HJ Flak Crew, Berlin 1945

 As mentioned in my previous post, I think the figures are based on these scenes from the movie "Downfall" (which is a great watch, BTW)

So, here are my versions. The FLAK 37 is a Warlord/Rubicon kit, and the BDM operator figure comes in the kit, but had a Statuesque Pulp scale female head added.

I sprayed the gun with a Tamiya aerosol then brushed over very watered-down black paint, then highlighted with a lighter buff type colour - I think the result is quite nice?

If you refer back to the first picture, I think the inspiration is pretty obvious?

I might have to tidy up her eyes although no one will ever be able to see this detail in real life, as its take on x 2 sizing on my phone camera!

Likewise, the similarity between the movie character and the gun commander seem obvious to me....

Next, a quick n dirty bit of scratch-built terrain for a WW2 game I will be running at Barrys on Sunday. It will be a Barbarossa era Wehrmacht assault on a Russian city defended by the Red Army. I needed a Russian style pill box and after consulting Co Pilot, this was constructed based on its recommendations! Juust cars stuck together then plastered with a filler paste to simulate rough concrete. Certainly not up to Marks amazing standards, but it will do for me!

The roof can be removed so figures can be placed inside.

German figure for scale

Finally, in a "real world" moment, last Friday I was lucky enough to be part of a team who took some of our larger customers out on a fishing charter for the day. 77 snapper were caught and each person took home around 12 fillets - a great day out although slightly bumpy on the way back in! The skipper, who I genuinely think was younger than my son (who turned 25 today!) did a great job, along with his crew.

0615, ready for the off!

Passing Auckland CBD

A few fishies!

Deck hand filleting the fish on the return trip

Around 150 fillets ready to be skinned and boned!

Needless to say, my wife and I had fresh fish for dinner, and I gave 4 fillets to my daughter Amy and her partner, and 4 to Micahel and his partner!

Now, once I have posted this, I will try using the "hack" Jon told us about - and hopefully, this will appear on at least some blog lists in a few minutes....

First "Defenders of Berlin"

 I have finished the first 8 RKX 3d printed figures - these are the HJ combat squad 

A little bit of background from the web - Thousands of Hitler Youth members suffered catastrophic, near-total casualties while defending Berlin in April and May 1945, though exact standalone statistics for the youth alone are unrecorded. 

High Mortality Rate: Specific Hitler Youth combat groups, such as the 5,000-strong regiment deployed to hold the Pichelsdorf bridges, suffered devastating losses where fewer than 500 survived the five-day bombardment and assault. 

Widespread Destruction: Entire units of boys armed with Panzerfausts (anti-tank weapons) fighting in places like the Tiergarten and Olympic Stadium were methodically wiped out by the advancing Soviet Red Army

Armed with a Panzer Faust

With a Molotov Cocktail

Firing a KAR 98

The crying HJ

The friend trying to buck up his ideas

The vignette - and how it appears on the RKX website below!

Advancing - I gave some of the HJ a swastika armband loosely inspired by this 

I think the last two figures are slightly older members of the HJ and have been supplied with Wehrmacht overcoats and some kit.

I have noticed NO new blog feeds seem to be appearing on anyone's blog feeds currently, so I may do a bit of targeted marketing to try and attract a few comments!

Arrivals!

 Not much to show tonight, as I intend to reveal the latest arrivals in dribs and drabs! 

The guy at Pot Belly Miniatures 3d in Wellington confirmed to me recently that he had the rights to produce all of the RXD Battle of Berlin figures (from which all their Soviets originate) This got me to thinking of more WW2 FIBUA (fighting in built up areas) options - and I ordered most of the "Defenders of Berlin" figure sets from him - Volksturm and HJ (they do SS Charlemagne and Kriegsmarine as well, but I did not get those at this stage)

Anyway, here are the first set of nine figures, tidied up and based ready for under coating

Very tidily and robustly packaged, as always from this supplier

Good quality prints with nice details 

I think the two on the right are a vignette - the kneeling figure may be wiping tears from his eyes!

Right, after a week or more of being slack due to the flu, I have a lot of your blogs to visit and comment on!

Blogger Comment Issues

 I am even unable to comment on my own previous post - grrrr. Mark of 1866 and All That told me Michal at Dwarfcrypt has the same issue - checking Michals blog, he has mentioned Ray and Lawrence are also experiencing this issue - maybe the end of Blogger is nigh? 😒

Just a Test

 I have been unable to comment on others posts via Blogger for a couple of days so I am just posting this brief note to see if it works

Not A Lot Happening

 Posting has dropped off a bit recently, primarily because I am having a bit of a lull in enthusiasm for painting. 

Here are some figures I did pull out of my "back catalogue" (purchased about 18 months ago I think) They are 28mm milicianas from Templar Miniatures in Bonnie Scotland.

For 28mm, they are quite petite, but I am still happy with how they have come out.

Officer and standard bearer with the Republican version of the Spanish national flag

LMG crew

The "Squad" minus LMG

A size comparison with male figures from the same range - as I say, the "girls" may be a bit too diminutive in comparison - what do you think? (I also made the mistake of putting the female figures on a narrow base, which unfortunately amplifies the height difference - duh!)

Finally, in real life news, after suffering basically NO winter illness for about 6 years (since Covid stopped being "a thing" I seem to have succumbed to this:

Bad timing because I was due to attend a Napoleonic game at Barrys tomorrow - but have had to pull out.

I only started feeling ill on Friday evening, so knowing my luck, I will be sick all weekend, then clear again on Monday to return to work!

Hope things are well with you wherever you are in the world!