BATTLEGROUP HAWKWOOD

Tiny ships from WWI

2012-01-22T13:13:00.000+11:00

British and German, taxing little bastards to paint..

20mm WWII mid war panzer battalion

2012-01-18T15:46:00.004+11:00

The second panzer battalion, mostly PzwIII and IV. This often was the regiment in 1943 and represents the fact that for an extended time the 1st Panzer battalion was tied up converting to panthers..
This group is all plastic and includes kits from Matchbox(now Revell), Hasegawa and Esci.. All numbered and stowed and mostly crewed..These were done up for a large Kursk like game and the panzer IVs worked overtime that day.
This posting is for my childhood mate Chris Edwards,the first person I ever knew who talked about Kursk...we must have been 10 at the time

1.HQ,including flammpanzer III

2. 5th company

3.6th Company

8th Company

4.7th Company, including a captured T-34

5. attached tiger company

late War FJ

2012-01-18T14:55:00.003+11:00

A Rapid Fire-2 reinforced battalion. a mix of manufacturers. Comprises Battalion HQ, 3 jaeger companies support company of HMG ,MMG and 81 mm Mortar platoons,a panzer-jaerger company of 4 schreck teams and a pak 40 75mm AT gun ,a heavy mortar company of 3 x 120mm mortars and a strong company/weak battalion of FJ Engineers .

pak 40

panzer-jaeger

120mm

Heavy HMG

HQ,MMG.81mm mortar

Jaeger

Engineers

2nd AIF 1940, the Med

2011-11-09T16:33:00.001+11:00

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sgt-Major-Miniature-Australian-Infantry-1940-20mm-/220890256890?pt=AU_Miniatures&hash=item336e15d5fa

The fourth Great Marulan Carboot Sale..

2011-10-31T08:13:00.001+11:00

a fine day had by all, a rumour that 400 cupcakes were sold...and those who went to the pub for lunch? any way great action and you were a fool to yourself if you missed it..good pics by Tiger Zouave, the other s by me..

Eureka 15mm SW Pacific WWII Australians

2011-10-28T14:21:00.003+11:00

the bases took nearly as long to do as the figures..

The mighty Sentinal tank

Semper Fidelis

2011-10-25T12:25:00.000+11:00

Warlord 28mm USMC ,for the Field Marshal

Some Panzer IVs

2011-09-29T21:55:00.001+10:00

Frontline 20mm I think, foliage tea leaves..

Armoured cars..

2011-08-22T14:11:00.000+10:00

Copplestone..

Early WWII German infantry 28mm

2011-08-13T12:05:00.001+10:00

Foundry and Crusader

Lord Lovat ,Peter Young and Bill Millin

2011-08-13T11:57:00.003+10:00

Warlords 28mm

1940 bits and pieces..

2011-07-08T20:04:00.003+10:00

a small 1940 group for an Operation Sea Lion game.

Panzer IIIs

SHQ Matilda IIs

Aifix Vickers Vc

Anzac Day part II

2011-04-25T13:38:00.000+10:00

Eureka 20mm Pacific War

Anzac Day

2011-04-25T13:35:00.000+10:00

I don't know who ended up producimng these , if they are still produced ..On this Anzac Day , for the 6th Divi

7th Armoured division tank regiment and armoured cars 1944.

2011-03-09T20:00:00.000+11:00

11th hussars

7th Armoured division RHA , and RE bulldozer 1944.

2011-03-09T19:49:00.006+11:00

7th Armoured Royal Horse Artilley regiment and and the rather delightful engineers' bulldozer

HAT OP shermans and Britannia sextons

The rather delightful Raventhorpe armoured bulldozer

the very last of the Soviets!!! On to Berlin!!!!

2011-03-09T18:47:00.003+11:00

A bit of a milestone the completion of the soviet 20mm project and the completion of a project that has involved four major forces for the same person .All these are mostly Britannia and I again dedidcate these to the memory of Dave Howitt, who I came to know well over the 31/3 years I have have been doing these projects.
Anyway here is the Infantry Brigade Anti tank battalion. Two 57mm Anti-tank guns and tows and 5 Anti tank rifle teams.

