More East Germans and some Danes

Progressing with my East German motor rifle battalion this weekend. Here's half the 120mm M-43 mortar battery that provided fire support for each battalion (i.e. one stand of the two needed):

Needless to say, in reality, the mortars wouldn't be packed in so tightly and the GAZ-66 ammunition supply trucks would only be that close to drop off more shells and then would stand a bit further off until needed again. However, doing platoon stands and using 3mm minis requires/allows a bit of "artistic license". 

And not forgetting my Danes, I've completed a 120mm mortar battery for them too. The Danes actually used French-made Thomson-Brandt 120mm mortars:

But O8 makes only Soviet ones, specifically the M43:

So I have to use this for both NATO and WarPac forces. Luckily at this scale, it's not too noticeable. I just swap the GAZ-66 trucks for Unimog 1300L's and paint them in Danish colors:

I've also (almost) completed an East German BMP-1 company this weekend. 

As you can see, the command stand has a way to go yet, but the actual platoon stands are finished. In order to make the AT-3 Saggers stand out a bit more, I painted them a much brighter green (Vallejo Gunship Green 895) than the vehicle itself. I've seen wargamers with the Saggers painted in all manner of bright contrasting colors, but as in all armies, bright colors are training rounds. In the field, the last thing you want on your vehicle is a glaring aiming point for the other side to use. 

Now I just have to whip that command stand into shape.... More next weekend, if not before. 

East German Heavy Reconnaissance Company

The project for the next day or three will be to finish a heavy reconnaissance company for my East Germans. Ultimately, I want to do two of them and a scout car company to complete a panzer reconnaissance battalion. 

As always, I model units 1:1, so for the heavy reconnaissance company I need a command stand with a BRDM-2U:

Which is easily doable by filing the small MG turret off of a BRDM-2. Then I need a stand of four PT-76 amphibious light tanks:

Also a stand of two BRDM-2 scout cars:

And a stand of two T-55's:

And finally a stand of two KMZ (Dnepr) MV-750 motorcycle/sidecar combinations, each fielding a PKM light machinegun:

For which I'll be forced to use WWII German BMW R75s yet again, as O8 doesn't make any other sort of motorcycle. Luckily, at this scale, the BMW easily passes as the KMZ. 

In the second company of the battalion, I'll replace the BDRM-2s with BRMs, as was often the case:

The PT-76s were sometimes replaced with BMP-1s, which I'll do a stand of to give myself that option:

Here is my 3mm version:

I'm really pleased with how those tiny motorcycles paint up. Loads of detail on them. It's flabbergasting that they're 1/600!

All together for a group shot, one East German heavy reconnaissance company at 1:1:

That's it for this time. More soon!