Steel Hussars

Here's the latest off my painting bench; two boxes of PSC Shermans (reviewed here) and some other bits to reinforce, refurbish and upgrade my Canadian armoured support to a full squadron. (click on pictures to embiggen...)

Full squadron

While I was painting and gluing I replaced one of my troop commanders in an Old Glory tank with an extra Battlefront commander Mike B. passed along from his rather expansive North Africa collection. The old troop commander was a cut down figure wearing a tin hat, which I later learned would never ever be worn by a tanker, as the brim would catch on the hatch ring. So I'd been looking for a chance to replace him for a while. The new troop commander is wearing a black beret like everyone else and he no longer feels left out.

Old Glory Sherman with new Battlefront troop commander

I added some metal stowage to the PSC Shermans. Not as much as I'd like, but I only had so much left in my bits box. I also added radio antennae. These were a simple matter of drilling out a hole with my pin vise and then using epoxy to glue in a bristle from a cheap dollar store snow bush.

Squadron Advance!

Since the 1st Hussars are a local Reserve unit to which I have a few connections via friends, and they were part of the assault force on D-Day, I switched the troop commanders cap badges to silver. A small detail I know, but it stands out better against the black armoured corps berets. My tanks are just as likely to be playing the part of the 8th (Princess Louise's ) New Brunswick Hussars in Italy or the Three Rivers Regiment or even the Governor General's Foot Guards (who drove tanks during WW2)as they are to be 1H. But I always associate my figures with a particular unit, even if I play different scenarios.

PSC Shermans in front and HQ troops, BF and OG Shermans in the rear troops.

Finished PSC Sherman and Firefly

Painting was simple. Black undercoat.  Then a heavy dry brushing of Vallejo "Bronze Green".  I then went over that with the Bronze Green mixed half and half with some Americana "True Ochre". Stowage was picked out in Vallejo "Khaki Grey" and Americana "Pewter" for the welded on track pieces. Finally I gave the tracks and road wheels and lower hull a heavy dry brushing of Americana "Mississippi Mud"  and carried a lighter dusting of that over top of the upper hull, stowage and turret to help highlight the details and give them a slightly dusty look.

Dateline: July 1944. Somewhere in Normandy Canadian tankers advance to give the Nazis a good hiding.