Kids' soccer and vacation schedules mean I will be gaming a bit less for the next few weeks. But I will keep pressing forward with the painting.
Terry delivered a bunch of early war stuff last week, including some built and painted tanks. There were a pair of Char B1s. The paint scheme was a but darker than I have been doing (see below) but very nice. So I gave them a wash, some decals and some varnish.
There were also two Hotchkiss H35s (I think). These are metal models. Again, a wash and decals and done. There are also three unbuilt Heller Somua S35s that look like simple builds.
There were also a pair of Renault FT-17s. Again, a more dramatic paint scheme that I decalled and washed. These look like Matchbox kits but the box contains two more unbuilt kits with way more detail!
Up next: I have (for no good reason) some British 8th army guys on the painting table.
I suppose its a shame that the French weren't that involved in WW2 from a military point of view. It would have been fascinating to see how French tank design would have evolved during the war. Giving the Char B a bigger fuel tank would have been a start (apparently they only had 12 miles range!). The Souma was one of the best early war tanks but wasn't used to its best effect. The Char B was all but impervious to German tank fire by all accounts but its main armament (like the US Grant) was to the front and its effective operating range was woeful. I think the Souma turret was operated by the tank commander - meaning he was overloaded with tasks once the firing started,
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ReplyDeleteI think the Panzer 1's & 2's are going to be scurrying now.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys. Interesting tanks. Somuas are up next!
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