A is for Armtec

Armtec, 5 Belinda Lane, Enfield, Connecticut 06082, USA
Polystyrene kit accessories/detailing parts lead to marketing deals with Crest and Canuck, resulting in a nice range of subjects available by the time their illustrated catalogue was published in 1976, two updates would also be issued and the three when combined with the early advertisements have lead to a bit of confusion re; set numbering! Carried by Almark and laterly Micro-mould in the UK.
Product listing
Accessories 1:76
Set № 1 - German Machine Guns
Set № 2 - 10 Jerry Cans
Set № 3 - American AFV Tools
Set № 4 - German Pioneer Tools
Set № 5 - German Spare track Section (swaps numbers with 7 in the 1976 catalogue)
Set № 6 - German Vehicle Breakdown Equipment (also; OVM – Outer Vehicle Material!)
Set № 7 - 70 Scale Feet Length - Tow Chain (swaps numbers with 5 in the 1976 catalogue)
Set 8 - Hetzer Road Wheels
Set 9 - 15 Sandbags
Set 10 - British Tools and 7 gas-tins ( ‘Flimsies’?)
Accessories 1:35
Set № 8 - 35 Scale Feet - Tow Chain (renumbered 1976; Set 1)
Set № 9 - German Machine Guns MG34 (renumbered 1976; Set 2)
Set № 10 - German Machine Guns MG42 (renumbered 1976; Set 3)
Set 4 - Tow Cables (72 scale feet)
Set 5 - German 81mm Mortar
Set 6 - British Weapons (Bren gun and Boys A/T-rifle)
Accessories 1:48
Set 1 - Tow Chain
Set 2 - German Gas Cans
Accessories 1:72
Set 1 - US .50cal. Aircraft Type and Accessories (also; AA1, became; Set AC-1)
Set AC-2 - F101-B Conversion Kit (canopy, nose extension, tailpipe extension and rockets)
Vac-formed conversion kits
Conv.1 - Cast Hull and Sand-shields for Airfix Lee/Grant
Conv.2 - Cast Hull and Sand-shields for Airfix Sherman
Crest Reproductions - Artillery (“manufactured exclusively for Armtec”, metal)
Set#1 - German 105mm Howitzer
Set#2 - German 150mm Nebelwefer
Set#3 - German Pak.40 Anti-tank Gun
Set#4 - German 8.8cm Pak.43/41 Anti-tank Gun
Set#5 - British 17lbr. Anti-tank Gun
Set#6 - German 7.5cm Pak.36 Anti-tank Gun
Set#7 - German 3.7cm Pak.36 Anti-tank Gun
Crest Reproductions - Artillery (“manufactured exclusively for Armtec”, metal)
Set M-1 - German 20mm Solothurn
Set M-2 - US .30cal. Air-cooled Machine Gun
Set M-3 - US .30cal. Water-cooled Machine Gun
Set M-4 - US 75mm Recoilless Rifle
Set M-5 - German 2.8cm sPzB.41 Gerlich
Crest Reproductions - Vehicle kits (“manufactured exclusively for Armtec”, metal)
#A1 – Jagdpanzer 38t Hetzer 1:76
CT1 - Cast Hull Sherman Conversion (1:76)
CT2 - Cast Hull Lee Conversion (1:76)
CT3 - M4A1 Sand Shields (available for Sherman and Lee – probably the same as; Conv.1 & 2 above)
CT4
CT5
CT6
CT7
CT8 - L-33 Tankette
CT9 - L-35 Tankette
CT10
Figures
#FC1 - Boar War Highlander (using Airfix 1:32nd Napoleonic Highlander)
#FC2 - WWI Highlander (using Airfix 1:32nd Napoleonic Highlander)
#IT1 - Tank Crew Member (1:35th Italian tank crew)
#IT2 - Tank Crew Member (1:35th Italian tank crew)
Decals (transfers, by Canuck Decals)
D-1 - RCAF Sheet

A is for Almark

Almark Model Products Ltd.

They were also primary importers to the UK of the Armtec range of accessories from the USA. Charles Stadden was the sculptor, and cross-over exists with Triang/Lines, Waddington’s and others through the apparent use of the Minimodels plant in Havant, Hampshire for the production of the ranges, upon their demise; Micro-Mold took over marketing of the Armtec range.

WD Series’ 20mm figures Carded sets 

WD-1 - British Infantry 1939-45 (as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

WD-2 - British Infantry Weapons 1939-45 (Some the same as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

 

Bagged sets

WD-1 - British Infantry 1939-45 (as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on base 

WD-2 - British Infantry Weapons 1939-45 (Some the same as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

 

White-metal Range 20mm (5 figures, carded;later 20-odd figures boxed)
WD-201 - Panzer Grenadiers kneeling firing
WD-202 - Panzer Grenadiers throwing grenades
WD-203 - Panzer Grenadiers MG34 lying firing
WD-204 - Panzer Grenadiers advancing
WD-205 - Panzer Grenadiers standing with machine pistol
WD-201/205 - Panzer Grenadiers (One each of the above)
WD-206 - Panzer Paratroopers NCO with MP38
WD-207 - Panzer Paratroopers MG34 gunner
WD-208 - Panzer Paratroopers kneeling firing
WD-209 - Panzer Paratroopers advancing
WD-210 - Panzer Paratroopers MP38 firing from hip
WD-206/210 - Panzer Paratroopers (One each of the above)

 
Almark Kits (54mm plastic figures, ex-Mini-Models sets, unpainted on runner)
No 1. - German Panzer Grenadiers 1939-1945
No. 2. - japanese Infantry 1939-1945
No. 3. - US Army Infantry 1943-1945

