"New Armourfast Stowage and Conversion kits " Topic

New Armourfast Stowage and Conversion kits
I thought I would share with the gentlemen of this forum an update on an exciting project EWM is involved in with Tracy at Armourfast. Back in August, Tracy set me the chalange of coming up with stowage sets for her range of tanks and vehicles. After a good deal of researching and prototyping, we started work on producing the designs.

Having spent a lot of time recently making Armourfast kits for the mock up and design work, it struck me what great kits these models make and the value for money is just fantastic. 2 plastic kits for £7.50 GBP each. Tracy wanted there to be enough stowage in each set for 2 models and that to be retailed at £5.00 GBP a pack. £5.00 GBP buys enough crew and stowage for 2 models, just like in her kit box's.

The new Achilles crew and stowage conversion kit

Cromwell Centaur conversion kit for the AF Cromwell kit.

In doing the work on the range it struck me and her that there was a great possibility to produce conversation of the basic AF models that added to the variety and simple construction of each model. I had to agree and came up with a good number of possible conversions, some of which are also now available. Conversions are £7.50 GBP a pack and depending on the level of detail and contents, will either be for 1 or 2 models at that price.

Tracy intends to sell these at shows on the Armourfast trade stand and on her website once that is relaunched in the near future. She has placed a significant order with us for these so they are going to be a solid part of the Armourfast range in future. This is just great news for us here at EWM and I am enjoying working with Tracy on this project, which is going to take me a while to complete.

We here at EWM are also selling the kits and will continue to provide a series of updates on progress we are making as new stowage and conversions kits and sets are released. I will post updates here on this forum and TMP and may be some other forums as well as our EWM facebook site. The EWM Facebook site is now even easier for me as I started posting from my lap on Sunday night, of the work done that day- all way to simple but great fun now I know what to do!
Some Work in progress shots.

Some of the prototype and work in progress models that will arrive soon as either conversions or stowage sets.
Ewm has shown a few of the new designs at both Derby and SELWG recently and its fair to say we have been blown away by the interest and not come home with very much stock after each show. Common questions are "when are you making stowage for XXX kit" – watch our news pages or the good forums like this one. "Can I use these on other plastic kits" – well yes indeed you can.
Now I said I have come to really like the Armourfast ranges in having to make up so many kits for this project with Tracy. I like them so much, I have started to sell many of their models on the EWM web site and at shows along side the growing range or stowage and conversion kits. The Armourfast kits adhere to the principle of being truly, fast build kits. Unlike many other plastic kits I could mention, these really are quick to build and they still look great. They work really well with the EWM model ranges both figures, scenery, our guns and other equipment and own models. So I put my money where my mouth is. Just like the rules we sell, of which there are only 2 sets, "if we don't like the rules or use them ourselves, we don't sell them". Well, we like the armourfast kits a lot for all the reasons I mentioned.

Thanks for you time in reading this long news update. Thanks also to the many who have provided such strong and encouraging support to us recently on this project, its really appreciated. Keep on sending in the ideas please and telling us at shows what you think. Orders are nice too.

Available from EWM at : earlywarminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=513

More details on our face book site at :
facebook.com/earlywarminiatures#!/earlywarminiatures

I look forward to your comments.

Regards
Paul Thompson @ EWM

"Crackin stuff Grommit"…..

Brilliant, plenty of lovely bits and pieces to add on to my kits. Conversion kits too.

Are they plastic or lead? Missed it if it said so in the blurb. :)

Just one question, why do things like this happen when I've just decided to concentrate on something other than my 20mm for at least 12 months????

All parts currently are white metal castings. Some of the planned conversion kits "bigger parts" are from highly detailed plastic resin that has been vacumed.

Well Mr Tarleton, that life I guess, but they are here now, so fill your boots buddy!

This awesome!
Too bad I've already bought some others products, however I will need some more. Specifically the Achilles, Cromwell and Panther kits.
Thanks for posting.
Just went to order, 3 kits plus shipping is over $55 USD cdn. I'll wait until the currency is a tad better.

Lovely, just what I need for a few projects on the go at the moment :)

no turret bin for the British Sherman?..a bit of an oversight there

Great idea. But i think what the achilles needs a best detail inside the turret

Paul,

"Well Mr Tarleton"…. a mite formal old thing!

Plenty of room to mix and match the different packs there. I like the Sherman/Achilles stuff and the Sdkfz 251 conversions are great, especially the command track one.

I can't make out if any of the Achilles in the pics are Brit, they all look like the could be Polish to me. ??

