"Development Of The PaK 40 Began In 1939..."

"...With both Krupp and Rheinmetall developing designs for testing and adoption."

This plastic 15mm 7.5cm Anti-Tank Gun team is sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and is one of two eight-piece sprues (not including crew) which can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The models consists of a single Panzerabwehrkanone 40 gun with four soldiers, and is the second of three stands I aim to field as part of a full-strength 7.5cm Tank Hunter Platoon for my German Beach Defence Company. 

Initially undercoated using a double-helping of "Vallejo" Dark Yellow, the gun was washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Dark Yellow. I then applied some sporadic patches of camouflage across the weapon, using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. All of these areas were subsequently washed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before being highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, of Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. Lastly, I applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Pak 40's rubber tyres.

"Wargames Atlantic" WIPs - These Three German Infantry (1916-1918) have been assembled & primed

With the Anti-Tank gun finished, I turned my attention to pigmenting the crew. The majority of these figures were painted in situ. But I quickly decided to paint the team's NCO whilst he was temporarily super-glued to a wooden stick. As with all my other “FoW” German soldiers, the miniatures were primed in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, shaded using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. Their details were then ‘picked out’ predominantly using “Vallejo” Gunmetal, German Camouflage Dark Green, Heavy Brown and a series of “Citadel” Shades.

In addition, the crew's fully-open shell box was quickly treated to some "Vallejo" Buff and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst it's contents were given a lick of "Vallejo" Brass, a dash of (more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black to their tips. This colour scheme was then also applied to the two large projectiles which the soldiers were in the process of loading into their weapon.

"Wargames Atlantic" WIPs - More German Infantry (1916-1918) have been assembled & primed

Having completed the latest addition to my German D-Day Defence Grenadier Company, I have started assembling a half-dozen German Infantry (1916-1918) by "Wargames Atlantic". These multi-part plastic soldiers will form the start of a potentially rather large Weird War One project using the Early Great War Conscripts detachment list found towards the back of Daniel Mersey and Richard Cowen's science fiction wargame battles rule-book "Xenos Rampant". But for now I'm simply aiming to get a few of the figures tabletop ready.

Furthermore, I'm planning on using the miniatures as some test pieces for a monthly personal challenge where I spend twelve hours (spread across a few consecutive evenings) tirelessly putting a brush to just my select few models - as opposed to moving from different scales, genres and manufacturers multiple times throughout a single hobby session. I'm hoping this approach will help me quickly paint a core unit for various game systems, which I can then simply add to a bit more haphazardly as time goes by...

"The Official German Designation Was Panzerkampfwagen II."

"The vehicle had originally been designed as a stopgap while larger, more advanced tanks were developed."

This resin and plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen II used to be produced by “Battlefront Miniatures” and is one of five models found inside the company’s now sadly Out Of Production (OOP) Panzer II Light Tank Platoon boxed set for “Flames Of War”. Each armoured vehicle consists of a number of pieces, including an optional stowage bin for the back of the turret and a plastic commander standing within an open hatch.

Having been lucky enough to purchase this marvellous kit for a very reasonable price at Salute 50, I must admit to later becoming a little overwhelmed by all its tiny parts when I first opened the package. Happily however, there's an excellent assembly guide on the New Zealand-based manufacturer's website, including a video by YouTuber Wargamerontour, which soon helped make sense of where all the fiddly metal bits needed to be placed and super-glued.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Three Crusader II tanks at various stages of painting

Once I was happy with my ensemble - I decided to use one of the stowage bins as I thought they looked super-cool - I permanently attached "the most numerous tank in the German Panzer divisions at the beginning of the war" onto a medium-sized "Flames Of War" rectangular stand and base-coated it with two layers of "Vallejo" German Grey. I then shaded the Panzer II with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, heavily dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey, and finished the basics off with a light dry-brush of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey.

I next 'picked out' the light tank's spade, stowage, and fire-axe using appropriate combinations of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil", "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. As a final step I tied the colour of my armoured vehicle's tracks in with my usual basing palette by applying some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade over them, and added a single Balkenkreuz decal to the turret.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Three Sons of Horus Space Marines ready for their details to be 'picked out'

Staying with Second World War tanks I have made more progress on three of the six Crusader II tanks I bought from "Pendraken Miniatures" booth at Salute 50. These British armoured vehicles were originally intended for my Battle Of The Bulge project, but as I have since discovered the the "cruiser" predominantly saw action during the Allies' North African campaign, I thought I'd add them to my (non-Winter) Early War project instead - which essentially just means using green flock not white on their bases.

In addition, having been somewhat spurred on by my recent purchase of "Xenos Rampant" by "Osprey Games", I have been working on another trio of 28mm plastic Space Marine by "Games Workshop" from their Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness boxed set. These multi-part figures have been assembled wearing MK VI armour and will form part of a (second) ten-man strong tactical squad for my five-hundred-point Sons of Horus traitor force.

