Post Vacation Painting

I've made it back and settled in from my 2-3 week furlong in Germany and finally settled in to some painting. While in Berlin I took the liberty of looking up a few friendly local gaming stores (FLGS) to see what our German counterparts are up to across the pond. What I found wasn't wholly different from what we have in the States'-- though I could argue this was probably one of the best gaming stores I've ever been too (though I would and have come to expect the same out of Chicago or New York for similar). 

The King Tiger. He's slow, but he hurts. 

Anyway, dice karma would dictate that a Königstiger purchased in Germany should roll nothing but 5's and 6's, so I picked one up. I've never had any serious aspirations to run a King Tiger in a competitive list, but there are a few playful lists I've always wanted to add one too. It's certifiably artillery and air support bait in any match-- but if someone tries to duke it out over long range it's definitely a fight I'm going to win. 



Either way, the King Tiger proved a fun distraction to ease myself back into painting. I've be itching to get back to the brush but just couldn't manage to decide on a place to start. Once the King here is done I plan on refocusing my efforts on a half-sized Nebelwerfer battery (smoke machine), and then hopefully wrapping up 7x Panzer IV/70 V's before Gencon to run a fully-painted Feldherrnhalle list (of which the King Tiger can definitely join.) 



I've only got about 1 more shortish' sitting with the King Tiger left. I've only to finish the tracks, dirty it up, clean up a few lines and seal before I'm calling it done. I've also gone with a completely different scheme of camo from the rest of my tanks just so I didn't have to break out the airbrush. I could be a little happier with the paint job, but it came out well. Even at a distance it sort of breaks up the pattern of the vehicle and makes it difficult to really see-- which is its purpose I suppose. 

345 points of the most expensive bait you can buy in Flames of War.

The Churchill Tank

Background
In the era of Churchill tank British tank doctrine called for three types of armored fighting vehicles. Fast light recon tanks, heaver cruiser tanks and heavily armored and slow Infantry Tanks. The Churchill fit into the third category and as such was one of the heaviest allied tanks. As an Infantry tank it's role was to provide mobile support for advancing infantry just as the earliest tanks back in World War 1 had. It featured wide tracks and a high number of wheels within the tracks, as a result it was able to cross quite treacherous terrain.

 The Churchill saw service across multiple theaters and was adapted to suit multiple alternative roles. These included recovery vehicles, mobile bridges and a platform for a 290mm mortar designed to level fortifications.

Churchill VI Showing Turret Markings

The Models
Several variants of the Churchill tank are available in the Flames of War range. My force will include three Churchill VI. I have chosen a desert colour scheme and included unit markings as well as turret stripes. The turret marks are not historically accurate but the plain turret looked too boring. The colour pattern of red white red is actually the colours for the Royal Armored Corps. When I am able to get some transfers I intend to add more unit markings as well as vehicle names.

Churchill VI Showing Unit Markings and Weathering

I also tried out weathering powders on this model around the tracks as well as around the exhaust vents. You can see some of this in the images however the overall effect is a bit better in person.