7th Armoured division motor batt'n 1944.

2011-03-09T09:22:00.001+11:00

Some old stuff., not all the pics that I took as some went down the plughole in the big Imageshack hack...but not blogged before ..so now for your benefit

HQ aboard their Britannia Scout car

Rifle company

Rifle company transport

AT platoon

Britannia Armed Trawler. 20mm

2011-03-02T08:39:00.000+11:00

Found this pic , the only one that survived that weird meltdown at imageshack some time ago..

Soviet Rifle Brigade , in memory of Dave Howitt

2011-01-27T21:24:00.006+11:00

The last of the infantry two battalions and an attached 120mm mortar..all Britannia

support company

SMG and 2 rifle companies

HQ 3rd Battalion

support 3rd Battalion

SMG company 3rd battalion

Rifle company 3rd battalion

Rifle company 3rd Battalion

attached 120mm mortar

Dave Howitt

2011-01-24T23:21:00.001+11:00

as many who view this blog will know I have a great fondness for the models and figures produced by Dave Howitt of Britannia. Sadly I read in the Guild forum the following .
Dave's daughter wrote
"Just to pass on the news that my Dad Dave Howitt passed away on saturday morning. The heart attack had caused too much damage to the heart and all though the drs tried everything in the end it was too much."
I was only ordering and chatting via email with him just before Christmas....

More of the Soviet Rifle Brigade..2nd Rifle Battalion

2010-12-15T13:47:00.001+11:00

All Britannia , they are getting a little rough in places.These are done up for Rapid Fire and are 20mm in size

Support

SMG company

Rifle company

Valiant command group

2010-12-02T19:21:00.001+11:00

A nice little conversion, sold now but I think I might do another one

More of the Soviet Rifle Brigade..

2010-12-02T08:14:00.004+11:00

Brigade HQ..these blokes go with the Wagon with the little chimney..

wagon for the MMG battalion, pic of which posted previously

76mm artillery battalion

Rifle Batalion HQ

Company 1

Company 2

Company 3 , the SMG company

company 4
double click on the image for a nice big pic..

Britannia '88 and light flak

2010-11-29T09:22:00.000+11:00

Some Churchills

2010-11-29T08:44:00.001+11:00

Airfix and Matchbox..and the trailers ..I think SHQ..the crew are AB

The Soviet Rifle Brigade, continues..

2010-11-07T14:39:00.007+11:00

Click on image for a larger pic.

The MMG battalion ..I think they need a wagon..

The 120mm mortar battalion.

The HQ wagon and the mounted recce company ,
All wagons and troops Britannia
http://battlegrouphawkwood.blogspot.com/2010/10/soviets.html

The Last of the Soviet Tank Brigade..

2010-11-07T14:35:00.002+11:00

finally The AA component..Trucks Frontline, guns Airfix crew Britannia

Raventhorpe US Radio truck

2010-10-25T17:46:00.002+11:00

Soviets

2010-10-25T15:38:00.004+11:00

the SMG battalion for the Rifle brigade, Britannia

AA MMG truck for the infantry brigade HQ Britannia

Scout Car , part of the Infantry brigade HQ, Frontline vehicle , Fantassin crew.

British bridge builders

2010-10-25T15:34:00.001+11:00

Raventhorpe and Airfix

It is 3 years since we did this..

2010-10-07T11:15:00.000+11:00

and nostalgia seems a bit rampant arounfd the place so a revisit is in order http://passageoflines.50.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=99

The Tank Brigade, almost completed..