"With Its Heavy Armour, The Matilda II Was An Excellent Infantry Support Tank..."

"...But with somewhat limited speed and armament."

These two 10mm metal British infantry tanks are sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code BRV2 - Matilda II, and were discovered amidst a pile of other armoured vehicles produced by the Middlesbrough-based manufacturer whilst I was searching through some partially-forgotten plastic containers. Originally, I had hoped to simply use them as the beginnings of a British World War Two Winter collection - which is how all my 10mm armoured vehicles have been based to date. But after some rudimentary research into their history it was clear that the A12 was best known for its exploits in North Africa.

Furthermore, I also momentarily dithered around pigmenting them to use as Russian tanks, due to the Soviets deploying them during the Battle of Moscow. However, as the "crews often complained that snow and dirt were accumulating behind the skirt panels", and I still own a large amount of unpainted Russian models, I decided to simply use the Matilda II's as the motivator for starting a new 10mm (non-Winter) World War Two project instead.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - This Crusader II Tank has been primed, base coated and shaded

I therefore applied a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform over the miniatures and subsequently drenched them with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The tanks were then enthusiastically dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2 before I finished their tracks off using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Abaddon Black. In addition, I added a couple of Union Jacks to their turrets - which whilst wholly inaccurate, make the Matilda IIs stand out as being distinctly British, as to opposed to being just another armoured vehicle in the Allies' arsenal.

Sticking with both "Pendraken Miniatures" and armoured vehicles, I have made some good progress on three Crusader II tanks I bought from the company's super-busy stall at Salute 50. To be honest this purchase fairly typified my naïve disorientation as to which British fighting vehicles I needed for my Battle Of The Bulge project, as the "cruiser" actually served in North Africa, not Bastogne - Albeit I did read that the Crusader was later relegated "to secondary duties, such as anti-aircraft mounts", so may have seen a little use in North West Europe..?

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This Panzer II is slowly having its details 'picked out'

To make matters worse, I also somehow stuck two identical blisters in my little shopping basket, along with a trio of Crusader III models too - so now the bulk of my British (non-Winter) World War Two project will invariably have to be Crusaders - at least for the time being. This isn't ideal, as similar to my Winter War project, I wanted to field a large variety of the tanks (and other guns) which were involved in the various battles. But at least once finished I'll have a strong contingent for any Allied operations in Tunisia, and the vehicle was additionally used for training back in the United Kingdom during 1942, so could be fielded for some Operation Sea Lion scenarios.

Finally, I have almost finished one of the five "Flames Of War" Panzer II tanks by "Battlefront Miniatures" I also picked up whilst at Salute 50. I picked up this old 15mm resin and metal boxed set as the new "Berlin: German" campaign book mentions that you can field them as part of a Tank Training Company, and whilst I really like the current plastic kits, I got my quintet a lot cheaper than the pre-order price I've seen for just three of the latest Panzer II sprues...

"Churchills Saw Widespread Action In Normandy."

"It is sometimes called the "Heavy Churchill" and was given the specification number "A42" in 1945."

These two 10mm metal British infantry tanks are sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code BRV41 - Churchill VII, 75mm, and were found amongst a number of the Middlesbrough-based manufacturer's other armoured vehicles in a recent recce of my lead mountain. Initially, I had planned to use them as the start of an early World War Two (non-winter) Allied force, having previously pigmented both a Soviet and German snow-flocked force for an old version of the rule-set "Blitzkrieg Commander".

However, having done a bit of research I found that the tank was actually present during the "Battle Of The Bulge" and beautifully captured in the picture Churchills Advance by Nicolas Trudgian, so decided to simply add them to my Allied contingent for that campaign instead. I also got myself into a little bit of a quandary surrounding the vehicles' hue as the excellent "Colours Of War" painting guide by "Battlefront Miniatures" and "Vallejo" recommended a combination of Bronze Green and Black Wash - which frankly sounded a little dark for my liking.

"It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war."

Fortunately, I saw that the book also subsequently suggested a "layering" of Russian Uniform WW2, so went with that particular (somewhat) lighted green colour as my prime and then later sploshed the Churchills with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to act as a simple shade. One highlight with (more) "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2 later and I had the basis of a palette which stood out from both the much darker "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab of my American armoured vehicles, and, perhaps more importantly, the sorely missed "Citadel" Knarloc Green Russian tanks. Furthermore, I always find a lighter tone of pigmentation always better suits smaller scale miniatures.

