Khurasan T-90 Tank - 15mm Scale

Khurasan's T-90A main battle tank

Another random painting entry to share - this time one of Khurasan's new 15mm Russian T-90A tanks.  I purchased a three-tank platoon of these models when they were released (earlier this year, I think).  Khurasan has recently made a somewhat halting entry into the ultra-modern 15mm sphere with this release, and the release of a US M1A2 Abrams and some ultra-modern US 15mm infantry.

An attempt at the more contemporary Russian AFV camo

I love tanks, and the T-90 is one of my favourite vehicles.  I really like the look of up-gunned, later model tanks - the late model Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs, the IDF Super Shermans and upgraded Centurions are all good examples.  It speaks to the reality of limited resources on military structures - sure, you are always trying to get the latest and most modern stuff you can afford into your line units, but often the most affordable and/or quickly attainable thing to do is find a way to throw a heavier gun, another layer of armour, and after-market versions of advanced support systems onto the tanks you already have. Plus it just looks cooler.

Side view - the smoke launcher arrays are metal - thank god!

The Soviet/Russian tank lineup is full of these kinds of things. So many T-55s, T-62s and T-72s and T-80s have been built over the years, and found so much use, that you see a lot of tanks, whose design originated twenty, thirty or sometimes forty years ago (or more) still lumbering into action with updated guns, reactive armour packages, improved MGs, night-fighting kit and other bits all bolted on to the exterior.

QRF T-80BV for comparison

The T-90 is the penultimate example of this - essentially a T-72 maxed out with upgrades. Whatever the combat merits of all of these enhancements, it sure makes the tank look cool and spooky as hell.  The sharp angles of the reactive armour package on the T-90 look extra sinister, more so than the other up-armoured Soviet designs.  The contrast between the size of the overall vehicle and its 125mm main gun borders on 40k standards.  And the "Shtora" jamming system (the boxes to either side of the main gun) looks downright eerie - a Jawa face with a huge cannon.  I love this tank.

Of course, using this tank on the table calls for contrived situations, as it has never seen any action with the Russian Army (at least that I know of), or with any of the client states who have purchased it as an export or for local manufacture under license (I believe India is doing this).  The T-90 is not really part of any realistic Cold-War-Gone-Hot scenarios unless you do a good bit of what-if-ing.  I don't think any T-90s were ever deployed with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany - I don't think it was ready by the time the Soviet Union collapsed.

QRF BMP-2D for comparison

The T-90 is an interesting topic in gaming circles.  A lot of us armour geeks assign it an almost mystical, Tiger-tank-like aura, given its rarity in actual deployment, its cool look, and a sense that something called "T-90" has to be like 18 times better than something called "T-72" and 45 times better than something called "T-55".  It is the hope for a level game with the over-powered NATO MBTs.  I doubt it truly is - after all, it is still, at its core, a 30-year-old design, no matter the sexy kit crammed into it and on to it.

On the other hand, comment forums involving the T-90 tend to fill with derision for any Warpac/Russian vehicle, and somehow seem to base this conclusion on the performance of T-72s in Syrian and, even more so, Iraqi hands. This comparison is delusional and simplistic. The T-90 is an upgraded T-72, but to assume it would fare in Russian action as well as the doomed Republican units of T-72s in the Iraqi army is just silly.

With some Eureka 15mm modern Russian infantry

The Khurasan model is...adequate.  It is certainly the finest 15mm T-90 you'll find, but also the only one. I know it is heresy to question Khurasan, but I found myself slightly disappointed with this - the resin body of the tank and the turret are detailed, but not as crisp as I would wish, to catch all of the various edges of the reactive armour plates. The metal bits are sooo nice - a reliably tough turret MG, and metal smoke launchers (thank god!!).  But the resin is not so crisp.  I feel like this could have been a little better...but I am probably the only one, however.  At least Khurasan is trying some modern stuff, and it fills a big gap in gaming demand for modern 15mm.  Lots of us have wanted a T-90 model, but this is the only one out there - it truly fills a hole.

The other challenge you might encounter would be using it for sci-fi.  The T-90 totally has the right look for sci-fi, but this model is very, very small next to other 15mm sci-fi armour, both from Khurasan's line and others.  Next to the Nova Respublik tanks, for example, this thing looks like a scout tank.  I don't think there is a problem with the Khurasan T-90's scaling - it's just that the other sci-fi tanks are big suckers.

I go nuts painting the lenses - probably too much - but I find they make the tank look more alive/active

I have two more of these models to paint, so I hope to round out the platoon for some "what-if" situations in 15mm modern gaming. Maybe Mike F can paint up some Leopard IIs to represent Canada's current ultra-modern armour contingent... 

More Pico Armour Painting

1/600 scale IDF troops ready for action

Some more Pico Armour painting - this time from the Arab-Israeli wars.  Up first is a group of IDF infantry in M3 half-tracks.  Depending on what level of abstraction is going on in the game, these could represent either a couple of platoons of infantry, or if going Spearhead-style (where each base represents a platoon), an entire mechanized infantry battalion.  The two smaller square bases have support half tracks - one an AA track with .50 cal MGs, and the other mounting a 90mm AT gun.

