1/76th late WW2 British armour

Over the last few months I've completed three British tanks- Sherman Firefly, Cromwell and Comet in 1/76th scale. This was the first British armour that I'd done in this scale, my 1/76th collection being Eastern Front. I have done a fair bit in 15mm though.

It's been awhile since I completed a plastic kit and it took me a bit of time to get into the groove again. I made mistakes with each one, which I'll mention below, but overall I'm happy with the results of all three.

I built and painted the Comet and Firefly over the same period this summer. The Cromwell is the Airfix kit which I picked up in 2004 from eBay for about £5.00. It's one of the newer Airfix kits released in 2011, consisting of about 90 parts. I was really impressed with this kit having made a number of the old Airfix kits over the years. It went together very well, with little/no flash on the mouldings and made a very nice model. A bonus for me was the track moulding in one piece plastic rather than the old "rubber band" type. They worked a treat. 

Airfix Cromwell

The Sherman Firefly was another £5.00 eBay purchase. I bought it on a whim in May this year on the way home from work - the danger of smart phones! It's the old Matchbox kit re boxed as Revell. I like the old Matchbox kits. They're a good balance between being straightforward and not too fiddly to build yet still looking good for wargames purposes. This one went together without any problems apart from the very last part where I stuck the two main assemblies together without fixing the turret retaining ring. However, this self inflicted annoyance aside, it was another pleasing and successful build.

Matchbox/Revell Firefly

The Comet was bought back in 2014 at the same time as the Cromwell. Once again it was about a fiver and like the Firefly it was an old Matchbox kit re boxed as Revell. This was a breeze to build. I think this had a lot to do with having recently built the Cromwell and Firefly and I'd refreshed my skills. As seems to be the pattern at the very last I cut one of the front towing hooks off the sprue and it pinged across the room never to be seen. Mildly annoying but not the end of the world by any means. Of the three builds I think the Comet was my favourite. 

Matchbox/Revell Comet

I like to add a mix of putty, washers, old figures etc to the inside of my plastic tanks to give them a more weighty, satisfying feel. Obviously the best time to do this is during construction but I only remembered to do this at this stage for the Comet. For the Cromwell it wasn't too much trouble to fix as the turret is removable so I could pack it in. With the Firefly where I already had to correct the forgotten turret ring, I ended up drilling/cutting a whole in the bottom of the tank so with a pair of tweezers I could fit the turret ring and then I could pack the hull.  

I painted the wheels and associated parts of the Cromwell and Firefly as I assembled them. They got a base coat of Vallejo Model Colour (VMC) 924 Russian Uniform. The wheel rims were painted VMC 995 German Grey . I then painted the superstructure with a base coat of VMC 897 Bronze Green. This didn't give the colour I wanted so I repainted with Russian Uniform and applied a wash of VMC 890 Reflective Green or 894 Russian Green (can't remember which), Citadel Badab Black, VMC Glaze Medium and water mixed to the standard skimmed milk consistency. This added a nice depth to the Russian Uniform base. I then highlighted with Russian Uniform mixed with VMC 886 Green Grey to varying degrees and then a final touch of pure Green Grey on some areas.The final step was a dirty wash of Vallejo Game Colour Earth to the wheels and sparingly to the hull. 

The Comet was painted in exactly the same way apart from I didn't do any painting on the sprue and only painted the wheels when they were all assembled and stuck to the running gear. The other difference was I went straight to Russian Uniform for the base colour. Machine guns and tool heads were painted VMC Black base with a pencil highlight. Tool handles in some shade of Citadel brown I forget which. The tracks were given a base of some Citadel muddy colour with a drybrush of VGC Boltgun. Then they were washed with a Citadel Devlan Mud/Badab Black mix and then a bit more of a Boltgun drybrush. As a final finish odd areas were very lightly drybrushed with VMC  124 Iraqi Sand which has to be one of my most used/useful colours.

And that's it. I will add some stowage when I get hold of some and possible some markings. I don't really have a firm idea of what to use them for past the usual Normandy/Market-Garden scenarios for the Cromwell and Firefly and an East v West 1946 scenario for the Comet. But before I do that I'll need to get hold of some Brit infantry. 

What's on the table - August 2016 UPDATE

Updates to the original list:

• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn – COMPLETED
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Mouse Knight - some progress, base textured
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers Ferret Rogue - COMPLETED 
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers Fox Brigand – COMPLETED 
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H – no progress
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV – COMPLETED
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz – COMPLETED
• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane – good progress, just detailing and decals to complete
• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E – good progress, just detailing and decals to complete
• Revell 1/76th Sherman Firefly – COMPLETED
• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites - no progress

 Additional items I worked on:

• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites - additional 23 figures cleaned and primed

August was quite productive considering I spent a lot of time watching the Olympic cycling and gymnastics and Team GB generally being very impressive. How refreshing it was to watch what appear to be intelligent, normal, well-rounded people represent their country with pride, dignity and integrity.  The contrast couldn't be greater to the Euros debacle. Rant over and back to the important stuff.    

