German Infantry Guns

Infantry Guns are among my favourite close support weapon (who doesn't has a favourite support weapon?).
German infantry guns have a very nice look, small in size, cramped with crew.
They are not so effective in truth, both in game and in reality. Less agile than a mortar, they are cumbersome to deploy and transport (requiring towing) they suffer also from a low production efficiency, as a lot of work is needed to produce those beauties (mortar, instead, are hollow tubes on bases...).
In game they suffer from their number (2 per platoon is not enough to deliver some serious damage).
But, nonetheless, I like them a lot!

here come a couple of platoons I did some years ago (2013...) and I still like the result.
They are Forged in Battle 15mm German 15cm sIG33 and German 7.5cm IG18. Quality is top notch and I appreciate when poses are reasonable and you can easily understand what they are doing. I really hate when you get artillery crews with shouting poses (to whom are they shouting and why they need to shout in middle of a bombardment) and, worst, with officers intent to look far away with their binocular or with the hand over their eyes... (what do they think to be? Napoleonic artillery officers overlooking their direct fire on enemy battalions?).
In both these sets people is busy with their work of loading, aiming and firing their ordnance without too many distractions...

I'm sorry for the quality of these pictures. They were done in a sunny morning with my old cell phone.

Pendraken Painting Competition 2014 (3)

Last entry for Pendraken Painting Competition 2014:

German Panzergrenadier in the Ardennes.

Pendraken Painting Competition 2014 (1)

This year I've decided to post some works on the Pendraken web forum painting competition.
Many reason for that, first, I'm very fond of their minis, amazed of the scale, and some of the new sculp are superb!
Therefore I've ordered some spare samples last month and I've begun to paint them.
Here comes the first bunch,
which I'm going to post on the vehicle and open categories... more to follow.

Panther - 1944 splinter ambush camo

Sd kfz 251/1d with crew (a little conversion here)

and ... Stug IIIG with some some panzergrenadier taking a lift (another small conversion).

SS scout platoon

For long time my primary interest in wargaming was into Napoleonic period. Lot of rules, lot of miniatures (mostly plastic 1/72 from various companies)... then I was sucked in Warhammer for a while (just 5 years, nearly not enough for anything but a couple of armies... a lot of fun, by the way, and a very big improve in my painting skills...). After Warhammer I was got in Flames of war. That's eight years ago, and from then, I've collected and painted a lot of platoons (mostly germans), I've had a lot of games (much more fun than WH, indeed), and some tournaments too... I like tournaments, but only when they propose axis vs allies match. I really hate to hear: "Ok, we have both germans... let do it's a drill...!" or worst: " I really like your panzerlehr list. But it's a little bit weak on AT, what do you'll do if you'll meet a Koenigstiger?".
Anyway, I have more shelves devoted to FOW on my cabinets than any other period/scale/system...
I hope to show everything on these pages, but it will take some time.
so, Lets begin with some SS scouts on schwimmwagen, a very nice and charming platoon, but really small to be really useful and, being Fearless Veteran SS, too expensive too!
By the way, they are useful also as Tank-hunters... and this is the role I've depicted them in.

 Schwimmwagen!

 I've tried to match each car crew with a base

 as you can see, I spend a lot of time on bases, as I think they have to be really eye catching at this scale in order to pop out from the tabletop

 It looks like late summer in France...

 ... I've tried to give the impression of a wet morning...

 c'mon yanks, come closer with that bloody M10...

 Ah... what a lovely sunset in t he countryside...

SS in ambush!

 oops, I wasn't aware of that glue blob on the tree... lets paint it on...