WWI Locomotives & War Series nº 22 - by Carlos Briz

(Class 2-2-0 locomotive - Railway Operation Division)

CB does not  allow a guy a few moment's rest!

Here we have another state-of-the-art dio, this time related to WWI, featuring a scene with an airfield and with a lot of goodies to stare at.

The Airco DH.4 bomber entered service late in the war (January 1917) but was just in time to be rated as the best single engined bomber of the whole war.

This is another great dio and another feather in CB's hat...

BT

Paper Artwork nº 12 - by Mário Laranja

Here you have it, ML is making his comeback!

After a long absense, we finnaly get a chance look at a few more examples of ML's expertise in paper modelling (1/144 scale).

Check out the dry brushing on this model.

ML: you should ask Shell for a sponsorship, since you placed its brand on this building!

As usual, every building is geared up to be used as wargames material and is ready to receive one or two squads of elite infantry.

The pics turned out great, as usual.

I really do not know why JMM and JP cannot bring out pics of this quality - these two guys (a.k.a. photo nerds) should really take a crash course in photography...

These are two great models ML, but are still a long way from CB in the current competition.

You had better turn up the heat on your modelling output or else CB will get the final prize (whatever that might be...)!

BT

WWII Locomotives & War Series nº 44 - by Carlos Briz

Figures - Pendraken

Trucks - Wiking, Culemeyer Arnold; Minitrix 1/160

Dora Railway Gun - Fujimi 1/144

Morser-Karl - Dragon 1/144

(Class V36 locomotive - German State Railways)

CB brings in the Big Boys!

Check out that monster-of-a-gun, the Dora (a.k.a Schwerer Gustav)!

This is without a doubt the mother of all railway guns, displacing around 1.300 tonnes and delivering a 800 mm payload on its enemies.

The Dora was the second gun to the produced in his series and, like all of its kind, needed a special two way railroad to move around

With a range of 37 km (that's around 22 miles for you know who...) there was no advance warning when it fired. The only deliverance the troops on the other end could hope for was a miss, such as was the case with the Russians during the siege of Sevastopol.

During this siege, the Dora destroyed an ammo store located 30 metres below sea level, that on top of that had a concret protection of about 10 metres.

Gosh!

  (Class V36 locomotive - German State Railways)

Over here we have several examples of the Karl-Gerät (a.k.a. Thor, to his friends) self propelled mortar.

This is another piece of hardware that only the German could think of...

The Thor was built to level anything in sight!

And it did that job full well, with it's 600 mm (24 inches) shell, and was extensively used during the whole war.

This is another example of how this guy keeps upping the ante, modelling wise, bringing us original and interesting stuff every time.

Great job CB!

BT

Interwar Locomotives - by Carlos Briz

Tupolev TB-3 1/144 - Anigrand

Figures - Wargames-South

Trucks - Minifigs

Staff Car - Pithead

(Class SU 1-3-1 locomotive - Russian State Railways)

Here we have another "fresh" dio, sent by our friend CB, packed up with airpower!

Check out what a Tupolev TB-3 bomber could carry over it's wings!

This piece of hardware was one of the biggest four engine heavy bombers of it's time.

By the time of Operation Barbarossa this bomber was hopelessly outdated, but was nevertheless used in many bombing operations.

The end result for this Tupolev was usually a quick conversion into scrap metal, when faced by German fighters.

My guess is that ML's chances of catching up with CB are running very low right now.

However, a surprise might be around the corner, who knows...

BT

WWII Locomotives & War Series nº 43 - by Carlos Briz

Vehicles in Russia, Waco Glider & Nissen Hut - GRAMODELS

Gotha 242 - MINIWING

He111 - MINICRAFT

Vehicles in Holland & Figures - PENDRAKEN

Submarine - X-CRAFT

House & Bridge - FALLER

(Class SU 131 18 locomotive - German State Railways)

Hey CB: do actually manage any sleep at all?

I really have to ask this since it is beyond my limited capacity figuring out how in heavens name you can manage to put out this amount of modelling production.

I know for a fact that you live in peacefull surroundings, but that cannot explain everything...

Check out this winter setting for that He 111 and Gotha glider over there!

