Bolt Action : Japanese A5m Claude in Shanghai 1937

 Hi guys

I have just completed a plane for Bolt Action in the Far East.  I want to expand my tiny Chinese/Japanese/Manchukuo forces with more vehicles, this time a Japanese air support unit, a A5M Claude aircraft, as seen in the film "The 800" during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937.

There’s something special about early-war aircraft, and the Mitsubishi A5M Claude is one of those planes that instantly pulls you into a different era. Before the legendary Zero, this was Japan’s frontline naval fighter—the first monoplane carrier fighter in the world to enter service. 

The A5M made its combat debut during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, particularly in the fighting around Shanghai in 1937. At the time, it equipped units like the 12th Kokutai, one of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s key air groups deployed in China.

These aircraft often operated from carriers such as the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, which played a major role in projecting Japanese air power during the conflict. The Claudes quickly proved their worth, outperforming many Chinese fighters of the time and establishing air superiority in several engagements.

I really like this less known pre-WWII aircraft :)

The kit itself is Hobby Boss 1/72 A5M is one of those kits that doesn’t fight you. It’s simple, clean, and perfect for a quick project because it´s for begginers, with some details simplified, so perfect for wargaming! The fit is good overall, and you can get a really nice result without going crazy on aftermarket parts.

Magnets and transparent acrylic rod made a perfect flying stand!

The classic look for a Shanghai-era Claude is the natural metal (or aluminium lacquer) finish, mixed with some masked red areas.

 I didn’t want it to look like a mirror, though, that can feel unrealistic at this scale, so I went for a slightly toned-down metallic with Ammo Mig paints: I used a soft aluminium base rather than a bright chrome,  I added subtle panel variation with slightly different metallic shades and finally, kept weathering minimal, with a pin wash in the panel lines and some dirt and smoke where it should normally be.

In Bolt Action, early-war Japanese forces aren’t always the most common choice, which makes something like the A5M stand out even more. It works perfectly as a thematic air support option for a 1937–1939 China theater force, along the Type 89 I-go tank and an armored car with some artillery.

I hope you like this little project.

Allied air support for Bolt Action

Hello guys,

I really like painting historical aircraft models, althought I have painted only a handful in all my life, I  especially  when they tie into a themed wargaming force (this time, Bolt Action force).

 For my Mediterranean theatre army, I recently finished painting a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk in RAF desert camouflage — specifically representing an aircraft in British service during the Sicilian campaign of 1943.

For the  kit I used the 1/72 scale P-40 from HobbyBoss, a solid kit that goes together quickly, because it is a begginer model,  and while it’s simple compared to more detailed aircraft kits, it’s perfect for tabletop use — light, durable, and looks great from a distance.

The painting process was as follows;

I wanted the plane to reflect the classic RAF desert scheme common in North Africa and Sicily around 1942–43, so for the  base colors: I primed the whole model in light grey, then sprayed the underside with a pale Azure Blue.

Then began the masking process with masking tape and black masking  putty for the topside camo. I applied Mid Stone and Dark Earth and achieved the hard edges between the two tones.

The weathering was simple, oil dots fading in the fuselage, panel lines were lightly washed with a brown wash, and then some streaks on the wing roots and cowling. I used RAF decals from the model.

To simulate the aircraft in flight for Bolt Action, I made a custom flight stand with a mdf round base, clear acrylic rod.

I glued a small neodymium magnet under the fuselage, this connects to a clear acrylic rod, which is inserted into a custom MDF base.

The base itself is textured and decorated with static grass and flowers.

While Bolt Action’s air support is abstract and often limited to one die roll, having a painted aircraft on the table adds atmosphere and narrative value. Whether it represents a strafing run or just serves as thematic terrain, this P-40 helps root the force in its historical context — British and Commonwealth troops fighting their way through the sun-baked hills of Sicily in the summer of ’43.

I hope you like this little plane.

Cheers

Bolt Action: Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A) and Volkssturm soldier

 

Hi guys,

I just finished a a couple of 3d printed models, a test model of a Volkssturm young soldier and a Jagdpanzer IV/70 (A) from 2021, so not as detailed as latest 3d models, but with some improvements it does the job. 

I added mesh schürzen from a Rubicon Models Panzer IV J, and a couple of bits like the caterpillars as an extra defense in the front plate of the armor.

This Jagdpanzer variant was armed with the same gun as the Panther Pak42 L/70, and only 278 were built by Nibelungenwerke from August 1944 to March 1945.

The painting was the usual method;

Airbrushing the colors with some color modulation using zenithal light technique, all the weathering ( filter, oil dots fading, pin washes, scratches and streaking grime and dirt, then some pigments and mud) and matt varnish.

The volkssturm man is by (I think) 3d models by Propylene Foliescu and I like it very much,  easy to paint model with a rare weapon, Volkssturmgewehr , a last ditch line of rifles and assault weapons.

I have already a Normandy force German and US, and an Axis forces for Sicily 1943, now I wanted some late WW2 in 1945 wester front force, for Remagen, Ruhr Pocket etc.

