I found January a very productive period for a number of different projects, not least of which was more 20mm for the Second World War. I painted quite a few figures and, to give myself a change of scene, I made up a few plastic kits that had been sitting in the stash. Among those was a Marder III Ausf M from UM and a Jagpanther from Revell. The latter a bargain I couldn't resist at a Bring & Buy.
I have a few kits from UM and they can be fiddly at times, but no matter how frustrating, I'm always happy with the end result. The Marder III is no different and a crew from AB Figures sets it off nicely.
The Plastic Soldier Company Pz38t set allows you to also build two earlier versions of the Marder, but not the later Ausf M. It's noticeably different, because it involved a major redesign that saw the engine relocated to the middle of the vehicle, thereby allowing a proper sunken cab to house the crew and give them better protection. Here's the UM Marder next to the PSC version of the Marder III Ausf H (also with a crew from AB).
Here you can see clearly how the earlier Ausf H retains the original chassis of the Pz38t and simply replaces the turret with the new gun mounting and shield. Not the most secure of positions for the crew to work from if under fire.
Revell have always made good 1/72 kits and while the Jagdpanther is hardly a new kit, it produces a very fine finished model. Once again, I've added a crew figure from AB.
The kit came moulded in black plastic, a strange choice for a number of reasons but not least because it's an awful colour to work with. As with the UM kits, this becomes irrelevant once it's all come together and has paint on it.
I was able to fill out the US Marine force with figures and weapons teams that aren't covered in the Eureka range (which make up the bulk of my Marine squads).
To fill those gaps I've acquired figures from a couple of other ranges sold through Grubby Tanks - Britannia Miniatures and Kellys Heroes. This can occasionally be fraught with danger, as not all ranges work to similar sizes or sculpting styles, but I'm reasonably happy with how this has worked out.
One of the issues with the Grubby Tanks website is that many of the ranges have no pictures of the figures. This was unfortunate because I placed an order for 50cal MG teams from the Britannia range and what I actually received were M1917 water cooled MGs. While they certainly look the part for a sustained fire MG role, they are not the heavy calibre of the 50cal, but they will have to suffice for now. Using the dedicated loader figures and a couple of others, I can make up a five man team.
If I have an issue with the Britannia Miniautres figures, it's to wonder why they've been sculpted with backpacks? I would imagine the operators would most likely have removed these in order to operate the weapons more efficiently. It's not a big issue, but it does seem a bit odd.
Originally, when I was ordering the initial batch of figures from Eureka, I didn't look too closely and made the quick, but incorrect, assumption that their mortar teams must be 60mm mortars. They are in fact 81mm M1 mortars.
The lack of M2 60mm mortars has been addressed by using sets from Britannia Miniatures. The difference in size of the 60mm mortars from the Eureka 81mm mortars is a stark reminder that I should pay more attention when ordering figures.
I added a couple more bazooka teams, one from Britannia Miniatures (on the left), the other from Kellys Heroes (on the right). Once again, the Britannia figures are fully encumbered with backpacks, while the Kellys figures look more casually dressed and more fitting to a combat role.
A couple of figures with satchel charges will always come in useful. One from Kellys Heroes and another from Britannia Miniatures (I don't think I need to tell you which is which!).
Frankly, it's hard to imagine that someone wanting to move as quickly as possible to undertake a quite hazardous task would want to be weighed down with all that kit on their back. The Kellys Heroes figure (on the right), seems more appropriately dressed for the occasion.
To complement the men with satchel charges, I have added a few other figures carrying out engineering tasks. These are all from Kellys Heroes and include teams clearing minefields and barbed wire.
One other specialist is a sniper figure. While 'sharpshooter' was a qualification attained for marksmanship, the actual role we might consider of a more traditional sniper was different and was sometimes referred to as a 'scout-sniper' or simply 'sniper'. It goes without saying that most snipers also held the sharpshooter qualification. To help differentiate the figure, I've painted this one in full camouflage, not just the helmet cover.
While the bazooka didn't make an appearance in the Pacific campaign until 1944, the 37mm anti-tank gun, which had become obsolete in other theatres, gave service throughout the war. It remained capable of knocking out most Japanese tanks and fired a very deadly canister round against infantry. The gun below is from an s-models set of jeeps. The crew are mainly Kellys Heroes, with one Eureka figure thrown in to make up the numbers. One nice feature of some of those Kellys Heroes figures is that they are wearing t-shirts which adds a nice mix to the appearance of the crew.
The only figures remaining to paint from this recent addition are crews for the LVTs. These are from the Britannia range and come with the figures standing on a pile of ammunition crates. While this brings them to the height they need to be to operate the MGs, they are a little too high for these particular LVT models. That involves trimming off some of those crates - in short taking a hacksaw and cutting through a chunk of metal. For that I need a vice, something I don't have, so that will need addressing in due course. Just when you think you're finished, you're not.
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