2010-09-30T14:18:00.003+10:00

First up is the transport, a heavy US lend-lease truck for the overstrength SMG company ..the actual six SMG figures are already with their owner, here is the attached MMG platoon
MMG and crew Britannia , truck Airfix

Below is the SU-76 company , crew and AFVs Britannia

Aircraft

2010-09-30T13:47:00.001+10:00

I thought this was going to turn to crap and I wasn't really looking forward to doing them but they worked out welll enough

Soviet Battlegroup command

2010-09-15T12:58:00.005+10:00

This is the group that commands the Tank Brigade , and the Infantry Brigade that is coming

Command group

AA truck and radio truck

Staff and transport section

more of the movers and shakers

Soviets for RF-2, a bit more of a Tank Brigade

2010-09-15T12:39:00.006+10:00

some more pieces for the Tank brigade..to come is another SMG company with truck, The SU 76 company and the flak company
here is...

SMG battalion 76mm gun company

SMG battalion mortar company

Assault engineer company and rocket company

SMG battalion HQ

Pulp Adventures 2 & 3

2010-09-02T16:29:00.004+10:00

THE CRUISE OF THE CONDOR

First Published in August 1933 - 256 pages

Biggles and Algy go to visit Biggles' Uncle. Biggles used to called his father 'Pa' and when he was a toddler called his father's brother, Dick, 'Dickpa' - and the name has stuck ever since. Biggles and Algy find Dickpa's house in a state of siege. Whilst exploring in Brazil, Dickpa had struck the trail of some ancient treasure, but his villainous porters found out and turned against him. Escaping to England, they have followed him and have him trapped in his own house. Biggles escapes from the house with a plan. Returning with a rented aircraft, Dickpa and Algy are rescued from the house and together with Biggles' old Flight Sergeant, Smyth, they all travel to South America on a treasure hunt. They have bought a plane and shipped it out with them. Arriving at Manaos, a settlement on the Amazon River, they find trouble. Dickpa is arrested and thrown into jail by a corrupt official. Biggles gets him out, with the help of Algy and Smyth and they make a getaway in their amphibian aircraft, which they have named the 'Condor'. Suffering a magneto failure, Biggles is forced to land on the river. Here, they are caught up by the current and swept towards the falls. Smyth manages to fix the problem in time for Biggles to fly off the falls just as they go over. Landing, Biggles goes off to explore. When he returns, Indians have captured the rest of the crew of the 'Condor'. Trailing after them to their camp, Biggles uses flares to scare the Indians away and save his comrades. Moving to a safer place, the adventurers travel to where Dickpa has previously found gold in a cave. Here they find that there has been a rock fall and they have to spend time clearing it. On the return journey, they are shocked to see another plane - the villains are after them again. Returning to the 'Condor', they find it has gone! Guessing that the baddies have spotted it from the air and landed to tow it away, Biggles realises that it must be down river. Crossing the Amazon on a Balsa raft to where he knows there is an abandoned canoe, Biggles is able to get them transport. Biggles, Algy, Dickpa and Smyth find the 'Condor' and steal it back. Parachuting down to ensure a safe landing area, Biggles watches Algy land and they all make camp. Next morning they and the 'Condor' are attacked by ants. Returning to Dickpa's cave, there is an earthquake and everybody is trapped inside. Smashing their way through a man made wall, a path is found that eventually leads to the top of a plateau. Here they find a vast crater and in it, an old long lost city. Here, the bodies of the long dead inhabitants remain and eventually a huge room filled with a fabulous treasure is found. Taking a few portable items, they plan to return to the 'Condor' and fly up and land on the plateau. Biggles is the first to cross a precarious bridge made out of a tree, when an earthquake strikes and he is lucky to make it to the other side before the bridge collapses. Embarking on a dangerous journey alone, Biggles is attacked by a huge bird called a King Condor and has to survive numerous perils on the small cliff side path. Failing to jump a gap, Biggles falls into a waterfall and is washed to the bottom of the cliff. Surviving this, he is then shocked to find a man in their aeroplane. The man, called Aaron Speakdetruf, has escaped from virtual slavery in a rubber plantation. He helps Biggles to take off and watches him do so - only to be cruelly murdered by Blattner, one of the enemy, who has just arrived - moments too late to stop Biggles. Biggles lands on the plateau and the plan is to load the treasure and fly to Bolivia. However, at that moment the volcano where the plateau is situated, erupts and our heroes are lucky to escape with their lives. Flying away in the 'Condor' they are then attacked by the baddies plane. This plane is armed with a machine gun and Biggles has no armaments. Algy uses an oil drum as a missile and brings the enemy plane down. Flying to Bolivia, the 'Condor' becomes fog bound and eventually lack of fuels means that Biggles has to make a forced landing. Surviving this, Dickpa notices the strange ore in the rocks where they have crash landed. They have discovered silver! Their adventures at an end, they return to England, this time by boat. Having some items of the original treasure and after securing a mining concession on the silver, it has all be very worth while.
and
BIGGLES IN THE JUNGLE

