differences in these prototypes would wind up being another almost complete build.



Whilst there seems to be plenty of options for the T-44, I'll need to have a think about what to do with those other two vehicles. There'll hopefully be a book out there somewhere similar to the Encyclopedia of German Tanks or Panzer Tracts. Though nothing seems to be as popular when it comes to WWII prototypes as German ones, so I don't hold out hope.

Secondary to all of this, the Soviets didn't seem to be that into field conversions. You don't see Marder style vehicles for instance (well not as often), so inspiration isn't heavy on the ground. However, in my own canon the arms capacity of the Soviet Union is diminished, which is excuse enough to come up with my own conversions. I'll maybe have to look at later Eastern European improvised armoured vehicles for some ideas, but that's seeming like a solution here.

...Which is to say that there's a lot more planning involved in this project than just finding a cool tank and building it. Oh well.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

As has been mentioned elsewhere, the T34 had problems with its transmission (hence why they carried spares early on), maybe that explains why the prototypes had a different drive system.

I had wondered what a T34 would look like if the Americans had mass produced them (similarly if the Germans had built them instead of the Panther). I know, just as likely.

My thoughts would be an M3 90mm gun and a revised engine deck and exhaust ( a use for those Rubicon M10A1 engine decks?).