M3 half tracks a-plenty

Magachs ready to roll

Up next is a group of M48 Pattons - known as "Magachs" in IDF service.  As they did so often, the IDF modified these tanks, giving them a bigger gun (105mm, up from 90mm) and changing the commander's cupola, removing the strange little MG turret. These models do not capture those changes - on a 3mm scale tank, I don't worry too much about it, but I have to say the muzzle brakes and camera (or whatever that box thing is) over the main gun give it away - a credit to the amazing sculpting on these little figures.

You can see a couple of the M113 TOWs mixed in with the Magachs here - sorry about the blurry pic

There are a few M113s with TOW launchers mixed in with this group.  The Yom Kippur War was a real coming out party of sorts for ATGM weapons like the Soviet Sagger and the US TOW missiles.  The IDF used these weapons as part of their crushing of the Egyptian offensive toward the passes in the Sinai.

BMP-mounted infantry and support

Company or battalion, depending on the game scale

On the Arab side I have a unit of BMP-1 infantry, with an attached BRDM scout car and a ZSU-23-4 AAA tank.  Again, depending on the game, these could represent either a company or a battalion.  The BMP-1 made its big combat debut in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, but the results were not great.  They equipped a few infantry battalions attached to independent tank brigades in the Egyptian and Syrian armies.

T-62s ready for action in the Sinai

An attached ZSU-23-4 and PT-76, used as a recon tank, provide support

And last but not least a group of Egyptian T-62 tanks, again with a couple of odds and ends for support.  The T-62 also made it's big time combat debut in the middle east during the 1973 war, but they were roughly handled by the IDF.  Still, their heavy main guns and unique ammunition (I believe this tank was a pioneer of sorts for using fin-stabilized rounds in the main guns) were noted.

I've got a lot more Pico Armour painted up, but I ran out of bases, so I am waiting for my next Litko shipment to arrive.  In the meantime, stay tuned for more random projects and painting work.

Eldar Spiritseer

I finally finished one of Games Workshop's newer Eldar models, a Spiritseer, released back in June with the new Codex: Eldar. I really like the pose and the eyeless helmet; such psychic characters obviously rely on senses greater than that required to view the visual spectrum.

It's a Finecast resin figure that required some filling of various surface pits. I also swapped the staff head for one modified from a Grey Knight Terminator force staff. After cleaning up the figure, I pinned it to a 25mm resin base from Dragon Forge Design's Lost Empires line.

The figure was primed black, and zenithal highlighting was airbrushed in with flat white. The helmet, robes and extremities received multiple layers of Citadel washes. The rune armour, gemstones and other details were undercoated in various acrylics and layered in thin glazes of acrylic washes or artists' oil paints.



The staff, jewellery and pistol butt were glazed with Gryphonne Sepia and NMM applied. The base also received Citadel washes. To finish, I added some felt to the bottom of the base.



This figure is a bit of an experiment for me, trying to emulate the very high-contrast style of figure painters like Mathieu Fontaine. For example, the helmet received 30 or 40 thin glazes of Thrakka Green to shade, with the highlights punched up with Vallejo brush-on white primer. Very fine highlight points were done using Titanium White oil paint mixed with Liquin medium. I also don't often paint using non-metallic metallic techniques, which I applied here using various brown, ochre and white artists' oils.

I finished this figure just in time for the upcoming 2013-14 Winnipeg Warhammer 40K Beer League. This year I am part of the Craftworld Eldar faction, one of four factions vying for supremacy in a series of games over the next nine months.

15mm Yom Kippur Bits

Egyptian T-55s, kicking off expansion of my 15mm Yom Kippur project

Well I've been on vacation, and it's been summer (or sort-of-summer, but the weather seems to have finally turned back to seasonal norms here in the prairies), and I've been painting stuff, but not really in any sort of sensible way, or discernible pattern. So I can't really call this "progress" on a project, but it's an excuse to post some pictures! It's just a few bits for my 15mm Yom Kippur War collection - an IDF half track, and a some Egyptian "test" models.

IDF 15mm half track

The M3 half track is one of the IDF's iconic armoured fighting vehicles. By the time of the 1973 war, the IDF was starting to phase them out in favour of the new M113 APCs, but the M3s still saw a lot of action in the conflict.

The model is accurate for WW2, but I think I goofed in terms of making it correct for the IDF. MG is not in the right place, for starters

So far my 15mm Yom Kippur project has focused on the Golan Heights front, and the IDF armoured infantry battalions in place there at the time of the Syrian attack had the new M113s. But M3s were still around, so I thought it would be fun to paint one up, act as a command APC, etc.

This is a Peter Pig 15mm vehicle - lovely to work with

There are a lot of M3 half-track models out there, but nearly all are set for WW2. This is a Peter Pig 15mm model, and while it is lovely, I should have modified a few things to match the look of the IDF. I'm not sure the IDF used the cupola for the MG, for instance, and they often mounted another MG in the front plate to the right of the driver. Perhaps those will be conversion attempts for another time. But to try and cover up for the lack of specifics, I threw on a paint scheme that I have seen in some of the photos from the war in the hopes this will allow the vehicle to blend in on the table. But is the marking from 1973? Or 1967? I'm not sure - I'm hoping for the best.

