Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) (GE364)

Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) (GE364) includes one Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) Armoured Car & two Crew figures. For the most part German armoured car designs during the Second World War were more than adequate for the roles they needed to fulfil. However, one very common complaint from armoured car crews was the lack of sufficient firepower when forced to engage the enemy. Check out the Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) in the online store here...

Desperate Measures! January, 1945: In the west, the German Ardennes offensive failed to achieve its goal of forcing the Allies to the negotiating table. In the east, the Germans traded ground for time, falling back into western Poland and east Prussia and establishing Festerplatz, or fortress cities. Despite the setbacks, Germany itself was still in German hands and the Allied advances had all been stopped. Learn more about Desperate Measures! here...

In November 1944, Hitler ordered that the production of Sd Kfz 234/3 to cease and replacing it would be the Sd Kfz 234/4. While the Sd Kfz 234/3 featured the short barrelled 7.5cm KwK51 L/24, the Sd Kfz 234/4 was to be armed with the formidable 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun. The 7.5cm PaK40 complete with gun shield but minus its wheels was mounted on a pedestal mount centre of the fighting compartment; this effectively turned the vehicle into a wheeled tank destroyer. However, the design was not without its limitations; as with any hull mounted gun, the PaK40 was severely restricted by its inability to traverse.

Ammunition stowage was also an issue. Due to the size of the rounds, only twelve could to stow aboard the vehicle at any one time. If this wasn’t enough, the open topped fighting compartment left the crew vulnerable to small arms fire and shell fragments. Despite these limitations, production of the Sd Kfz 234/4 didn’t cease until March 1945. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Victor Pesch

The Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) in Flames Of War
Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower    Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) Jeep 3 0 0 AA MG, Recce. 7.5cm PaK40 gun 32"/80cm  2 12 3+  Hull mounted.

Hull-mounted Guns Some tanks mount weapons in the front of the hull instead of in a turret to save weight or to make them easier to produce. A hull-mounted weapon mounted in the front of a vehicle has a 180-degree Field of Fire covering everything in front of a line drawn across the front of the vehicle. If the weapon is mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the Field of Fire covers everything to the rear of a line drawn across the rear of the vehicle.

Aufklärer 38(t) (GE369)

Aufklärer 38(t) (GE369) includes one Aufklärer 38(t) Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle & one Tank Commander figure. The cessation of Panzer II L production in January 1944 after only 100 vehicles were completed meant that the demand for a fully-tracked reconnaissance was still high within the Wehrmacht. Check out the Aufklärer 38(t) in the online store here...

Desperate Measures! January, 1945: In the west, the German Ardennes offensive failed to achieve its goal of forcing the Allies to the negotiating table. In the east, the Germans traded ground for time, falling back into western Poland and east Prussia and establishing Festerplatz, or fortress cities. Despite the setbacks, Germany itself was still in German hands and the Allied advances had all been stopped. Learn more about Desperate Measures! here...

With no alternate design ready to go into production Bohemian-Moravian Motor Works (or BMM) stepped in to provide the necessary vehicles by modifying chassis of the Panzer 38(t) that had been returned to workshops for repair. The conversion process involved removing the tank turret and building up the hull structure before a 2cm Hängelafette 38 turret was fitted. Fifty conversions were completed between February and March 1944 and the resulting vehicles were issued to armoured reconnaissance units serving on both the Eastern and Western Front from April 1944. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Victor Pesch

The Aufklärer 38(t) in Flames Of War
Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower    Sd Kfz 234/4 (PaK40) Standard Tank 4 1 0 Co-ax MG, Recce. 2cm KwK38 gun 16"/40cm  3 5 5+  Self-defence anti-aircraft.

Reconnaissance Platoons Reconnaissance platoons (recce platoons for short) are a commander’s ‘eyes and ears’ on the battlefield. Composed of lightly-armoured vehicles or stealthy infantry, their task is to push out in front of an advancing army and ascertain the strength and disposition of the enemy. This information allows a commander to direct his attacks against points in the enemy line where the opposition is the weakest. In defence, recce platoons act as a screen, keeping the enemy from learning a force’s dispositions while gathering information about when and from where any attack will come. A Reconnaissance Platoon is any platoon noted as such in the Intelligence Handbooks. All teams in a Reconnaissance Platoon are Recce teams. Teams attached to a Reconnaissance Platoon are not Recce teams unless they are attached from another Reconnaissance Platoon. Recce teams use the special rules on pages 193 to 195.

