Labours of Hercules - A Sherman VC part two

The Nemean Lion had impenetrable golden fur, Hercules slays the lion by (sources vary) shooting it in the mouth or beating it to death with his club. Hercules wears the pelt as armour.

So, this is the build of a Warlord Games Sherman VC as "Hercules", the slayer of big cats.

So since the last post, I have added some additional track to the hull and the turret. I bought another Rubicon German Stowage set and added one long and one short length of Panther track to the hull side.

Additional pieces of Panzer IV track has been added in front of the headlights.

A short length of Panther track was added to the right side of the turret.

I also removed the existing gun travel lock and replaced it with a travel lock from a Rubicon Sherman I Hybrid kit. It is not correct for a Firefly, but is better than the moulded on version. I added the cross piece from Slaters Microstrip. It does not match the shape of the Rubicon Firefly travel lock but does match the outline of the original.

The tow cable was shortened and replacement Rubicon end pieces added. The white posts on the turret are the fixing points for bags for the turret crew's kit bags (to be made from Greenstuff).

 Two more kit bag posts.

The commander's hatch still needs to be assembled and a suitable crewman added. Soft stowage also needs to be sculpted.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago Snake Men - the first two.

Here are the first two Snake Men assembled.

They need basing (and slightly better focus).

Rubicon Commonwealth Tank Crew.

At Salute Rubicon had their new Commonwealth plastic tank crew.

The set comes on two sprues and has a comprehensive instruction leaflet.

Now to actually assemble a crew man for Hercules.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago Snake Men

The second multi-pose plastic figures set for Ghost Archipelago are the Snake Men.

The box contains four sprues containing components for five Snake Men.

The weapons selection comprise two handed, hand weapons, crossbows and bows. There are a large number of head options.

Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago Sailors

At Salute I also bought the box set of multi-pose sailors for Ghost Archipelago.

Now, what am I going to build with them?

Spiral Arm Studios - Broken infantry

Spiral Arm Studios released their Broken infantry set last year.

The set comprises four sprues building six figures.

There are a lot of options, but the article "Which arms fit what weapons?" will help.

My plan is to use them to build some rabble for Gates of Antares Freeborn.

Stug III - base coated at last...

This has been sitting on my shelf awaiting movement for a while. since November 2016!

So, I have added some more soft stowage and refitted the fourth helmet.

the upper and lower hulls were undercoated with Citadel Chaos Black spray. The upper hull was then sprayed with Citadel Zandri Dust.

I have given the hull and running gear a first coat of Zandri Dust.

The plan is to add the skirts later.

Under Fire Miniatures Cold War Range

Under Fire Miniatures have begun releasing a range of 28mm Cold War period miniatures. They have ranges covering Soviet, German Bundeswehr, West German Polizei and East Germans troops.

I ordered a pack each of the Soviet, Bundeswehr and East Geman NVA. They arrived in a jiffy bag with the individual packs taped to a card insert, which was a nice touch.

Soviet Pack RMR2 comprises one NCO pointing the way, two PKM machine guns and an AK74.

Bundeswehr pack 1 comprises four troops armed with the G3 rifle.

The East German pack NVA1 comprises a platoon commander, radio operator, a sniper and an RPG7.

There is some mould lines, especially noticeable on the helmets, but that can be removed with careful filing. Some of the barrels are slightly bent, but I have straightened the them with no ill effect.

The following photograph shows the first three (one from each pack) on bases with an Empress Universal Soldier in woolly hat for scale.

Now to finish the bases and start the painting.

Spiral Arm Epirian SecDef Troops

At Salute Spiral Arm Studios released two new figure sets for Epirian forces, the Master Bot Handler and the Sec Def troops. They have just officially released the latter and put up the instructions on their site.

The SecDef troops are the Elite of Epirian forces and have eco-skeletons to allow them to carry heavier armour and weapons. The armour is partial plate over material, not fully enclosed like power armour.

I bought two sprues which builds six figures.

Here is the front and back views of the sprues.

Each sprue contains three sets of legs and three torsos. The legs are made from paired parts, they are specifically paired via different sized pegs, though it is possible to (purposely) mix the legs to add to the poses.

There are two assault rifles, one sniper rifle, one machine gun and a heavy cannon. This does mean that you can only build two regular troops per sprue, the other is either a sniper or support. As I do not know how the forces are arranged, I am not sure if that is a problem.

The arms and guns fit nicely, though the heavy weapon pose is a bit odd, there is an optional fitting that goes between the weapon and the figure to support it , "Colonial Marine" style. I have not currently fitted it.

There are only two heads, another plain one would have been nice, I have the machine gunner politely asking who would like "some"! There is a pointing arm and a rifle held to the side arm. The Maelstrom's Edge blog has some alternative poses and ideas.

 A comparison shot with an Empress Universal Soldier in woolly hat.

Overall, a much nicer pose than the Epirian Contractor, and would find some use in many a Science Fiction army. I may well add a few more to my collection.

I was tempted to try one with a Wargames Factory M16 or AK47.

Westwind SOTR Paras Starter set - first squad

This is the first completed squads of Westwind's Weird War 2 British Paratroopers.

All five are armed with Assault Brens and are wearing body armour.

 One of the problems with airborne assaults is a lack of heavier firepower. These Paras are being backed up by an M5A6 Jackal.

I have not quite finished with the Jackal yet.