Lots of room in the M3!

I am also looking to expand my collection into the Sinai. Operation "Badr", the Egyptian crossing of the Suez canal, and the IDF's furious counter attack and counter crossing at Deversoir provide a great backdrop for gaming. That will mean getting some Egyptians done, so I experimented with some painting schemes with that in mind. Up first, some infantry.

Peter Pig 15mm "Professionals" painted as 1973 Egyptian troops

Once again, after searching around, I opted to go with Peter Pig 15mm, and hope the scale and brushwork can give some cover to the fact that the figures are not Egyptians at all. The Egyptian infantry in 1973 were issued with a dark tan coloured sleeveless vest/jerkin for the crossing operation. I think it was meant to help the troops carry more equipment across in the assault rafts, but that's just a guess.  They are one of those little details that really "make" the setting, however, so I'm trying to bodge it.

One fellow has an RPD LMG, the rest have AKs

The Peter Pig figures do not have this jerkin/vest sculpted on to them (and why would they - they are meant to represent general infantry in Africa, not 1973 Egyptians) but to cover for this I painted their shirts two different colours. At 15mm size, it looks sort of close...I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. My highlighting made it a little too bright, so in future I will leave it darker to try and up the contrast level.

Should be good enough for 15mm Yom Kippur action in the Sinai

And of course, the real "stars of the show" (with apologies to the hard working foot sloggers) are the tanks! Gaming the Yom Kippur War is a great excuse to cover the table in tanks. I'm surprised more WW2 gamer-types don't get into it, honestly, because so many of them (like me) love gaming with armour. But enough about that for now, on to the Egyptian armour...

T-55s from Peter Pig painted as Egyptian tanks for 1973

I've seen many variations on Egyptian camouflage and general vehicles colours - some all green, some all sand, some all stone, some a mix, some stone with green and brown. No one scheme has struck me as "official". For testing purposes I started out on these two test models using a stone-coloured base with green splotches. I like the look of the pattern a lot, and in theory I think it would help for fighting in the Sinai desert, or in the agricultural areas around the canal where there is some greenery to hide in. These T-55s are from Peter Pig.

I love these Peter Pig tanks!

I really like the look of this camo pattern - still need some practice but it will get better.  And as I expand the vehicle line, I can experiment with some of the different patterns I've seen on the Egyptian tanks.

Ready to take on the IDF in some major Sinai engagements - just need to add another 10 or so....

I have a few more of these Peter Pig T-55s, but to bulk up my Egyptian tank force I am looking at either the Battlefront Vietnam war box sets (the NVA tanks, APCs and the AA tanks from that range would all be perfect for the Sinai and also provide nice additions to my Syrian forces) or the Old Glory products. I despise Battlefront's pricing, but their stuff IS nice. The Old Glory pricing is better, but I'm always wary of their quality, which can be hit and miss - but I have to say I've heard great things about their T-54s/55s.

Special thanks to Nate and his blog for his help and interest in this project. His Yom Kippur War gaming project is top-notch - check it our here and look through his blog. Nate - your advice and tips are greatly appreciated!

Terrain Mini-Project - Pegasus Cactus Review

Getting slowly back into the swing of things after the big move... I pulled out a quick mini project that I figured I could knock out quickly - a box of Pegasus Models plastic cactus for 28mm Wild West and SF games, and maybe even 15mm SF in a pinch ;-)

The idea was to make medium-sized terrain bases scattered with cactus plants, to represent rough terrain or soft cover in skirmish games. First I assembled the cacti (still have some left on sprue actually) and glued them down to irregular bases I cut from plasticard. Then I slathered texture gel medium over the bases and let them dry. Primed black with Krylon spray, then painted the ground with medium brown craft paint, heavy drybrush of Zandri Dust, lighter drybrush of off-white craft paint for depth. Cacti were basecoated with GW Knarloc Green and highlighted with the same mixed 50/50 with Camo Green, then a final highlight of Camo Green. Static grass applied in two shades and the odd clump of grass tuft stuck on. Easy peasy!

Here's the completed lot of cacti. This is basically the contents of one box - there's a few bits left on the sprues but not much.

A pretty decent batch of terrain for not a ton of cash or effort. Well worth it in my view if you're into Wild West gaming at all.

4CMBG M113's

I've finished the majority of the Canadian M113's. All models are Battlefront except for the Lynx which is QRF. Hopefully I can get the rest of the infantry finished over the next few weeks.

More Fun With T-Shirts

Kevin helped me out with this new t-shirt design now available in the Fawcett schwag store. Of course it refers to everybody's favourite assassin droid, IG-88, and "his" creators - Holowan. The Holowan corporate slogan was coined by Kevin J. Anderson in his short story, "Therefore I Am - The tale of IG-88" in the compilation "Tales of the Bounty Hunters" (1995).

Go buy it now! ;-)

UPDATE: make that score Conscripts 1, IP lawyers 1... t-shirt design removed from Cafepress :-(