First Published in May 1942 - 191 pages

Biggles, Algy and Ginger are flying an amphibian called the Wanderer to Central America to examine the possibilities of an air service between British possessions on the mainland and the West Indies. Stopping at Belize, Biggles looks up an old friend called Carruthers who is acting Governor there. Carruthers tells Biggles of a problem he is having with the so called 'King of the Forest', who is interfering with supplies of chicle (the sap of a tree used as a basis for making chewing gum) - the colony's most important export. Biggles offers to use his aircraft to help out, as Belize has no air force. Starting by exploring the so called 'unknown river', Biggles comes across a wounded native chicle collector, they nickname 'Dusky'. Dusky had been shot whilst escaping virtual slavery by a man called Cristoval Bogat. Dusky has a story to tell. Bogat is the right-hand man for the 'King of the Forest'. Carruthers and his assistant Marcel Chorro visit Biggles. Carruthers swears in our three heroes as special constables in order to enable them to deal with the 'King of the Forest'. After flying Carruthers and Chorro back, Biggles finds his aircraft has been sabotaged. Bogat and his associates attack Biggles' camp and our heroes are forced to fly off. Ginger spots an old ruined city on a plateau in the mountains and Biggles lands in order to explore. They discover a huge staircase carved in the side of the mountain that leads down to the jungle. Dusky thinks this may lead to where he was held captive as he recalls seeing steps carved into a mountainside. Biggles and Ginger go down to explore and accidentally meet the 'King of the Forest' in his own base. Captured, they are put into a cage divided into two, with a Panther in the other half. The plan is to feed them to the panther. Algy, who had been left with the aircraft, sets off on the long trek down the mountain steps and is able to rescue Biggles and Ginger. Pursued up the steps, our heroes get away in their aircraft but not before a bullet has holed their fuel tank and forced them to land on the river. Here they face a number of perils before they are able to obtain more fuel sent to them by Carruthers. A storm-swollen river forces Biggles to take off without Algy, Ginger and Dusky. Biggles flies back to Carruthers to report on progress so far. Whilst he is away, Algy and Ginger are captured by natives and meet up with another captive, an American called Eddie Rockwell. Eddie has come to Belize on a treasure hunt but his business partners had betrayed him and left him to die in the forest. Bogat attacks the native village and captures the three white men and takes them to the 'King of the Forest'. Biggles returns and Dusky is able to tell him what has happened. Following on, Biggles finds himself returning to the mountain plateau via the lengthy flight of steps. Algy, Ginger and Eddie are being used, amongst others, as slave labour to dig for the treasure. The two men who abandoned Eddie have now joined forces with the 'King of the Forest'. Biggles, disguised as a native, joins Algy and Ginger and later helps them shoot their way out. Ginger however, has discovered a secret chamber whilst digging. After the initial escape, our heroes hide in an abandoned house on the plateau but later under the cover of darkness, they move to hide in Ginger's hidden chamber. Biggles goes to scout around and whilst he is away, the house where they were hiding is blown up. Unbeknown to Biggles, this has the result of trapping Algy, Ginger and Eddie. Biggles returns to find Dusky who he had previously left when he joined the slave labour party. Returning down the steps, Biggles captures Bogat and Chorro who has been betraying our heroes. During an attack by native Indians, both Bogat and Chorro are killed. Returning to the aircraft, Biggles and Dusky fly back to Carruthers and return with a small army in order to take the King's base. Meanwhile, Algy, Ginger and Eddie have found a secret passage that has lead them to the treasure. Further exploration helps them find a way out. Meeting up with Biggles and his reinforcements, the King of the Forest is captured and taken back to civilisation to be tried.

