3D-prints, BTR-60PB masters and mayhem.

Been busy with the school lately (partly explained later), but Ive managed to squeeze some time (especially during the winter holidays) for painting work. Sadly my territorialheer has stolen quite a lot of time away from my Afrika projects - and coming to that: Ive been thinking, should I start including also cold war (and other) stuff in here? Ive been less-active updater for long now, and partly the reason is that I have nothing to show.

About the models:
During my 2 week holiday, I spent a week in my parents house, and I must say that its extremely inspiring district for me at some reason, so I brought my painting gear and a dozen of figs with me. After all, didnt get much done, but my VDVs got their ATGM and AGL teams in paint, and the first vehicle crew too. I also painted 3 bases of Soviet Scouts/Assault SMGs to be used in my LW soviet FoW guards heavy tank regiment-list, to be used against my FoW LW finns so its based around those operated in Karelian Isthmus in "summer of love", `44. For afrika I painted the 3-man fireteam so my first PMC-squad is in full battle strenght, gone up to the 5 man manouvering group (with NCO and LAWs) and 3 man gun group (with NCO and GPMG/M60). Sadly I didnt took any photos of them, but I try to take some snappies next week. For crew purposes (as noted in my last game) I did need more acctuall crew figures, so I managed to fully paint one 3 man crew section, and another is still in PIP-status. But yeah, pics:

My crew, based on PPs 14th army brits - so these babies are with sten-guns. Sad that no-one makes suitable "modernish" figures with SMG, solely.. If we dont take on account those QRFs pw-germans with UZI.

And again, one shot of my "avatar", specfor sniper - I used more downward light for this pic, and now you can see the camo colours from this. Thou Im still not happy with the result...

And about those school projects; during my first year, I was tasked with the project to build scale model without using the acctuall blueprints, just photographs and measurements. I left it hanging, but as my graduation comes closer and closer, I had to eal with it. So instead of 1:5 bicycle (which was recommended project) I went with another approach, 1:100 BTR-60PB master to be casted in resin (and propably in pewter too, as the gun barrel is rather fragile) - I had some picture taken during my last visit on Parolas Armored Museum, thou I based the acctuall measurement process on ICMs 1:72 scale model set - thou my teachers wasnt very happy to my choice, I did work between lines set by assignment.

Ive made some progress from this allready, but didnt took new pictures - I added the exhaust, made the tire and started working with the turret, so its propably on casting stage during next week.

But again, solely speaking about the afrika, my time will be taken pretty much during oncoming weeks by the west-germans "own" army, which shall eventualy confront my VDV in behind the lines-campaign as the WPACT and soviets start massive airborne operation to enchancce their possibilites of major breakthrough. Not to speak about my FoW soviets, I propably receive the 3D-printed master of my KV-1B/C pattern turret to be used as a conversion part to modify zvezdas cheap KV-1m39 into uptodate heavy cast turret variant - so nothing to do with afrika here, but heres the 3D-model:

Again, rather oddball model - not completely accurate, but will do in 1:100. My greatest worry is about the quality of the print, as this (again) was part of my school project and some former student did offer the printing services as school, some reason or another, still doesnt own 3D-printer - well, mouth of the gift horse and so-on..

And in future?

Due to the "Christmas" sales in QRF, I decided to start manning up my territorialheer as most the vehicles I allready had, and the VDV receives "brand-new" obsolete SPG-9 - rather oddball unit, as VDV orbat still includes two of these thrue the 80s in anti-tank section. Ofc should be taken on account that every BMD-1P IFV does wield AT-4 of its own, but still. For afrika, I decided that its time to roll in the big guns - for long time, Ive been thinking the appropriate MBT-ish vehicle to be used as a ultimate support for my lads. I was between the T-62BM/M and some heavier armoured car, as the game takes place in early 90s so the fleamarket of the ex-soviet block is more than a open, but after all, the wheeled vehicles (propably more expensive when compared into colwar-era mass produced tanks which is sold via some crooked brigade general) are notably faster, cheaper to use and easier to maintain. Only acctuall options available were french AMX-10RC and Rooikat from SA - Ive allways liked AMX-10RC, but IRL its extremely expensive (thou its more like a wheeled MBT, but still), so I went with the Rooikat. After all, the SADF went down in early 90s, so at least in thory, few of these might have gone missing... Or some "under the carpet" arms deal in very late stages of border war went wrong and third party captured these. Pirates, maybe? :P

But yeah, Rooikat it is. If QRF keeps up its rather random quality (thou as far as I know, its rather new model, so it should offer better quality), I propably change the barrel into 90mm one, same as used in Sagaie - after all, at least in paper, it performs better than the orginal long 76mm used by SADF. And as the ERC-90F4 is available for the PMC, its likely that "spare" guns are too, or ones looted from lost vehicle. Ive been thinking also the possibility to add ERA into the vehicle, after all, first gen (K-1) ERA should been available thrue the "eastern express"...