Manda (Amachan) goes to the Eastern Front

I couldn’t sleep so I ended up thinking, bad combo, I know, but when I am waiting on paints and I run out of stuff to post, what will I do? As many know, I always tell people to paint tanks pink and yet, I have only done one and now I am doing a World War 2 project.

And thus it only seems fitting I paint another pink tank. I so happen to have bought this kit at some point in my life.

So I thought, this would be a wonderful opportunity to keep working on this project and include a pink tank. This will be my pink panther as a bit of a bonus in this project. It is just going to be a display piece and won’t add anything to Flames of War, but I think it’ll be fun. My priority still lies on Flames of War, this is just something I am doing on the side to keep posting something every day.

So let’s have a mess around with some of the basing experiments I have been doing and add some paint. Don’t worry, no acrylic paints were harmed in this phase or used for that matter. This really just is me playing around with paints and seeing what works.

Base 1

Let’s start with the texture paste. I started with an overbrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Sand Brown (ABT245) followed by a drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003). I then added a thinned coat of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Industrial Earth (ABT090) which with the power of hindsight I should have thinned more….. Anyway, another drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003). I then made a wash with Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dark Mud (ABT130) and applied it over the whole base and then made a wash of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Green Grass (ABT094) and stippled that on the base in places followed by a bit of a wash from the Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dark Mud (ABT130) in the recesses. That obviously wasn’t dark enough so I did the same with a wash made from Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Shadow Brown (ABT015).

Base 2

So on to the next base. This time I started with the thinned coat of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Industrial Earth (ABT090) followed by a heavy drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Sand Brown (ABT245) and then a lighter drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003). I know I am drybrushing with oil paints right over oil paints, this does not give the same effect as with acrylics but rather blends the colours together, kind of what I am going for here. I then used the wash made of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dark Mud (ABT130) in the recesses and stippled a wash of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Raw Umber (ABT007) willy nillely around the base.

Base 3

This is the first base I have done with the thinned out AK Interactive Diorama Terrains Muddy Ground (AK8017). I started with a heavy drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Sand Brown (ABT245) followed by a lighter drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003). I then stippled in a wash made from Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Industrial Earth (ABT090) and then did the same with a wash made from Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dark Mud (ABT130) so that they blend together.

Base 4

This the same kind of base as base 3, I started with just a drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003) from which I forgot to take a picture. I then followed it up with on the left some pure AK Interactive Fresh Mud (AK016) and on the right some thinned out AK Interactive Fresh Mud (AK016).

Base 5

This is one of the bases with straight up AK Interactive Diorama Terrains Muddy Ground (AK8017) on it. I started with a heavy drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Sand Brown (ABT245) followed by a lighter drybrush of Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Dust (ABT003). I then dabbed in some of the thinned AK Interactive Fresh Mud (AK016) followed by some of the Abteilung 502 Modelling Oil Color Industrial Earth (ABT090) wash.

I still have one base left over, but most likely going to have to prep some more. But I feel like I am getting somewhere with this, just going to have to let it all dry and see how it turns out.

The reason the paint tubes are in the picture was actually for to use as reference to actually write this piece and I honestly couldn’t be arsed to flip them all upside down.

As I was priming and basecoating the 8 new Cossacks I was really struggling with thinning the brown paint for my airbrush. This made me think to look for an airbrush equivalent and that led me to do too much research in the paint scheme for both the Soviets and the Germans. I have overhauled my paint scheme to match what I want and history better. For this however, I am going to need new paints. So I am going to have to wait until next month, most likely the second week until I can do more paint work. So this project may slow down somewhat over the coming weeks, but there are still things that need to be done. So over the coming weeks I am aiming to get the following things done:

• Stripping the already painted figures, I will do a little guide on this as well.
• Figure out what I want to do with the bases exactly and potentially some historical research that comes with that.
• Build 3 Panzer III J tanks and 1 L command tank. I will also make a little guide on how I magnetize the turrets and one for making a command tank.
• And there are always more Cossack hats to sculpt.

As I have been trying to at least post an update to this project every day, I will keep on trying, but it will become harder as I run out of stuff I can do. We’ll see if I can keep it up.

I haven’t been able to do any physical work on my project today due to tremors in my hands, I have however been to the doctor and did a lot of mental work. So here is a wall of text.

There are so many things that interest me in WWII, so to not be a hobby butterfly and focus on just one thing I have for now decided to stay in 1942 with this project. So that means that all German vehicles will be German Grey with the odd camouflage conversion done by the soldiers. The Soviet tanks were going to be some variety of green depending on which factory made which vehicle, also the odd additional camouflage may appear here.

