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Showing posts with label Battlegroup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battlegroup. Show all posts

Monday, 18 September 2017

Early War German Panzers

My latest offerings are some units that I wish to use in my Blitzkrieg German Forces for both Battlegroup and Bolt Action.

These Panzers will be used for the Battlegroup Scenario "Orlik's Cockroach" (page 47 Battlegroup Blitzkrieg - Iron Fist Publishing 2015).  I also intend on writing a solo scenario for Bolt Action in the way I interpret how the action went down.  This is a work in progress.

On September 18, 1939, in the Kampinoska Forest a Panzer IV Ausf B accompanied by 2 x Panzer 35Ts were ambushed by Edmund Roman Orlik in his 20mm TKS Tankette with two MMG armed TKS Tankettes.  The Panzer IV was commanded by Lieutenant Victor IV, the Duke of Ratibor.  All three Panzers were destroyed however  I will give more background to this engagement when I write the Solo Scenario regarding this in the near future.  It is a fascinating engagement.  

The Panzers were from Panzer Regiment 11, 1st Leichte Division.

The models depicted are from Warlord Games.  The Panzer IV is actually a Panzer IV Ausf D, however I can be forgiven for this.   The crew are from Warlord Games and are the early variant.

The Panzers were painted with an Airbrush using AK Interactive paints and weathering products.  The crew, stowage and details were done with Vallejo Paints.


1st Leichte Division Panzers
A Platoon from Panzer Regiment 11, 1st Leichte-Division, Poland 1939

Warlord Games Panzer 35T
Warlord Games Panzer 35ts
Warlord Games Panzer IV Ausf D

1/56 Panzer IV D

Warlord Games Panzer 4
28mm Panzer Crew from Warlord Games

The second Panzer 35T I painted up recently. I painted the IV and 35T together.



Prince Victor IV Duke of Ratibor


Sunday, 10 September 2017

Wartime Miniatures 20mm Panzer Lehr

This article is not a review, just a little write up about my latest painting exploits.  I had been sitting on these guys a while and after finishing them I really wish I hadn't.  Wartime Miniatures an Australian based company has produced some lovely 20mm Panzer Lehr.  For $16.50 Aussie you get 11 figures which is great value.  As an Aussie, this is awesome and something I am happy to support.  I have only painted 10 up so far and am yet to do the Halftrack Gunner.  If you know me and have been following the blog, you know I have a very strong admiration of the Panzer Lehr.  They were one of Germany's best and their story is both triumphant and tragic.

This is the second lot of figures I have painted in 20mm and the first Wartime Miniatures I have painted.  I was most impressed.  I currently have the Adler range on my bench and have some of the new Elhiem figures enroute.  I will post some comparison pics at a later date.

These miniatures are for my 20mm Normandy themed battles.  I will predominantly play Ironfist Publishing's Battlegroup ruleset with them however Bolt Action may get a looking into as I will have opposing forces for my mates.

20mm Panzer Lehr Wartime Miniatures
Wartime Miniatures 20mm Panzer Lehr

Panzer Lehr Miniatures
Three of my favorites. Throwing a grenade, MG42 and Panzerfaust

20mm WW2 Miniatures German Panzer Lehr
A nice variety of poses

20mm WW2 Germans
I dabbed the helmets with a sponge

German Throwing Grenade
A great sculpt this on

20mm Panzer Lehr German Panzerfaust
Probably my favorite.  But is it a left handed Panzerfaust?
The following Panzer Lehr images are sourced from the internet and WW2 Colourised Photos on Facebook.

Panzer Lehr Colourised


Panzer Lehr Colourised






Monday, 1 May 2017

Off to Africa I go

I have hinted it for the past month in my posts and I have finally began my adventure into Africa with the Deutches Afrikakorps (German African Corps), commonly known as the DAK.

I have decided to go with the 15th Panzer Division.  Why the 15th?  Most people with a good knowledge of the DAK have heard the exploits of the famed 21st Panzer Division.  The 21st Panzer Division went on to fight in Normandy and took with them their reputation from the desert as a formidable opponent.  Thus it would make sense they are a more popular choice for DAK armies, plus they had a very recognisable divisional emblem.  However I dare to be different.

15th Panzer Division Insignia
Without going into the full history of the DAK, the 15th Panzer Divsion shortly arrived after the 5th Leichte Division which went on to become the 21st Panzer Division.  The 15th missed out on the early engagements with the 5th Leichte however the 15th were involved in all major offensives and known battles within the Africa Campaign.  I am of the opinion they are often over shadowed by the almighty 21st Panzer, and I wish to bring them to life on the table.

I have chosen two paths with regards to modelling them however may expand on this.  Firstly I will be doing the 115th Shutzen Regiment and the 8th Panzer Regiment.  The 115th Shutzen Regiment was a mechanised infantry fighting force.  The 8th Panzer Regiment made up the bulk of the armoured fighting vehicles within the 15th Panzer Division.

I decided to step away from the usual Artizan/BTD miniatures combination and went for the newly released Offensive Miniatures mixed with some Perry Miniatures which have been out for quite a while.  I will do a separate post about these miniatures however all I can say is that the Offensive Miniatures are offensively good and the Perry's are superb! I will be using a combination of Warlord, Rubicon, Offensive and Perry Vehicles.  Usually I like to paint up a test figure.  Well this time I painted 10 test figures.

offensive miniatures 28mm DAK
Offensive Miniatures EGDK 305 - 10 DAK Infantry Squad
You can see much variations in the uniforms.  There are plenty of great articles about DAK uniforms and there really is no set formula for painting DAK due to the harsh conditions of the desert.  Put this into google images and you will see what I mean.  Rather than using a specific painting guide I just used a whole lot of images and used the paints I had on hand to come up with these combinations.  I have a pinterest board for inspiration.

My army will cover all periods of the DAK from the early days of 1941 to the defeat in Tunisia in 1943.  It should be noted that the DAK sun hat, AKA the Pith Helmet was favoured by the troops due to its sun protection and comfort.  There is a great article about helmets the DAK wore here.



This army will mostly be used for Battlegroup Tobruk and Bolt Action.  If you haven't checked out Battlegroup I highly recommend you do.  It is designed for 15mm-20mm play however we have played it in 28mm with no dramas.  If you crave a more historical feel to your games as Bolt Action sadly falls short at times, Battlegroup is your turn to rules!

Make sure to follow the Blog for more updates about my journey into the desert! Lets check out my test minis!



28mm DAK infantry
Offensive Miniatures DAK wearing Helmets

Offensive Miniatures Review
Offensive Minatures DAK wearing caps

28mm DAK LMG
One of my favorite poses MG34

28mm Bolt Action DAK

Offensive Miniatures DAK
Squad Leader - Looks the bisiness

28mm Afrika Korps

28mm Africa Corps

28mm WW2 German Afrikakorps
One of my favourites

Afrika Korps Pith Helmet 28mm Miniature
Another favorite, I love the sun helmet.  Good job offensive Miniatures!

28mm WW2 German DAK

28mm WW2 DAK Deutches Afrika Korps Army

Another great sculpt by Offensive Miniatures 

28mm Bolt Action DAK rifleman

Perry Miniatures Luftwaffe ground crew
Perry Miniatures GWW 34 Luftwaffe air crew and ground crew

Perry Miniatures Luftwaffe Air Crew Painted
Perry Miniatures GWW 34 - Their Stuka is WIP!

Perry Miniatures Offensive Miniatures Comparison
Comparison between Perry and Offensive Miniatures.
I miss the rains meme
Yes yes I know... the actual lyrics are "I bless the rains..."