Richard’s US Cavalry Recon Troop Richard was our Production and Design Co-ordinator managing the miniature products from design with Evan all the way to final production. Of course co-ordinating Evan is somewhat akin to herding cats. Richard has now returned home to the UK to be closer to his family. Why? I’ve slogged it out with an Armored Rifle Company and light tank force for a while now so have been eagerly awaiting the new lists so I can try something new.

I’ve always had a project in mind using the new M8 Greyhound & M18 Hellcat. They are great models & I just have to have them in my army somehow so to begin our 600pt armies I’m having a US cavalry Recon Troop containing: Company HQ (70 points) Cavalry Recon Platoon 1 Patrol (60 points) Cavalry Recon Platoon 1 Patrol (60 points) Tank Platoon 3 M4 (205 points) Tank Destroyer Platoon 1 Section (175 point)   Total 570 points

I couldn’t resist a little puttying, what with Mark going for it on his Staghounds and all, so out came the Apoxie Sculpt (AB putty) and the best tool I’ve got for the job - a big darning needle! Takes a bit of practice but the results can be well worth the extra effort to individualize each vehicle. To add a bit of colour I planned to have the cerise air recognition panels on each platoon – a blob of putty rolled out flat in position and then crinkled with the needle gives a decent tied down/folded cloth effect.

Baggage is another blob of putty pushed & prodded into a bed roll, whilst camo netting gets an old toothbrush prodded into the drying putty for a quick & easy netting look. Tip: get a blanket and lay it out in front of you and copy the way it folds. I liked Dion’s spent ammo casings, so on my command M8 I got the guy firing the .50 cal & cut some brass rod to litter the back deck.

Tip: I painted my brass casings but for speed sake, you could get away with leaving the brass unpainted.     Decals can add the finishing touches to a model but can look like a decal stuck to the outside. A while back, I got some Gunze Sangyo decal softener. After some experimenting (instructions are in Japanese) I think I got it right as the marking on the rear deck of the M18 looks like it is part of the vehicle, with the engine grill showing through quite well. The Sherman’s also had a bit of decal work. From some other photos, I found that the crews sometimes painted over the obvious aiming points the stars made.

It’s far easier painting over a decal than by free hand. You may notice that all the vehicles look quite fresh from the workshop, don’t worry I have plans to dirty them up, but that can wait until I get the next 400 points completed. It’ll be a nice way to unify the army in one go.

How will I fair on the battlefield remains to be seen, as by all accounts the recon will be tricky to use, but as this force will turn into a tank company as we expand to a 1000pts it’ll be a fun challenge! Forward Ho! Richard Richard completed his 600 points.