The 9th Guards Cavalry Division stays, because that is really what I want to do. However the 20. Panzergrenadier Division did not exist back than, at least not under that name and since I am doing all the German vehicles in German Grey anyway I might just as well pick another division to represent the Germans in this phase of my Flames of War life. Now history time….

Wikipedia, the most reliable source of information (sarcasm), tells me that the 9th Guards Cavalry Division fought near Mozdok, Stavropol, Melitopol, Odessa, Debrecen, Budapest, and Prague. Some of these places you may recognize from a current eastern front conflict. Mozdok being the most interesting part for me as this was in 1942. “By September 1942, it had been transferred to the district of Gudermes and until January 1943 made bold raids on the enemy’s rear north of the city of Mozdok. During the liberation of the North Caucasus, he conducted offensive battles in the general direction of Stavropol, Rostov-on-Don.” (translated from Russian Wikipedia: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/9-%D1%8F_%D0%B3%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%87%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%8F)

So according to the following sources I am going to have a look at the 1st Panzer Army for my Germans.

Now this is an interesting looking list.

Order of battle (15 Nov 1942)

At the disposal of the 1. Panzerarmee

• General-Kommando z.b.V.
• Befehls-Stab Steinbauer
• 50. Infanterie-Division (part)

III. Panzerkorps

• Romanian 2nd Mountain Division
• 23. Panzer-Division + SS-Division “Wiking” (part)
• 13. Panzer-Division + verstärktes Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 99

LII. Armeekorps

• SS-Division “Wiking” (most) + 50. Infanterie-Division (part)
• 111. Infanterie-Division
• 370. Infanterie-Division

XXXX. Panzerkorps

• 3. Panzer-Division

(Source: https://www.axishistory.com/axis-nations/148-germany-heer/heer-armeen/2655-1-panzerarmee)

So, SS-Division “Wiking”, especially; Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS. “The Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS was formed in 1941 as SS Freiwilligen-Batallion Nordost and were made up of Finnish volunteers who had signed on the fight the Soviet Union (and no other countries) for two years, who also refused to take an oath of loyalty to Hitler and they were commanded primarily by Finnish officers, though there original demand to only be led by Finnish officers where never completly met.
It was sent from the training grounds at Gross-Born to the front at the Mius River in January 1942 were it was attached to the SS Wiking division (mot). It fought in the offensive battles along the Mius River and later in the Caucasus.
In May 1943 it was transferred away from the front, as the two years was at an end, and it was disbanded in July 1943.”

(Source: https://www.axishistory.com/books/122-germany-waffen-ss/germany-waffen-ss-minor-units/1396-finnisches-freiwilligen-bataillon-der-waffen-ss)

That sounds like a really interesting battalion to me, but I am going to struggle to really make people be able to tell that it is this battalion and this battalion only had a handful of companies of infantry and I also want do more than just infantry, so I using the entire SS-Division “Wiking” for my Germans. This should give me an interesting amount of units to choose from:

Order of battle

• SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 9 Germania
• SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 10 Westland
• SS-Panzer Regiment 5
• SS-Panzer Artillerie Regiment 5
• Finnisches Freiwilligen-Bataillon der Waffen-SS (until 1943)
• Estnisches SS-Freiwilligen-Panzer-Grenadier-Bataillon Narwa (1943-1944)
• SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 5
• SS-Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 5
• SS-Sturmgeschütz-Batterie 5
• SS-Flak-Abteilung 5
• SS-Werfer-Abteilung 5
• SS-Panzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung 5
• SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5
• SS-Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon 5
• SS-Dina 5
• SS-Instandsetzungs-Abteilung 5
• SS-Wirtschafts-Bataillon 5
• SS-Sanitäts-Abteilung 5
• SS-Feldlazarett 5
• SS-Kriegsberichter-Zug 5
• SS-Feldgendarmerie-Trupp 5
• SS-Feldersatz-Bataillon 5

(Source: https://www.axishistory.com/books/119-germany-waffen-ss/germany-waffen-ss-divisions/1265-5-ss-panzer-division-wiking)

And we all know how pissed off some people can get when you make something historically accurate to represent a part of history that is controversial or sensitive.

Now most of the conflict around Mozdok took place around November and December of 1942, so am I going back to doing winter themes….. I am not sure yet.

