K is for Krad (Kraftrad)

I think a couple of these shots used to be on my Imageshack account but I closed it years ago (it never worked properly?), so they can go here and then the originals are off to the dongle-jail!

When Hät Industries first hit the hobby with their Mamalukes (could they have chosen a more esoteric, yet popular stater set?), it was  a real breath of fresh air. They then added some nice ACW (some since 'enhanced') and a lot of 'Nappies' (Napoleonics to normal people), each set being eagerly anticipated...after which they sort of went a bit off for a while producing some stumpy Napoleonics and some ancients that appeared to be sculpted from sun-dried snot.

By the time they were issuing/experimenting with crumbly 'glueable' hybrid plastics (that wouldn't glue) I gave-up keeping-up and couldn't tell you what they've issued in the last few years - some nice camel troops I picked-up a couple of years ago and lots of good-looking WWI artillery types, I do know of! - but Dave's PSR will have them all listed, and looked at beautifully.

The above comments are not meant as an attack, just a gentle gibe at some of the less memorable sections of their prolific history. While everything else was going on (experiments with painted 54mm's, introduction of 28mm's etc..) there was the advent of a range of 'Quick Build' vehicles under a slightly separate branding (Armourfast), since hived-off, but not really?

Explained (as is the Cotes and Shine tale) several ways, around the Internet by people who talk as if they know what they're talking about, but clearly don't because the tales are all slightly different? Probably only 'H' knows what the truth of the two brands is? And after the years-long "Don't admit they're Airfix" approach to the 7000 series I've learnt not to ask!

Under that branding, these arrived, and they were brilliant; a bit chunky, but they are aimed at the war gamers not modellers, and several years before all the other makers sets came out (as a direct result of these - no doubt), they are made of a pretty rigid PVC (not as rigid as Galloob or Wizards of the Coast though), and can be glued (for ever, it's a kind of chemical welding and is almost instant) with plumbers pipe-sealant.

The set 'German Motorcycle with Sidecar' is available in either Hät or Armourfast boxes (same artwork same material...same batch?) and I felt they needed a little...more.

One of the things about German Motorcycle combinations of the Second World War is that model companies like to give them an MG34 or 42, usually on a pintle-mount, when in reality most had no machine-gun, and when they did have one it was often clamped to the crab-rail, given a dedicated, raised rail, or fitted anyhoo as a field-modification.

So, a [hand?]-rail was the first thing. I could only get a heavy-gauge brass-wire, but not having the patience to wait, went with it! I never resolved the bracket, so the MG is rather 'plonked' at the moment (I say - as if I didn't do these in 2007!), and a little bandage of Evergreen strip is still required. I added a US Halftrack's Jerry-can rack to the side car.

A body-swap improved the out-rider and I removed the parcel from the spare wheel to give this a more businesslike look, they're out looking for something and they think they've just found it.

This one lost it's machine-gun completely and's been loaded to the gunnels for a long distance convoy escort...or something. they're eating-up the miles anyway!

The overall chunkiness of these is not an issue, but the tyres are, they're quite poor, but they are what you get, so this one got an extra spare...spare! I also added the dispatch-case's released by the other two models; one to the motorcycle the other squeezed in on the left-hand side of the side-car.

There seem tro be three main 'factory' configureations; one satchel/box on the left/inside of the side-car; two cases, both sides; or an inside dispatch case and an outside Jerry-can rack. But all other possible combinations can be found.

The third machine lost its side-car all together, there is a second set with single Zundapps, but I've yet to track one down...when (if) I do, I'll give one of them the spare side-car!

For dispatches, this machine got a Tamiya (or Italeri?) 'bread bag' from a 54mm 'multi-pose' kit and some blanket rolls or such-like, also from 54mm kits and a heavy stand from the same brass-rod, this looks OK, due to the heaviness of the models, they are much bigger than their styrene forbears or even a lot of the resin/white-metal contemporaries.

As I say; I did these in 2007 and they remain unfinished and unpainted! I used to have a link to a site with thousands of photographs of German machines from WWII, but I've lost it somewhere along the way, however this forum thread is good for a quick game of 'spot the machine gun'!

http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?f=345&t=1408

The 'combat units' (reconnaissance and motor-infantry) seem to have a 50% issue, but most of the lone combinations (scouts, dispatch riders/staffers, signallers, engineers, medics etc...) have none at all.

And the burning question de jour; side car, side-car or sidecar?

K is for Kit Sprues - as a Marketing Tool!

For the longest time now Paul Morehead over at Plastic Warrior has run the feature 'Soldiers in the Media' finding the uses people put toy soldiers to in order to sell you something else. I too have always collected toy-related stuff in the more general media and here are a few on a single theme...Kit Sprues.

This was a 'Quick-fit' insurance leaflet from about two years ago, and pulls heavily on Airfix iconography for everything from the logo to the paint tins!

This is a bit older (10 years or so?) and is full of fascinating stuff worth reading (it should be an o-level text!) as well as having recognise able bits of an Italeri or Tamiya (?) sprue...I recognise the guard dog and the officer's map-case!! But I don't know what the sow-weaster hood looking thing is middle left?