Self-defence Anti-aircraft Weapons Some tanks have anti-aircraft machine-guns mounted for protection against air attacks. These weapons are usually fired by the vehicle commander, requiring them to watch the skies for incoming aircraft rather than performing their own job. If the platoon isn’t under attack, the commander focuses on their main task rather than worrying about providing anti-aircraft cover for other platoons. Self-defence Anti-aircraft weapons, such as all AA MG, may only fire Anti-aircraft Fire if one of the platoon’s teams would be under the Template (see page 185 of the rulebook). Self-defence Anti-aircraft weapons only roll one die when firing at Aircraft regardless of their ROF rating. Unlike other Anti-aircraft weapons firing at Aircraft, Selfdefence Anti-aircraft weapons can move At the Double, Dig In, Shoot or Assault in their next turn.

Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40) (GE263)

Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40) (GE263) inlcudes one Sd Fkz 251/22D (PaK40) Half-track with Plastic Components & two Crew figures. The last major variant of the Sd Kfz 251 half-track was the Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40). Its existence came about as a direct result of Hitler’s demand to mount as many anti-tank guns on vehicles as possible in an attempt to combat the ever growing numbers of tanks threatening Germany’s boarders near the end of 1944. Check out the Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40) in the online store here...

Desperate Measures! January, 1945: In the west, the German Ardennes offensive failed to achieve its goal of forcing the Allies to the negotiating table. In the east, the Germans traded ground for time, falling back into western Poland and east Prussia and establishing Festerplatz, or fortress cities. Despite the setbacks, Germany itself was still in German hands and the Allied advances had all been stopped. Learn more about Desperate Measures! here...

The 7.5cm PaK40 anti-tank gun was mounted to the vehicle via a platform constructed to the rear of the driver’s compartment. In order to accommodate the gun a few minor cosmetic changes had to be made to the half-track. These included cutting away a small section of the driver’s roof in order to allow enough room for the recoil mechanism and the addition of a rudimentary travel lock weld to the front of the roof. Since the gun was mounted in a relatively fixed position it could only be traversed around 20° to either the left or right. This meant that in order to engage targets that weren’t directly in the gun’s line of sight the entire vehicle had to be repositioned.

Two stowage bins provided storage for a majority of the ammunition with additional loose rounds kept in containers under the floor. The gun was fired by the gunner who sat on a small folding wooden seat located on the left-hand side of the gun with target acquisition made using the standard PaK40 sight.  In addition to the PaK40, the Sd Kfz 251/22D retained its rear mounted machine-gun for self-defence purposes. Of the limited number of Sd Kfz 251/22 produced from December 1944, all were issued to the Panzer Division established in 1945. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Victor Pesch
The Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40) in Flames Of War

Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower    Sd Kfz 251/22D (PaK40) Half-tracked 1 0 0 AA MG. 7.5cm PaK40 gun 32"/80cm  2 12 3+  Hull mounted.
Hull-mounted Guns Some tanks mount weapons in the front of the hull instead of in a turret to save weight or to make them easier to produce. A hull-mounted weapon mounted in the front of a vehicle has a 180-degree Field of Fire covering everything in front of a line drawn across the front of the vehicle. If the weapon is mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the Field of Fire covers everything to the rear of a line drawn across the rear of the vehicle.

IS-2 obr 1944 (SU093)

IS-2 obr 1944 (SU093) includes one IS-2 obr 1944 tank, one Tank Commander figure and one optional .50 cal AA MG.  The IS-2 heavy tank was designed to replace the aging KV tanks as the Guards heavy breakthrough units. Check out the IS-2 obr 1944 in the online store here...

Desperate Measures! January, 1945: In the west, the German Ardennes offensive failed to achieve its goal of forcing the Allies to the negotiating table. In the east, the Germans traded ground for time, falling back into western Poland and east Prussia and establishing Festerplatz, or fortress cities. Despite the setbacks, Germany itself was still in German hands and the Allied advances had all been stopped. Learn more about Desperate Measures! here...

It was equipped with the massive 122mm gun;  ideal for hunting the enemy heavy tanks and firing HE (High Explosive) rounds into fortified enemy positions. The IS-2 obr 1944 introduced a faster-loading version of the gun, the D25-T with a double-baffle muzzle brake and better fire-control. It also featured a simpler hull front without a step instead using a flat, sloping glacis armour plate.

