Little and Large

This collection now finishes all the armour choices required for my Russian Front campaign, which I am desperate to start but will have to be patient.

The little armoured car is a BA-64 with a camouflage pattern, this is unusual for Russian vehicles in WWII apart from being splashed with white during the winter months. Despite being flimsy over 9,000 of these were built and used for all sorts of jobs including officer transport, communications, infantry support and reconnaissance.

Next up and a bit bigger is the T70 light tank, mainly used for reconnaissance and rear area duties like guarding headquarters, it was not a very good tank and strangely for a scout vehicle was not very mobile, however as a stop gap machine there were a lot of them around. A Lieutenant Pavlovich in an engagement in 1943 knocked out four German tanks (one a Panther) with his little tank, a brave man. I have put some foliage on this vehicle, again to make it stand out and a few did attempt this kind of camouflage.

Now for the 'Beast' the large ISU-152, looking on the internet I found a lovely four colour camo scheme which would make this tank stand out on the tabletop, it was seen in the Ukraine and other places as the Soviets swept into Europe, again just something to break up the green ranks. I used Yellow Ochre, Black Grey, Cavalry Brown and Russian Green. I also managed to scrounge a couple of tank crewmen from somewhere and they fit perfectly in the large fighting compartment. I think one was from the BA-64 but there is no way a crew member would fit in that little turret alongside the machine gun.

Although that completes my Soviet forces for now Christmas and my birthday are coming, so I suspect we will see some more vehicles turn up, nothing I need but some I want. I was also informed of Warlord's Black Friday sale and the price cuts on their resin vehicles were too good to pass up, so on behalf of my oldest son I bought myself an early birthday present, an Elefant and Panzerjager IV. Will I ever get this lot on the table, who knows, maybe not, but I do like painting up these kits, a bit like when I was a kid building Airfix planes and hanging them from the ceiling.

Little and Large were a British comedy (and I use the term loosely) duo from way back, one of many who tried to emulate the success of Morecambe and Wise, which no one ever could.