Churchill Crocodiles

Completed the Britannia Churchill Crocodile tanks - crews are Britannia, with the usual mix of stowage. I'll need to purchase a few more Crew figures to fill the empty hatches.    Not sure there would be a Rapid Fire scenario that called for four Croc's at the same time so I have varied their basing, including an attempt to simulate a Churchill crashing through a Normandy wheat field on its way to take out a German bunker...sounds like the background for a future scenario!

British Armour - Britannia Churchill Tanks

My final posting today - Five Britannia Churchill tanks, three armed with the 75mm, one with a 6pdr and a Churchill Armoured Recovery Vehicle.  

Crew members are all from Britannia; added track protection is from the PSC Churchill kit (on the 6pdr turret) and spare Tiger track (see one of the 75mm armed models).  

Crew in the recovery vehicle is made up from the Britannia ARV Crew (figure sitting with beret and map), 25pdr Crew (figure sitting with helmet) and British command sets (figure standing inside ARV).

British Armour - PSC Churchill

While the majority of my Churchill kits are Britannia, with the odd Airfix added for good measure, I also have 4 PSC Churchill tanks.  The kit goes together very well, and they complement my Valiant British infantry, which is why I purchased them in the first place.   However, they are noticeably larger than any of my other Churchill models.   

Here are two PSC Churchill IV's, each with the 75mm gun - besides addition of stowage the only modification was the removal of the front mud guards (quite easy to do):

British Armour - Stuarts

The Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) Stuart kit is a delight to assemble and paint.  Since you get three is a box, I made one a "turretless" version.  Crew is PSC or Britannia and the usual suspects when it comes to stowage:

British Armour - Cromwell

It's been a while since I've had the chance to post, so today I'm making up for lost time with pictures of what I have completed recently.  

First up, three Britannia Cromwell tanks, including a close-support version with a 95mm gun.
Crews are Britannia, with the usual mix of stowage from Sgts Mess, RAFM, and Britannia:

Churchill Crocodiles

Assembled three Britannia Churchill Crocodile flame thrower tanks, the last of my resin kit backlog. Crew are also Britannia, while vehicle stowage is a combination of Sgts Mess, RAFM, and Britannia.  The weather has turned and I doubt I'll get a chance to prime these before Spring!  

Churchills and Cromwells

I finally assembled some Britannia kits I picked up second hand; they are the "older" versions of the models available today as the tracks came as separate metal castings, the Churchill IV's at least, are now made with an all resin hull and track assembly.  

Group shot of all 8 tanks, assembled, stowage added, and ready to be primed.  Stowage is from Sgts Mess, Britannia, and RAFM.  Crew figures Britannia, with others to be added after painting:

Britannia Churchill IV's with 75mm main gun armament:

Britannia Churchill Armoured Recovery Vehicle (left) and another Churchill IV, this time armed with a 6pdr in the turret.   Add track is from the PSC Churchill kit:

Britannia Cromwell close-support tank with 95mm gun and two 75mm armed Cromwells:

21st Panzer Division SPW 107 Half Tracks

I now have sufficient vehicles to complete the 1st Battalion, Panzer Grenadier Regiment 125 - along with a command half track.   Vehicles are all from Ready to Roll, primed and ready for painting:

Left to right: SPW P107 Command Half Track for the Regimental HQ; a SPW P107 37mm HT and two SPW P107 half tracks for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Companies, respectfully.  Great models, very well cast and detailed.   Will post once painted and crewed.

German Horse Transport

One of the many reasons I enjoy Britannia figures is the variety of poses available for little tabletop vignettes - in this case a small German transport column arrives at a check point:

The figures in question are the German Check Point set with an extra Greatcoat figure; the Longest Day inspired "Fat German on a Supply Horse" and the Volksturm Two Horse Captured Limber.

Check Point Set:

Fat German on a Supply Horse:

Volksturm Two Horse Captured Limber:

Churchill IV and Churchill VII

I have several unbuilt or unpainted Churchill tanks - Britannia (8), Airfix (1), and Plastic Soldier Company (2) On my "to do" list.   I already have 16 - nine of which are 79th Armoured Division "Funnies".   Pictures of two Churchill Bridgelayer tanks were posted earlier this month.  Here are two more recent additions:

 

Britannia Churchill IV (75mm) with Britannia command and crew figures.

