Zis AA truck & Soviet Stuart

@Field-marshall said in Soviet Mountain Troops 1/72 - Ultima Ratio:

For starters just take a fine brush and apply a little wash in the bottom of any recessed areas to create the shadow effect. This is called “pin washing” and it is very effective at getting those details to pop out. You can make your own wash by taking a dark color paint and diluting it about 50/50.

Use dark dark brown on warm colors and black for cool colors for the wash?

Dry brushing is also almost like magic. First few times I did it, it wasn’t perfect but added a lot. After a few more tries,it just gets better.

I haven’t painted anything in years.

AAM collectables version 2.0 Sherman and an original recoiless rifle with 2 added crew and flocking. 5 shades of green layered on Sherman.

After using my Sd251s and Sd234s I realized I needed a couple more, cheaper units, to throw into battle as “disposbale guns” that I didnt mind losing if they never got a shot off. I also got tired of my 75mm AT guns being too weak, and my 88 flaks being too easy to hit, so I made my fav gun, the low-profile 88mm high-velocity AT gun by adding a nashorn gun to the base of a 75mm gun. I included a 75mm gun in the pic for comparison to my new 88. No worries, the Nashorn which lost its gun to make this, was put to good use - it became a Hummel.
  I was short on 75mm guns too, so 1 of these RSO’s is short a gun yet, to be made and added later.
  I made the RSOs by chopping Marders down to just the treads, and enough of the front and back hull to hold them together. Clear plastic (cut from a football card protector and sanded so glue would work on it) is the base for the superstructure, and provides the surface to mount the gun on. Balso is what the superstructure is made from, and paper is used extensively in it, especially to makes the hull sides smooth. Brass is used for the drivers seat. When I used my reference pics I noticed thier is stuff on the sides of these, not sure if it is loose legs for the guns, or some form of apparatus for folding the sdies of the vehicle down. But in either case, I just used some pieces from old model ships that gave an approximate look, and they are not 100% accurate. I just didnt like the completely flat sides I had, and had to add on something.

While my German army has 2 hunting tigers, 2 KTs, 2 Elephants, 4 Tiger Is, 6 Panthers, 3 Jagd Panthers, 2 Panther MKIIs, etc, etc, etc, the Sd251s are the crux of my German army. In my armor rules, each Sd251 can carry 2 troops. Versions with 37mm, 75mm, and mortars can still carry 1 troop. This makes them able to also tow an artillery piece with its crew, or to carry a superbly armed panzer grenadier.
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I line them up and on my 1st turn all the mortars and 75mm short guns fire smoke (which lasts for 3 turns). All the other Sd251s take off full speed. Blinded by a continous line of smoke right in front of them, the enemy is helpless to stop these halftracks from racing halfway across the battlefield and setting up thier 75mm AT field pieces and a few 88mm AT guns as well. When the smoke clears, the enemy is faced with a line of artillery all in critical killing range, and a solid line of halftracks charging them - all which carry troops or thier own AT guns. The enemy is overwhelmed by both numbers and the tough choice of picking off the halftracks or the guns.

These 6 Luchs were Flamingos, with front ends resculpted, extra front hull armor, and rear smoke launchers removed. Puma turrets (as-is) have washers added underneath for better look and to allow turret to rotate without scraping engine covers. 4 in camo, sequencially numbered, for a customer, as is the crewed sd 234/4. The 2 plain sand Luchs are for my army, and will have interchangeable Luchs I turrrets.

It’s a pitty you live so far from me IL, I’d love to get in on some of your gaming.  An 8 hour drive is too much for my budget right now, maybe in a few years.

Unless of course Cali falls into the ocean, then you can relocate to a better state  :-D