March 27, 2022
I began the workbench week painting the last of my Command Decision German 37mm anti-tank guns.
With the anti-tank guns done, I turned my attention to a project I have been thinking about for years. That is the making of a German field repair unit. This consists of a Plastic Soldier Company Opel Blitz truck with its rear gate down. The rear section of the truck holds some HO scale gas station odds and ends to give it that repair workshop look. I included an HO scale ladder to make entrance into the rear of the truck easier. On the base I included three oil barrels and two figures by Flames of War. I made a welding unit out of a two-wheel HO scale cart I had and some Evergreen plastic.
I next completed four 15mm Mercedes medium trucks by Plastic Soldier Company. They came in the same box as the Opel Blitz that I used for my repair unit truck. That box included material for five German trucks and gave the option of them being made as either Opel Blitz or Mercedes medium trucks.
On Thursday I turned my attention to two German vehicles by Battle Honors. One was the Krupp Protze 6 x 4 truck, and the other an SdKfz 251/3 radio APC. I have had these for years. In fact, I doubt they are still being made. If they are still available, I don’t recommend either. The SdKfz 251 is particularly poor in that its bedspring antenna is so thin and fragile that it is not worth using so I replaced it with one of the antennas I had left over from my Plastic Soldier Company 251s. That wasn’t easy but it worked out okay. I decided to use the Krupp 6 x 4 in a small-base vignette… parked in the desert with three German soldiers taking a food break. The soldiers are by Peter Pig (8/116, Germans eating lunch).
I finished the workbench week with four British Morris Quad tractors by Plastic Soldier Company. These will serve as captured vehicles being used by the Germans. I still have to put the German crosses on their doors. By the time of the Gazala battle, the Germans were relying heavily on captured artillery… particularly the British 25 pdr.
March 20, 2022
Back in September I found this interesting toy at the swap meet. It was missing a couple of pieces, but I thought that with a little modification it had potential as a steampunk war engine. I cut the original occupant out of the head opening and replaced it with a 28mm compatible figure that would turn that area into a cockpit rather than a head opening. I added a smokestack on the back for a more steampunk look. But until last weekend I could not find a replacement for the missing item on its right shoulder. I thought a weapon of some sort would be good. At the swap meet I found what I needed on another broken toy. I cut it off that toy and added it to my steampunk war engine.
With that done I turned my attention back to WW2 North Africa and German artillery. I completed eight German 105mm field guns and two German 88mm AA/AT guns. All are by Command Decision. That completes my German heavy and medium artillery pieces. What remains are my 37mm and 50mm anti-tank guns. So I finished my workbench week with five German 50mm anti-tank guns and five German 37mm anti-tank guns.
March 13, 2022
This past week we had the acoustic “popcorn” ceiling removed from the entire house and had the ceilings retextured and repainted. A lot of furniture moving was involved, and during the daytime we were limited to the garage as our living area. It all went well, but while we didn’t do the removal, texturing or painting, the disruption to our lives was tiring so I didn’t get as much workbench work done as I normally do. I did get five German 150mm field guns painted (1 in tow and 4 in firing position), and another four German 105mm field guns painted and based in firing position. I ended the week prepping another four German 105mm field guns. All the guns are by Command Decision.
March 6, 2022
I began the week repurposing a couple of toys I found at the swap meet last weekend. One was a Ryan’s World block with a safe on one side. I filled an opening on one side of the safe door using Evergreen plastic and then cut the door away from the rest of the block. I think I will be using this as part of my Gordon Institute when I begin doing interiors for the Institute’s campus. The other is a rather unique gun or double gun. I repaired a broken wheel using Evergreen plastic and then gave it a very simple paint job. Right now I have no idea how I will use it, but it looked like a really neat/unique piece and it was only 50 cents.
With those behind me I turned my attention back to WW2 North Africa. I built and painted six German SdKfz 11 prime movers, three SdKfz 10 prime movers, three SdKfz 10/4 AA platforms, and I did some modification to an SkKfz 7 prime mover that I had built and painted earlier but I was not happy with what I had done so I fixed those problems.
I ended the week painting another Command Decision German 88mm AA/AT gun.
