An East German motor rifle battalion

Some time ago, I finished a Danish mechanized infantry battalion (my post of 5/25/14), so it seems only fitting that I give the "enemy" equal airtime.  

Here's an East German motor rifle battalion (wheeled) that I've just finished, with all the appropriate support elements, ready for service in my LANDJUT 1981 campaign:

Three companies of BTR-60PB's:

(Sorry for the crap photos and the inconsistent lighting. iPhone 5's have truly pathetic cameras). And the support units:

The 120mm towed mortars:

The AT-3 Sagger launchers:

And the AGS-17 Plamyas:

And last of all, the battalion commander with a BTR-60PU and a UAZ-469:

I already have a supporting panzer battalion, so now I just need to replicate the above motor rifle battalion two more times and I'll have a full regiment. Most of the regimental support units (antiaircraft, antitank, recon, etc.) are already finished. Seems a long slog, but I'll get there, my many sidetracks notwithstanding. At some point in the distant and misty future, I'd like to do a tracked motor rifle battalion too, but that falls under the category of "someday".

More next weekend!

Odds and ends

As George Carlin once said: "If there are 24 odds and ends on a table and 23 fall off, what's left, an odd or an end?"

Anyway, on a bitterly cold weekend, I've not gotten any big project accomplished, though I have worked on my scratch-built 1/285 CNN truck:

A company called Ngineering makes satellite dishes in HO and N scales. The HO is perfect for a large dish in 6mm. As you can see, I also took the opportunity to build a Soviet Fire Can radar for my East German 57mm AA guns. The trailer began life as a Heroics & Ros WWII German command trailer. Not one of their best models, I must say. Here's the real thing:

In the same order, I also bought a couple of Soviet "Track Dish" radars, originally Skytrex but now H&R:

I've also tried to get some Italian WWII Bersaglieri based for the Western Desert 1940:

That's one squad. Italian army squads were twice the size of those in other armies, approx. 24 men, including command, plus a light machine gun and crew. 

Also finished a 3mm East German motor rifle company in BTR-60PB's and a BTR-60PU command vehicle:

I always put a couple of infantry on a command or FAO/FAC stand to help identify them. 

That's it for this weekend!

It's too cold to go out!! Let's paint!!

A cold, windy, drizzly weekend, which means it's great "staying in and painting" weather. I've had a couple of shipments arrive this week. The first is from Leven Miniatures in England. This is a small company that makes really great 6mm buildings. I bought a large brewery:

A malting house:

And two sets of stone walls:

I'm really impressed with the castings, which require only a bare minimum of tidying up on my part. Very attractively priced too. 

Next, on eBay, I found a small z-scale train station made by Faller, which I got for a steal:

I actually don't think I'll use it as a train station, as for that I want something a bit more imposing, but I think it'll make an excellent bus station!! Add a few stances and some buses that I already have:

It'll look great (hopefully)!!

The 3mm East German BTR-60PB's are also coming along nicely:

I'll have a whole company finished today, all going according to plan (which it generally doesn't).