Anyone for Dennis?

Steve T has sent me photos of his recent Airfix Dennis Fire Engine conversion.  This is very timely as I have a couple of these kits awaiting inspiration and time.

 Step 1.  Buy a 1914 Dennis Fire Engine.

Most of the internals will never be seen, however Steve built the kit as per the instructions (novel concept!) in order to ensure the structural integrity of the finished model.

 At this stage Steve finished with the kit assembly and started to create his truck.

Plastic card was used to make the body panels.

The rear of the truck sports a plastic card tailboard and a closed tarpaulin made from a J-Cloth stitched 
down the centre.  Then simply add paint!

Steve has left the bell on board but this may be removed at some point.

Ukraine 1944*

* Huddersfield 2014 actually, but who's counting?

A couple of weeks ago I accepted an invitation from Pete (see his blog) to explain some of the mysteries on Megablitz to him and Evan.  Based on the toys I knew Pete had to hand I dusted off the Ukraine 1944 scenario I had used to demo the game at shows in back in 2002.  See the WD/Megablitz site for more chat about the scenario which was basically a means of gently running players through a few game turns.  I brought a few extra toys - including the 1/144 B-25 which finally turned up for it's 'dawn raid' at noon...

We only played a few turns - let in with a great deal of chatting, tea, biccies and other such essentials.  The few photos make no attempt to tell the full story but I thought you might like to seen them.

A division of my Romanians bravely trying to defend a 30km frontage - the 'Thin Brown Streak' perhaps?

One of the two Soviet Rifle Corps.

More Sovs, including the front end of 8th Guards Tank Corps on the road.

The Romanian artillery regiment, engineers (centre) and Div HQ (right).  Mostly Raventhorpe figures.  100 points if you can identify the gun model.

Finally:  The B-25 should have been accompanied by my Il-4.  But it was broken again.  Here it is under repair.  See also it's inglorious appearance at Kharkov in 2012: link

M1902 76mm Divisional Guns

As part of my plan to raise a second 1914 Russian 'division' I had a need for more guns.  And gunners.  So where to begin?  

I had a load of Armies in Plastic British guns - so would they serve as the basis for conversions?  The AIP gun is, I believe a 7-pounder and shared  - to my eyes at least - the main characteristics of the Russian 1902 Divisional 76mm gun.  In other words it had spoked wheels...

Looking at photos of the Russian gun it's main feature seemed to be a shield with a sloping panel at the top, so it was out with a few random bits of plastic sheet and a load of PVA to hold the ensemble together.

The crew figures are a motley lot which started off as HAT and AIP Landwehr, and AIP Russians and Brits.  Rifles were carved away as usual and shells made from lengths of kitchen skewer.

Compare and contrast with my original gunners and their Britains guns here.

The PVA drying after construction.  Hanging up artillery pieces was a new one on me!

A really rough Russian regiment.

Having sorted out and cleaned a load of HAT Landwehr to stand in as 1914 Russians I managed to complete the first 20-figure unit over the weekend.

They have vaguely the correct shape of caps, a 'real' (Armies in Plastic) Russian officer and a Russian flag.  Close enough then?