Sometimes referred to as the IS-2m (lowercase 'm'), but this official designation was not used until the modernisation of the tank by the Soviets in the 1950s (IS-2M, uppercase 'M'). Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Casey Davies

The IS-2 obr 1944 in Flames Of War
Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower    IS-2 obr 1944 Slow Tank 11 8 2 Co-ax MG, Turret-rear MG. 122mm D-25T gun 32"/80cm  1 15 2+  Breakthrough gun.

No Saves from Big Guns Some weapons are just so powerful that there is no chance of surviving a hit from them. These heavy guns are often mounted in tanks and self-propelled guns designed to break through enemy defensive lines. Infantry teams, Gun teams, Passengers, and Unarmoured vehicles automatically fail their Saves when hit by a Breakthrough Gun or a Bunker Buster. This does not apply to Artillery Bombardments.

videotutorial on how to PAINT 15mm Vehicles. Enjoy!

http://www.modelbrush.com/videotutorial-tanks-15mm/

How to paint 15mm Germans from the Open Fire box

Source: http://www.modelbrush.com/

How to paint 15mm Germans from the Open Fire box

We’ve prepared a simple document where you can find a painting guide about World War Two Germans, based on the new Open Fire box miniatures from Battlefront (Flames of War). Inside you can find a step by step guide, a color chart, and lots of tips!.

Step 1 – Apply primer. I prefer to use black primer because I can use it when I do the profiling. In this case I’ve use a brush. But it’s always better to use an airbrush or spray, because the layer of paint is thinner and more homogeneous.

Step 2 – Apply base colors. We paint the trousers with Dark grey 862 (Vallejo) and the jacket with German Camo Extra Dark Green 896 (Vallejo). Remember, it’s recommendable to dilute the paint with water, because you can handle it easier.

Step 3 – Apply lights. We work the trousers with Dark bluegrey 867 (Vallejo) first and continue with Ivory 918 (Vallejo) or white. And we work jacket with German Fieldgrey WWII 830 first and then by mixing this color with Ivory or white. I usually apply 4-5 lights, but you can apply as many as you want, until you get a good contrast. Anyway, once again, I recommend working with diluted paints! Therefore transitions will be smoother.

Step 4 – Apply a profiling with black. When I apply a profiling I paint a thin line in order to “separate” each element of the miniature. You should use a thin brush and diluted paint, and I usually use black, but you can use any other dark color. This step could be very unreal, but it’s a very interesting resource in this scale, because we win a lot of contrast.

Step 5 – Paint details. We paint the different details. For instance, I’ve used the following colors:

• Puches, bags, canteen, etc: Dark oxide 302 (Vallejo, Panzer aces)
• Leggins, gasmask cover: Germ. C. Extra Dark Green 896 (Vallejo)
• Poncho: English uniform 921 (Vallejo)
• Rifle: Flat brown 982 (Vallejo) and Gunmetal grey 863 (Vallejo)
• Panzerfaust: English uniform 921 (Vallejo) or Desert yellow 977 (Vallejo)
• Wood (pale, stielgrenate, etc): Desert yellow 977

Step 6 – Apply lights on details. Generally we can use Ivory or white to light all colors, except for Dark oxide and flat brown. In this kind of browns, red browns, I prefer to use a lighter color. For example, I usually use this scheme: Dark oxide 302 > Flat brown 862 > Orange brown 981. So, to paint pouches, etc, we can use only flat brown like light, and when we paint the Rifle, we can use first flat brown, and then, orange brown. Anyway, you can use any other combination!.

Step 7 – Apply a profiling with black. Once again, we apply a profiling, but this time on the details. And like the first profiling, this step is very important, because we can get more and more contrast!

Step 8 – Finally, we paint the skin. I usually use Flat brown 982 as the shadow color. Then, I apply the general base with Tan 066 (Vallejo, GameColor). This general base imply leaving some shadow lines, to simulate the facial expression. Then, we apply Dwarf Skin 041 (Vallejo, GameColor) in several layers, and finally we apply the maximum light by mixing Dwarf skin and white.

If you are interested, you can find a more complete guide, plenty of other painting tips, and information about how to paint Germans, in the recently published magazine PaintingWar: WWII German Army in Campaign.

And we have prepare a document in PDF with the painting guide for you!

You can download it by right-clicking on the image and choosing ‘Download file/link as‘:

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