On the prowl

My second entry for the painting competition is a rather small one, I must confess. Only 5 6mm vehicules. Thing is, my family has arrived to celebrate Christmas, and I can't really paint. Anyway, here are the famous 5, from GHQ: the AMX-30B2.

Ma deuxieme entree pour le concours de peinture est bien modeste cette fois. Seulement 5 vehicules en 6mm. Le truc est que ma famille est arrivee pour feter Noel ici a Londres, et je n'ai donc plus la poissibilite de peindre. En attendant, voici donc les 5 chars AMX-30B2 de chez GHQ, qui viennent de sortir de mon etabli:

The AMX-30B2 is an evolution from the AMX-30, developped in the late 60's. Indeed, he received in the 80's a laser-guidance system, a better transmission... The interesting thing lies in its armour: only 80mm, which might seem ridiculous. Well it had been designed first for mobility and discretion, and then tank destrucion, with a powerful 105mm gun with a special round, very effective up until 3km.

L'AMX-30B2 est une evolution del'AMX-30, developpe dans les annes 60. Au depart, c'est un char tres particulier, tres peu blinde (seulemnt 80mm de blindage), les ingenieurs avaient tout mise sur sa taille et sa vitesse. Pas forcement idiot, mais pas au point, malgre un bon canon de 105mm, tirant une munition speciale plutot efficace jusqu'a 3km. Le Bé a recu un systeme de visee laser, une meilleure transmission...

In CWC, the AMX-30B2 is very chalenging to play. For 125 points, you have a tank with stabilisor, Infra-red, but 5 hits and a 5+ save (yup, only 5+). so why should I use it? Well, its gun can fire 5 shots at 120cm (take that pesky Commie ;))

A CWC, le char est un vrai challenge a jouer. Il ne coute que 125 points. Pourquoi donc? on a un stabilisateur et la possiblite d'utiliser les infra-rouges. On a egalement un bon canon qui tire 5 fois a 120cm... Le hic, c'est qu'il n'a que 5 hits et une save a 5+ (argh). En general, les chars de cette epoque ont une sauvegarde a 4+ voire 3+ comme l'Abrahams... Mais j'aime les challenges.

Some French punchy recon units

The 3rd Analogue hobbies painting competition is now finally on! And thanks to a day alone at home, I've been able yesterday to paint a few of my Cold War 6mm French. Let's start with the first group, the ERC- 90 Sagaie:

 

Le 3e concours de peinture d'Analogue Hobbies vient de debuter. GRace a un jour tranquille seul a la maison, j'ai pu avancer mon armee francaise guerre froide en 6mm. Voici donc le premier groupe, les ERC-90 Sagaie:

The minis are from CinC and were easy to paint. ERC means "Engin a Roue, Canon de 90mm", " wheeled vehicule with a 90mm gun, east ;) ). They were developped and produced by Panhard in the 1970's, are amphibious, can operate in contaminated areas and can be transported by plane. Cool stuff. Though lightly armoured (only 10mm), they are bloody fast, with a 60km/h top speed in cross-country, and 95 km/h on road... With a 800km range. In Cold War Commander, they are rated as Recon units, , can move up to 25cm (not bad), have 4 shots up to 80 cm (same range as a T-72), have Infra-red vision, 3 hits and a 6+ save. Ok, they're brittle, but might be deadly in ambush.

Les figs viennent de CinC et ont ete tres faciles a peindre. ERC signifie "Engin a Roue, Canon de 90mm" . Plutot facile a retenir, non? Le vehicule a ete developpe par Panhard dans les annees 70. Il est amphibie, peut intervenir en atmosphere contaminee et est aerotransportable. Bref, que du bonheur. Le blindage n'est que de 10mm, mais son point fort est la vitesse, avec des pointes a 60km/h en tout-terrain et 95km/h sur route. Il a une autonomie de 800km. A Cold War Commander, pour 90 petits points, vous avez un vehicule de reco qui peut se deplacer de 25cm, et qui possede 4 tirs a 80 cm (la portee d'un T-72), ainsi que la vision infra-rouge. Bon, ok, il n'a que 3 hits et une sauvegarde a 6+...

Next are 3 AMX-10 RC. Voici maintenant les AMX-10RC.

They were developped by GIAT industry at the same time as the ERC-90. They are a specialised in recon and strike. Their 105mm gun (yup) is very effective up until 2km (meaning a Russian tank doesn't really stand a chance), can race up to 85 km/h on road, and can operate in contaminated areas as well. Very nasty too.

In Cold war Commander, for a mere 120 points, you have a unit with 4 hits and a 6+save, but have 5 shots up to 100cm! Russian tanks, beware!

 

Developpe par le GIAT dans la meme periode, c'est un vehicule la encore specialise dans le reco, mais aussi dans les attaques eclair. Leur canon de 105mm est redoutable jusqu'a 2km ( pauvres Russes) et peuvent decamper jusqu'a 85km/h (catch me if you can!). Ils peuvent egalement operer en atmosphere contaminee. A CWC, pour 120 points, vous avez une unite a 4 hits, une sauvegarde a 6+, avec 5 attaques a 100cm! Niark niark.

