Always a
sucker for a new boxed set, I recently treated myself to the Achtung Panzer
starter set.
I think
what really attracted me was the value for money this presented. Without taking
the gaming rules, cards, tokens, dice etc. into account, you get three 28mm
Shermans, 2 Panthers, 2 ruined farmhouses and a bunch of cast storage items all
for £80 (discounted price from Wayland games, including delivery!).
I’m
attending the IPMS North Somerset Model Show this coming weekend and wanted to
display some 28mm wargames AFVs on the MAFVA South Wales stand. I already have
a selection of allied vehicles but no Sherman, so I thought I’d better get one
built quickly to take with me!
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| Assembly of the hull couldn't be easier as the suspension units are all moulded to the sides. |
I decided
to assemble the Warlord Games Firefly model – not one of their co-operations
with Italeri.
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| Beware of the two towing hooks that are fed through slots from the back of the transmission housing. These slots can also be used to attach the hedgerow device included with the kit. |
The parts
come on three sprues – whilst the tracks are two separate lengths per side, the
running gear is already assembled for you – so I anticipated a quick and simple
build.
The
instructions are printed in a “getting started” type document that comes in the
box and are somewhat basic. I think for beginners a little too basic? There are one or two small parts that it’s
unclear where they go i.e. the front towing connections and the lefthand side
siren (for which there was no location hole)
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| You can see where the sprue has been cut off the turret. Take care not to damage the applique armour panel |
However,
the build is certainly quick. I opted to leave off the tracks until after
painting. I was also toying with the idea of fitting the sand shields too. When
I checked through all my sources I couldn’t find any pictures of Fireflies in
Normandy with them fitted, in fact the only pictures I found were of the
prototype, so I changed my mind and left them off.
There are
two options for vehicle commander, both half figures and quite nicely sculpted.
If you had any suitable head & shoulders figures you could add them to the
driver’s & co-driver’s positions as the hatches are separate here too.
There is
some basic stowage included – spare track links, roadwheels and a jerry can.
The sprue
connections to the turret are in unfortunate positions and you need some
careful removal and clean-up to avoid damage to the applique armour panel. The pioneer
tools are all moulded in place, as is the tow cable. Whilst not highly detailed
they are correct and with careful painting/highlighting don’t look to bad at
all.
I attached
a piece of sprue to the underside of the hull to help hold the model while
spraying etc.
I airbrushed
the whole vehicle with Vallejo Russian Green before I added the decals.
The decals
were for a specific tank from the Sherwood Rangers and are of good quality. I used
a decal fixer and softener from Vallejo for only the second time and was
impressed with the results. The large allied star on the rear deck had to cover
the moulded on barrel lock and the softener did its job perfectly.
I then followed
up by weathering with Army Painter Dark Tone in all the crevices etc. then
finally a dry brush overall with Vallejo Iraqi Sand.
The tracks
were sprayed Army Painter Plate Armour before washing with Vallejo black wash.
Once dry they received a further wash of Vallejo Flesh Wash mixed with Contrast
Orange paint (to give the rusty look) and finally the high points were dry
brushed silver.
Finally, I
added the tracks, touched up the joins and then gave the vehicle an overall
coat of Matt varnish.
I’m pleased
with the finished model. Simple to construct, robust when handled and a good
likeness of the real vehicle.