On a side note, I was not expecting this from ChatGPT:

“When working on a historical project regarding the Waffen SS, there are several key considerations to keep in mind to ensure the project remains respectful, accurate, and ethically responsible. Here are some things you should avoid:

1. Glorification: Avoid glorifying or romanticizing the Waffen SS or any aspects of their actions. The Waffen SS was a military organization associated with the Nazi regime, and its involvement in atrocities and war crimes cannot be downplayed or glorified.
2. Bias and Propaganda: Ensure that your project remains objective and free from any biased perspectives or propaganda. Present the historical facts without distorting the truth to fit a particular narrative or agenda.
3. Misrepresentation: Be diligent in presenting accurate information. Misrepresenting events, dates, or individuals can lead to misinformation and misinterpretation of history.
4. Holocaust Denial: Under no circumstances should you engage in Holocaust denial or downplay the extent of the Holocaust. The Holocaust is an extensively documented historical event, and denying its occurrence is both factually incorrect and deeply disrespectful to the millions of victims.
5. Offensive Imagery: Avoid using any offensive or inappropriate imagery that could be hurtful to survivors, their families, or those directly affected by the events of the past.
6. Hate Speech: Refrain from using hate speech, discriminatory language, or promoting any form of hatred, racism, or discrimination related to the Waffen SS or any other historical subject.
7. Revisionism: Avoid historical revisionism, which involves distorting historical facts to portray a more favorable or sympathetic image of the Waffen SS. Stick to well-documented historical records and reputable sources.
8. Simplification: History is complex, and simplifying events or drawing broad conclusions without proper context can lead to a distorted understanding of the past. Present nuanced and multi-faceted perspectives.
9. Lack of Context: Provide sufficient historical context to help readers understand the events, social, and political circumstances surrounding the Waffen SS, and avoid presenting isolated facts without their broader historical background.
10. Insensitivity: Be mindful of the potential emotional impact of your work. The subject matter can be deeply sensitive to many people, so approach it with empathy and respect.

By avoiding these pitfalls and approaching your project with a responsible and respectful mindset, you can contribute to a better understanding of history while being considerate of those who may be affected by it.”

So I shall try not to tick any of these boxes, I think that should be doable mostly. Point 5 might be a bit difficult.

I have gone mad and I am now sculpting all the hats on the 15mm Cossacks, this is a more easier and consistent way of making decent looking hats. So here are a couple more Cossacks ready for primer.

For those wondering what the tools I am using for sculpting the hats are, it is literally these below + water.

I use the metal sculpting tool mostly to cut the greenstuff into tiny chunks to put on the model and the silicone brush for sculpting it into shape. I use a lot of water in the process in order to prevent my tools from sticking to the greenstuff and thus quite often I’ll have a bubble of water on the miniature, so I use the cotton bud to just soak that up.

Everyone is directly going to call them grimdark so I’ll be ahead of everyone and call them grimdark Cossacks.

For the shading on my infantry, not just the Soviets I am planning on keeping it relatively simple, well simple for me. So I coated the models using MIG Neutral Wash (P222) and let that sit for a minute or so. Probably 5 to 10 minutes, didn’t count.

And then using a wool dauber, just dry, nothing on it, I started rubbing over the model to remove some of the wash and this is the result.

Now I was feeling that this was a little bit too dark, so I picked up the wool dauber and dampened it with some white spirit and gave them another quick rub and then dried them with a hairdryer. You’ll probably not notice the difference in the picture, but in real life it is significant.

One thing that has been on my mind is whether to or not to camouflage my vehicles. I know that for the Soviets camouflage was rare and most won’t be camouflaged that is simple, but for the Germans. It is only in 1943 that Germans really started to camouflage their vehicles as standard and I am currently focussing on 1942, so it should be simple. But I am going to want to take these armies into Kursk or even Bagration after that. So do I camouflage them already or should I do the first ones not in camo?

Here is another question, do I base my vehicles or not and if I do what bases would I use? I asked this question on the forums, you can find the link below.

The other 3 to form the first DP MG & M1891 Rifle team of my 9th Guards Cavalry have also been basecoated. I do need to go in and check for things I need to fix up before moving on as the tremors in my hands were getting worse near the end of my painting session. I made an effort to show some of the variations that I am doing on like 1 or 2 models a team and that can include brown trousers, a helmet instead of a hat or both.

I made a couple of minor changes to the paint scheme as you may or may not be able to see, these are:

• I also painted the weapon strap in Vallejo Model Color Red Leather (70.818). The first model I painted didn’t have one so it didn’t come up.
• Any sacks that the models are carrying will be painted using Vallejo Model Color Desert Yellow (70.977). Again, the first model didn’t have one.
• I changed the hair colour to Vallejo Model Color Chocolate Brown (70.872) to better differentiate between the hat and the hair.
• And I painted the helmet in Vallejo Game Color Goblin Green (72.030) as I stated I was planning on doing before.

I will compile a full paint scheme list in the future when I am 100% sure of everything that I am going to do.