German tankdestroyer team
Converting 15mm M4A3 into Sherman III (part 3)
Continuing on the Sherman III conversion.
Here you can se that I have filled and cleaned up the rare engine deck with some modelling putty. This could probably have been avoided but I am more of a sculptor than modeler I guess. I have also moved some of the tools down to the back plate as seen on several contemporary photos.
Some aesthetic changes beside the conversion into a Sherman III is the addition of an aerial made from steel wire (about 0,3mm thick). A smaller B set aerial will be added to the aerial mount behind the tank commander.
I have copied the ventilation parts in front of the turret by using a simple clay copying technique. The front drive wheels have also been slightly modifyed to represent those on earlier production model.
On the last picture you can clearly see some of the "dry stowage" armour plates. The tank i given a british Sherman V turret with an old grumpy british comander to complete the transformation. The front anthenna mount have also been modified and moved slight to the tanks center to better an M4A2.
Some aesthetic changes beside the conversion into a Sherman III is the addition of an aerial made from steel wire (about 0,3mm thick). A smaller B set aerial will be added to the aerial mount behind the tank commander.
The lifting rings have been removed and replaced with steel wire. The armour plates in front of the drivers hoods were removed, and the gun barrel has been replaced with a shortened 76mm barrel. I don't really understand the reason for making the standard 75mm barrel about two thirds of the 1mm thicker gun...
Now about everything left i stowage and paint.
Cheers!
Over & out.
Converting 15mm M4A3 into Sherman III (part 2)
I recently got the starter for the new game Tanks. It includes two american M4A3 tanks and a panther. SinceII have no interest in american units and the british didn't use the A3 version, I decided to try and rebuild this tank.
This is part two of yhis process.
Here i cut out the whole rare compartment in order to rearange it:
I then filled the inside of the gap with plasticard to have something to build on. Here you can also se the simple additions of dry stowage extra armour plates and the turret from the British M4A4 box.
Here is what the rare compartment looks like after I rebuilt it to look like the M4A2 version. It has a slimmer part with grills in five rows. I have rebulit one row on each half with the part cut of. The surounding plates are made of plasticard.
Here is what the rare compartment looks like after I rebuilt it to look like the M4A2 version. It has a slimmer part with grills in five rows. I have rebulit one row on each half with the part cut of. The surounding plates are made of plasticard.
This process was really fiddly and I don't think the dimensions is at all correct, but it looks quite fine to me so far. Clearly a Sherman III.
Over and out until next update!
Converting 15mm M4A3 into Sherman III (part 1)
Started to try and turn one of the American M4A3 Shermans from the relatively new game tanks starter box into a British Sherman III (M4A2).
First step was to cut of the front of the M4A3.
With that done, I then inserted a new front from the British Sherman V/Firefly VC box. The new front is a bit too long, as the M4A4 had a longer hull, so it took a fair bit och cuting and filing. Looks alright so far I guess.
To be continued...
Over & out.
FoW Painted Platoon
First platoon is painted. May fix a few small details and such when I paint up the second. And yeah I start från 2 squads each. Enjoy:
Group photo.
Oberscharführer/Zugführer (right), Führer/Scharführer (left) and Melder (second row). Half of the uniforms in Pea dot camo, and the rest in Field grey. Cap and helm covers in Oak Leaf: Spring camo pattern.
Squadleader/Scharführer (right) with camo smock and heml cover in Oak Leaf: Spring camo pattern. Second from right in Italian camo pattern, with panzer faust. Third from right is an obersoldat with MG 42, and Pea Dot camo uniform.
Second squadleader with MP 40, and Oaf Leaf: Autumn camo pattern helm cover. Closest guy with MG 34 and back pack from Plastic Soldier Company is dressed in Pea Dot camo pattern. The MG assistan gunner has a camo smock in Oak Leaf: Autumn camo pattern.
First from right: Soldier with K 98 rifle, Oak Leaf. Spring, helm cover, Oak Leaf: Autumn, jacket, and Italian camo trousers. Fouth from right is the Rottenführer with uniform in Blurred Edge camo pattern, with a Gewehr 43 and scope.
Second platoon ready for priming!
Over and Out.
Uppdate on Flames of War army.
As any reader will have noticed, I am not the fastest army-builder on the internet. But I have managed a few new sculpts for my army. Only a few details left, before basing and painting (which is by far the quicker prosess).
First of is my Scharführer with K98 and scope, to accompany my Obersturmführer (see previous post for detail.).
Front view. Note that I have added all the green areas with modeling putty. A camo smock, helm cover and scope.
Next is a new MG team. As panzergrenediers, these guys needs lots of MG's, and Battlefront only makes three different poses. This is of course one of them, but I have swaped the head and added a zeltbahn. The zeltbahns are sort of tent cloth peaces, that can eather form a rain cover, built a tent (with four pieces) or be wraped around the body as a rain jacket. The assistant gunner/loader, is made from the Open Fire kneeling officer. Head-swap and change of right arm, to that of an other MG assistant from the same box.
