SU100s

Some more late Soviets to provide fodder for the Tigers and Panthers out there. Mind you these guys do pack a punch themselves.

These are from the Battlefront plastic box set released last year. Painted using my standard method of base colour, black wash, dry brushed and then edged highlights.

The spray paint I used for the base coat failed leaving several of the tanks with a strange, crinkled paint effect. I don't know what caused it, the can was nearly empty and past its best or I hadn't cleaned them up properly.

Guess the Russians won't care once they're on the table. 

T-34s

The last of the Soviet tanks rolls of the production eh... desk. These Plastic Soldier Company models have been sprayed with Battlefront's Soviet Armour paint then given a black ink wash followed by two light drybrushes of Vallejo's Russian Green and Russian Green in 3:1 mix with white. Not my best work by any means but repeatable and quickly onto the war games table to deal with all those Stugs.

STUG Comparison – Plastic Soldier Company v Battlefront

So how do 15mm plastic Battlefront, metal Battlefront and Plastic Soldier Company STUGs compare? Do they get on well enough to be in the same unit or even the same army?





In all of the pictures the left hand vehicle is from the Battlefront Open Fire box set. The middle one is Plastic Soldier Company and on the right is a metal/resin Battlefront.

As ever the metal/resin feels much more substantial and looks a bit chunkier but overall I think I like all three. I remember being a bit disappointed when I did a similar comparison with T-34s and the PSC ones were noticeably smaller and a bit less detailed (though much, much cheaper if you’re a gamer and that won out for me). With these I think you could get away even with a mixed unit. Certainly from three feet it’s difficult to tell which is which (though that old garish hand painted job on the metal/resin ones is a dead give away – anybody need a repaint?).

Finished Unit – STUG Assault Guns

These ones are from the Plastic Soldier Company and I’m reasonably pleased how they turned out. As with the previous ones these have been airbrushed middlestone followed by reflective green and chocolate brown. They were then given a black ink wash to try and bring out some definition and then dry brushed highlights. All colours Vallejo this time.



It’ll be interesting to see how these compare with the next batch of German tanks in the garage, these will be completed with Vallejo Model Air colours instead of relying on my ham-fisted, random mixing!

What I’m Working on Now…

Tanks… lots of tanks…

T-34s Plastic Soldier Company.

Shermans from Plastic Soldier Company

A stack of Plastic Soldier Company Stugs

Plastic Soldier Company Tigers and some Battlefront APCs

Bolt Action Tiger with Battlefront APC for scale.

Finished Unit – STUG G Assault Guns

These are out of the Open Fire starter set. They’ve been undercoated in middle stone and then air brushed with reflective green and chocolate brown (Vallejo colours). The tracks etc are then highlighted and everything given a black wash to put in some definition. Not my best work but relatively quick from box to table (at my pace anyway).

Finished Unit – WWII King Tiger

Just what those Shermans don’t want to see down in the woods today.

Random impulse purchase of a Battlefront model.

Airbrushed then doused in GW Badab Black ink and a few highlights applied

Battlefront and Plastic Soldier Company T-34 Side by Side

Until recently I was a Battlefront acolyte when it came to Flames of War miniatures mostly because I could buy them in proper rule friendly company proportions. But like many others I’ve recently been tempted by the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC). Ashamedly this is not due to quality but price and the natural toy soldier addicts desire to field as much hardware as a table will take without collapsing.
So here are a few pics of PSC and Battlefront models side by side. PSC models are on the left.

As can be seen the PSC’s T-34’s are a little smaller. Not noticeable unless side by side so mixing units is probably out. My feeling is Battlefront’s tanks have more detail or at least the detail is more recessed than PSC’s making the paint job a bit more effective (I like inks). There’s a weight differential too, PSC’s are, naturally, much lighter but I guess I could get used to it.
On the plus side for PSC the models are much easier to assemble and have good enough detail to keep me happy, these are for wargaming after all not a painting competition. Also with both 76 and 85 turrets in the pack there’s the opportunity to have one squadron double as both mid and late war variations.
And then there’s the cheapskate in me looking at the price…

Picture – To be honest the crew of this Puma aren’t too concerned whether those are Battlefront or PSC T-34s (PSCs on the left). Terrain Battlefront.

Russian T-34s Step By Step Painting Guide

This ain’t no master class! I have a Soviet army ready for action that’s in dire need of some armour reserves, quantity being the road to a Soviet general’s soul (or his commissar’s).

So here’s my quick and dirty wargames Soviet tank painting guide.

• Assemble and prepare for spraying

 

• Undercoat T-34s with Games Workshop Chaos Black spray can.

 

• Spray a base coat of Soviet Armour Green from Battlefront.

• Ink wash with GW Badab Black.

• Edge Highlight with Vallejo 894 Russian Green.

• Second Highlight with Vallejo 894 Russian Green with a little GW Skull White added.

• Paint tracks with GW Chaos Black.

• Dry brush tracks with GW Boltgun Metal.
• Add in any detail you fancy.

• Apply transfers – these are from Battlefront.

• Varnish with Vallejo 520 Matt Varnish.
• Forward to victory comrades!

What I’m Working on Now

This week I’m mostly fiddling with Plastic Soldier Company T-34s.

But should they be 76?



Or 85?



Which would be more useful in a Flames of War fire-fight?

If you answered Panther – that’s what I was thinking.