Several years ago I purchased a GHQ Combat Command pack for the Africa Corps of 1941. I had considered selling it along with my clear out of 15mm figures last year having made the decision to switch completely to the new H&R sculpts. However, along came 2D6 Wargaming with their superb models leading to a rethink.
So in between painting Wars of the Roses and rebasing my WW2, I decided to open up the box and paint a few:
These are the 3 Panzer IV F's contained in the pack. There are also 3 Panzer II F's and 3 Panzer III F's along with 3 Sdkfz 222 armoured cars, a couple of Kubelwagens, 4 m/c with sidecars, an 88mm, a 20mm AA gun and various figures.
These 3 tanks were something of an experimentation. For the first time I primed them grey and went for a slightly darker shade of sand than those previously painted. Overall I am pleased with the result and will probably stick with this shade for the Germans. Anybody who is familiar with GHQ will know how excellent their models are, the only sticking point being the cost (in the UK) and the fact they are sold in packs of 5. Hopefully we will see more from 2D6 which are comparable but in the meantime it looks like I may have to bite the bullet and buy a few more GHQ.
This will be my last blog update prior to moving house which is occurring over the next few days. It does not look as though I will have a dedicated wargames room so I may have to review some of my current projects, possibly placing them on ice for a year or two. At the very least I hope to explore gaming in a small space which is less of an issue with 6mm.
So I will sign off now and will be back post house move when I hope to post more AAR's being the primary aim of the blog.
Those look great, Jon, you continue to be an inspiration! Good luck with the move, and hopefully your projects aren't delayed for too long.
ReplyDeleteV/R,
Jack
Many thanks for your kind comment Jack. It's been a while since I had anything on the tabletop and already getting withdrawal symptoms!
DeleteAll the best
Jon
My pleasure! Yes, sorry to hear you haven't played in a bit, and I certainly miss your battle reports; I've been lucky, actually, with the quarantine, getting lots of games in.
DeleteAnd I'm with Steve; I went with HR (and even recently tried some 3D printed stuff, will post pictures once I get it all painted) for WWII and Cold War. GHQ is certainly very nice looking, but 1) the cost makes things rough, 2) I hate the fact I can't buy the exact number(s) I'm looking for, and 3) the quality difference isn't really noticeable on the table. Which isn't to take anything away from anyone that uses GHQ, they certainly set the bar, just that I'm a cheap bastid! ;)
On a separate but related note, I was going back through your Napoleonic stuff and saw you'd invested in some 2mm; what happened to your magnificent 6mm Napoleonics!!!??? Your 6mm Napoleonic set-up is head and shoulders above anything else I've seen; it continually has me perusing Baccus' website, though I don't know that I could ever follow through on a project of that scale, and even if I did, it wouldn't look as nice as yours!
V/R,
Jack
Ah 2mm was just an experiment. Don't worry, definitely not replacing 6mm. It was a trial for playing the largest of battles (Borodino etc) without spending years painting up 6mm. It has not been completely discounted but on the back burner for now.
DeleteI know what you mean about GHQ. I don't intend purchasing large quantities and the new stuff coming out of H&R is perfectly respectable. In fact the Shermans I have for Market Garden are very good indeed.
Gotcha, and good to hear. I am really infatuated with your 6mm, really looks the part, and I never seem able to get my colors that bright.
DeleteV/R,
Jack
It does require a rethink if you are used to painting larger scales. You will often see recommendations to paint one or two shades lighter than normal which is sound advice. Most of mine are primed black the downside of which, reds and yellows in particular require a second coat. I am sure you will get there and fully appreciate the results. 6mm = Gods own scale!
DeleteIndeed! ;)
DeleteV/R,
Jack
A great job on those Jon. I love the GHQ sculpts but the cost and the 5 per pack led me to go down the H&R route when I was into 6mm Cold War gaming. The new 2D6 sculpts however are lovely but I haven't seen the new H&R stuff, so can't compare.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the house move and hope at some point you can get some small games in.
Many thanks Steve. The H&R Cold War stuff looks very good. As I mentioned to Jack above some of their new WW2 models are a big improvement on their older sculpts.
DeleteHopefully it will not be too long before I get something on the tabletop. I am looking at how I can shoehorn some of my existing projects onto a small table, especially the campaigns, to keep the ball rolling.
Very nice unit Jon, well painted!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your move - you’re going to be pretty busy the next few weeks!
Many thanks Mike. Certainly will be busy :(
DeleteHi Jon Great looking armour and good luck. Speak soon.
ReplyDeleteRegards Peter
Thanks Peter. Finally got the internet back up and running. Hopefully will be able to turn my attention back to wargaming in a couple of days.
DeleteAll the best
Jon