Bring on the grunts!

With this disguise, I think the French won't notice me...

While painting the 17th century French I was also painting their descendants, in 6mm. Now you have the full 16th GCP, the Chasserus portes, wich were a mechanized unit operating near Tubingen. There are 8 stands of infantry, some support and the HQ. Now, back to the 17th century.Or not?

Je vais etre honnete avec vous, j'ai commence cette unite en meme temps que leur ancetres du 17e siecle. Voici donc le 16e Groupement de chasseurs portes, base a Tubingen. C'etait un regiment mecanise. J'ai peint de quoi faire les 4 compagnies de combat, les supports et le HQ.

Camouflage is an art

-Aha! Herr Sebastosfig, ve meet again. You are klearly a master of tisguize, but you can't beat me, I Prince Ludwig the Indestreuktible. Do you remember the game against Tamsin, the one you were klearly vinning?

-Don't tell me you were...?

-Yes! I was the die you were kissing languorously!

-But didn't we...

-"six"

                                                                     -Oh my god...

 There, I just couldn't resist the pun. I finished four more AMX10P, and they're now roaming across the country. And if you don't believe me, I took a picture with the nine of them. In Cold War Commander, they each represent 60 points. So I've now done 540 points, out of 5000 to get a really good game.

Hop. Pour ceux qui connaissent et apprecient Blackadder, vous devriez saisir le sel de mon introduction. J'adore cet episode. Bref, revenons a nos moutons Lord Melchett, et voici donc la totalite de mon unite d'AMX 10P. Cela represente 540 points a Cold War Commander, et il en faut environ 5000 pour avoir une belle partie. Allez, au boulot.

Somewhere near Tubingen...

Were you a hitchhiker in the forest, you could have heard some heavy noise... growing louder and nearer... Good lord, you're right in the middle of an exercice from the French army! Their vehicles have just received their NATO camo pattern and now try to know if it's effective... Hmm, maybe there are some French grunts somewhere...

So, I've finished my first 6mm toys, and I must say, painting tanks at this scale is damned easy and fast. I enjoyed it immensely. Those are AMX10P infantry fighting vehicles. The first of them were deployed in 1973, and are still in use today, though they should be replaced in a few years. They can carry 8 men, and provide some support with their 20mm gun and 7.62mm co-ax machine gun. 

Imaginons que vous etes un randonneur du cote de Tubingen. Vous vous trouvez en foret qund soudain vous entendez un bruit metallique qui se rapproche... Vous etes au beau milieu d'un exercice de l'armee francaise! Leurs vehicules viennent de recevoir leur camouflage OTAN et testent son efficacite... Ce sont des AMX10P, tout juste termines, et j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir a les peindre. Le 6mm, ca va vite. Ces vehicules sont entres en service en 1973... Ils peuvent transporter 8 hommes et fournir un support avec leur canon de 20mm et leur mitrailleuse jumelee de 7.62mm.

On my workbench

Hmmm. I' m now facing two choices: Doing only Romans or beeing weak and paint my  newly arrived French... Well, for once I've been strong. I'll be painting one unit of Romans, and I'll start bits from the French, just to get the feeling, you know ;)

So, First, the Romans: only 4 bases of legionaries remain, so I'll do them. But When Ludo gave them to me, some had their shields already glued on, quite badly I should say, and I couldn't remove them. Darn1. Then, one of them had primed in black, and I don't prime my minis anymore. Darn2. and one of them had a broken pilum, so I drilled in the hand and put a bit of wire. Darn3. Oh, I forgot: they're from the same batch as the others, ie with lots of defaults from the moulds. Darn4...

the black guy already received a layer of chainmail

 

Then onto my French. I took a blister of AMX10P, the armoured infantry carrier, and based them. No need to clean, they were almost flash-free. Ahhh. at last some good news.

hey, where is the fifth one gone? "Chercher le pinard sergent".

Bon, pour eviter de sombrer dans la monotonie, j'ai decide de mener deux unites en parallele, a savoir les 16 legionnaires restants, meme si je vais avoir du boulot, car franchement, ils ne sont pas en bon etat ( sous couche de m***, desole Ludo, un pilum casse, et des boucliers colles parfois n'importe comment). Et de l'autre, j'ai pris et base un blister d'AMX10P. Et la c'est beau, pratiquement pas de nettoyage a faire. Affaires a suivre.

Small is beautiful

Erm, no real painting done yesterday, so my Roman scorpions are not finished. They should be tomorrow, at least I think so. Meanwhile, I received my order for my Cold War French army project in 6mm: They're from GHQ, and I must say they're wonderful. I might even start painting some of them, just to get the feeling of thew scale:

Pas vraiment de peinture hier, donc les scorpions romains ne sont pas encore tout a fait termines. Ce sera surement fait demain. En attendant, je ne peux resister au plaisir de vous montrer ma commande GHQ pour mon projet armee francaise guerre froide. Elles sont magnifiques, et je crois que je vais vite succomber a la peinture pour savoir si j'arrive a peindre cette echelle.