I finished the armoured vehicles by 'picking out' their predominantly covered tank tracks using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before deciding upon which decals to apply to them. Originally, I was going to just use some triangular squadron markings on their turrets, with perhaps the odd tank recognition flash on the hull. This would certainly be more historically accurate. But in the end I felt I wanted them to stand out as being British (with the possibility of painting more to represent other Commonwealth countries), so inaccurately slapped a couple of Union Jacks on the turrets instead.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - An M5 Stuart tank layered in "Vallejo" US Olive Drab and shaded

With the latest finds from my 'pinnacle of potential' painted, I have perhaps unsurprisingly started wading into the goodies produced by "Pendraken Miniatures" I recently purchased at Salute 50, and resultantly got cracking on a trio of 10mm M5 Stuart tanks I want to field as part of the American Battle Of The Bulge forces. These lovely little models have so far been primed with "Vallejo" Earth, layered using "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab, and partially-drowned in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - A Panzer II tank layered in "Vallejo" German Grey and shaded

Lastly, I have made some slight progress on one of the five "Flames Of War" Panzer II tanks by "Battlefront Miniatures" I also picked up whilst at Salute 50. Quite understandably, this 15mm 'test piece' contains quite a bit more detail than its smaller scaled brethren, so has only been primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, base-coated with "Vallejo" German Grey and shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil...

“Salute 50" Showcase 2023 - Part Three: The Loot

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This Viking Jarl has been primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey

To be brutally honest, I only really had a couple of things on my 'To Buy' list before I stepped foot into the ExCeL convention centre at Custom House, as my hobby mentality has definitely changed over the past six months thanks to my purchase of an "Elegoo" Mars 3 Pro 3D printer. Indeed, my original plan was to predominantly spend my time participating in a handful of games whose rules I was unfamiliar with (e.g. Oathmark: Battles Of A Lost Age" by "Osprey Games") and meet up with a few friendly faces - as opposed to the reality of me ultimately staggering out of the hall with a backpack crammed full of lead, plastic and MDF...

The first indication I had that things were not going to pan out as I thought came with the South London Warlords' Salute 50 goodie bag, which included a special 28mm scale figure. In the past I've usually just set this miniatures aside for a 'rainy day' or, as I did with Paul Hicks' Boy With Spitfire model in 2021, turned them into a statue/tabletop objective marker. This year's Viking Jarl though genuinely captured my imagination, not least because both its creation and subsequent paint-job were wonderfully written up in the show's guide produced by "Miniature Wargames".

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio " WIPs - Three Borgo Pass Tribesmen primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Blue

Resultantly, when I started to work my way around the stalls located against the concourse's walls, having immediately turned right from the entrance, I was already thinking about when I'd have the time to build Warlord Games' warrior "festooned with booty pillaged during his fifty year reign". and what else I could assemble alongside of him whilst waiting for the superglue to dry. This mentality stuck with me throughout the event, and would later spur me on to search out a number of bargains I hadn't even considered beforehand.

One thing I did have on my meagre shopping list though was a set (or ultimately two) of Retro Dungeon Tiles by "Warbases", which I'd luckily seen advertised the night before on social media. Somehow, I actually managed to bypass their stall during my opening circle of the venue, having never spotted the giant banner waving above their spot. So once I realised my mistake I hurried straight over to their location and gleefully poured over the four sheets of "high quality printed tiles" before parting with my cash.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Man-Ape Cultists primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna

It was at this point that things started to go badly awry though as en route back to my pre-planned circuit around the vendors, the always-friendly Karl Perrotton of “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” lured me into his booth and gave me an opportunity to peruse some of his latest offerings. This particular company has been a mainstay of my hobby since they started trading, and whilst so many of the figures I paint/play with these days are 3D resin prints, I have always enjoyed working on their range of 28mm metal "7TV" miniatures.

Suffice to say my love of Crooked Dice models also means I have a towering backlog of 'unloved lead' back home. But that simply couldn't prevent me from picking up the superb-looking Stalwart Sidekicks, Borgo Pass Tribesmen and Man-Ape Cultists (the last two items coming from Karl's recently successful 7TV Dracula Kickstarter) for some future Indiana Jones flavoured horror/pulp gaming - most likely using the yet to be released new 7TV Core Rulebook - "a 288 page hardback consolidating eight years and four boxed sets of cinematic skirmish rules in one place."

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of their four Stalwart Sidekicks

Having now clearly already crossed a 'mental line' I proceeded to "Pendraken Miniatures", where I initially fooled myself into thinking I was simply going to buy a blister of Churchill VII tanks to add to the pair I am currently pigmenting to use with some homemade rules. Afterall, I've since discovered a whole horde of long-forgotten 10mm armoured vehicles in my loft... One basket later and I was thanking Leon for kindly putting a veritable ton of metal models into a plastic carrier bag for me, and walking away asking myself just why I needed almost every conceivable type of tank the Allies had ever fielded during the Second World War. Not to mention the variety of German Panzers I picked up too...