Dave

Thanks all for your comments. Remember some of these are work in progress shots. Turret bins, yes, they are in the firefly set mock ups at the moment. I did add the "long bin" typical of British shermans. Take your point though, thank you. Still plenty more sets to make so I can add that easily. I did add air filters to the Sherman sets, not shown in these pictures.
Am working on the M10 and Jackson models. Keep watching our sites our good forums such as this one for updates.

Thanks again for your views and comments. More to follow.

Great stuff, love the Wurfrahmen option for the 251. It'd be great if you were to add replacement MG's as well, the Armourfast supplied ones lack grips and ammo as supplied.

"Great stuff, love the Wurfrahmen option for the 251. It'd be great if you were to add replacement MG's as well, the Armourfast supplied ones lack grips and ammo as supplied."
Thanks for your thoughts. I think your right and at some point I can see a pack of .50's on pintals, with ammo box's attached and the same for .30 mmG's?
Its a long list but I justed added your suggestion to it. thank you.

Paul T@EWM

That looks like an excellent project-and being able to get both tank and upgrade from the same source is a big plus. Always a pain when you have plans afoot that involve several "minimum postages"--and in fact I've just had to order tools and stowage for the Panzer IVG [a very nice model] from another source.

I saw some of this stuff on the EWM stand at SELWG, it really is an excellent idea and looked great on the models.

That is certainly some very nice looking stowage and conversion pieces!

Cheers, Paul. I was actually referring to the MG42's which come with the 251 but 50's and 30's also a good idea!

Excellent project and execution.

Lots of possible areas to fill – bergepanzers and so on.

Some of those could be also used with other brands of 1:72 (aka 20mm) fast build models, like Italeri's.

And don't forget about extra armor for some AFV's like the Sandbags for the Shermans – many wargamers will want them ;-)

Just a small nag – no SdKfz.251 Ausf.C with K51 7,5cm. they use the StuK37, as already depicted by Armorfast on their last offering.

Hi faustnik,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, lts of possibilites here, already got some sand bagged sherman mock ups and they look great.
yes, the 251/c with the 7.5 is available in their stummel model. this later fitting with a rangeing mmg fitted is more common in the 251 D but i have worked from ref pictures based on the 251 c.
i fact that armourfast stummel, the stowage set and crew for that are done nd the mold made, just need to make them and then release tht kit, so its next. i used late war crews as its a later war machine.
i spoke with Tracy at Armourfas today and she confirmed she will be carrying all the available range at the IPMS show in Telford in November. i shall be taking them to Crisis in Antwerp the sme weekend and again to Warfare the week after in November.

Could you include aerial mounts too?

I too saw these packs at SELWG, and can see them garlanding vehicles of mibe from loads of manufacturers. At the time my first instinct was to look for the turret bin on British Shermans, so credit to EWM if they add this to their set. It does need to be there.

Replacement 30 and 50 cals are an inspired idea. I know that Armourfast have these MGs already, but in plastic – oh so fragile. Incidentally, it strikes me that the Sherman enhancement packs don't include the barrel of the bow MG, which seems a strange oversight.

I've got one micro-niggle of my own: as far as I can judge, the jerrycans you see on British vehicles are of British design, i.e. like the German ones rather than with the recessed cross found on US cans. Anyone want to correct me?

I'm with Tim Marshall re the helmets of the M10 crew. At SELWG I bought some EWM Dingos, some of whose crew seemed to have normal infantry battle bowlers. I requested crew in berets instead, and some extra beret'd crew arrived in my letter box a few days later. Now that is service. I'd therefore like to sing the praises of this company – nicer blokes you really couldn't hope to meet.

(They've got a cracking little M5 Recce in the pipeline too …)

Just spotted this post & realise how much I now hate both you & Tracy!!
Given the number of Armourfast kits that I have made & painted (but still "factory fresh" condition, rather than covered in kit & crap), do you realise how much money these are going to cost me & how much repainting I'm going to have to do???
AND I'm going to have to hide the cost from SWMBO!!
You guys just don't care about the grief that you cause us poor modellers :-)

My Humblest apologies Mr Fozman,
thank you for your post.

more coming very soon…….

Paul T@EWM

Those "extras" kits look great, anything for the Armourfast Russian AFVs in the works?

Mike

Just a thought @Paul, something that you might want to add on to the Jagdpanther stuff is an additional stowage box for the left hand side of the casemate (as you look at it from behind). The reason for suggesting this is that 654 S.PzJagdAbteilung (the main, perhaps only, unit using JPs in Normandy) used to have the additional stowage bin

Russian stuff will get covered but it's at the end of the to do list.
Could you post a picture of that Jadgpanther bin please?
Cheers