Wed. 22nd Sep 2004
US Marines enter the beach in an Airfix Buffalo
Japanese artillery bomb the beach from their positions hidden in the jungle.
The defenders won't give an inch, they fight to the end.
22 September 2004
Wargame picture report - A "Pacific" island ?
Wed. 22nd Sep 2004
US Marines enter the beach in an Airfix Buffalo
The defenders won't give an inch, they fight to the end.
06 July 2004
Stalingrad, reinforcements on the outskirts
By Mark Thomas (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
Photos of a big Stalingrad 1/72 scales scenario we played in late Aug. 2001.
The table is 6 feet x 12 feet long, and we are using modified "Spearhead" ww2 gaming rules.
Some stuff out of town, including a 15cm hvy. Inf. gun battery (revamped Lyzard's Grin 1:72 metal).
In the back, RGT.HQ, and a ESCI 3 ton half track prime mover towing 5cm PAK (modified Matchbox 7,5cm PAK 40). Horch kfz.19 is 1/76 resin. Wagons are Airfix & homemade.
Several of the buildings were from Scenic Effects, while one is from Queen's Hussars, and one is 1/87 from Pola, also one from Ian Weekly, and the old reliable Airfix French farmhouse. I also made resin cast of brickwalls from old Bandai 1:48 brick walls set, which made for 5 ruined brick houses. The remainder of buildings are homemade, using either wood, or sheet styrene w/ brick paper affixed.
A tractor factory assembly hall was made from a widened cassete plastic storage box. The brick chimney stacks came from Pola & Walthers Co.,of Milwaukee, USA. A resin cast was made of a used turbocharger brass bearing, to make sewers in the streets: the lid was a mold of a large wood screw. ( I am a diesel mechanic).
The Russian church is homemade. Most multi-level buildings have removable roofs, for the placement of troops.
The wagons were from Airfix pioneers & also homemade using ACW Airfix cannon wheels.A stuka is from Revell.
Barbed wire is from Faller. Many artillerymen are conversions.
Russian:
7 infantry companies (3) Guards SMG, (1) Naval Inf., (2) Line/ Rifle, (1) Workers Militia (aprox. 17 figures per company), w/ headquarters stands comprising an additional 12 figures.(1) 45mm ATG, (1) 76mm inf. gun, (1) 76mm ZIS-3, (1) maxim quad AA pedestal mount, (1) 37mm AA gun, (4) ATR stands, (3) 82mm mortar stands, (1) 120mm mortar stand, (1) T70 light tank, (1) T34/41 med. tank.......offboard (across river); (2) 122mm how., (1) BM-13.
German;
(1) Inf Regiment, aprox. 200 figures, plus (2) Assault Pionere companies, (1) Rumanian Inf. Co.(1) 3,7cm PAK, (1) 5cm PAK, (1) 7,5cm light inf. gun, (1) 15cm hvy. inf. gun, (2) 10,5cm how, (1) 15cm gun, (1) 17cm gun. (2) ESCI pzkw.III, (1) ESCI pzkw.IV, (1) ESCI pzkw.II, (2) ESCI stug.III, (1) Airfix stug.III, (1) RHINO 1/72 resin 15cm auf pz.III SP, (3) ESCI 251/1 spw, (1) ESCI kfz.250/1 (mod.)(1) ESCI kfz.250/3 stabswagen, (1) ESCI kfz.11, (2) ESCI Blitz, (1) Hasegawa pkw & BMW R75. (1) BP Horch, (1) Hasegawa mod.) G4 staff car - 2 axle, w/ tilt down.
© Mark Thomas, Oregon USA
14 June 2004
Grant Armoured Recovery Vehicle
Grant ARV - By Jorit Wintjes - (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
The result of a rebuilding project of an old, battered Airfix kit - and the accidental destruction of the scratchbuilt turret (the Airfix Grant turret is totally out of shape, as is the Hasegawa one) I put sooo much work into :((.
Faced with the prospect of doing all the laminating and reshaping again, I decided to go for a recovery vehicle instead.
Stowage boxes and pioneer tools are scratchbuilt, as are the headlamp guards. I loaded the vehicle with stuff from the spares box and tried to give it a well-worn look; it's not as glossy as it looks in the pictures.
The trailer is a stock Airfix one that comes with the Halftrack.
© Jorit Wintjes (June-2004) (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
The result of a rebuilding project of an old, battered Airfix kit - and the accidental destruction of the scratchbuilt turret (the Airfix Grant turret is totally out of shape, as is the Hasegawa one) I put sooo much work into :((.
Faced with the prospect of doing all the laminating and reshaping again, I decided to go for a recovery vehicle instead.
Stowage boxes and pioneer tools are scratchbuilt, as are the headlamp guards. I loaded the vehicle with stuff from the spares box and tried to give it a well-worn look; it's not as glossy as it looks in the pictures.
The trailer is a stock Airfix one that comes with the Halftrack.
© Jorit Wintjes (June-2004) (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
15 January 2004
Hasegawa Crusader with Airfix Turret
Hasegawa Crusader with Airfix Turret - Jorit Wintjes (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
The Crusader was built by mating a Hasegawa hull and an Airfix turret.
While the Airfix hull has some dimensional problems - it's too short - the Hasegawa turret looks like anything but a Crusader one.
I scratchbuilt a new turret roof to get the angles and the hatch correct, and spent some time getting the opening mechanism right - only to hide the latter from view with a poorly painted crew figure. Kinda unsmart... Getting the scratchbuilt sideskirts look right (they should bend slightly outwards) was very difficult.
In the end they still look rather flattish, but you have to be rather close to the model to see that (and if you're that close, your attention will be drawn to a number of other shortcomings :) ).
I also tried to improve the look of the tracks by cutting them into small sections to get some sagging effect, but this didn't work out as intended - actually, around the sprocket, it worked just the other way round!
To get an accurate representation I should also have reworked the engine deck, the side stowage bins and the air filters, but I decided to call it a day and simply load it up with stowage stuff (scratchbuilt or from the spares box).
© Jorit Wintjes - Würzburg, Germany (2004) (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
The Crusader was built by mating a Hasegawa hull and an Airfix turret.
While the Airfix hull has some dimensional problems - it's too short - the Hasegawa turret looks like anything but a Crusader one.
I scratchbuilt a new turret roof to get the angles and the hatch correct, and spent some time getting the opening mechanism right - only to hide the latter from view with a poorly painted crew figure. Kinda unsmart... Getting the scratchbuilt sideskirts look right (they should bend slightly outwards) was very difficult.
In the end they still look rather flattish, but you have to be rather close to the model to see that (and if you're that close, your attention will be drawn to a number of other shortcomings :) ).
I also tried to improve the look of the tracks by cutting them into small sections to get some sagging effect, but this didn't work out as intended - actually, around the sprocket, it worked just the other way round!
To get an accurate representation I should also have reworked the engine deck, the side stowage bins and the air filters, but I decided to call it a day and simply load it up with stowage stuff (scratchbuilt or from the spares box).
© Jorit Wintjes - Würzburg, Germany (2004) (original article formerly on the miniaturezone.co.uk website)
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