Further U.S. Infantry Updates!

Finished these two stands off this morning before I shoot off to work, quick, easy and look good on the table?

Thoughts and CC welcome!

U.S. 3rd Armored Update.

Worked a little more on my U.S. Armoured Rifles today.

Got a couple of test stands 90% complete, they just need basing then hitting with a matte spray. I've gone with a flat grey paint for the gunmetal areas for a change to see what sort of a difference this makes, I've seen it done by various painters and it works very nicely.

Again, I'm really not trying to go all out on these guys, just to have them looking decent on the table top!

U.S. 3rd Armored Update.

I'm a little sick of working on tanks at the moment so I've been doing a lot of work on my Armoured rifle Platoon to support my 3rd Armored Division.

They've been based for a week or so and today I've done the gaiters and jackets on all stands and also their trousers. I'm planning in trying to oil wash all of these guys at once to see how it turns out with a view to using that technique in future for non-camouflaged uniforms. All that now remains for me to do is the webbing (VMC Green Grey), the helmets and larger pieces of equipment (VMC Brown Violet),  flesh areas and finally the weapons (likely to use (VMC Flat Earth).

I'm not going to highlight the uniforms at all and simply oil wash over them with thinned Mig 502 Abteilung Black Oil Paint. I've been using this technique to what I think is a good effect on my recent Elefants and Tiger (P), giving a "black-lined" effect which is manageable. The oil takes so long to dry you can use straight thinner/white spirit to remove excess wash or even adjust where its lying on the model to some degree, I'm hoping this picks out the webbing and things like face details in one fell swoop.

Below is a pic of the current progress on the ARP guys, I'm currently stalled on the Armour for the list as I wait for some better decals and also work out how best to mark the Stuarts in respect to their unit denominations? I've seen large letter/number combos painted on the side of some 1/72 models like C-3 in a very large yellow font on the side of the hull and while I really like this and want to use this sort of marking I want to research it properly first (and possibly find some decals for them too!).

Quick Spearhead Update

All Stuarts have had a FoW US Armour spray base over grey polyurethane primer, a GW Badab Black wash followed by a heavy Vallejo Brown Violet drybrush. I've only just done the hulls half an hour ago and below is a pic of their current progress.

The tank on the right is how I'm going to paint them all hopefully, perhaps slightly lighter in tone though as I think it looks too much like a British tank rather than American.

Yesterday I received 160 rare earth magnets to magnetise every one of my turreted vehicles as I've been noticing more and more wear/paint damage to my Cromwells and a few other tanks. These Stuarts have all had their turrets and hulls magnetised to not only to protect their paint work but also to protect the phenomenally fragile .30 Cal MGs and their tiny main gun barrels.

Sunday Afternoon Game.

James and I had a game at one of local (ish) clubs facing off with my box fresh 3rd Armored Light Tank Company against a Panzerspah Lehr Company. We rolled the "Surrounded" scenario from the V3 book and with James being mechanised he was on the defensive, a difficult task for his manoeuvrable force facing my equally manoeuvrable light tanks! Unfortunately the lists aren't fully painted yet but I've only had all of the U.S. stuff for literally a few weeks and I've been painting them like a lunatic to get them table ready ASAP. I hope to have them finished within a week.

The lists were as follows:

3rd Armored Light Tanks:

HQ - 2 Stuarts
1st Platoon - 5 Stuarts
2nd Platoon - 5 Stuarts
3rd Platoon - 5 Stuarts
Medium Tank Platoon - 4 Shermans
Medium Tank Platoon - 4 Shermans
Armored Rifle Platoon
Armored Mortar Platoon
Understrength Recon Platoon

Panzerspah Lehr Company:
HQ - 1 Puma
Panzerspah Platoon - 3 Pumas
Panzerspah Platoon - 3 Pumas
Panzerspah Platoon - 3 Pumas
Panzer Platoon - 5 x PzIV
Panzer Platoon - 5 x PzIV
Panzerpioneer Platoon

This isn't going to be a batrep but just a few random pics from the game.

The first Pumas fall to massed Sherman and Stuart shots! Meanwhile the Panzer IVs form a secure gun line in the treeline using their concealement well and picking off Shermans and Stuarts alike across the open ground between them.

This lone Puma on the bridge was photographed at the end of the battle but he was one of the first casualties and successfully blocked the bridge slowing my Shermans progress over the bridge! This made them take a few turns to get into the accessible, open rear of the board instead of the single turn it would've taken n a clear road!

Stuarts manoeuvre into cover on the edge of a field ready to leap frog to the next available cover (which was a leap too far might I add!).

Stuarts race at the Panzer IVs in an effort to close their targets down then break for side armour shots, they actually bailed a few of the Panzers from the front. Unfortunately they all remounted and returned some withering fire on the headstrong "Spearhead" Division.

Flanking Shermans breakthrough to wreak havoc in the enemies rear, destroying or breaking the last Puma platoons and exchanging fire with the remaining PzIVs!

Aftermath of the "crop fight" leaves many burning Stuarts but has held up this flank for long enough to allow other forces into the rear. As you can see at the top of the picture, Shermans are rushing into the void left by Pumas.

Aerial shot of the end of the battle, company morale check was forced rather than anything clever on my part but I had the top objective capped with nothing to oppose me next turn!