Fall Of France 1940 Figure Painting

I've been busy painting the figures, or at least one of them over the last few days with just a rifle to paint now the first figure is almost done. 

 

Panhard & Panzer Coming Together

Slowly getting some more work done on the models with both now having a coat of primer. I'm now working out the colours for the Panhard and looking at different schemes. Also a rummage through the stash turned up some Dragon figures perfect for the diorama I have in mind. Two figures, one with a machine gun and the other carrying ammo should work very well. 

I've had these for absolutely ages so to finally get to paint them is really nice. I've also bought a very nice Alpine figure for the Panzer turret which is excellent. From now on I'll combine both builds on the blog to make it easier to follow the rest of the build.

Panzer II Progress

A nice easy and very fast build and it's all done. As you would expect from tamiya the fit and detail is excellent with only a few extra bolts to add if desired. I have a different commander figure on the way as well. 

A comparison between the panzer and Panhard shows them to be of a similar size so having both on the same base will be interesting. The plan is to have the Panhard abandoned at the side of a road with a couple of German soldiers and the panzer going past it. 

We shall see how that pans out later. Now it's time for a wash to remove any dst and residues before priming.

Tamiya Panzer II French Campaign

Here is the second part of my project, tamiya's superb panzer II. I built one way back in 2009 not long after the kit came out and enjoyed it thoroughly back then so I'm sure it will be as much fun this time around.  

ICM Panhard 178 Construction Complete

A nice and easy finish to the Panhard with just a few finishing parts added to the model. As you can see I've left some of the hatches off for the time being as I'm intending to display an abandoned vehicle during the fall of France. 

The resin wheels are also seen here and very crisp and clean they are too. Next up the second part of my idea so stay tuned!

ICM Panhard 178 Progress

The build has been going very well indeed with the interior all painted up and lightly weathered for now. This was followed by closing up the model. I took my time here and double checked the fit of each section before committing to glue.This ensured a near perfect fit with nice tight panel joints and no real clean up. 

I then worked getting the turret together and again this all went well with no issues. I did replace the machine gun barrel with a length of brass tube and had to make hinge brackets for the turret rear doors as they are missing on the kit but strangely shown in the instructions.

Lastly for this update I've added all the drive shafts and wheel hubs to the model. I've got a set of panzer art replacement resin wheels which just fit perfectly onto the hubs but can be left off for painting.

   

ICM Panhard 178

Finally some bench time and as you've guessed already the BMP has gone back in the box due to lack of enthusiasm for the subject. So in yet another effort to get something done I've gone for the rather nice ICM Panhard 178 armoured car. I have a bit of a thing for armoured cars and especially French ones as they are just so cool. 

The 178 is no exception being very advanced for it's time and for the early war period sported some great camo schemes and markings. The ICM kit has been in the loft for a very long time and I chanced upon it whilst having a bit of a tidy up. The kit is very very nice having a decent interior and engine and excellent detail throughout. 

Currently working on painting and weathering the interior which I think will look rather good once complete.