My next buys didn't actually come until much later in the day, after I'd spent a very pleasant lunch chatting to a well-mannered youth who politely asked to sit at the table I was occupying, and then proceeded to enthusiastically show me the two Traveller RPG books he'd bought. The first occurred when I spotted some well-priced "Flames Of War" scenery at the "Entoyment Wargaming And Hobby Centre" stall. To be honest this area was absolutely packed full of similarly-eager buyers on account of some genuine bargains. In fact I would have certainly picked up a fully-painted Brick Factory by "Gale Force Nine" if the sheer size of its box hadn't put me off.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - These three M5 Stuart tanks have been primed with "Vallejo" Earth

Instead I had to content myself with a set of the Battlefront Group Company's Factory Chimneys and an incredibly inexpensive 15mm Tiger Heavy Tank Platoon for "Flames Of War"  - which was marked up at so good a deal that the chap at the till double-checked the price before ringing the sale through. I had a similar experience at "Frome Model Centre" booth shortly afterwards, where I snagged an old metal/resin Panzer II Light Tank Platoon for just twenty quid. The seller wanted twice that much at first until I pointed to the sticky label and he very graciously admitted a mistake had been made and subsequently sold it to me at the much lower price.

With a rather heavy bag and already slightly aching shoulder, that should have been it for my Salute 50 loot. However, as I approached the way out I spotted an enormous banner of a Terminator, or rather a T-800 in its default machine form. Now, having recently 3D printed and painted a whole host of Skynet's death-dealing robots I did not take much convincing from co-author Mark Rapson to pick up a copy of his The Terminator Role-Playing Game Quick Start Rules by "Nightfall Games". In addition to signing my copy, he also sold me another of his rule systems, SLA Industries Second Edition for just a couple of quid.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - One of five Panzer II's base-coated with Vallejo" German Grey

And thus ended my swag for the day - significantly more than I had perhaps somewhat naively anticipated, but also a darn sight less than what I would have carried away if I'd brought along a second strong bag. Overall though I was very pleased with myself. I got some terrific bargains for "Flames Of War" - which is very much my favoured wargame currently, picked up the goodies I had planned to get from "Warbases" and "Pendraken Miniatures", and, as per my annual tradition at this very special show, bought something for a game I'd never considered before...

"As An All-round, General Purpose Tank...

"...The Sherman was one of the best tanks of the Second World War."

This 10mm metal American medium tank was sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code A10 - Sherman M4A4, no skirts, 75mm gun. However, it now appears to have been superseded by a much more detailed product under Code AMV30 - M4 Sherman, 75mm. Originally, I had thought about selling it, along with five more of the same model, on "eBay". But having recently found my love of World War Two reignited by a game of "Flames Of War", thought I'd instead bring the 'dirty half-dozen' to life with a straightforward paint-job, and just maybe start the beginnings of a 'Battle Of The Bulge" Allied force.

Resultantly, the M4 Sherman's turret was super-glued in place and then the two-piece ensemble stuck to a plastic 30mm x 40mm rectangle. It was then undercoated with two layers of "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab, washed with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab. Disappointingly this process didn't work anywhere near as well as I had hoped, as some bizarre chemical reaction (perhaps due to something on the tanks themselves) caused the "Citadel" Shade to disintegrate areas of the "Vallejo" prime.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - A partially-finished 7.5cm Tank Hunter gun and crew

However, having first applied a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Citadel" Abaddon Black over the entire tank, the pigmentation process proved successful when tried a second time. The tracks and wheels were next treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a double-helping of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, whilst the medium tank's prominent track/wheel mechanisms were repainted using a little (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, I decided to apply a trio of Allied Stars to the M4 Sherman using some supplied by "Decal Details", as well as the title "Ol' Reliable" from their 10mm US Armour Names and Slogans sheet.

With the last of the Middlesborough-based manufacturer's 10mm M4 Shermans finished I have spent some time on the final two 15mm 7.5cm Anti-Tank Gun teams I need to complete to field a full-strength platoon for "Flames Of War". I've now finished all the camouflage on both Panzerabwehrkanone 40s and am slowly working my way through all their crew - some of which are being progressed separately on MDF painting sticks.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - Four primed Aquaphibians awaiting a dry-brush

I'm really enjoying both this range and rule-set currently, so need to get these finished before my Berlin: German army book by "Battlefront Miniatures" arrives. The Third Reich's Last Stand is a particularly interesting period of World War Two for me, so I have already pre-ordered both a Volksturm Platoon and Hitlerjugend Platoon to accompany the Panzergrenadiers and 12cm mortar teams I've already painted as part of my 50-point D-Day German Beach Defence Company.

Lastly, I have applied a "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade wash on a handful of my 3D printed Aquaphibians produced by "Big Mr Tong". As my main target for this month is to field fifteen of these Supermarionation series minions, along with a slew of Mike Tongue's recently released Silurians from "Doctor Who", I really need to get a move on. But feel the others won't take too long to complete once this initial 'pilot force' from "Stingray" is finished and I've settled on the aquatic humanoid species' palette... 

"The Panzer IV Saw Service In All Combat Theatres Involving Germany..."

"...And was the only German tank to remain in continuous production throughout the war."

This plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen IV is manufactured by “Battlefront Miniatures” and is one of three found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The model consists of a medium tank equipped with "Bazooka Skirts", and is the fifth fully-tracked armoured vehicle needed to complete my full-strength 28-point strong German Panzer IV Tank Platoon.

