That project you just haven't gotten around to...

[HKurban]

So I was thinking about planned future micro armor projects, and was wondering if anyone else had any large projects that they've either been procrastinating on or haven't had the time or resources to finish.

My dream project, once I have the money to get around to it, and have made some terrain maker shores, is to buy and build the 1/350 LHD Wasp so I can run some modern ship-to-shore missions. It's a very large model, and would require a significant amount of modification since the LHD model is fully hulled, and I'd need to make it a waterline model. I know 1/350 is a bit off from 1/285th, but beggars can't be choosers.

I also have too major scenic projects I'm trying to work on:
-- 4 lane divided highway including an overpass.
-- Airbase/Civilian Airport (interchangable due to terrain hex system.

And of course the hundreds of unprimed and/or unpainted vehicles, aircraft, and infantry waiting for me.

So what do you all have waiting on the bench?

[ROGER_HOUSTON2EMC-ENG.COM]

Got the stuff for it, just taking a long time............
Been working on a complete US Corps (modern) including the two armored/mech divisions, the armored cav regiment, two FA Bdes, 1 ADA bde, 1 two battalion aviation attack helicopter regiment, engineer brigade, signal brigade, MP brigade, aviation lift group. All this in MMATG scale. Threw the signal bde in there so that I had something to do with all those S-250 Humvees.
May still be working on this 5 years from now at the rate Im going.

[Mk 1]

Wow, you guys have far larger projects than I have ever undertaken.

I took about 5 years to complete (plan, collect, re-plan, re-collect, get started, collect more, and finally complete) my WW2 Romanian force. And in the end it is just 2 companies -- 1 x infantry, 1 x armor -- plus lots of attachments.

I spent a lot of time planning my WW2 French North African force. Got my Armee d'Afrique infantry done. Got several support weapons and attached units done. I came up with a plan for converting Cossack figures to Spahis several years ago. Bought the Cossacks. But haven't yet done any modelling work on them. Contemplating now how I'm going to represent them for dis-mounted combat. Thinking of starting with the British Indian troops. Have some S-35s and Valentines to use as armor in the Tunisian campaign. The S-35s are painted up, but the Valentines need to be stripped and re-painted. Should get a stack of R-35s for armor resisting Operation Torch. Could also use a few Renault D1s or D2s, and some White-Laffley armored cars (only available from brand-X vendors) to round out the force.

Then of course I've got my US Army in Tunisia to work up. Got my M3 Mediums (Lee) and my M3A1 Lights (Stuarts). Have a very nice company of M3 Tank Destroyers (with a "light" platoon of M6 "Fargo" Tank Destroyers). Have an armored cav troop with M3 Scout Cars, M3 Halftracks (was EVERYTHING M3 in the US Army in 1942?), jeeps and T-30 HMCs. Got a battery of T-19 HMCs for support. I was such a big proponant/fan of the early-war M4A1 that GHQ introduced a couple years back. Went out and bought myself a company's worth (4 packs). And acquired about two companies worth of infantry to be painted up in 1942 colors. But alas the M4s and the infantry sit and wait...

So much that sits and waits. And since we moved last August, so much sits and waits under stacks and stacks in the garage.

[Donald M. Scheef]

I occasionally work at the Salem power plant and drive past the entrance to the Fort Mott park. I took the opportunity one week-end to tour the site and was impressed by the scale of the fortifications.

Since then, I have wanted to build a Micronauts-scale model of an Endicott-era coastal defense installation. Something like Fort Mott is achievable, but would a model of Manila Bay (including Island of Corregidor and Fort Drum) fit into my garage? 13.4 miles wide at the mouth x 5280 ft/mile / 2400 = about 30 ft. Nope. Have to scale down or go for something less ambitious.

Don S.

[Brigade Commander]

Working on the defenses across the Fulda Gap around the mid 1980's.

Troop J and Troop M of the 11th ACR done. Then behind the cavalry screen is the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division. Done are: 2 - 32 Arm, 2 - 36 Mech, A / 2 - 3 Art (DS), A / 23rd Eng(Cbt), A / 143rd Sig, A / 3 - 5 ADA both M-163 Vulcan and M-998 Avenger to cover up to GW-I. Still to be completed: 4 - 32 Arm, 3 - 36 Mech, the rest of 2 - 3 Art (DS), all of 1 - 40 Art (GS) both 8" and MLRS so I can cover up to GW-I, the rest of 23rd Eng(Cbt) and anything I can find in models to go into 503 FSB.

Knowing myself I can be sure once the 1st Brigade is done I will end up continuing onto the 2nd Brigade. And I'm sure you can already see the progression. Eventually an entire 1:1 division. It's a good thing company-sized units fit in small boxes. Less noticeable to the "Legislative" branch. The "Legislative" Oversight committee would launch an immediate investigation of military spending if the boxes were larger and more obvious!

Now we just need: either the SEE or the John Deere and engineer troops for the engineer battalion and dry van and tanker tractor trailers and the HET for the FSB.

It's more resources than time, though the lack of new purchases allows me to finish up earlier ones. Missed the last big sale due to a domestic spending emergency. Have to get ready for December! Can't miss that one or we will be way behind in the arms race.

[HKurban]

Hold up....


...Did you just say 1:1 division?!?

Infantry too? Because that's well... that's a lot of pewter.