 
Century Series 54mm figures (plastic figures, metal accessories)
Kit № 101 - German Army 1939-45 5cm l.gr.W36 light mortar and crew
Kit № 102 - German Army 1939-45 Pz.B39 7.62mm anti-tank rifle and crew
Kit № 103 - German Army 1939-45 MG34 light machine-gun and crew

 
Wehrmacht Series 54mm figures (metal figure with metal accessories)
No. W1 - Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier
No. W2 - Army Officer
No. W3 - Waffen-SS Drum-Major

 
Almark tank/AFV transfer sheets (water-slide type)
T.1 - Africa Corps Emblems
T.2 - Africa Corps Emblems
T.1/2. - Africa Corps Emblems
T.3. - German Army Crosses 1939-45
T.4. Alamein sheet
T.5.
T.6.
T.7.
T.8. - US national markings and numbers
T.9. - German Panzer divisions and vehicle classification signs
T.10. - Panzer division markings and warning signs
T.11. - Panzer division emblems
T.13. - Airborne and infantry divisions
T.14. - Russian Tank markings
T.15. - Arms of service signs
T.16. - Arms of service signs
T.S.1 – Wittman’s Tiger, Russian and Normandy front

 
Flags
F.1 - Confederate flags for 20mm figures (Self-adhesive vinyl)
F.2 - American Civil War Union flags for 20mm figures (self-adhesive coated paper)

V is for Vac-forms, Part 2 - Bellona Battlefields, Powerplay Battleground & Efka Battle-Ho-Rama

Bellona set on the left, this is one of the smaller sets from Micro Mould Plastics (Unifax group), and they have appeared in various header-cards over the years, all white, and green that I know of and were sold as Bellona, Mico Mold, and Almark, they also supplied some to Roco Minitanks. I've recently seen it said Bellona were 'Always in a dark brown colour', as will become apparent further down the post, they actually came in a wide verity of colours, from pure white and grey to dark olive covering most shades of sand and fawn on the way! I'm also pretty sure the upper cottage of the two was copied by Skytrex in 1:300 scale lead!

To the right a Battleground set, these were made in Stockport in the UK, by Power Play/Mainstream Products, but seem to have been mostly sold in the US, probably so's not to get into a major war with Bellona. Some sets are similar to Bellona, others however, are quite unique. There seem to have been at least 18 in the rage of which I now know of 13.

To the left are a couple of Battle-Ho-Rama's from Efka, which I am pretty sure is a Belgian company, Unlike Battleground, these are all straight copies on Bellona ideas, tweaked to be less than identical. On the right we see the Bellona 'Small Bridge' with the Efka copy - Campaign Bridge with 2 machine-gun posts - behind, their walls, tents and gun-positions are all equally similar, and the 'Albert Canal' base in the bigger bag is clearly aping Bellona's 'Canal Wharf' set.

Going back to the bridges, you can see two treatments, either cutting them out with the culvert filled and painting it a dark colour, which leaves a little strength in a flimsy moulding (bough-in in a mixed lot of tat), or as I began to do (20+ years ago!), base it and cut out the culvert arches ready to paint 'water', the base giving it a strength that will help it survive a hundred war-games.

Of the various vac-form companies, Bellona seem to have been the most prolific, both in number of sets (40 or more in the final list) and in production, model shops still had large quantities of these to shift in the late '90's. Top right shows a couple of roofed bunkers, quite a few of both Bellona's and Efka's pieces were of this 'constructional' type, they called for a steady hand with the knife/scissors!

Here we see more examples of mine and another's work's to strengthen/enhance them for war-gaming, A) shows the basing of the set to the left, with two different approaches to cutting it out, the other guy (far left) will get cracks forming inward from the acute angles he's cut at the back of the position, cutting straight, on the flat area of 'waste' sheet prevents that, basing gives stability. B) Filling the gaps in a tightly-trimmed piece and starting to landscape with door-mat beatings.

C) shows a plaster-cast I've taken from the shell-scrape to the right, you can make quite a few castings before the vac-form starts to suffer damage. D) Is two treatments of a shell scrape to show in the upper example; a 'usable' (by troops) 'shell-scrape', in the lower one; a mud-filled 'shell-hole'. Humm...not much difference between shell-hole and hell-hole, huh?

The wall's (top left); Showing the way I created the one in the middle, first I cut the ends off two short sections (I couldn't wait for Tangley or Concord Models to get the long lengths in!) and glued them together before highlighting the 'gaps' in the dry-stone with matt black (1), then painted the stones in one-at-a-time with different shades of grey, keeping the darker 'Atlantic Grey' as the predominant shade (2) and finally dry-brushed in pale gray before flocking the base with saw-dust 'scatter'. Twenty-plus years and I've got one length finished!! Ah...you either collect, or war-game, or model, if you try to do all three you're bound to fail at at-least two of them!

I've also shown made and unmade corner pieces, note there are at least four colours/shades of plastic here, if someone tells you otherwise, send them here!

Again Efka produced a very similar sheet (I recon - if treated the same as mine they'd be hard to tell apart), but with angled sections at about 50% and a strange corner piece that meant you couldn't produce a usable enclosure (or 'run') from even two sheets?

The Bellona tentage, I seem to have lost the pup-tents that came with this set, but they were a bit shite! I added flaps to the bell-tents (a common design dating from before the Crimean War until well after WWII, and taking in most of the main campaigns of the Colonial period and the ACW.

The other tent is a bit of a dead-loss, can't get it to look realistic enough for my taste and if I re-did it now, I'd replace my rather weird attempt at a rolled up door with something bunched in ties, from tissue-paper. Efka went with a slightly more plausible medieval looking thing, but binned the Bell-tents for two horrendous 'coconut-shies' and had a similar number of blobby Pup-tents.