Just to confirm: there will be NO chairs in this project. None whatsoever.
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Not even sitting on the fence 
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Remember this chap? Beginning to get there a bit after a painting session today; I’ve been a bit heavy-handed on the black so may have to touch up as I go:
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Nicely done matey 
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Thanks John - takes me back a fair bit looking at him though(!)
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Really nicely done Brian. That camo uniform doesn’t look black heavy at all. I think it’s excellently balanced. The helmet scrim really sets the figure off and he’s certainly carrying a full load of kit.
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Some of the impedimenta found outside the HQ complex:
Fuel jerricans – with NATO standard labels depicting petrol (CIVGAS in NATO fuel-speak) in a reddish orangey/brown. The other one contains kerosene (KERO) and is light grey - which doesn’t show well in the pic. I do hope my peer group don’t mix the two up when it comes to filling the heaters at night.
Water jerricans as well, and some staff branch’s Battle Box as they were called. Not yet taken into the fold for some reason.
A hanging jacket courtesy of Red Zebra being modified into a combat smock, a map, and my personal weapon from the 70s - the SMG - being modified with a sling from lead foil
The white rectangles represent the shallow boxes that contain Gestetner stencils or “skins” as we called them; the letters on the boxes are “SO” with a crown integrated (the black dot), which stands for the fuller title of “Her Majesty’s Stationery Office” (HMSO) provider of all stationery back then to government and military departments.
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So, work on the base progresses:
Ready to install the sentry figure who is now just about complete, painted and matted down:
Just about worth all that sanding, converting and so on!
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He’s come up a treat!
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Thanks Sam; yeah, a lot of work though and that’s just the one figure, but if one is a Cold War modeller, there’s precious little option.
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Looking good mate, one thing though, and I know its early on and you probably will be doing it anyway … the barbed wire rolls … are you giving them a dirty track wash or similar ? Even when new when we used them, they were always pre coated and dirty .
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Probably not John; I’m not too happy with what I ended up having to use. I had metres of etched standing by but couldn’t get it to coil properly even when I attempted to anneal. Besides on occasion, the Chunkies did end up with gleaming new rolls of Dannert - tactically not always a good look. As you see, in the end I went with a proprietary wargames effort and still had the Devil’s job getting it in position. Still, lesson learnt - I’d probably sequence it differently time!
It gets an effect; I might give it a wash - but am aware that the overscale thickness might then be accentuated. I’ll experiment. Thanks though for the nudge.
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The devil is always in the detail, and I’ve been busy making or converting most of what you see below; not quite in order but there are 2 x rolled up NBC suits – one with a glove sticking out the end – not immediately identifiable. Respirator haversacks – the SR6 type. Two steel helmets, one the RAC version, the other the Mk IV scrimmed up. Also an Italeri Sub Machine Gun modified with a lead foil sling. The officer’s pistol - back then the Browning 9mm - in its holster – not yet finished. Two berets, and the hanging combat smock, painted but yet to be matted down.
And that’s it for today at Div HQ.
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Note the less than impressive way we carried our NBC kit around with us: just lashed to the straps of the respirator haversack, with the ensemble completed with the steel helmets secured by the chin straps. Anyway, assembled and ready for paint:
The SMG has received a coat of satin black, and a buckle added to the sling.
I’ve also scratched a holster for the officer’s pistol. For information, these were of a Canadian pattern and widely issued throughout the British Army. The real thing:
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Excellent work going on here
Sorry to intrude but I’ve got a couple of figures on the go using the Tamiya stretcher party and Newland Models 58 webbing,
It’s out of stock at the moment but it looks the part.
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Thanks Ivan.
Good to see - would have saved me a lot of grief- but I’m also used to that when it comes to Cold War scenarios requiring figures. I was aware he did them, (as did Castoff a long time ago) but they’ve been ofut of stock for a while. I could have used them on the figure of me in my JOC Maastricht dio as well - in which I too used a Stretcher bearer figure.
I have to say I think your respirator case is on the wrong side but perhaps that was unit SOP?
But no, very timely and thanks for posting. A great boon to the modeller. Be nice to see what you do with them.
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Very much personal preference all depended if you were l/R handedNewlands seem to do stuff if there is enough demand,I got mine quite a while ago and they are indeed old the old Cast Off
Mould.
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Roger that - makes sense. I think deep down I knew that, just gettiing old(!)
I’m glad Newlands are doing what they do; not only some of the old AA stuff, but also that they import the excellent Hobby Link range. It also means I can get my hands on the Brit trailer, as I plan a simple build (for once) with just a Land Rover and Trailer. A good time to be a modeller of Brit kit I feel.
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Yep I’m waiting on the AVRE trailer!
( hello Newlands
)
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