Thanks Pat, found the kind of images I was looking for!

Martin

Thanks as well Pat

I found the perfect image for my Churchill dio


Ian

I decided to put as many British vehicles on my dio as possible.....Churchill, Sherman Crab, Brencarrier, M3 scout car, jeep, dingo etc. All during the actions around Caen in 1944.

Gonna squeeze all these vehicles in a 100x20cm diorama

At least that's my goal, some sort of traffic jam showing all sorts of British equipment.

We'll see how it works out

Martin

Wow Martin , cant wait to see your dio , its going to be huge :-)


Ian

Who can identify this stuart? Looks like a M3A1 to me

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/media/images/Photographs/Image/B_006748.jpg

Martin

Progressing well. Completed a Sherman and 12 Guardsmen so far for the dio. All being well I'll post some pics tomorrow. I still haven't decided whether to go for an urban or rural setting (although I'm leaning towards rural) so they're not weathered yet. I've had a dig about and found some stuff I built years ago that may get Mr. Muscled so I can use them. I'm looking at a few German vehicles abandoned at the side of the road as they're passed by the Guards armoured column. I was going to go smaller on this dio but. the way I'm building I have a nasty feeling that this is going to be a big one. We've still got 6 months left so I think it's going to grow. Hows everyone else doing?

Yes, definitely an M3A1. It doesn't have the raised cupola of the M3, or the completely sloped front of the later models.

Dave

Hi all,
Wel i'm in for my first campaign.I started the week after the campaign was given the go ahead.Here is where i'm at after the last week and a half.Figures are from Tamiya,with Warrior heads.Does anyone else have a sneak peak of their progress?Good luck guys,Shay

How stupid, I didn't realise I could start already. Well let's start with the lay-out of my diorama tonight then :-) :-)

I didn't realize I could start already! Thought I had to wait another week. This is my first campaign...don't really have a clue as to what I'm gonna do yet....But looking forward to finnally building some of my british stuff.

Well started today with a M3 scout car, one of the vehicles which will be included on my diorama.

Martin

I'm in. Next weekend I will start my Firefly Vc (1/35 Dragon of course). I haven't decided yet how dio would look like.

Did the Sherman Firefly's fight in or around the hedgerows? I'm sure they must have, but I can't find any type of reference addressing it.
Was thinking of putting my firefly in that setting.
Every other photo reference show large meadow fields or towns.

Thanks for any help,
Bob

I've been working on the figures for my dio, and hope to post some pics up very soon. At first I thought the deadline was way off but, as with all deadlines, I think I'm only just gonna have enough time!




Hi Bob

Have you seen (or can you get) a copy of 'British Armour in Normandy' by Ludovic Fortin? It really is excellent with plenty of pics, illustrations and explanations. I got mine from Amazon.

OK MAtt. I'm taking you at your word about the book, It should be here by Wednesday.
Actually thanks for the referal, I also went ahead and purchased another book concerning Marine Tanks in the Pacific, one that I was holding off on.
Should be some great reading.
Thanks Matt,
Bob

I'm sure you won't be disappointed mate, I've spent many hours drooling over the pics and diorama possibilities since I got my copy!

Glad to be of service old chap.

Matt

Hi all

I'm almost finish with my Churchill tank. I'm not sure about the dio, but it might be a crossroad outside Caen, where troops are gathering to join the fighting.

Untill now I have: 1 Churchill, 2 crewmembers, 2 telegraphpoles and a bike! Not much...but its a start.

Cheers

Simon

Hello gents, this is nighthawk calling... lol love that serie...

well the hull interior is almost complete in my sherman, now i need to complete following things

AFV club tracks
Turret interior
Figures
Etch
Paint and weathering!

by the way. Does any one have a spare Tamiya turret, i have lost mine, while i have moved to my new appartment?

Looking forward to see all the things completed

M3 scout car ready for paint, Universal Carrier almost ready for paint....

The diorama will also include my Sherman Crab which I've build almost a year ago but which I still need to finish. Also ready for fresh paint :-)

I need some help with units involved in the Caen fighting. My plan is to build a diorama where a Sherman Crab of the 79th passes a recon troop of an armoured division.

I was thinking about the 7th Armoured division. The stuart tank on my diorama will have markings for the 22nd armoured bridgade. But what markings should I give the light vehicles on the diorama (M3 scout car, Universal Carrier) ??

Martin

Matt,
'British Armour in Normandy' by Ludovic Fortin, just came in today, excellent reference Thanks for the excellent suggestion.
Bob

No problem Bob, glad its what you were looking for.

Now, you might just be able to return the favour...

I'm not (by any stretch of the imagination) an expert on German forces in and around Normandy in 1944. I have reference books and the Internet, but do you know of any books along the same lines as the 'British Armour in Normandy' book you've just got for yourself? Kind of an overview of German forces and armour?

Although most of my work is concentrating on British and Commonwealth subject matter, obviously I'm going to have to include the Axis forces in some way and don't really want to keep 'forking' out for independent reference books dealing specifically with the 12th SS or the Sdkfz 251 etc.

Any advice you or any of the other guys can give would be great.

Cheers mate and happy reading.

Matt

Hi all,

Did the 7th Armoured Division use M3 scout cars in their recon units? I assume they did but can't find anything about it.

And did recon units also use Universal Carriers? The decal options in the Tamiya kit are all for infantry divisions.

What decals should I use for a Universal Carrier in or with the 7th Armoured Division near Caen.

Thanks,
Martin

Matt,
Sorry but I'm like you. WWII Allied. I add in something German if it was a gift or it's part of a larger story. In other words only if I have to, tried my best to stay away from german items. The only german references I have are mixed in with Allied material. I'll look through them to see if it relates but I'm not holding my breath.
Thanks again for the reference, I glanced through it last night and it has tons of great info. I'm just going to have to sit down and read the fine print. Maybe I can answer Martin's question.
Bob

Matt, I've got a few books on HJ so let me know what info you're after and I'll try and oblige with the info.
Martin,I've been having a bit of a dig about re the M3. I can't find any pics but I'd say it's a pretty safe bet they were used. In relation to carriers...Each Infantry battalion had one Carrier platoon which was used for supply and recconaissance so you're okay with using infantry markings. (I read an amusing tale of one carrier in Epsom taking a wrong turn at night while doing a recce and ending up behind enemy lines.Needless to say they didn't hang about. Good job their uniforms were khaki :-) ) Armoured divisions used very few Bren carriers and they were mainly for FOO's. If you're going for in and around Caen you're best off with 3rd Inf or 50th Infdivs. Both operated with 7th Armoured. Hope that's of some help.