Pulp adventures 1

2010-09-02T16:23:00.006+10:00

http://www.biggles.info/
BIGGLES - AIR COMMODORE

First Published in May 1937 - 255 pages

Re-published in 1994 as Biggles and the Secret Mission

Biggles is intrigued by a mystery. Supply ships have been disappearing in the Indian Ocean and before they sank they managed to broadcast a final message. In all cases, when they referred to the word "weather" it was misspelt as "whether". Biggles concludes that the same person sent the messages otherwise the coincidence would be too great. Biggles approaches Colonel Raymond, now with Scotland Yard, but formerly with the Air Intelligence staff when Biggles was in 266 squadron, to find out more information. Before he knows it, Biggles is dining in the Foreign Office and setting out his ideas about how to deal with the problem. Biggles is given a temporary commission in the Royal Air Force with the rank of Air Commodore and his plans are put into effect. A decoy supply ship has been sent out called the Bengal Star. A Royal Navy ship called the Seafret then follows this. Biggles, Algy and Ginger then follow on in an amphibian aircraft named Nemesis. The plan is too lure out whoever is attacking the British ships with the Bengal Star and then follow them to their base and launch an RAF attack on it. Things go wrong from the start when the Bengal Star is quickly torpedoed and the crew killed. Biggles manages to save one survivor called Ladgrove, although he later dies, but not before he is able to tell Biggles which direction the submarine took on leaving. Exploring in this direction, Biggles comes across a crashed plane. Algy and Ginger take off in their plane in order to send a signal to the Seafret but a hostile plane attacks them. Ginger manages to shoot it down before it gets them. Meeting up with the Seafret and Biggles, further casualties are suffered. At a council of war, Biggles catches a spy who has come from a nearby junk. Biggles leads an attack on the junk and captures it. Inside, maps are found which seem to indicate that Elephant Island may be the enemy base and the junk was taking further supplies to the Island. The junk is scuttled and its crew marooned. Biggles and Ginger set off on a recognisance mission to Elephant Island. Splitting up, Ginger discovers a submarine base hidden in a cave in a cliff whilst Biggles is pursued by hostile natives. Both Ginger and Biggles escape to rendezvous with the Seafret but it doesn't arrive. Algy arrives in the Nemesis to say that the Seafret has been torpedoed but the Captain managed to beach her to avoid her sinking. Biggles and Ginger return to investigate the submarine base and finding a supply of mines, they lay one in the entrance cave. However, they are trapped by the unexpected return of a submarine, which sets the mine off. Biggles and Ginger then have a desperate fight to get out of the enemy submarine base. Meanwhile, the RAF has been called up for an aerial attack and they bombard Elephant Island setting off the supplies of gas bombs kept there by the enemy. The base is destroyed and Biggles returns to England, his mission a success.

Soviets for RF-2, most of a Tank Brigade

2010-08-24T19:44:00.006+10:00

All troops, drivers and crews are Britannia, Tanks are Hat, jeeps are Raventhorpe and BA64 Frontline

Tank Brigade ,Scout company

Tank brigade HQ

Tank Brigade bailout markers

Tank Brigade 1st battlion 1st company

Tank brigade 1st battalion 2nd company

Tank brigade 2nd Battalion


Tank Brigade, 3rd battalion

Partisans

2010-07-10T15:56:00.002+10:00

all Britannia 20mm and nice they are too

Soviets for RF-2

2010-06-05T20:31:00.001+10:00

All Britannia other than the SU s which are armourfast, click on pic for a big version

Britannia JS 2 and what a mighty looking bit of kit it is..

