Project Kursk Part 18: Soviet SUs

I do wish Plastic Soldier Company would get on with making some plastic SU-76s, 122s and 152s, but in the meantime, I've added to my Soviet forces with some metal kits.

Here we have a SU-122 and a brace of SU-76s from Skytrex, which I sourced from Mick's Metal Models, the Australian distributor. They aren't cheap, but are very nice models, that I spruced up with some stowage items, also from Skytrex. And thank God - they have heft!!

For the sake of comparison I also bought a SU-76 from QRF. The photos aren't great, but here are the Skytrex and QRF models side by side.

As you can see, there are some pretty profound differences between the two. The QRF model is noticeably inferior in detail, and the proportions of various parts such as the mantlet, hull sides etc don't look right when compared with photos.The QRF model also has a rear door on the crew compartment. I have some vague memory that this might have been a feature on post-war SU-76s as used in Korea. Can anyone confirm? All in all, I think I'll stick with the Skytrex models.

The Return of the Dux

Did you miss me? Or even notice I was gone?

It has been a huge couple of weeks with the Duchess and I moving with our retinue to a new fastness far beyond the Urals. Naturally the main priority once the removalists had gone was to set up the first dedicated hobby space I have had for years, my 'Man Hole' as Fran so elegantly put it.

Behold!

There are obviously myriad tasks required to bring the new place up to the standards necessary to withstand the zombie apocalypse, like the crappy carpet we ripped up yesterday, but I've started getting back into the swing of painting, with the current project being some SUs and a company of T-34s for Battle Group Kursk.

I've also started exploring my local environment, and wandered into the local Games Workshop emporium to pick up some 'skull' white primer. As usual, I had to buy this off an aggressively friendly young chap who wanted to tell me all about Warhammer Epic because it is apparently 'just like' the 15mm WWII games I told him I enjoyed playing when he asked me what kinds of space pixies I collect. All in all it felt like wandering into a church, just with more tattoos and piercings.

But! In other news!

Yes! the new Uhtred of Bebbanburg story, released in the UK in September. Happy days.