Railway modelling terrain

I an hour off yesterday and poped into a railway modellers display/show thing at the local Waterfront Museum. As always I was blown away by the terrain -

Caid Haseen Beni Lal

Caid Haseen Beni Lal, brigand and outlaw known to the french as "The Sheik Rouge" after his love of wearing red robes, all his men wear red rexas (turbans) too. Pictured here with his personal standard.

These are 28mm from a batch of never released Rif War figures I was lucky enough to get from the sculpter. Both have been slightly converted, the Caid has a new head and right hand (and sword), the standard bearer has had is hands altered and the position of this right arm changed.

Halftrack WIP

Several weeks of work tinkering and messing about -

First the last two of those di-cast M3 type tracks, done as early types without pulpit or mine-racks -

1st with pintle .30cal MMG (still a bit rough, some bits will be cleaned altered after I undercoat) With this one I removed the crude winch and replaced it with one from the spares box (Fujimi I think?)

2nd with pintle .50cal AAMG, again with this one I removed the crude winch, but this time added a roller unit (again off a Fujimi track I think?) 

Minimi 251C with 37mm as a platoon commanders vehicle (after much discussion it was decided the 37mm would have the lower cut-down shield, so I knocked this one up), the crew are a mix of SHQ halftrack crew and an old Airfix DAK figure.

Another Minimi 251C this time a troop carrier (69PG 251s didn`t have front shields in Tunisia) the crew in this one are mostly Combat Minatures tank riders, the gunner is an Esci plastic

A very old Fujimi 251B with SHQ 28cm sWuR 40 Rockets set (no way near finished) 

Minimi 250 Alt with SHQ 250/3 kit parts, there is virtually no room inside once you fit the radio - the figure is an Alby anti-aircraft gunner.

A bit more work on the 251/2 with Wurfrahmen 40
One of the odd things I discovered in my research about the Tunisian campaign was the II Battalion 69 Panzer Grenadier Regiment had mounted these rockets onto its mortar carriers! of course once i found this out I had to build one :-) 

Cheap di-cast conversions

Bought several of these cheap Chinese di-cast toy halftracks at a stall at a classic car show (50p each)




Now they are pretty much 1/76th scale.

I`ve already converted one earlier as a beute vehicle now owned by 5. Kompanie 69PG



Shaun was nice enough to sell me some GMC type wheels, so I`ve started on another (again a beute from Tunisia)




A pic of the two conversions so you can see the interiors


A few more pics of the second model with its trailer




I may well do the next one as a US track with pulpit 

Section d'Sanitaires

For me wargaming isn`t all about tanks and guns, I like modelling supply and rear-echelon units.

Section d'Sanitaires (medical unit) for my Tunisian French forces



Di-cast repainted as an ambulance (Aleran French number plates, various red crosses)


Stretcher party - the carrying guys are Tumbling Dice earky WW1 Germans (should be carrying an MG08) head-swopped (obviously  ) The wounded guy is the classic Airfix WW1 German casualty


Medical officer - Combat Miniatures Japanese officer (from their Russo-Japanese War range), various equipment pruned away and head-swopped with an Airfix WW1 French head


Medic - SHQ British gunner

Nurse - Elhiem German female auxiliary