SU-85s with SMG company riding on the engine deck

and dismounted.

and tank crew bailed out markers

and finally The NKVD ,and traffic control

some 15mm

2010-06-05T20:25:00.001+10:00

I haven't done much WWII 15mm in the last 2-3 yaers ..a few bits I finished off , all Peter Pig

Brits drinking tea

I think these rather macabre pieces are objective markers in the FOW world

Recce, dismounts and TDs

2010-04-15T18:41:00.001+10:00

All Britannia

Tank Destroyers M 36

M8 Greyhounds

dismounted Armoured crew with a Recce 60mm de jeeped mortar team

Transport

2010-03-01T11:00:00.001+11:00

for the armoured infantry

The 3 Rifle companies

L-R 57mm Tow, motar platoon, MG company transport

105 mm M7 Battery Radio /command

Ack Ack and some recce

2010-02-15T17:10:00.001+11:00

Some Raventhorpe anti aircraft half tracks and two recce jeeps from Britannia..

US WWII NW Europe

2010-01-28T11:59:00.002+11:00

The completed pieces..
The Rapid-Fire Artillery batallion, 3 M7s and a Sherman OP ..all Raventhorpe..crews are Wargames Modelling and AB, cammo; gauze and Twinings Irish Breakfast .(used)

and the tank destroyer company

Raventhorpe US WWII WIP

2010-01-28T11:48:00.006+11:00

first up a bit of the WIP..

The vehicles had been sprayed with Plasti Kote grey primer, allowed a day to dry..then base coated Tamiya Flat Brown/Flat black..pic pick up with the first coat of Tamiya XF 62 Olive drab and then the next coat , a rather heavy wash through the airbrush of Vallejo Sepia wash and finally the blocking in with Vallejo Violet Brown..

WWI Highlanders

2010-01-25T10:38:00.001+11:00

Musketeer Miniatures..I think tthese blokes are going to do some serious pulp stuff

Rapid Fire 2 US tank battalion NW Europe

2010-01-25T09:28:00.000+11:00

and some other attached bits..all Britannia other than the jumbo assault tank, which is Raventhorpe

this is an example of a tank when it is merely blocked in , , a nice place to start

Headquarters, a 75mm gun tank and a 105mm howitzer support

The Jumbo , this heavyily armoured version was designed to be an assault or a lead tank ..in R-F 2 terms there is one per unit , and if used it replaces on of the 75mm gun tanks..

A tank company two 75mm and one 76mm gun tanks

the second medium company

the light company

general transport and supply and the HQ company jeep

while not part of the tank batallion this piece looks good..it belongs to the armoured infantry batallion as the gun platoon

Britannia Field Division (L)

2010-01-24T12:08:00.001+11:00

well nobody in a smocks but..these were for a chum and despite myself I do like them a lot..

Britannia

2010-01-24T11:52:00.000+11:00

Tank Destroyers M36 Jacksons from Britannia

more Valiant

2010-01-24T11:48:00.004+11:00

Vehicles Hasegawa

A US Rapid fire Battalion and some support, Hasegawa vehicles and I think a wartime miniatures 57mm,

all the men are Valiant , as they come and also converted!

Valiant Plastics 1/72

2010-01-24T11:41:00.001+11:00

I do like this companies stuff ..I don't care about the size debate or whatever , it all fits on the table so here to my mind is the proof of the pudding..

British Infantry by Valiant and a Frontline cheapie resin M 3/9 halftrack..

AND ??

...and for the Pulp aficionados...

2010-01-20T19:42:00.000+11:00

..some items from an upcoming game

Professor Vladimir Lysenko-Starkadder and Colonel Basil Littleheart admire the new cutting edge weapon of a Gobi Desert warlord , Kash Bei Tchek, after some important cross country trials , Tank Number 2

and some of the types that will be involved..

Introduction

2010-01-20T19:28:00.000+11:00

Hello All,

this will be a blog dedicated to the 20th Centurty aspects of my wargaming hobby and I intende to post here new painted work that I haven't posted on forums.Even having said that I feel inclined to post some of my earlier work ..for example above a Britannia Tiger and 38(t) flak panzer

or a captured Humber, from Raventhorpe with hastily daubed crosses and a Valiant German officer's head.