Originally primed with two layers of "Vallejo" German Grey, the model was subsequently shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey, and then more lightly dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I next 'picked out' the Panzer IVs' spade, stowage, machine-gun, muffler and tow-cable using appropriate combinations of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil", "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst its tracks were tied in to my usual basing with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade.

"The US Army Ordnance Department designed the M4 medium tank as a replacement for the M3 tank."

In addition, I rather fancied having this particular tank carry a passenger, so glued a spare crew member from one of my 7.5cm Anti-Tank Gun teams onto the front - as if he was either directing the vehicle or telling someone to get out of the way during manoeuvres. The plastic figure was undercoated in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, shaded using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. Their details were later pigmented predominantly using “Vallejo” Gunmetal, German Camouflage Dark Green, Heavy Brown and a series of “Citadel” Shades.

Alongside the latest addition to my German D-Day Beach Defence Grenadier Company, I have also finished another 10mm metal American medium tank which used to be sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code A10 - Sherman M4A4, no skirts, 75mm gun. This particular sculpt appears to have now been superseded by a much more detailed product under Code AMV30 - M4 Sherman, 75mm and was bought as part of a much larger 'Battle Of The Bulge' project purchase to use alongside my already fully-painted German and Soviet World War Two Winter armies.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - Four primed Aquaphibians awaiting the second of their shades & a dry-brush

The model was initially treated to a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before receiving two layers of "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab, a wash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to its tracks, before repainting some of its prominent wheel mechanisms with (even more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

Lastly, I have made a bit more progress on a handful of 3D printed Aquaphibians produced by "Big Mr Tong", courtesy of a "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green shade. My plan is to paint a fifteen-figure strong force of this "aquatic humanoid species from the Supermarionation series Stingray", along with a Terror Fish or two, so I'm using this first batch as a test for a reasonably straightforward colour scheme which I can then apply across the rest of Mike Tongue's miniatures...

"The Pak 40 Was The Standard German Anti-Tank Gun..."

"...Until the end of the war, and was supplied by Germany to its allies." 

This plastic 15mm 7.5cm Anti-Tank Gun team is sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and is one of two eight-piece sprues (not including crew) which can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The models consists of a single Panzerabwehrkanone 40 gun with four soldiers, and is the first of three stands needed to complete a full-strength 7.5cm Tank Hunter Platoon for my German Beach Defence Company. 

Originally primed with two layers of "Vallejo" Dark Yellow, the gun was washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Dark Yellow. I then applied some sporadic patches of camouflage across the weapon, using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. All of these areas were subsequently washed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before being highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, of Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. Finally, I applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Pak 40's rubber tyres.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This Panzer IV tank is slowly having its detail 'picked out'

With the Anti-Tank gun completed, I turned my attention to pigmenting the crew. The majority of these figures were painted in situ. But I quickly decided to paint the team's officer whilst he was temporarily super-glued to a wooden stick. As with all my other “FoW” German soldiers, the miniatures were primed in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, shaded using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. Their details were then ‘picked out’ predominantly using “Vallejo” Gunmetal, German Camouflage Dark Green, Heavy Brown and a series of “Citadel” Shades.

In addition, the crew's fully-open shell box was swiftly treated to some "Vallejo" Buff and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst it's contents were given a lick of "Vallejo" Brass and (more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This exact colour scheme was then applied to the two projectiles which the soldiers were in the process of loading into their weapon. As a last touch, I applied a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black to all the shells' tips...

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - Two FMSKA Failed Experimental Battle Droids & an Omega Zelucerean Tamer

Staying with my "Flames Of War" German D-Day Defence Grenadier Company, I have almost completed the fifth and final Panzer IV needed for a full-strength tank platoon. At a whopping 28-points, this formation will cost over half my allotted total for a small game. But will allow me to at least get another battle in before I've finished the other two 7.5cm Anti-Tank Gun teams I'm currently progressing.

Lastly, I am still adding plenty of pigment to my ever-expanding collection of eclectic science-fiction sculpts by "Papsikels Miniatures." I'm presently applying a brush-tip to a couple of up-scaled FMSKA Failed Experimental Battle Droid Series 1 & 2 figures, as well as a rather tall model of an Omega Zelucerean Tamer. Hopefully, these should all be ready for a dip in the flock tub soon...

"The M4 Sherman..."

...Was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II."

This 10mm metal American medium tank used to sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as Code A10 - Sherman M4A4, no skirts, 75mm gun. However, it now appears to have been superseded by a much more detailed product under Code AMV30 - M4 Sherman, 75mm. I believe I bought it as part of a much larger 'Battle Of The Bulge' project purchase to use alongside my already fully-painted German and Soviet World War Two Winter armies. But such an idea was clearly shelved a long time ago.

