"PaKin it in......(WIP on those much-needed ATGs)" Topic

Guys, you know you need lots of them, but they're just not that fun to paint up as tanks!

Well, I've been needing to flesh out the battle-gaming WW2 kit with more anti-tank guns, and so here's some recent progress (crews are on order from Merry Ole England, so a couple weeks yet till those arrive).

I've had AT batteries for temperate climes (examples along the tree line here), but have needed more of them for the desert and winter games for a long while – gettin' to that painting finally (and on those 7.5cm IGs in the background – threw those into the pot too).

Except for the resin infantry guns, these are all 1/144th scale World Tank Museum plastic ATG models (repainted & weathered).

Basing will be much simpler than the hex stands shown, and the guns won't be permanently attached I think, for swapping out between "crew stands".

I think the Bad Guys have the edge here.

Nothing against our 6pdrs or whatever the US Army called them calibre-wise (57mm?)…..but I would not like to be in the driver's seat on an M4A2 facing those German A/Ts.

The photo is great, but, on a cold night in an English Autumn, it made me shiver. "Winter is cummin" said Sean Bean, before he was beheaded (scene spoiler)

Looking good.

I wish there were a few more figs, and pose variety in the various crew packs offered in this scale for A/T guns.

Hopefully, someone will read this and produce a proper pack for the Americans, British, Germans, and Soviets, for the various types of A/T guns available.

Deadhead, hopefully we don't get one of those Bulge-cold winters a cummin', unless it's merely on the tabletop. :)))

Thresher, got to agree, although I went with Pendraken for their Bulge version of US Paratrooper crews (US 57mm ATGs not shown here), Soviet ones in winter clothing, and for DAK crews….of course pretty much ordered unseen since there's few pics on the Pendraken website.

Victrix should have had 1/144th scale AT Gun & IG Gun/arty crews in their first string of offerings (I mean, before such things as the M7 Priest for example).

PaKs are back….well, just infantry guns backing into position.

Don't tell the troops the ATs are setting up further to their rear (recently completed Horch Kfz.69 heavy cars for the table) -

My AT gun crews from Pendraken have arrived (great service and quick shipping from the UK to the Midwest of USA here).

Before I start on all these new figs for the guns above, I wanted to finish up my 2nd Afrika Korps Flak 88 stand, for having a battery section of 2 (and all I think I'll ever need for scenarios).

World Tank Museum (new F-Toys) 88s and SdKfz 7 prime mover kits, with Combat Group Dynamix gun crews.

Great looking guns!

I am also impressed by the gun positions -- are these scratch-builds? The sandbags in particular look very good -- the way they drape down, the sheer number of bags that are stacked up, the way some of them have fallen out-of-place, it all gives a great feel to the pieces. Lots of character.

I mean, how many gamers put flowers on the shrubs around their 88s?

"See, they are not bad guys. That nice man gave me some flowe -BOOM!"

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

hehehe…..the guns must have been emplaced after one of those refreshing spring showers.

The positions around the hex bases are resin casts I cobbled together from individual sections, so I don't take credit for those excellent-looking sandbag pieces (just making them into hex rings, and then flocking, plus doing the beautiful floral arrangements). :)))

The initial mounting decision for the collection's minis started out on 2-inch wide hex bases, so all the infantry, most guns, some trucks and small vignettes are permanently mounted onto their hex base-works. Any emplacement for the guns and figure stands had to fit around, or up to the edges of these stands…..kind of created a monster with my original, hex basing choice, but I've finally reached a point of having almost all the gun crews and infantry stands done.

My vehicles have rare-earth magnets underneath their hulls/chassis, so I can swap them out onto 50-odd blank desert bases made up, or greener ones, so to use the models into Tunisia and Sicily (even over to the Eastern Front when appropriate).

Thanks for checking out the Boomers, Mark!

Still Pak'in' in the pieces -

This week's painting progress are on 10mm Pendraken Soviet artillery crews (winter) manning World Tank Museum 1/144th scale Zis-3 field/AT Guns. The great-coated figures in the packs were sculpted holding a cleaning rod (I think), which were cut down and filed to a tip to look like a shell instead.

And that handy closeup view (have four of these now ready for my new snow mats).

Overachiever!

Well in the meantime, I haven't been writing up my own rules either. ;)

The A/T crews are brilliant. They look like "Winter" with the quilted overalls and fur caps, but especially the highlights, I presume using a wash effect.

Having seen Russia in February or March on three visits now I do ask how folk could survive outdoors in such conditions, let alone fight. Even just minus 23C in Red Square I will never forget, knowing that I was well turned out and GUM was maybe thirty yards away. It still froze my Altama USMC boots and they cracked across the sole within 24 hours (They were designed for Iraq to be fair)

Jeesh Deadhead, these are just little trinkets of mine – you've got the real stories!

Tell us more of your travels, and/or service if you can.

Having seen Russia in February or March … I do ask how folk could survive outdoors in such conditions …

Clearly you've never been to Chicago.

Coldest I've ever been in my life -- got a ride to O'Hare to catch a flight out. Had been snowing all morning, but then the sun came out. Beautiful clear skies, bright and shiny. Hopped out of the car and IT WAS 0 DEGREES WITH 30-35 DEGREES OF WIND-CHILL.

Cheerful Sky-Cap walked up and said, through a cloud of fog: "Good afternoon sir."

I replied: "huuuHHHHmmmbbbbbbrrr"

So he offered: "If you'll just give me your ticket I can take care of your bags for you right here."

I thought to myself: Nope. I'd rather stand here until I die. There is no way I'm going to open my coat to get my ticket.

And that's said by a guy who has been sent to northern Finland on multiple occasions. Oh to see Oulu in February again …

(You can find it on the campaign map shown in the video of the Suossulomi thread: TMP link )

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Mark, I'm going to need a mug of hot chocolate after that one! :)))

Got a simple update to the winter kit here (because this winter stuff is what I've been working on a lot lately).

These are 10mm Pendraken terrain pieces slightly modified, with the timbered ruins cut off their bases to be flush-sided.

I was wanting to have specific [thematic] emplaced-unit markers, without having to use counters to indicate these areas on the tabletop, and think the destroyed huts will work good as general-looking terrain that could also be populated by defending infantry…..but then any occupants remaining hidden until activated/or scouted. The expectation was wanting game areas denoted that might be "improved positions", but that could still look like normal game terrain if unoccupied (so function as markers where troops might be positioned – but could be dummy positions too…..fog of war embedded).

In the case of this picture here, the dug-in T-34 section would be visible, but the area could also have unseen infantry, or even an ATG section lurking within it too.

(the pieces are coming together) ;)

I said it just before Christmas and I will say it again. You have a gift for making it look absolutely freezing. Anyone can do a white base. everyone's Mom had pine trees with snow on them (always in a red tub for some reason) for the Christmas cake. But it is the white dry brushing on the T34s and A/T guns that just screams frost…serious Russian frost.

BRRRRRRR

Liam, that's so much appreciated! TY!!!

I do try to get the game kit 'integrated'. What's most rewarding (behind the scene) is getting the bits & pieces to integrate within my rules system too. If I can also convey gameplay functions to these forms, that makes me really excited (and the less I have to reinforce to my players – as some of the visuals can do that explaining itself).

That is great looking stuff, FlyXwire! The winter effects definitely leave me cold ….. but in a good way.

Pete

Thanks Pete – time for me to leave the big chill for awhile, and do some terrain up with a little sunnier disposition. :)

Dave