Airfix Churchill VII with turret armament replaced with metal Britannia 75mm and co-axial Besa machine gun.  I didn't care for the fragility and thinness of the gun barrel on the original model so have gone to the other extreme with the Britannia armament - while not to everyone's taste I like the modifiaction and find it makes the Airfix model "fit" visually with Britannia models.  I also notice a missing road bogie that needs repairing!

2nd Battalion Panzer Grenadier Regiment 125

A picture of the HQ and 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th companies 2nd Battalion, Panzer Grenadier Battalion 125, 21st Panzer Division Normandy.  The setting is the courtyard of a French farmhouse.  The vehicles for the Support Companies (9th & 10th) are finished; the crew for the Lorriane 150 are on the painting table and should be completed soon - pictures shall be posted upon completion of the crew.

P107 Half Tracks are from Ready-to-Roll (top photograph, back row); front row a Raventhorpe SPW 107 20mm half track, a Raventhorpe Somua PaK 40 half track (each with Britannia crews), and a Britannia Volkswagen Beetle staff car.  The second picture is a close-up of the Volkswagen, one of my favourite Britannia models.

I have accompanying Britannia infantry, which I'll post once the entire Battalion is ready for action on the games table.

British Motor Battalion

I recently completed the infantry that ride in the carriers and half tracks that comprise a Rapid Fire British Motor Battalion, having long since completed the various vehicles themselves. All the vehicles with the exception of the White Scout Car are Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) models; the Scout Car is by Italeri.   

Figures are from the PSC M5 Half Track, Universal Carrier or Lloyd Carrier kits.   The Battalion is set up in the court yard of a Normany walled farm, while the "close-up" is of the M5 Half Track, with accompanying infantry along for the ride.

British Artillery - 5.5" Guns

Rapid Fire! British 5.5" battery - Airfix guns with Britannia and Grubby Tank/Kelley's Heroes crews:

Red Army Armour

While my focus has been on Normandy, I did mange to complete a couple of Red Army tanks:

Britannia T-70 (left) and T-34/76 1943 model (right).  You can never have too many of either!

British Engineers

Airfix Half-Track with Britannia crew and HMG; Britannia mine clearing teams.  The engineer troops show the two different uniform painting styles I use for my British: the dark khaki uniform is hand painted over a black undercoat while the lighter khaki uniform is a white undercoat, light overspray khaki and "dipped" with Verathane "Golden Oak".

British Anti-Tank Guns

Two Britannia 17pdr ATG's and a RAFM 6pdr; all with Britannia crews:

Churchill Bridge Layer

Pair of Churchill Bridge Layers - Matchbox Churchill IV with Airfix bridge layer additions, in different bridge deployment modes:

British Brigade HQ & Medics

Brigade HQ and medic figures:

Britannia officer with Grubby Tanks/Kelly's Heroes radio crew (left); Airfix motorcycle dispatch rider (centre) and Britannia officers and table with maps (right)

Grubby Tanks/Kelly's Heroes medics with casualties.

German Truck mounted FlaK

Two recent models finally completed to add to the German anti-aircraft efforts:

The captured U.S. 2.5 ton truck is a Hasagawa model with Britannia Flak 20mm and Greatcoat crew, while the armoured Opel Blitz is by Milicast, again with a Britannia Flak 20mm and Greatcoat crew.

Recent Additions - 21st Panzer Division Normandy

I completed a few more of the vehicles for Panzer Grenadier Regiment 125:

Motorcycles and OP, part of the Regiment HQ:

Motorcycles are Britannia, while the Lorraine OP is a modified RAFM model, with a Britannia FO

2nd Battalion, 8th Company

Both vehicles are Raventhorpe, you can now get each through Ready to Roll.  The SPW P107 Flak 20mm (left) and Somua PaK 40 (right) half tracks have Britannia crews, with the exception of the drivers, which come with the kit.   According to a recent posting on the Society of Gentleman Gamers site, the Somua was right-hand drive.  I had already assembled two Somua PaK 40's and a multi-barrel mortar half track with the driver on the left, so I'm leaving them as they are!