However, having found this particular model in an old plastic bag containing five more identical tanks as part of a large-scale clear-out, I thought I'd paint one up as a test armoured vehicle rather than see whether anyone wanted them on the e-commerce website "eBay". Indeed, I actually thought completing the little beauty might actually galvanise me into getting my old 'Battle Of Stalingrad" forces out and giving them some tabletop action once again.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - A Panzer IV Tank with passenger

Resultantly, the M4 Sherman's turret was super-glued in place, and then the two-piece ensemble stuck to a plastic 30mm x 40mm rectangle. It was then undercoated with two layers of "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab, washed with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab. Rather dishearteningly though, this tried and trusted method of pigmenting my 10mm tanks didn't seemingly work all that well, as having returned to the vehicle later to finish its basing, I discovered the "Citadel" Shade had somehow 'eaten away' large areas of the "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab to noticeably reveal the shiny metal surface underneath.

This meant I had to re-undercoat the entire model, this time using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before successfully repeating the aforementioned process all over again. I then 'picked out' the tracks and wheels with a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a double-helping of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In the past I'd probably have left things at that, but eventually decided to go just a little further on so small a project by repainting some of its prominent track/wheel mechanisms with (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - Two 7.5cm Tank Hunter guns and crews

Finally, I decided to apply a trio of Allied Stars to the M4 Sherman using some supplied by "Decal Details", as well as the title "Bouncing TNT" from their 10mm US Armour Names and Slogans sheet. The model was subsequently flocked using a mixture of different snow products I've collected together in a bin since first starting my German WW2 Winter Army some thirteen and a half years ago.

Sticking with the Military theme though, I have also been busy progressing both a fifth Panzer IV for my "Flames Of War" German D-Day Defence Grenadier Company, and an accompanying 7.5cm Tank Hunter platoon. The "Battlefront Miniatures" 15mm plastic tank is actually quite close to completion. However, I still have quite a way to go on the two guns, albeit I'm about half-way done on the long-barrelled weapons' camouflage patterns...

"Containment Is Impossible, Sir..."

"I think they swept the barracks."

These two 32mm scale Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and can be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon a species of H.R.Giger's infamous deadly aliens, the figures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Both Xenomorphs were given a double layer of Doom Death Black by "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" and dry-brushed in Cold Corpse Blue. They were then drenched in Oblivion Black Wash before being (re)dry-brushed with (more) Cold Corpse Blue and (much more lightly) Gravestone Blue. In addition, I splashed the pair of models in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to help blend all the different blues together.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Team is just missing its fourth crewman

Finally, I 'picked out' all the aliens' metal teeth with a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, and applied a coat of Doom Death Black across their dome-like foreheads. Ordinarily these days, I protect my figures with some "Vallejo" Matt Varnish - which can actually prove to be a bit silky at times. However, for the Xenomorphs' temples I opted to apply some "Citadel" 'Ardcoat (gloss varnish) in order to make the smooth surface appear super-shiny.

Alongside my final submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) I have been steadily working on the 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Platoon I want to field for a game of "Flames Of War" I have planned for next week. Originally, I was going to just field two gun teams for my 50-point D-Day German Beach Defence Grenadier Company. But having recently seen how utterly ineffective my sMG34 Machine-gun Platoon was against my opponent's tanks, I'm now hoping to get three stands completed and swop out the heavy machine-guns.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Three of Six Sherman tanks which have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Resultantly, I've now sourced and assembled a third Tank-Hunter kit by "Battlefront Miniatures" and already gritted its large base ready for priming. Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze the team in with the other two before my fast-approaching deadline, as I've now finished all but one of the soldiers staffing my first base, and intend to get the second unit finished within the next few days.

Furthermore, as part of a huge clear-out of long forgotten projects stored in the loft, I stumbled across a bag containing half a dozen 10mm Shermans by "Pendraken Miniatures". These metal models were part of a planned Battle Of The Bulge campaign which never saw fruition. However, as I do still own a significantly sized German and Russian Winter Army in that scale, I thought I'd keep the tanks rather than sell them on "eBay" and simply pigment them up for a quick 'homemade rules' battle involving armoured vehicles in the near future...

"More Than Seven Thousand Panzer IVs Were Constructed Throughout The Second World War."

"The Panzer IV tank was designed by German engineers before the start of World War II in Europe in 1935."

This plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen IV is sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The model consists of a medium tank equipped with "Bazooka Skirts", and is the fourth and final fully-tracked armoured vehicle needed to complete my 50-point strong German Beach Defence Company's Panzer IV Tank Platoon.

Initially primed with two layers of "Vallejo" German Grey. The model was then shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey, and later more lightly dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. The Panzer IVs' spade, stowage, machine-gun, muffler and tow-cable were subsequently 'picked out' using appropriate combinations of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil", "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst its tracks were tied in to my usual basing with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade.

