T34/76 damaged turret

The Rubicon T34/76 kit contains a number of optional components. Once you have chosen the version you are going to build you have a number of spare bits. Unfortunately you cannot assemble an additional turret (though there is another complete 76mm turret in the T34/85 kit). In the T34/85 kit there is a spare lower turret ring so you can assemble most of a second (or third really) turret complete except for part of the mantlet.

The spare ring from the T34/85 kit is bottom left.

Scaling exercise for a 76.2mm round (a Warlord Marder III crew man).

Receiver in place in the turret.

In detail.

 Sight assembly.

Punk Zombies - Resurrectionist Minion

Punk Zombies (not to be confused with Necropunks) are  a good general purpose minion.

Their main weapon is their katanas.

 As this example shows, they are Hard To Wound and Hard To Kill.

This Friekorpsman is in for a difficult fight.

LRDG Chevrolet

A while back I went to the Imperial War Museum in London. Amongst the items on display was a recently recovered LRDG Chevrolet. Unfortunately I only took one photograph of the interior.

I will have to revisit the IWM.

Tuco - Neverborn Enforcer

Tuco was born into the Ortega family. He was captured by the Nephilim who over time turned him after convincing him that he had been abandoned.

 Corrupted by the Nephilim, he continues to use a shotgun in their service.

As a former member of a Guild family, he retains the blue and red colours of his previous allegiance.

He will provide additional firepower to my Malifaux Neverborn Starter Set.

Evil Bear Foxhound Protected Mobility Vehicle

The Evil Bear Foxhound was undercoated with PSC British Tank Green spray. The windows have been painted with Vallejo Game Colour Night Blue. The camera lenses on the sides and above the rear door. The lights also need to be painted.

William Killian for scale.

Most examples have a 20 litre jerry can to the right of the door. It would need the triangular feature beneath side box on the right removed,

 Front view showing the towing bar.

Here are some photographs of the vehicle in action.

A four man SAS team use their Foxhound for cover.

Bad Squid Female Soviet troops - PPSH-41 SMG revisited

When I posted photographs of this figure on the Rubicon site, it was pointed out that the bags and pouches should not be leather coloured as they were canvas. I repainted it with Citadel Steel Legion Drab.

It is still a bit dark.

Tools and storage

This is mainly a post for images for use on the Lead Adventures Forum.

For general cutting I use a Swann Morton Number 3 scalpel handles with 10a blades.

The older Paragon style handle is currently using an old blade for cutting Milliput and sculpting Milliput and Greenstuff.

My ramshackle collection of Vallejo paints are currently living in a 9 litre Really Useful Box.

There is space above them, but they do not fit in the shallower 4 litre box.

However, Citadel and Humbrol paints fit in the 4 litre boxes.

A couple of photographs of the Studebaker with the T34/76.

Weirdly they were both sprayed with the same Humbrol Dark Green spray. Evidently I used more Citadel Athonian Camoshade on the Studbaker.

Bad Squid Female Soviet troops - PPSH-41 SMG

This is the first of the Bad Squiddo Soviet soldiers I have painted. They clean up reasonably well, but this one has an unfortunate mould line running across the helmet and then across the face. The discontinuity is obvious on the helmet at this magnification.

 I still have to add some foliage to the base.

Here she is being supported by a T34/76.

With overhead daylight fluorescent lamp above, without below.

Comparison with a Bolt Action Soviet Infantry man.

 The bodies are only slightly smaller in stature, the helmet and gun are both smaller.

 Though there is a difference, for the SMG gunners it is not that noticeable. However, it will be noticeable for the rifle armed troops, but I need to paint them first.

A final shot of the Bolt Action figure and the Rubicon T34/76.

Compass Cutter

I use a compass cutter to cut the circular inserts etc for bases.

I have had this for a large number of years, but only recently noticed that the measurements are diameter and radius in centimetres, and nit diameter in centimetres and inches...

I am thinking of making masks for spray painting wheel centres out of card or plasticard with the holes cut using this cutter.

Rubicon Models Studebaker U3 (without the Katyusha BM-13 MRL) base coated

So the Studebaker has now been base coated. Body with Humbrol Dark Green (to match the T34/76).

Tyres are a mix of Vallejo Black and Black Grey. The underside were coated in Citadel Stirland Mud textured paint. The seat is Vallejo Burnt Cadmium and the steering wheel Citadel Mournfang Brown. The bench seats were lightly painted with Vallejo Old Wood.

The body was washed with Citadel Athonian Camoshade.

The figure is a Bad Squiddo Female Soviet soldier.

The vehicle still needs decals and final weathering.

Plastic Soldier Company Soviet Mortar

So the mortar assistant is a more difficult conversion.

I used a razor saw to cut through the wrists, and then a Swann and Morton 10A scalpel to remove the head.

After cleaning up the cuts, a pilot hole was drilled with a 1.0mm bit.

This was then opened up with first a 1.5mm, then a 3.0mm bit. The right wrist was trimmed back to allow the helmeted head to fit.

The head was glued in place with liquid poly.

The left wrist will allow the hand to be sculpted beneath the helmet. The right hand will be bracing the helmet.