Savoia Marchetti S.M. 79 in 1/72 from Airfix

I picked up this old Airfix set, Savoia Marchetti S.M. 79 Mk II, a while ago at Hobbybokhandeln. Another ‘target’ for the LRDG, so it’s supposed to stand still on a desert airfield. No crews on board and a minimum of extra fluff - I skipped the optional armament and the torpedoes.

It’s an easy build, even though some of the pieces don’t fit that well. Some green stuff and sanding was needed here and there to cover the worst gaps.

Anyway, I wasn’t interested in a museum piece, as it is supposed to become wreathed in flames during the scenario we plan to do.

Paints used (as usual Vallejo unless otherwise noted)

Interior: 906 Pale Blue

Sand colour: ArmyPainter spray Desert Yellow

Underside: 989 Sky Grey

Brown Camo: 984 Flat Brown

Propeller hub: Citadel Foundation Mechrite Red

Propeller blades and wheels: black

Exhausts: Vallejo Panzer Aces 302 Dark Rust

I painted all areas to have decals with gloss varnish, and then I used Vallejo Decal Medium on all decals when I placed them on the model. When dry I painted on Vallejo Decal Fix.

Everything was then coated with matte varnish.

It fits exactly into my Ikea drawers. If only a couple of millimeters higher, and I would have had to re-position the cental propeller.

Ready to be shot to pieces.

German Big Men in 20mm for IABSM

The first batch of new big men for I Aint Been Shot Mom. The idea is to represent a level 1 man with one figure, a level 2 with two, etc up to four men for the highest ranking Big Men.

I have already converted some old figures into level 1 Big Men, simply by placing them on square bases, as opposed to circular ones for ordinary men.

These guys are newly painted.

First of the level 2 Big Men. Figures from Caesar German Army

Another level 2. Airfix German Infantry and Revell German Infantry 

A level 3 Big Man. Figures from Airfix Reconnaissance Set, unknown and Ceasar German Army.

Level 4 Big Man. The officer is a metal one I got from friend Daniel, and he was part of a group build. Great figure. Periscope from Revell German Armoured Infantry. The man with rifle is Caesar German Army, and the one with a SMG is from the Airfix Reconnaissance Set. The man with the back towards us is unknown.

More Italian air-field personnel

After finding a decent colour scheme for my Italian airfield personnel I completed most of the rest of my Airfix Luftwaffe figures.

Here we see them giving love and tender caring to the only Italian aeroplane finished. More to come, hopefully.

So, that was the Italian ground crew. Just a bomber and two more vehicles on my LRDG air-field attack to-do list.

Italian airfield personnel

The LRDG-attack on an Italian airfield does need targets. Aeroplanes are a given, also barracks, guard posts, guns, fuel dumps and vehicles. But what is an airfield without airfield personnel? Obviously not much, so personnel we had to find.

We're doing stuff!

I didn’t find any obvious models for this. But a box of Airfix WWII Luftwaffe Personnel had to do as ersatz Italians. Who’s to complain, there is no Osprey on these guys, as far as I know.

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen...

This is the initial trial run, with a mix of figures and the pilots. The results are good enough, so I’ll paint the rest of the figs in the same way.

I do not approve!

Colours used (Vallejo unless otherwise noted):

Personnel

Uniform: 847 Dark Sand

Shoes, belts: Humbrol 62 Leather

Equipment: 977 Desert Yellow

Skin: 955 Flat Flesh

Hair: 872 Chocolat Brown

Everything washed with Army Painter Quickshade Ink Soft Tone, and boots washed with Citadel Devlan Mud (RIP)

Pilots

Uniform: 874 Tan Earth

Skin: 955 Flat Flesh

Washed with Citadel Devlan Mud (RIP)

PzKpfw IV F1 in 20mm by Airfix, Hasegawa and Plastic Soldier Company

We’re soon off to the next con, this time FlemCon 2, where the adventures from Stockholm Spelkonvent will continue in a participation game. Another day in the push against Minsk, in the early days of Operation Barbarossa.

If you happen to be around, do come and say hello!

I’ve been checking the tin- and plastics mountain, to see what I already have that could be suitable for this game. I found two boxes of Pz IV F1, one Airfix in 1/76, and the other a Hasegawa one in 1/72. I already have a finished Hasegawa, which played an important role in the last game.

When the first two models were nearly finished I stumbled upon the new 1/72 kit from Plastics Soldier Company!

The Airfix model – those wheels do sit tight and awful tracks

Airfix – you can build two variants, either with a short 75mm gun, or with a long one, presumably variants F1 and F2.

+: Um, ehr…. I already had it, so it was free…. sort of

-: It’s a very old model, and you feel it. The details seem to be a mish-mash of different marks, and they aren’t very crisp either. The wheels do sit very tight together. It’s a bitch to glue the hull together. Tracks made of soft plastics.

All in all, not a model I can recommend. That was too kind - stay away from it.

Hasegawa – sagging tracks

Hasegawa – here you buy the different marks in different boxes. This is the F1-model.

+: It went together very well, crisp detailing. The end-result looks correct.

-: The placement of some details were rather unspecific, I had to check my literature, and of course blew it in (at least) one place (the commanders hatch was placed off-centre, even though I checked it (an obvious curse, probably by the Russian players)).

About the same number of pieces as the Airfix model. Also here we see tracks made of soft plastics, but they get a decent sag by built in pegs (if painted black they are nearly invisible), pushing the tracks down, see photo above. Nice! Everything is better than individual links, so I won’t complain in this case.

A nice kit, all in all a good buy if you’re a modeller, and a bit less so if you’re a gamer and want lots of tanks quickly.

 Plastic Soldier Company- a wargamers dream

Three panzers in one box, and you can choose between variants F1, F2/G and H.

+: Nice price. Few pieces, very easy to build. Tracks of hard plastics.

-: Some of the details are rather rudimentary. No decals.

I built one of the three tanks in this box in a very short time. It is a wargamers model – no small details that will break during play, I mean gaming, and so easy to build.

Highly recommended if you’re a gamer, not so much if you want a detailed model. It that case the Hasegawa one is better.

All three are painted with Vallejo German Grey, drybrushed with basalt grey. Decals from Skytrex and Aleran.

Dirtied with Vallejo and MIG pigments, and a final coat of matte varnish spray.

I will probably use all the tanks, but the Airfix one will be in the back…

A comparison from above – Airfix, Hasegawa and PSC. The Airfix kit is noticeably smaller, being 1/76 scale.

  Front

Back

I will use these as generic short-barreled Pz IV in both France 1940 and Russia 41-42. Yes, I know, it is heresy.

My effort to lower the tin- and plastics mountain failed, got rid of two kits, and got two more unbuilt tanks... again... at least the mountain isn't bigger....

Look here if you're interested in a later article comparing the PSC Pz IV Ausf F1 to Armourfast Ausf D.