The Americans form up behind as much cover as possible. Whether it be woods or houses

Alongside one of my last submissions to the "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge" (AHPC) for this year's event, I have finally settled down to play a game of "Flames Of War" against a Veteran M4 Sherman Tank Company. Unfortunately, I still didn't have my 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Platoon ready for the battlefield, but was able to field a cobbled together 49-point force by upgrading my two Panzergrenadier Platoons and bringing along a sMG42 Machine-Gun Platoon (which doesn't come in the "Hit The Beach" Starter Set).

As this was going to be a 'learning game', it was determined that we'd simply play the Annihilation Mission in the rulebook, with the Americans being the attackers for the purposes of deployment and the Germans rolling to go first. Most of the other rules, such as all infantry starting the game in Foxholes (giving them Concealment and Bulletproof Cover), and all teams starting the game Gone to Ground, were ignored.

Quantity over quality..? Unit wise the Germans vastly outnumbered the Americans

However, it was agreed that my Mortar Platoon would be unable to fire Artillery Bombardments in their first Shooting Step. Something which meant going first probably wasn't as great a proposal for the Germans as it first seemed, albeit I did hope it would allow my Panzer IVs to get first crack at the Veteran M4 Sherman (76mm) Tank Platoon it was facing. Resultantly, as all of my Teams counted as having moved for the first Shooting Step regardless of whether they had or not, I (re)positioned my tanks into a firing line along the shore and moved up all my infantry alongside them - sticking to as much cover amidst the buildings and forests as they could find.

Sadly, I wasn't all that impressed with the firepower of General Heinz Guderian's brainchild when my four Panzer IVs subsequently blazed away with their 7.5cm guns, as they caused just one Allied tank crew to bail out - and the cursed Yanks re-entered their vehicle to return fire shortly afterwards. At least I was safe in knowledge that their 80mm frontal armour would keep them in the battle for at least a second salvo...

The American Shermans tear through the German Panzer IVs like a hot knife through butter

Several shots from the American tanks later and my sole-surviving Panzer IV decided that retreating was the better part of honour by scuttling away to the rear of my lines and off the tabletop. So much for my impregnable Vogtländische Maschinenfabrik manufactured machines. Disappointingly though, my 12cm Mortar Platoon wasn't winning me over either, as having needed and then thrown three sixes to hit the victorious Shermans, I then discovered due to my limited number of artillery stands (you really need more than two) that I had to roll a further three sixes so as to hit my targets. Well that was never going to happen.

Buoyed by their success, the Allied armour sauntered down the battlefield's main road, and dominated the centre of the map. With my own tanks completely gone, I decided to shore up my left flank with a unit of Panzergrenadiers, and trust that their Panzerschreck anti-tank teams would do what my Panzer IV's 7.5cm guns couldn't. In the middle I deployed my maximum strength sMG42 Machine-gun Platoon to ward off the fast-approaching Shermans with some withering fire.

Machine Verses Man - The Shermans gun down the Panzergrenadiers.

Needless to say, at this point things went from bad to worse for the Germans. The American tanks' .50 calibre machine guns tore through the Panzergrenadiers and caused them to seek shelter as quickly as they could. Whilst it suddenly became all too clear that despite being "a powerful weapon capable of firing 1200 rounds per minute" (or at least six dice per team), the "Flames Of War" rules don't allow for sMG42 Machine-gun Platoons to have any effect on armoured vehicles whatsoever. So much for the notion of them pinning the Yanks down in the centre.

Incredibly though, things suddenly turned in the Germans' favour at the last minute, when the Allied Parachute Rifle Platoon arrogantly decided to break cover from some Woodland and stroll towards the second Panzergrenadier Platoon on the right. Two Shooting Steps later and there wasn't an American left standing... and it was a good time to bring our test game to an end as a hard-fought draw - at least for Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's forces.

"OCP Is Proud To Present The Future Of Urban Pacification."

"RoboCop Two."

This 28mm scale FKMSA Failed Experimental Battledroid Series 1 is produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and was downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" RoboCorps March 2023 subscription service, The model was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is clearly inspired by one of the "Roboflops" depicted in Irvin Kershner's 1990 science fiction film "RoboCop 2".

As can (hopefully) be seen the cyborg is incredibly detailed with all its pistons, cables, circuitry and wiring. But also, in my opinion at least, rather fragile when it comes to tabletop gaming and being manhandled across a battlefield. Resultantly, I decided to anchor the figure's ankles down onto a "Citadel" 25mm circular base by placing a piece of rock sculpted by "C27 Studio" between its feet. Only then was the miniature primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and base coated in Sir Coates Silver from "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" paint range.

"The Panzer IV was the most numerous German tank."

I next applied some Oblivion Black Wash over the model, and subsequently gave it a dry-brush of (more) Sir Coates Silver. I next picked out both its helmet and rock with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, "Citadel" Nuln Oil" and a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey on the stone. Finally, the poor suicidal police officer's skull was pigmented in "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Ivory Tusk, "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and some watered-down Flesh Tearer's Red...

