Soviet Arms Production swinging into action

20mm Soviet Arms Race for Kursk

I have literally been beavering away at Soviet Forces with our Kursk Battle coming up in the next few weeks. I realised that I was seriously short of Soviet artillery and tanks, and have been feverishly building a Tankovy and Artillery Batallion over the last weeks.

Latest Arrivals from the factories:



Zis 3 Guns x 4 (PSC, built last night)
(Luckily my gun barrels were not as bent as those in the picture. Must be the heat on the Russian Steppe)



Armourfast T34/85s x 2 (Built last night)



Zvezda 122mm Artillery guns x 4 - To be built in short order



Zvezda 45mm Antitank guns x 4  - to be built in short order too


Zvezda 37mm AA Guns x 2 To be built in even shorter order

On my Workbench (All in the final finishing stages):

German IgG 33s x 2
SU 85s x 2
T34/75s x 2
T34/85 x 1
KV1s x 1

The Siberian (sigh) winter riflemen have been cleaned of excess flash and poor quality casting as far as possible, based and mounted, but now need painting (Ooops, out of black spray basecoat...)

The Strelkovy are all done, as are the heavy and light MGs and Mortars, all ensconced behind timber dug-outs

Waiting in the wings:
To be built:
Esci German 20mm Vierling Quad (part built) AA and Pak 40, Pak 38 (unbuilt)
Armourfast LeFH18 x 2
German Pionier Bridge layer halftrack
Tigers and Panthers (As if I don't have enough already)

Russians and Germans at Kursk

Russians and Germans at Kursk

Been quietly working away at my Russian Army for the Kapiti Wargames Club Armourgeddon Kursk Commemoration Battle coming up on 25 August.

IS-2s with undercoats still wet

Obtained some more Tank destroyers (gotta have those if we are re-fighting Kursk): Added two more ISU 122s and 2 SU 85 tank destroyers, 2 Zis 3 76mm guns.I also finished building the PSC StuGs (3 to the pack, Yay!) with interchangeable guns - 3 options, went for the 88 with Saukopf mount, but modelled the interchangable  Kurz and Lang barrels too, effectively creating 9 possible variations on the same theme!

Armourfast SU 85s (Left) and Italeri ISU 122s (Right) under construction

Have been painting (under-shading) 4 more IS-2s with 85mm guns, topcoats ready to go on now; bringing the IS-2 force up to 7 tanks. The rest consists of 2 KV1s, another (PST model) stll giving me uphill with the track assembly. (Hate those fiddly bits) But this will also give me the option of three guns: 85mm, 76mm and 54mm. I have chosen not to use the puny 54mm, and have built two turrets with the larger guns. (Again inter-changable) Stuarts will have to do for light armour, as Russian armoured cars in multi-packs for wargaming are almost unobtainable in this scale .

Winter Camo Whitewash T34/85

So my (pure) Soviet Tank origin army now  has:

3 x KV1 variants
7 x IS-2
4 x T34-76
1 x T34-85
2 x SU -85
4 x ISU 122

Plus lend-lease from my Western Front allies army:

5 x Churchills, Umpteen Sherman M4 variants, 6 x Stewart M5, 4 Lee/Grants, Soft skin vehicles etc

I'm also continuing to work on the German IG 33s, above,  survivors of Stalingrad, who saw action at Kursk, and surviving to cover the withdrawal back to Germany by 1945. 

Very limited numbers were built, so a rather unusual (but welcome) kit from Armourfast. Eventually replaced by the Brumbaer and Sturmtiger these medium armoured assault guns were welcome in  urban fighting and as infantry support.

                           Cossack unit also taking shape

 Russian Infantry coming along slowly

Falschimjaeger champing at the bit

Gun crews and SS Krad fahrer (Motorcyclists) at the ready

Pioneer zug waiting to be based on 20mm FoW bases

Early and Mid-war Wehrmacht Heer lined up for their basing. Shoudl arrive any day by post - have ordered laser cut MDF bases from my regular supplier in Dunedin.

Through Autumn's Golden Gown we used to kick our way...

Russian weapons teams based, and being painted