Milicast LRDG Ford, WIP 2

The wheels are in and the base is being prepared (you can see the corner of it bottom left), just a few minor details left to add. And the steering wheel... I still need to figure out how to do that. I have a driver picked out, but he won't fit with the wheel in place. Maybe I'll attach the wheel to the driver before I fit him in the seat.

There is quite a bit of stowage done, sitting in a box waiting to be distributed across the vehicle and I am preparing an insert containing stowage and a Vickers MG and hopefully a guy to fire it. My plan is to have inserts for the storage area to make it possible to swap cargo for  troops, casevac, POWs or whatever the scenario might call for.

And just for Laffe: a closeup of the wires attaching the spare tire to the front bumper.

Second Minairon T-26 and Milicast LRDG Ford WIP1

Second tank from Minairon, using the same colours but in a different order. Last time it was base-wash-drybrush. This time I tried base-highlight-wash.

I think the result is looking promising, but we won't know until tracks have been done and pigment added if it actually looks better. I got some suggestions for paints to use from Lluis, Mr Minairon himself and I will be trying those on the two T-26A I built from the other box I bought. Stay tuned for that.

Second WIP for the day is the Milicast Ford F30 30cwt LRDG 4x2 Truck with 3A1 Steel Body. This has been delayed as a piece was missing in the original kit. Milicast sent an new one as soon as I askd, but the Post promptly lost it and I had to ask for another. That packet eventually arrived. Great service from Milicast, less so from the Post Office.
Anyway, construction has now begun. Please note that this is a good model and I am a bad builder. Anything  warped, askew or incorrect is down to me, not the model.

First Minairon T-26 finished

My first T-26 is finished, three more to go. It's a pretty quick job. Base colour is Vallejo Cam.Olive Green, 70894. Over that a wash of AP Strong Tone and a drybrush with old Citadel Goblin Green, from when they were made by Coat d'Arms. Tracks painted Coats Wood Brown, metal dry brush and another AP Strong wash and finally a mix of MIG pigments.

6mm ACW test

As a test I did a base of 6mm Baccus ACW skirmishers. I intend to give these to my buddy Jim as a present and an attempt to drag him into the 6mm world. The wall is a piece of cork tile and the gate post is a tooth pick.

Minairon tanks part 2, painting a T-26

I have done a bit of painting on the first of my T-26 tanks. So far just base paint, a wash and a drybrush, but it looks promising. I think I overdid the highlight, but I hope another wash and some weathering might tone it down a bit. I have done nothing on the tracks yet, any ideas, suggestions or links to track painting tutorials are most welcome.

Minairon tanks, Part 1, building

I have been waiting for someone to do a plastic T-26 for war gaming for quite some time. There are various versions from UM and others out there, but building a company of those would keep me busy until the next ice age or drive me insane.

Enter Minairon Miniatures, a new company from Spain. Last week they released a fast-build T-26 and I ordered two boxes the same day, as well as a box pf Pz I:s. Yesterday they arrived and I have half of them assembled already.
Here are the sprues after the customary washing. There are 2 sprues of one tank each in the T-26 boxes and 3 sprues of one tank each in the Pz I boxes

 Pz I

 T-26

Cutting the pieces from the sprues was easy, as was cleaning them. The pieces fit together snugly, in fact the entire track assembly on the Pz I went on without glue and stayed on!
Two rounds of gluing and all three models were complete. Only problem I had was finding a rear view of the Pz1 to figure out which way the rectangular end piece goes on, as it has detailing on the outside that is not seen in the instructions on the box. Google and Wikimedia to the rescue!

The first T-26 finished. There is a commander included on each sprue, I used him for the other tank but kept this one closed. Each sprue also has the option of building the twin-turret version, illustrated on the left here. I will probably build the other two tanks I have as that version.

Here is the first Pz 1, built in the same session, while my gal was watching her favourite soap. Let me put it this way: Rederiet episodes are 45 minutes or less. During the two she watched, I built three tanks, made tea and still had time to sort out paints and google pics of winter camo. I would not have finished cutting out the track links of the UM model in that time. 

"Not at Salute"-weekend

No, no Salute for me this year either, maybe next year. The weekend was productive, however. Eight minis finished!
First, four French 1940 from Pegasus. These are the first four I've painted from this boxed set, four more are on the paint desk right now. Wonderful figures even if they require a bit of glue and green stuff to fix the joints.

Next, some crew for the Italian AA gun I finished almost a year ago. They have been waiting patiently on the edge of the painting area and finally they have been given some care and attention.