Here also with camo helm cover, and a spare barrel container. I also removed the hood from the camo smock, as SS camo smocks didn't have hoods.
The next MG gunner is taken from the Plasitc Soldier Company, Late War German Infantery box. As these are generally thinner than Battlefronts miniatures, I have resculpted most parts, as well as given him a new head and arms. I know the gas masks, which where issued to all german soldiers where hardly ever used, as gas wasn't used in war-fare during WWII. But Gas masks are too cool to miss out on, so here you go!
The Left arm is from the same poor lad that lost another arm to the previous MG team, and the MG is from the SdKfz 251 Half track box (it comes with four MG's, so a few spare). The assistant gunner here is almost clean out of the box (Battlefront - Open Fire), but with zeltbahn and spare barrel container added.
Here is the gunner compared to the original miniature. You may want to know that PSC's MG is acctually the correct scale for 1/100.
A rifle guy, with added helm cover and gas mask.
I will make four gas mask guys, to represent the gasspürtrupp (gas watch group), which all companys officially had. It was a group of four, one leader and three privates, issued with the task of spotting gas attacks.
Leader of panzerschreck team. SMG and ammo for panzerschreck added. Original to the right.
Better view of the MP 40.
A medic, with pistol and panzerfaust. This is made from an Sdkfz 251 crew officer. I added a back pack, and medic pouches. Medics were not allowed to carry weapons other than pistols to protect them self and the wounded (to be proceted by military law, this was not respected on the easter front though). I though I could add this guy to the Leutenants base, and someone had to carry the panzerfaust... The panzerfaust is from the Plastic Soldier Late War Infantry box.
The next MG team is from Plastic Soldier Company. With a bit of resculpting.
Once again I have swaped MG and heads. Here is the gunner, compared to original (left).
From behind. He is resculpted with zeltbahn, gas mask container, spare barrel container, bread bag, MG pouch and helm cover.
The assistant gunner, with camo smock, K98 rifle, rifle ammo pouches, bread bag, and head swap. Compared to original (right). Ah, and these are acctually two-piece, models, so the head is a seperate piece allreaddy in the box, which makes this part easy.
Over and out for this time. Hopefully, I will be able to post them painted soon.
Thanks for reading
/Svininfluensan
Svininfluensan goes 15mm
Hi there sporadic readers! Long time no see!
I'm not quite dead, but life takes it's toll.
Lately I've been playing around a bit with some Flames of War miniatures, so I'd thought I'd share a few pics.
Enjoy!
First of is one half of a new MG team. Here is the loader, with his ammo box. To the left is the guy I got it from. I will probably replace his with a panzerfaust or something like that. Quite simple conversion, jet striking I think. I like variation, even in this scale. Some cutting of the trousers and refilling with green stuff was necessary. I've also given him a helmet cover.
The second half of the MG team of course consists of the gunner. He's taking a chance shot. No heavy firing from this position. The model itself is the gunner from the Sd Kfz 251/1 ausf. D, by Battlefront. The gun though is swapped for an MG 34 from the PSC Stowage box. It's slightly larger, but I like the look. (Interestingly, the size is the same as their MGs from The backpack comes from one of the guys in the PSC Late War Heavy Weapon box. And lastly he has a sculpted MG pouch. Not to forget!
Another little playing around resulted in this Rottenführer (Corporal sort of) with Gewehr and with scope. Issued to some underoffizers.
Another MG gunner. Ordinary rifle bloke from Open Fire! Also with a gun from Plastic soldiers stowage box. This time a MG 42. Sadly both sides of the pipe shows the small holed so I scratched a bit with a knife to give it a nice one line. This is a problem with several kits. Both from PSC and Battlefront (Battlefronts sdkfz 251's MG 42 is made the same erring way, and both the plastic soldiers stowage box and the Normandy grenadier box, which I think is the exact same MG's to be fair.) Only a small deal of modeling here. The MG pouch, extra details on the gun, a new left hand and ammo clip hanging down on his front.
And an Obersturmführer! (Lieutenant). The legs are from one of the Open Fire officers, and the upper body from one of the NCOs. As Officers in the German army also was issued MP 40s and becouse it's stupid to run around to much in a hat instead of helmet, I did this small merge. The upper body of the officer might end up as a medic or something. I also scratches of the suspenders, and added larger shoulder tags and arm cuffs.
Thanks for watching and as a small treat I painted up an captured Sherman, just for you fellas!
It's one of the Open Fire one, so the tracks a horribly casted and a bit of cutting and sculpting was needed to fix the hull. German tank comander from PSC's stowage box.
Aslo please note that all the models are in scale 1/100, or there about, so the figures are about 16 - 17mm tall excluding the bases and the Sherman 27 mm high.
Cheers! Over and Out!