This is more recent, and a very good bit of Sci-fi 'near-fiction'. topical as well; Radio 4 have had two programmes devoted to 3-D printing in the last few weeks, one of the biggest tech-con's is currently featuring 'Rapid Prototyping' as the trend du jour, and we (toy soldier people) had two or three very interesting debates about the subject only a couple of three-years ago.

Held on the HaT and Strelets forums if you fancy looking for them, the general consensus was we'd all be able to design our own set in Dreamweaver and take the disc down to Prontoprint for a new set of killer-caveman space-marines before tea, within a year or two! that's er...now!

However a quick read of Makers leads you to spot potential problems even the author hasn't covered, such as a rougue robot-copier vindictively covering the planet in a grey plastic layer of Airfix Drum-major's because the toaster rejected him with a stolid silence!!!!! Be afraid, be very afraid...

T is for Trains

Bit of a cheat this one 'cause most of them are more Triang, but there are some non-Triang among them. The one I really wanted to post I can't bloody find, despite going through most of my stuff twice in the last few days, hence no posts!! Have to save it for neverwhen!!

This is a Jouef/Playcraft low sided plank wagon, being prepared for the HaT Colonial Artillery (which - co-incidentally - was posted on the HaT forum yesterday, and it looks good), I started with Humbrol body-filler but it was a bit hard, so I painted it with liquid-poly cement and it went too soft! Finished up with terracotta Miliput and toothpicks for the cross-bracing. The bogie's have been removed so I can give the whole thing a military paint-job and Hornby couplings.

Behind is a Triang bogie-bolster wagon, which is another one you can build up with sand-bags, I may use this for the same colonial train, or use it to try and replicate the oft-reproduced picture of a 1939/40 era German train loaded with troops (I think it was originally from Signal, and is in all the Purnell/Pan/Ballentine part-works of the '70's), using the ridiculous Revell 'firing on my mates shoulder' posed MG42, and similar posed on wall MG34 from Italeri?

Another Jouef for Playcraft, this is the entry-level clockwork locomotive, which comes in a reasonable shade of military green, and if you buy an old one for 50p at a car-boot sale...it comes ready weathered!!!! I think the track may be Playcraft as well, but it might be Triang, as it's a piece of child-hood surviving stuff, and we had Triang clockworks not Playcraft.

Comparison between the two best loco's for a military marshaling yard, without the need for lots of repainting, although you can also use black 'GS' types with most armies.

S is for Sherman

"General" Sherman to the soldiers of the North, "Ronson" to the soldiers of the Normandy breakout! The most common toy/model tank after the Tiger, and coming in all scales and levels of accuracy!

Left to right we have the Matchbox 17lbr. 'Firefly' the Airfix ready-made Firefly and a HaT Sherman. The Matchbox model is a nice one and I've stuck a few sandbags on the front as they did!

This is an Atlantic clip-together (their answer to ready-mades, but with little bits to lose!), she's sitting next to two of the recent Corgi die-casts, one in desert/Tunisian colours, the other more suitable to the Normandy bridgehead.

This slightly more eclectic line-up consists of an 'antiqued' pencil-sharpener 'gift' (with a crude dozer-blade and the suspension of a Pz.II Luchts!!! Not to mention a copy of the Matchbox commander?), next to that is a Hong Kong toy around 1:80, this has a late war turret, and similarities with the Playart toys, but is not from the same range, nor is it marked with anything familiar (W.T. 310?). Finally the little Sherman from the Aurora Anzio Beach model kit/play set, compare this with my first post which showed the carded version of this model.

A comparison shot between the Airfix and Atlantic polythene models, detail on the Airfix one is much better than the Atlantic offering, but the Italian toy has better proportion, the British effort seems a bit flat and/or too wide, so giving the impression it's been trodden on by a giant!

C is for Chariot by HaT Industries

This is the HaT Assyrian chariot, photographed at the third time of gluing!! As you can see I had to engage in some serious engineering to get the whole thing to hold together, even now I'm not happy with the 'hang' of the chariot sides, and the wheels are a whole blog!! This plastic is neither fish nor fowl and manages to have all the problems of both (Brittleness of polystyrene and non-gluability of polyethylene) with few of the benefits.

Also in the picture a spear hand turned in a mini drill after being flattened with a blow from a hammer, I use the centre of another hammer as an anvil. The tip is finished with fine rat-tailed files. I wanted the chariot to be relatively stationary so the horses were cut-n-shut to produce less animated fellows.

Above is the result, again I had trouble getting a good join and ended up using poly-cement, super-glue and body-filler - all at the same time. Below the messenger with his new weapon in situe.

Once I was happy with all the elements I had to base them and the following picture is that process, the larger piece is sitting on a sheet of mild steel and has been marked for cutting, likewise the messenger's horse and groom/holder, who are on a strip of brass.

Single figures get a coin each. The final photo shows the painting to date (I started this months ago and it'll be a while before I finish it - if ever!!!!) really only the horses. The detail on these figures is mind-blowing if you have been brought up on Airfix and Giant/Hong Kong, and I've been using the Games Workshop ink washes to fine effect.