[ROGER_HOUSTON2EMC-ENG.COM]

The "other guys" made an M-803 5ton tractor that was the prime mover for their Patriot launcher and radar van trailer. Its not nearly as crisp as the GHQ M-923, but it will do. I made cargo trailers for them using flat plastic card and tandem wheels from some old Long Tom 155mm guns . Unfortunatly I didnt have enough to do a 1:1 , but at platoon scale I have enough to do a 5:1 for my FSB's and MSB's in my divisions. Have no idea on how to scratchbuild a Fruehauf 5000 gal tanker trailer, but I used Chicklets and painted them flat black to look like fuel bladders sitting on the trailers. The GHQ 5 ton wrecker can work pretty well as a tractor, except it doesnt have the spare tire assembly and exaust behind the cab. The problem there too is that they come only two to a pack, so you have to sink a bunch of bucks to get enough tractors from that method . I also used them to convert for 5 ton dump trucks for my engineers and electronic shelters for my signal,ADA, and MI units.
If you can find a way to get a decent looking SEE from what is currently out there, please let me know. I need something for my engineer companies besides the dozers I made out of the WW2 Russian artillery tractors mated with the blades clipped from the M-728 CEV.

[Mk 1]

I need something for my engineer companies besides the dozers I made out of the WW2 Russian artillery tractors mated with the blades clipped from the M-728 CEV.

Here's a tip: I find that the dozer blades from the WW2 Sherman Dozer fit the Russian Artillery tractors brilliantly to make very nice looking bulldozers. The advantages with this approach are that there is no clipping involved, and when you take away the dozer blade you still have a fully usefull Sherman left, rather than a castrated M-728.

[ROGER_HOUSTON2EMC-ENG.COM]

My "castrated" CEV hulls make great AVLMs with a bit of scratchbuilding, though

[pmskaar]

I have been very busy this last year with other things so I haven't been able to get to my GHQ stuff as often as I would like. I have many projects to finish in addition to those I want to start. Here is a fairly short list of what I have going on right now. These are all at 1 to 1 scale for vehicles and squad/team level for infantry.

1. British armored regiment for North Africa. Right now I have a squadron of Grants, a squadron of Crusader II's and a partial Crusader II squadron. This will cover me for Gazala and beyond but wait..... I also want to do a British armored regiment for El Alamein as well. For this one, I want to have 2 squadrons of Shermans and a squadron of Crusader III's. Right now I have 9 painted Shermans and that's it. I have the models but need to get them painted.

2. Flesh out my German panzer battalion for North Africa. I have a bunch of Pz III's and IV's that are basecoated but I need to do the detail work. This last year I actually did manage to finish 8 long barrel Pz III's but I have more to do.

3. Flesh out my 1943 Russian tank brigade. I have a battlion of T-34's done and a company of T-70's.

4. Barbarossa. I have enough models to do a couple companies each of Pz35t's and Pz 38t's. I am interested in doing some of the battles of Army Group North's 6th and 8th Panzer Diviisions. I also need to do the Russian stuff as well. I have one or two early T-34's painted, a couple of early KV1's, a couple of BT's and T-26's. I want to do more here as well including infantry which brings us to....

5. German and Russian infantry. Right now I have an SMG armed Russian infantry company done. These are GHQ's 1st series but I have a company or two of the new rifle infantry basecoated and need to finish them. I have a platoon of German infantry done but around two companies worth in various stages of painting. Once I have them done I will have enough German infantry for most scenarios I would be doing for the European Theater.

There are tons of other things I want to get to as well. I want to beef up my 1943 and 44 Eastern Front Forces for both sides including the new Panzer III's with sideskirts for the Kursk time fram, T-34 85's for 1944, Panthers, Tigers, Tiger II's and more Pz IV's etc for the Germans. That is quite a list for now and I may shift some of my priorities around and I go.

Pete - Binpicker, Out!

[Brigade Commander]

Hold up....


...Did you just say 1:1 division?!?

Infantry too? Because that's well... that's a lot of pewter.

Tell me about it! Mech and scout squads all have dismounted troop stands done. Six-man infantry squads, three-man platoon HQ and four-man company stands. I haven't quite found the "right", at least for me, combination for the battalion command stand. Each scout track has a two-man scout team stand.

Nine bunker boxes per battalion is what I have it worked out to. Four, one for each Mech company's vehicles and squad stands, and five for the battalion-level vehicles and personnel stands. Same for the tank battalion except no dismount squad stands but the battalion scout team stands are also done.

Each big sale I try and buy at least two full battalions. I have a Mech battalion order form and a tank battalion order form ready to go. Still trying to get a full battalion TO&E for both the GS and DS artillery battalions. Roger Houston, hope I have this right(!), on this forum has been helping with that area. Thanks! Keeps me busy up until the next big sale.

I don't have anywhere built, yet(!), to field them all. Maybe over this winter. A nice long, wide(?), table is calling. Need to start negotiations for "land" to build a "training" base. I have a lot of scenery experience from my model railroad days but the work of the people in this forum is inspiring, to say the least. Keep us challenged guys! Right now I have the bunker boxes taking over the wide two-drawer file cabinet. The grumbling about that has declined over the years. Even as I take over more space.

This is as long as work continues to exist, of course.

[Brigade Commander]

Rats! Double-post again.

[bound for glory]

i want to put on a "late cold war" game for my best friend who is really down because of a devorce.
anyway, its a soviet tank battalion(31 t80) a recon company, and some aa.
the germans have a leo 2 company, a marder company, a recon plt. and 2 attack helos. i'd like to get that euro helo "tiger", but i don"t know who makes it. any help?

[rommel58]

I think GHQ has a model of the Euro Tiger.

[rommel58]

GHQ will have a model of the Eurocopter Tiger in the December release of models.
Good luck helping your friend.