More Brits

 Another few days work

Early War Miniatures Morris CS8 15cwt with AA Bren

Now I was a customer of Tom`s Tins (who are now EWM), Tom always did interesting and different kit from the norm which was right up my alley as I like odd and different! Paul has taken the range and expanded it (of course adding some of the old Skytrex range as well), I understand Tom Lobby still some sculpting!! I saw this advertised on the EWM FB page and ordered it straight away, the model is a one piece plastic/resin cast with some  white metal parts (I added some stowage too) the crew are really nice the Bren team particularly nicely sculpted, they come with Aussie bush hat or helmet heads - I used helmets so the vehicle could be British or Aussie as required.  

Classic Airfix 6pdr & crew

After some new info came to light about the allied blocking positions in the Lower Dorsales in Tunisia during the German offensive in January/Feb 1943 I found I needed an extra 6pdr - now as it happened I had just found one in among some stuff I got of John (Bannockburn Boy over on the SOTCW forum) when he was having a clear-out a few yrs back. 

To be honest I probably don`t need the crew (and they are pretty awful by todays standards), but what the heck, its my tabletop. 

Playing in the garden (again)

A modelling re-think

A modelling re-think

 Way back in March 2017 

I built this Chevy 30cwt with 20mm Breda AA for 2/3rd Lt. anti-aircraft Regt RAA in Syria

Now whilst I enjoyed the build and as a model it was OK it always seemed to me that the Breda Britannia Miniatures looked way too large, in fact Andy`s own Grubby Tanks Breda is to my eye a better scale piece and I had planned to do a swap at some point. Then you will remember i bought those di-casts before Christmas and the 30cwt Chevy came with a nice 20mm Breda   

So I swapped out the gun and replaced the two Raventhorpe crew with suitable (smaller) plastic figures from the bits box -  one a Matchbox Australian Vickers gunner, the other a Matchbox DAK MMG gunner with a Airfix 8th Army head :)

WIP

Finished model

 Much happier with this 

Now waste not, want not, I scratched together a tripod mount, used the wheels I removed from the towed gun, head-swapped the original Raventhorpe gunner and painted up a couple of plastic Italeri Italians to create a ground deployed Breda and crew for my Italians too :)

Italian Recce

Italian Recce 

The last of those di-casts I picked up before Christmas.

Started out like this

A simple paint job and wash and a scratch crew from the bits box, I also added the extra pintle Breda HMG as you often see these in photos.

Whilst I was looking for images of AS42s to find colours, I found this interesting image

As I happened to have a few Jeeps in my dwindling stash and do like odd things, I built this as a command vehicle for my Italian recce battalion, the radio op was a Matchbox Australian (head swapped)

On patrol in the garden

Restaurante Maria, Tangel

 Restaurante Maria, Tangel

Nr Mutxamel, Alicante

Tangel is a small village between our nearest town - San Vincente del Raspeig and Mutxamel. 

The place is quite nice, a single street of interesting Spanish style houses and a small church, there is also a garden centre (which is why we go there usually). There are also two small restaurants, we`ve tried both and like the food, so as it was Debbie`s birthday yesterday we (Chris and I) took her to the garden centre and then onto a lunchtime "menu" meal.

We ended up a Restaurante Maria - the food is highly recommended and very well priced, but for those of us with military interests the walls are covered with posters, flags, badges, hats, paintings, etc of Spanish military and police (local, municipal and Civil guard). The Foreign Legion is represented including two very good portraits of the founders - Franco and Milan Astray!

Now my spoken Spanish isn`t good enough (as yet) to ask a lot of questions, but the place is interesting and I will try and visit again.

I didn`t take photos as the place was busy, but did find these on the net:

 

Revamped Di-casts

Re-vamped di-casts

Getting back into a routine as the weather has improved somewhat, I`ve actually been painting and modelling out on the terrace in the sunshine the last few afternoons   

Some of you may recall I picked a some of those Deagostini di-casts cheaply at a flea market before Christmas, here is the latest work:

They started out like this:

The Chevy got a repaint and lots of added stowage

The CMP, gun and limber just a re-paint 

Here are both vehicles along with a Ford G8 I did last year so you can see the colour match - I`m happy with that

Playing with the camera in the garden (again)

The two patrol trucks with Transjordan Frontier force

The CMP, gun and limber with a mixed crew of Raventhorpe and Britannia gunners

French anti-tank support for Tunisia

 French DCB support for Tunisia

First bits for 2021

An anti-tank (DCB = Defense Contra Blinde) gun section of 1re Batterie de DCB, 47th Colonial Infantry Regiment. Part of the French XIX Corps mobile reserve December/January 1942/43.

All by Shellhole Scenics  (except one odd Blitz gunner who got a touch-up)

Renault UE + trailer plus added stowage & 25mm AT gun

Ian`s crew

All together including the re-done Blitz gunner

A couple of shots playing in the garden