STALINGRAD Bolt Action Mega Battle!

Yes, yes and YES!

I have had two of these guys sitting and staring at me for nearly 2 years. It’s a great feeling to have all of them done, and I can field them together as a complete ‘Tank War’ platoon on the table top.

These guys have the ‘Heavy Tank’ armour rating, and the ‘Armoured all round’ special rule, and resultantly are very difficult targets for the Axis anti tank guns and Tanks taking them on.

They are also ‘Slow’, so I will have to think carefully when deploying them.

They are equipped with Medium Anti Tank Guns, which are reasonable when taking on StuG’s, Panzer III and Iv’s.

With such an high and all round armour rating, they will be of serious concern to the Axis players, as their tanks will be at a serious disadvantage when taking them on.

I enjoyed painting them up in a uniform manner. I have weathered them heavily to represent their continued use since the the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact went sour.

I used star stencils from Anarchy Models (find link below) with a few controlled blasts from my air brush. Compared to transfers the difference is staggering, the Soviet Stars really stand out, with no reflective shine, and weather in with the rest of the model.

If you feel inspired by any of my work, or wish to checkout the featured products, or even just buy anything from Warlord Games, please follow my affiliate links:

KV1/KV2 Platoon Box Set:

KV1/2 Platoon

Tank War Rule Book:

https://store.warlordgames.com/products/tank-war-bolt-action-supplement?aff=42

Anarchy Models Stars:

https://www.anarchymodels.co.uk/hs02—allied-stars-39-p.asp

……When it’s a German Beute-Panzer, or a ‘When it’s a Factory Worker Crew” T34!

I love this kit, and have enjoyed what it can build with a few additions. Bolt Action has rules that have allowed me to build the three variants pictured, which to add variety to my hobby and gaming.

I like the likely scenario that 2 T4’s could end up duelling on the table-top, particularly if it’s between the Worker Crewed Tank and the one pinched by the Germans. The workers in effect having to fight their own creation.

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Warlord Games’s ‘Campaign Stalingrad ‘ book has rules for T34/76’s coming out of the the production line for the then beleaguered Dzerhinsky Tractor Factory. There are 3 variants available  for the Soviet player to field in His/Her games of Bolt Action. This variant is the ‘Factory Worker Crew’.

This is a fun and characterful way of  modelling this Option on the table top. I selected a suitable candidate from the ‘Soviet Peoples Militia Squad’, as a commander to represent this option, where things have got so desperate, and the German’s so close, that the factory workers are crewing tanks to defend themselves.

It really pained me not to paint chipping, damage and ware on a tank. This model is driving out factory fresh, apart from one cannibalised still dirty wheel, to represent shortages of materials, and the tank is covered in coffee mug stains and cigarette ash, that has been issued to keep the workers working up until the moment that they can drive the tank out and fight.

In addition, one last finishing detail to add further narrative, a commissar has stuck a copy of order 227 (‘not one step back’) to the under-side of tank commanders hatch. Another reason if one was needed to keep fighting.

To help me out, if anyone is interested in ordering anything from Warlord or 4Gound, please use my affiliate links:

Quite a bit of work here, and I really was conflicted about painting the exterior cream, but decided upon a uniform grey to tie it in with the rest of my Stalingrad scenery, and miniature bases.

I have added fresh details to the interior including portraits of ‘Comrade Stalin’ over every door frame, enforcing the feel of the buildings time and place in a totalitarian regime, dominated by a single personality.

https://www.4groundpublishing.co.uk/tftb-pavlovs-house-end-block

For the more eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the Soviet Officers planning room complete with maps of the city, a portrait of ‘The Boss’ and a pair of field glasses on the window sill. Just to keep them on their toes, the NKVD have the room next door with a red door, an even bigger portrait of Stalin, tools of their trade in the form of leaflets detailing order 227 (not one step back), a pistol to back this up with, and have knocked an hole in the wall so they can hear everything that the officers are saying

Great! At last my OnTableTop.com ‘Spring Clean Challenge’ is bearing fruit, I now have an officer to lead my ‘Stalingrad Kampfgruppe Reinforced Platoon'(rules in the Stalingrad Campaign Book). These guys are armed to the teeth with up to 4 SMG’s and 2 LMG’s and can kick out a LOT of fire power. A great aggressive force backed up by a Panzer III to take out enemy armour, a Panzer IV and scout car to take out enemy infantry squads and teams, with HE that will blow them out of the ruins and rubble. Combined with the Panzer III tank platoon, I have half a company to field as part on the table top.

The officer has had some painstaking work for his cap badge, eagle and waffenfarbe. The tanks and troops are designate as 24th Panzer Division, with the tank squadron bearing the ‘Leaping Horseman’ divisional insignia.