The Italian Job
Wed Jan 23, 2019 1:44 am
Small Beginnings
The very first of my 15mm 1941 Italian ground forces for the desert war are these three.
The Italians are pretty severely undermanned at present, as these two guys are the only Italian infantry I have painted at all, and apart from them, I only have some gun crews for a 75/27 battery I bought quite some time ago and then completely forgot.
The diminutive little vehicle is a 3d-printed CV-35 tankette, pretty much completely worthless against any sort of tank, but it can hold its own against, say, a truck. The soldiers are from Battlefront.
Re: The Italian Job
Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:38 am
Next up: the M15/42, or as it is otherwise known, That Generic Italian Tank.
I'll be using these to stand in for M13/40, M14/41, or even as M15/42, although that last is too late for my chosen period really.
If I get really keen, I might get around to modelling an actual M13/40, but we'll just see how we get on first.
I'll be using these to stand in for M13/40, M14/41, or even as M15/42, although that last is too late for my chosen period really.
If I get really keen, I might get around to modelling an actual M13/40, but we'll just see how we get on first.
- DennisB
- Posts : 13
Join date : 2018-02-12
Age : 40
Location : USA
Re: The Italian Job
Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:50 am
Lovely paintjobs on the figures as always Fitz!
Re: The Italian Job
Thu Feb 07, 2019 6:57 pm
Well, I did design and print a M13/40. I just couldn't help myself I guess.
Overall I'm reasonably happy with it, but since this first test-print was done I've fine-tuned the gun barrel a bit — the step-down in thickness shouldn't be quite so marked. That was easy enough to do.
Overall I'm reasonably happy with it, but since this first test-print was done I've fine-tuned the gun barrel a bit — the step-down in thickness shouldn't be quite so marked. That was easy enough to do.
Re: The Italian Job
Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:01 pm
I ordered some infantry from Battlefront via their online store, completely forgetting that their in/out of stock notifications there bear no relation to real life at all. Naturally, the stuff I want turns out not to be in stock.... again. Which they didn't tell me until after they accepted the order. Battlefront have, over the years, turned into a terrible company to deal with.
Since Battlefront have left me high and dry for the moment with their crappy stock management, I've just started painting what 15mm Italians I have, which are these ones from a 75/27 artillery set.
I'll paint the guns and their crews as well, because why not? But I seldom use on-table artillery other than anti-tank guns.
Since Battlefront have left me high and dry for the moment with their crappy stock management, I've just started painting what 15mm Italians I have, which are these ones from a 75/27 artillery set.
I'll paint the guns and their crews as well, because why not? But I seldom use on-table artillery other than anti-tank guns.
Re: The Italian Job
Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:01 am
Here's a troop of what was probably one of the worst tanks to see service in the Western Desert, and considering the competition that's quite an achievement.
The Italian Fiat M11/39 had a main armament of an obsolete 37mm gun mounted in the hull, which meant that not only could it not operate effectively hull-down, it also had a very limited traverse, so to engage targets to its flanks the whole tank had to be rotated. It did have a rotating turret, but that just mounted a pair of rifle-calibre machine-guns. To add to its shortcomings, it was slow and somewhat unreliable, and its armour was proof against small arms only. Even the Vickers Lights were more than a match for it, being much faster and more maneuverable, and the .50 Vickers and the 15mm BESA could both readily penetrate its armour.
These 1:100 scale (15mm) models were 3d printed on my Ender 3 FDM printer. Overall they're OK models, but the 37mm is way out of scale so that it would print reliably — one of these days I might lop them off and replace them with barrels turned down from brazing rod.
The model is available for download on Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3385848
The Italian Fiat M11/39 had a main armament of an obsolete 37mm gun mounted in the hull, which meant that not only could it not operate effectively hull-down, it also had a very limited traverse, so to engage targets to its flanks the whole tank had to be rotated. It did have a rotating turret, but that just mounted a pair of rifle-calibre machine-guns. To add to its shortcomings, it was slow and somewhat unreliable, and its armour was proof against small arms only. Even the Vickers Lights were more than a match for it, being much faster and more maneuverable, and the .50 Vickers and the 15mm BESA could both readily penetrate its armour.
These 1:100 scale (15mm) models were 3d printed on my Ender 3 FDM printer. Overall they're OK models, but the 37mm is way out of scale so that it would print reliably — one of these days I might lop them off and replace them with barrels turned down from brazing rod.
The model is available for download on Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3385848
Re: The Italian Job
Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:20 am
Here's the whole troop of M13/40 completed. You can see the modified gun barrel on the left and centre models; they look a lot less clunky now.
The tactical markings may be of limited usefulness for tabletop identification, considering the parlous state of my eyesight.
- wolflord
- Posts : 214
Join date : 2018-02-14
Location : Cologne
Re: The Italian Job
Sun Feb 10, 2019 11:47 am
Great job, Fitz! Great job!
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