6mm Flames of War Playtest - Afrika Korps panzerkompanie

6mm Panzerkompanie, Deutsche Afrika Korps, late-1942

I have finally finished the first of my two 1,500 point test armies for Flames of War in 6mm scale. Of course, because I am doing all this myself I decided to reduce my workload by putting together two relatively high-points-cost armoured companies (with air support) in the first instance, with a view to expanding into infantry-based lists later if the game proves fun and workable.
 

I have also been putting together some terrain which I must say looks pretty reasonable (the trees below were made of pipe cleaners and flock). My choice of North Africa is not just aesthetic or historical. It is practical. Open desert battlefields equals minimal terrain and therefore minimal effort. I am looking forward to working on fortifications and barbed wire for El Alamein however.

 

The Allied counterpart of this 6mm German unit will be a Heavy Armoured Squadron with infantry support from the Indian Army. This will take me some time.

 

Speaking of time, it took about two hours for a tank platoon and about three hours to complete an infantry platoon. Therefore I estimate a concerted day-long effort should get the Allied Company done. Here is a panzer platoon at the start point of the painting queue.

Panzer Armee Afrika - Ground units are fantastically-detailed GHQ miniatures painted in Vallejo Model Colour, with Army Painter Quickshade medium and sealed with Testors Dullcoat. The full-size Gone to Ground marker shows scale. The aircraft is an awesome Bf.109E from I94/Raiden Miniatures. Readers of WW2 history books may recognise the JG 27 fighter from a very well-known photograph. The command Panzer IV F2 is an unhistorical grey because it was the first I painted and I was experimenting. It does make it easier to see who's in charge at least.

 

 

Panzergrenadier Platoon with 6x6 Krupp-Protze trucks.

 

Nebelwerfer battery. Workin' hard, gettin' sunburnt.

 

 

Something extra (and unrelated) I worked on over December-January: a ‘ship-in-a-bottle’-style Antonov An-12 I made for a pilot friend. This represents the scene from Lord of War when they have to land the Antonov on the road in Sierra Leone and make the arms shipment evidence ‘disappear.’ Looks great in reality. Terrible in the photographs due to the thick and reflective glass. It would be good if you could see the little bushes and civilian traffic on the road, as well as my mural (painted on the lid interior) of the Sierra Leone mountain range backdrop.