Alongside my Failed Experiment, I have managed to paint two more plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen IV tanks by “Battlefront Miniatures”. Found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”, the pair of armoured vehicles were predominantly completed using a double coat of "Vallejo" German Grey, a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" German Grey, as a much lighter dry-brush of Sombre Grey.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - A Future Killer, Future Saviour and FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3

In addition I 'picked out' the models' spades, stowage, and tow-cables using a mixture of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil" or "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I also painted the Panzer IV's machine guns and rear-situated mufflers with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and shaded these parts in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Eathshade, before 'attacking' their tank's tracks with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade.

With the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) now officially finished for another year, I am hoping to clear out an already embarrassingly full draw of "Papsikels Miniatures" over the next few weeks, starting with some of the science fiction range's more recognisable STLs. My Future Killer, Future Saviour, and FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3, have now been dry-brushed with their respective "Vallejo" base colours, so should soon have all their well-defined details picked out...

"Early In The Twenty-First Century, Skynet, A Military Defense Program, Became Self-Aware."

"Viewing humanity as a threat to its existence, Skynet decided to strike first."

These four 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and were downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service, The miniatures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.

The two heavily damaged, crawling figures are actually both Model O, with one of them simply being 'mirrored' using "Chitubox" Basic. As with all my E-800 Exterminators, I have been using the sculpts to try out some of Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint range, so like the others I've previously pigmented, they were all primed with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and subsequently treated to two layers of Sir Coates Silver and a hearty dousing in Oblivion Black Wash.

"Viewing humanity as a threat to its existence, Skynet decided to strike first."

Built "to wipe out the remains of the human race after Judgement Day", the T-Units were then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to somewhat stand out from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators shiny surfaces, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash over all the firearms.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - A Future Killer, Future Saviour and FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3

With the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) now finished, at least for me as I have both achieved my 500-point target tally and made a donation to the Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation fund as my payment for entry, I have been able to better focus upon three more awesome-looking figures by "Papsikels Miniatures". The upscaled Future Killer, Future Saviour, as well as the FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3, have now all been washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, so now just need to be dry-brushed with an appropriate colour before I can begin 'picking out' their details.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This 7.5cm Tank-Hunter gun has had its camouflage finished

In addition, I've made some noticeable progress on one of the two 7.5cm Tank-Hunter guns by "Battlefront Miniatures" I initially wanted to incorporate into my 50-point strong German D-Day Defence Force for "Flames Of War". However, as I now have a second game scheduled against a heavily-armoured American Veteran M4 Sherman Tank Company, I have decided to expand this platoon to three guns at the cost of losing my previously-painted sMG34 Machine-gun formation.

Furthermore, I have been busy scrambling around in my loft and managed to dig out some additional armoured vehicles to help bolster my D-Day Beach Defence Grenadier Company up to 75-points. These reinforcements should see my two Panzergrenadier platoons incorporate a few of the aforementioned heavy machineguns directly into their formations, as opposed to using them as a separate single entity, increase the number of Panzer IV tanks I can field, and potentially lead to the presence of either a Panther Tank Company or Stug Assault Gun Platoon...

"The Eleventh Panzer Division..."

"...Had originally been organized in August 1940, in the then German province of Silesia."

This plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen IV is sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The model consists of a medium tank equipped with "Bazooka Skirts", and will form part of a larger Panzer IV Tank Platoon for my German Beach Defence Company.

The armoured vehicle was assembled and glued straight onto a large base before being primed with a double coat of "Vallejo" German Grey. It was then washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey. Thinking the miniature looked a tad bland and uninteresting, I subsequently gave it a lighter dry-brush of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to better bring out all the kit's impressive details.

"The division saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during the Second World War."

With the basics completed, I decided to 'pick out' the model's spade, stowage, tow-cable and extra piece of tank-track using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil" or "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. In addition I painted the Panzer IV's machine gun and rear-situated muffler with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and shaded these parts in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade respectively.

I also pigmented the tank's tracks with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and daubed them with "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh so as to help blend the muddy caterpillar treads into my basing palette once 'drowned' in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I applied some decals across the Panzer IV to mark it out as being part of the Eleventh Panzer Division, using the guidance given in the excellent hardback book "Colours Of War" by "Battlefront Miniatures".

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - A Future Killer, Future Saviour and FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3

To help mark out the vehicle as being the first tank in the first platoon of the first company I also decided to have the Panzer IV's commander be visible. This half-figure was undercoated with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and had his headset pigmented with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Gunmetal. These tiny areas were appropriately daubed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside my latest submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) I have also managed to find some time to print and prime some more science fiction-related figures by "Papsikels Miniatures". All of these figures actually come as 28mm scale STL (Standard Triangle Language) files, so for the Future Saviour and Future Killer I used "Chitubox" Basic to upscale the sculpts by 108.41% so they matched the size of my previously-painted 32mm scale Colonist Marine Cyborg Hero E-900 Exterminator...