I hope you like this little WW2 update.

                                        

Finally a picture I took back in 2015 of the real vehicle at the Saumur tank museum in France, as far as I know, is the only surviving example of this type.

Tanks for Sicily 1943: Semovente 47/32

 Hello guys

Sorry for the lack of activity in the last months, I got married in late April, then came the honeymoon,  a new job, I moved to a new home... so a lot of non hobby stuff as you can imagine, so now, very slowly I am recovering the mood of painting again :)

I wanted to add more tanks to my Bolt Action,  Axis force for the Battle of Sicily 1943. 

as shown previously here: https://spanishleadpainting.blogspot.com/2021/03/bolt-action-italian-tanks-in-sicily-1943.html

Italian armour in Sicily consisted of the captured R35 tank,  the Semovente 90/53 and finally, Semovente 47/32.  I already painted the first two models, so now I have finished the little Semovente 47/32.

These little tank destroyers after the fall of Tunis in 1943 were stationed in Italy, with units attached to the “Black Shirt” Divisions  and Livorno infantry division in Sicily. They saw action in defence of the island when the Allies invaded in  1943 with Operation Husky.

Unfortunately for the Semovente 47/32, when they entered service, they faced newer allied tank designs, with better armour and firepower. The 47mm gun was ineffective against medium tanks like  M4 Sherman, and barely adequate against smaller allied light tanks like the M3 ‘Honey’ Stuart at normal fighting ranges, so I will use the tank carefully in my games, trying to keep it safe under the protection of heavier German tanks or guns.

The model itself is from Warlord Games, resin and metal, but the quality is good and had no flash. The crew was also included, and was mandatory to paint them, as the tank would be absolutely incomplete without the crew, as it is an open top vehicle.

The painting process was the usual;

1) airbrushing the colors, giving them some cenital highlights

2)  gloss varnish

3) decals  

4) gloss varnish again in order to protect the previous work

5) color filter by Ammo Mig

6) Oil dots for color fading

7) Pin wash in the recesses with dark enamel by Tamiya

8) 2 color chipping

9) rust, streaking grime

10) dust effects, mud, and then matt varnish

11)spilled grease/oil , basing and finished!

I hope you like this little vehicle, cheers!

Bolt Action Fallschirmjager for Sicily PART II FINAL

 Hello guys,

I finally managed to finish the entire squad of Artizan Fallschirmjager in Sicily 1943!

 As this is the second (and final part) of this squad, leave the link of the first post here:

https://spanishleadpainting.blogspot.com/2022/10/bolt-action-fallschirmjager-for-sicily.html

These are fantastic Artizan Design miniatures, "Ramcke Brigade" Fallschirmjager, I think they are out of production nowadays. I painted them as Fallschirmjager Regiment 3 in Sicily, summer 1943, as their uniform was almost the same, tropical suit.

This is second part of the squad , painted in Vallejo and Foundry paints, using different shades of desert yellow ochre color in order to show the sun faded effect in the fabric.

The newly painted miniatures are these 6:

Now the full unit:

I will also paint a light anti tank rifle team from Perry Miniatures, the 2,8-cm-schwere Panzerbüchse 41

a 28mm gun in 28mm scale (bad joke). I may add more Fallschirmjager to this German Army ( already have common Wehrmacht infantry, Hermann Göring Panzers)... I also have 3 Italian tanks, 2 painted (and posted in this blog)  and 1 unpainted, the Semovente 47/32 by Warlord Games, already built and primed. I hope to finish this army in 2023!

Cheers

Flames of War: Panzer II "whitewashed"

 Hello guys!

It has been a long time since I last updated this blog... I had some health (eyes) issues, and thank God, everything is fine now, and I was able to finish some  painting projects I had unfinished, like a 1/35 model diorama (not gaming stuff) and some ancients in 28mm , as well as some Flames of War miniatures like these here.

This time I painted 3 Zvezda plastic 1/100 or 15mm Panzer IIs for my Stalingrad project.

The detail of these little tanks is decent and good enough for gaming purposes, and they are quite light and small.  I really enjoyed painting them in winter camouflage, with the white wash over the panzer grey paint.  

By late 1942 (and almost 1943) Panzer II were clearly outdated and outgunned by enemy tanks, but they were still useful as rear guard actions or airfield protection.  As I am buillding a small airfield , inspired in  Gumrak airport in Stalingrad, or something similar, with a 1/100 Junkers 52 in the airstrip... I wanted to have some Panzer II as the defense force against Soviet hordes in my games.

I used  Ammo Mig Chipping fluid over the panzergrey paint, and the white paint over this fluid... then just brushed on some water, and the white paint began to tear off or "chip".

Then I applied the usual weathering on the tanks as follows...

Gloss varnish, decals, more gloss varnish to protect all the previous work... filters, oil dots fading,  pin washes, chipping, dust & mud, and matt varnish!

I hope you like these small tanks!