The winter cammo on the He 111 and vehicles in this dio is very close to perfection

The "ageing" (that's "aging", for you guys in the USA) and dry brush techniques on this locomotive look awesome.

Class 0-6-0 Dock Tank - War Department Railways)

One of the most sucessfull missions of the X-class Midget submarines was the damaging of the battleship Tirpitz, in September 1943.

The figures on the dock have their life jackets on...safety first.

(Class ex-SNCB locomotive - German State Railways)

This is another dio that blows your mind away!

Check out that great bridge!

Here we have the allies on their race to reach Arnhem in time.

They didn't make it...

This locomotive looks good and ready to be comandeered for allied service.

The Waco glider provided good service from Sicily to the Netherlands.

After the war they were sold as army surplus and transformed by many creative americans into towed camping homes and hunting cabins.

I would buy a couple of them, if I had the chance...

By the way: ML, I do not want to put any pressure on you (you guys know for a fact that I do not usually do that...), but it seems CB is on a roll now and you will be hard pressed to catch up with him, if you do not start delivering some goodies.

You have the whole weekend to do that...

;-)

 BT

WWII Locomotives & War Series nº 42 - by Carlos Briz

(with CGDynamix, Wargames-South & Wiking miniatures)

(Class V 36 locomotive - German State Railways)

Oh boy! 

ML will have to put in a serious amount of extra hours if he really wants to stand a chance in catching up with CB now!

Check out the 3 brand new and outstanding dios that CB brings us!

That medieval tower over there provides a nice setting to a coupple of 37 mm Flak guns. 

The gunners could always take a few shots against some roaming crows, if the allied Jabos don't show up.

(Class V 36 locomotive - German State Railways)

Here we have another state-of-the-art german Flak gun: the 88 mm!

This piece could easily clip the wing off anything that flew during WWII.

Nice windmill CB!

(Class V 36 locomotive - German State Railways)

Check out how CB combines a locomotive, a pier and a submarine!

This guy is not real...

That pair of german amphibious tractors over there look ready to ship out across the channel and land in good old England!

My guess is that one of the main reasons why the germans gave up the crossing was because someone told them what they could expect from the English "cuisine".

The option might well be to eat well in France or starve in England.

Maybe this has always been England's secret weapon to fend off invaders...

BT

WWII Locomotives & War Series nº 41 - by Carlos Briz

(Class V 36 locomotive - German State Railways)

Uau!

Will you check out the these two dios CB has just sent us!

This is not fair CB! 

Do you think a guy has nothing else to do but stand for hours looking at your dios?

In the first dio Carlos gives us a glimpse of the Bachem Natter and it's a mobile railroad support unit.

This was sort of last ditch scheme against the overwhelming allied air power, translated in the hundreds of bombers that flew over the Reich every day, ready to level anything in sight.

(Class BR 50 locomotive - German State Railways)

The positioning of that Greif (Heinkel He 177) over there truly translates the threat that hung over the Luftwaffe in 1945. 

Everything had to be as well camouflaged as possible or else it could well turn into scrap metal in a flash.

Ok, now CB and ML are tied up again, since these last two dios brought CB to the same level as ML, after his Sturmtiger & village dio.

I just cannot wait to see the new stuff these two master modellers are preparing to bring us next! 

BT

BANZAI – Japanese Onslaught WW2

The Allied forces in the Pacific were devastatingly unprepared for the onslaught of the Japanese Army (1941-42), which by this time had been fighting for ten years on the Manchurian front. 

The Allies were defeated time and time again as the seasoned Japanese forces swept through the Pacific colonies. The Allies paid dearly for their lack of planning and found themselves in an attrition war that swept vast amounts of men, until the ultimate defeat of Japan in 1945.

The minis below are from Pendraken WW2 Japanese range, and I personally considered them the best cast Japanese minis items in 10/12mm. They were based and painted by our well known  master J Peixoto (with the exception of the HQ base), and for me they are simply awesome.

HQ base (Japanese landing)

Attack at dusk (Palm trees by pendraken)

The invasion force (37 inf bases)

Banzai

Type 92 MMG Team

Type 97 20 mm Auto ATR Team

Foot AT - Lunge charge and Pionners - pole charge

Best regards

JMM