4 KSLI Carrier Platoon Part 2

Of course I also needed a dismounted version of the carrier platoon. In 'O' Group this is represented as three infantry sections, the same as a normal rifle platoon (but with a firepower bonus in some circumstances) and an attached PIAT section as well as the usual platoon A/T capability.

I wanted to show a clear visual difference between this and the platoons in the rifle companies. I normally avoid using kneeling and prone figures - there just seems to be something odd about having a unit advancing across the table with figures that are lying down. There is no great logic to this since it also means that when the same unit is seeking cover or pinned down, they are all walking upright but it did mean I had a number of such figures spare so I used these plus a pack of kneeling bren gun sections.

The design of the prone figures and choices on the mould split gave them very poorly defined faces and large areas of excess metal. In the case of the 2" mortar armed figures, the face was little more than a flat blob with almost no undercut from the helmet edge and the PIAT operator wasn't much better. I was very reluctant to use these at all and then wondered about trying to do some sort of head swap so they would have some facial features but thought that would be difficult. In the end I decided to try them as they were and suggest facial features just with paint. Whilst not perfect, actually on the bases and from the viewing angles possible in a game - ie. from above - they look acceptable. 

Prompted by a conversation with John Boadle, of the Hand Built History blog, about basing for Northern Europe whilst I was admiring the bases on his latest Franco-Prussian War figures, I decided I wanted to have less of the bare ground visible and use a greater variety of tufts. This would also make it easier to place some tufts to make the 'faceless men' less obvious. 

Having been unable to find anything suitable in local model shops, I ordered some Gamers Grass tufts online from The Model Workshop. The flower tufts are rather big for 15mm so I cut them down and used them rather sparingly - less is definitely more in this case! I'm not 100% happy with the 'tufts with leaves - the leaves look very big and are only really present on the top of the tufts rather than giving the all-round small bush effect I was hoping for but they do add variety. 

German Field Kitchen in 15mm for HQ Base

From looking at Second World War German forces as depicted in Wargames one would think that they were mostly superbly equipped elite troops. Far more SS Panzer troops than Ostbattalions, more Hanomags than horses. I suppose it is a general trend that Wargamers tend to choose better troops but that seems to go much further with Second World War Germans. Of course in reality most infantry fighting on the German side was, at best, average and relied on horse transport right up to then end.

Whilst my British forces depict specific units of 11 Armoured Division, with named individuals for the Infantry commanders, I always intended my Germans were to be anonymous and general purpose to represent the variety of opposition that 4 KSLI encountered. 

My British HQ base has a Jeep and a camp stove but what to provide for the Germans? A Kubelwagen, let alone a half track, suggests one end of the scale whilst a horse places it at the other. John Boadle suggested a Citroen Traction Avant but the only one I could find in 15mm or 1/100 is a rather crude representation from Peter Pig that would be great to add some interest to a barn or garage but doesn't quite cut it for an HQ base. 

John's other suggestion was the iconic Field Kitchen, 'Die Gulaschkanone'. Again depicting that in model form is a challenge. QRF actually make a 15mm model of the complete kitchen set up, with both wagons, horses and cooks but I wasn't happy with the level of detail and sharpness of the model and didn't think the figures would blend in with those I have from Peter Pig. Scratch building was the only other option but I needed some dimensions and that proved difficult. There is a book which appears to have detailed plans or I could have bought a copy of the Tamiya 1/35 kit and down-scaled from that but those seemed rather expensive and wasteful options for a novelty feature on a command stand. Finally I struck lucky and found a photo of the parts for a 1/35 scale resin model with a ruler for scale so my model dimensions are based on that. 

Although small and fiddly, making the model was quite straightforward. It is basically a cuboid of laminated plastic sheet, 10 x 13.5 x 4.6 mm with things stuck on it. Most parts are simple rectangles so it is just a case of cutting them neatly and getting the sides square, vertical and burr-free. This takes practice but I've had plenty of that scratch building parts for 1/1250 scale waterline ship models. To help with this, I used a simple MDF jig, that I'd originally made for those ship models. It allows me to hold small parts at a fairly accurate 90° or 45° angle whilst sanding them with fine sandpaper fixed to the side of a wooden block. 

When working with such small components it is vital to keep a clean and well-ordered working area if you hope to achieve accurate, clean and sharp details. Not to mention to minimise the risk of losing small pieces on the floor.

Alternatively, let a large ginger cat take up residence whilst you are making a cup of tea, then spend ages looking for lost pieces that have been relocated and re-make those that are irredeemably lost.

The 4 round components for the cover on the main cooking vessel were quite a challenge as they needed to be specific diameters of quite thin plastic. The solution I came to was to cut a rough, slightly oversize circle and superglue it to the head of a round nail. I then held the nail in an electric drill and gently pressed a sanding stick against it whilst it rotated. Every so often, I'd stop and check the diameter with a vernier. It took a bit of trial and error to get the technique but I soon got the hang of it and I was able to do the dome of the top piece and rounding off of 2 of the lower sections by the same method.

I cheated with the wheels and just used some of approximately the right size - I think they were originally from a 17th C artillery limber by Museum Miniatures. They just needed a bit of filling and filing to clean up some dry parts of the casting qnd make them narrower.

 

I did most of the painting by airbrush, starting with Vallejo Brown-Violet then Middlestone with a highlight of Middlestone and White. After that I did a top highlight of Middlestone with more white by brush and painted the wheel rims. 

After varnishing with Mig satin varnish, I applied a filter of Mig Tan for 3 Tone Camo (AMIG-1510) then a pin wash of Mig Brown Wash for German Dark Yellow (A.MIG-1000).

Completed model sitting on a one Pound coin.