All of the 2014 purchased figures are now complete which is a milestone I'm pleased to have achieved. And for the first time since I started this blog I don't have any Privateer Press figures on the table. I love these but I take a lot of time trying to do them justice. For the time it took me to do the five figures that I've completed this year I could do platoons of 15 or 20mm figures. I've still got a Gatormen posse unit and the Carnivean/Ravagore/Scythean kit to do but they were 2016 purchases and are well down the schedule. Once I've completed the 10mm Hoplites that'll be 2015's purchases completed as well. I think that the blog is serving it's purpose of keeping me focused.

What's on the table - August 2016

Here's the list of what's on the table as we start August:

• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn (bought 2015) 
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Ferret Rogue, Fox Brigand and Mouse Knight, (bought 2016)
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV (bought 2014)
• Revell (Matchbox)1/76th Sherman Firefly (bought 2016)
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H (bought 2014)
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz (bought 2015)
• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E (bought 2015) 
• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane  (bought 2015) 
• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Armoured Hoplites (bought 2015)

I only managed to complete the 2 figures in July.  For August my aim is to complete the Cromwell Mk IV, Sherman Firefly and Opel Blitz as a minimum and also make some real progress with the Oathsworn Miniatures figures. 

What's on the table - July 2016

Here's the list of what's on the table as we start July.

• Privateer Press Hordes Titan Cannoneer (bought 2014)
• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn (bought 2015) 
• Privateer Press Hordes Titan Gladiator (bought 2014)

• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Ferret Rogue, Fox Brigand and Mouse Knight, (bought 2016)

• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV (bought 2014)
• Revell (Matchbox)1/76th Sherman Firefly (bought 2016)
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H (bought 2014)
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz (bought 2015)

• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E (bought 2015)
• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane  (bought 2015) 

The eagle eyed will spot that it's virtually the same list as for June minus the Pak 40 and picket fencing which was all I managed to complete. Whereas June was all about assembly, July should be a lot more pleasurable as I hope to get down to some proper painting. The aim is to complete any items that I bought in 2014. 

I have to admit that I'm itching to start a new project and have been looking into the possibilities but I'm trying to be good and not buy anything until I clear the table of what's in progress.

What's on the table - June 2016 UPDATE

Updates to the original list:

• Privateer Press Hordes Titan Gladiator and Cannoneer - minimal progress, working on skin tones
• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn - minimal progress, base coat of skin
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Mouse Knight, Ferret Rogue - no progress Fox Brigand - minimal progress, base coat of fur and jerkin
• Renedra picket fencing - completed
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H - no progress
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV - significant progress, assembled and base coat applied
• Airfix 1/76th Pak 40 - completed, pic with SHQ SS PAK crewmen below
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz - good progress, assembled and primed

Additional items I worked on:

• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane - good progress, assembled
• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E - good progress, assembled
• Revell 1/76th Sherman Firefly - significant progress, assembled and base coat applied

All in all June was a mixed bag of a month on the hobby front. On the personal front it was a month I'm pleased to see the back of. Early in the month we lost a much loved family member. And in the most extreme case of "cutting off your nose to spite your face" in history, the UK voted to leave the EU with a period of uncertainty now guaranteed. It certainly put my hobby angst into perspective. 

What's on the table - June 2016

• Privateer Press Hordes Titan Gladiator and Cannoneer (bought 2014)
• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn (bought 2015)
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Mouse Knight, Ferret Rogue and Fox Brigand (bought 2016)
• Renedra picket fencing (bought 2014)
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H (bought 2014)
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV (bought 2014)
• Airfix 1/76th Pak 40 and Opel Blitz (bought 2015

This is what's currently sitting there in various degrees of completion at the moment. How much gets done depends on all those usual factors like work and normal life. Springwatch has started and then the Euros football starts next week so that;s already cut my hobby time down

I find it good to have some targets to help focus and I've being using a spreadsheet to track my collection for a number of years. Any new item gets logged and I track it through from purchase to completion. I'm currently working on completing all my 2014 buys while balancing it out with some newer bits. Once I get the 2014 bits done, the plan is to finish something within 18 months of buying it. I have got some bits pre 2014, but with those it's more a case of not wanting to part with them than really being motivated enough to get on with them!