I bought this model from Blitzkrieg miniatures during a sale and its been gathering dust ever since so while building a scratch house I decided it was a good excuse for a quick diorama to show it off.
The Sturmhaubitze 42 or StuH 42 was a Stug III with a 10.5cm assault cannon that was created to provide close artillery support for infantry. The model shown is of Stug belonging to brigade 341 with field modified schurzen and manlet debris guard. It was knocked out at 12 La Gare, Le Val-Saint-Pere,Normandy on the 31st of July 1944 while backing into the unfortunate house. The manlet debris guard is scratch built from plasticard. Wire mesh has been included and a 1/48 105cm brass canon was added as it seemed a better fit.
The black and white picture shows the actual Stug after the battle.
The house is made of simple foam card and as per usual everything is recyclable. The wooden plinth is not fixed so will be used again and the house wall will be added to a ruined house in progress. The base can be used again for another diorama or whatever is needed.
Another Warlord kit, this time bought off fleabay fully assembled. All it needed was some paint and some Normandy battle weathering.
For a bit of fun I photographed it on recycled diorama base and stuck a backdrop behind it. I find it useful to keep wooden plinths spare so you can display models effectively. The plinth is seperated from the ground my a thin sheet of plasticard thus you can swap stuff about when bored without having to prize it off the plinth.
Following on from research into my scratch built barn for Crepon it came to my attention that a lone 88mm gun was left to defend the South West corner of Crepon as the allies advanced inland from the Normandy landings on D Day. Many of the units defending the area were mixture of adhoc groups desperately assembled to stop the Allied advance and my 88 gun made by Warlord Games is the Luftwaffe Field Division 8.8cm 37 Flak representing the mixed opposition.
I made a simple bunker from styrene and kebab sticks and based it on a plasticard base. The individual bases were cut out to fit so the figures and gun could be revolved or removed for easy storage. The wheat around the bunker is front door mat cut up into strips and the aim was to fit the bunker seemlessly into the larger wheat fields of terrain which hopefully I have achieved ?
One thing I noticed on real pictures of 88mms in action was the huge amount of used and spare ammunition lying around so I found somebody to 3D print me the additional wicker baskets and rounds.
Finally I photographed the 88mm with a simple wheat field backdrop photograph behind it and it blended in quite well. This was most likely the unfortunate issue the Allies tanks faced as they advanced inland on raised roads,only becoming aware of the enemy 88mm after they had been hit.
This is the start of a very long line of unpainted/unfinished bits and pieces that have been gathering dust just waiting for the light of day. To be honest I cannot even identify half of the furniture but it is pretty generic stuff for 28mm gaming. The long bench for sitting is scratch built.
The two figures are Mialee with the staff and Lidda with the bow from the board game Dungeons and Dragons,produced by Parker.
The Tithe Barn in Crepon, Calvados has been around since the early 1500s and is still standing to this day. I spotted the barn on a random Google maps search and immediately fell in love with it and had to try and recreate it for my wargaming board. It fits in perfectly as a unique bit of table top terrain and has the advantage of being multi purpose as covers anywhere from 1500 up to present day. My immediate aim was to drop it onto my WW2 Normandy board.
By a stroke of luck I discovered the barn actually played a small part in the Normandy landings shortly after Crepon was caputured as a Rafadrome. A Rafadrome was a theatre created by the RAF Beach Squadron for some much needed R&R for the troops after battle. Click on the attached link for more information: https://rafbeachunits.info/units/uk-beach-squadrons-april-august-1944/4-beach-squadron/rafadrome/
The barn walls are constructed of foam card including the external buttresses. The doors are made from balsa wood and the roof is plasticard ,covered in York Model Rail roof tiles. The internal roof beams/joists are also made from balsa wood which has been shaped and stained to give the look of age old wooden beams. I hope I carried off the effect ?
Boths sets of doors fully open for gaming purposes and the roof lifts off easily as well. The roof basically sits on the foam card walls via gravity.
A bit of Crepon WW2 history to set the scene. Crepon is 6.5 km inland from the Normandy beaches and on the 6th of June 1944 was held by 7. Kompanie, Grenadier-Regiment 736, 716. Infanterie-Division,4. Kompanie, Ost Battalion 441, 716. Infanterie-Division and 2/Artillerie-Regiment 1716, 716. Infanterie-Division. Crepon was attacked on the 6th of June by 7th Battalion Green Howards Regiment, 69th Infantry Brigade, 50th Infantry Division and 4th/7th Dragoons Guard, 8th Armored Brigade, 50th Infantry Division and was captured. After being taken Crepon became a supply/assembly area for fresh forces arriving from the beaches.
Enjoy the pictures.
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Small update of the project so far. The pictures taken show the first time I have put the whole thing together with surroundings just to get a feel for the project and how it all links together. Lots of work still to do inside and the roof needs a bit more work but apart from that its coming on nicely.
After completing the build on my Churchill and Panther tank and builing a large batch of walls,what better excuse for a quick diorama to show them off.
The diorama is based on a real event that took place in the village of Tilly-Sur-Seulles on the 18/19th June 1944. The 2nd Essex Regiment were assualting the village with support from the 81st Assault Squadron RE. The Churchill AVRE unexpectedly came upon a chance encounter with a Panther tank and fired a snap shot at it unfortunetly missing, but striking a near by telegraph pole or tree and thus destroying the Panther tank.
The diorama wall was simply made from foam card and the tree behind the wall is scratch built from wire. I used a simple photograph as a backdrop. The black and white photograph is actually a real shot taken in Tilly after the battle.
Although not easy to see, the dust behind the Churchill tank is made from Poly Fill which was sprayed cream and then had the dust/dirt from the road glued onto it.
Both tanks and figures are 1/56 scale made for Bolt Action gaming.
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Elder Scrolls Call to Arms is the board game version of the game made by Modiphius which uses 32mm figures in a skirmish type system of game play.
They make a limited amount of terrain and I wanted to re create a small house commonly found in Skyrim. Timeline miniatures provided me with an ideal starting frame using a Viking Hut from their Saga series of games. Houses in the Nord parts of Skyrim have a Viking look and theme to them so it was ideal for the initial shape.
I basically clad the hut in model wood planking and created a veranda using balsa wood and cock-tail sticks. Balsa wood was also used for the top wood bit on the roof and faux fur for the thatch roof.
A much needed update on my chateau project. Things have finally started moving again as I have cleared by back log of painting during the covid 19 lock down.
As you can see, I have been working on the ground and second floor and have just started on the third floor and attic space. It still looks a bit Heath Robinson at this stage but once I get some paint on it will come on really quickly. One thing that has surprised me is the sheer scale of it as it comes together. I wanted a scratch-built Chateau as nothing on the ready built market ticked the box in size or detail, even so this going to be a beast.
Things that have slowed me down are the planning of how everything will fit together and allowing access to all rooms and spaces for figures. Its difficult making whole floors that can be separated for game play and structurally solid at the same time, especially in foam card.
Interior design will include marble floors using marble effect sheet, wooden flooring using model boat planks and dolls house wall paper for a lot of the rooms. Fire places have been scratch built and I intend to fill out every room but in a moth ball type state if that makes sense. So white sheets over chairs etc etc.
Big thankyou to my laser cutting friend who was responsible for turning my very basic diagrams into some fantastic looking windows and doors.
Next challenge will be the roof which is a Mansard and the dormer windows protruding from it. The roof will most likely be the most complicated part of the building and I think it will test my limited building ability to the max. Wish me luck.
The model warrior 