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Hey all!

So, I've decided to split this off from my main blog, just because it is a different project of a rather specific nature. I have decided to embark on building a late-war Flames of War army, based on the Panzer Lehr. The Lehr division was one of the most elite German units in the late-war period, and arguably the most elite non-SS unit. Flush with skiled veterans and outstanding equipment, Panzer Lehr is definitely an awesome modeling subject from a wargaming perspective, since it is so flexible and has so many modeling options.

The first thing I am working on is kind of a wonky all-tank list that I am putting together for a FoW TANKS-giving event being held at my FLGS. The only requirement are that we bring a late-war 2500 point list. My response? Panthers, lots of Panthers! Plus a few Panzer IVs for good measure . Here is the rough process I am planning on using:

First, assembly. The Panther model from Battlefront has a number of fiddly bits to it, and it actually takes a bit of doing to put it together:



I am base coating the models using the FoW-branded primer, as the right color was available. I had thought about using my airbrush for this step, but the shaker can is a bit more convenient.



Next comes a Devlan Mud wash:



And then a couple of layers of drybrushing and the cammo scheme:





Yet to do: Detail work such as the tracks, tools, etc. I'm pretty happy with the general look the above process produces, though. I need to get busy; I've got a total of 15 tanks to paint up, and just over a week to do it in! Here is the rest of the lot after priming:

Just a quick update!

Time is rapidly running out; just two days to go to the battle! I've managed to get the first platoon of Panthers pretty much done:



The tank numbering is proving to be a bit difficult; sources I've found seem to indicate that Panzer Lehr's numbers were typically red with white outlines. Unfortunately, the Battle Front decal set I own has only solid white numbers. So, I've resorted to painting the middle of the numbers red:



I'm not sure if I'm going to number the whole army at this point; Dom's Decals has some nice looking numbers that would work better, and I'm thinking about holding off on the rest of the company until I get my hands on some of those!

Well executed painting technique! Awesome results and fast too from the look of it. Patheres are my favorite.

Thanks for the kind words, Kaiser!

Here is another quick update photo:



You can see that I've gotten started on the cammo for the second platoon of Panthers and the Panzer IVs. I'm using a stippling technique I read about on the official BF forums, and it seems to be working pretty well for me. More shots soon!


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Well, my tank company is coming along nicely. Here are some shots of the Panthers and Panzer IVs:

This platoon is done with the exception of decaling. I decided to put off decaling these until my order from Dom's Decals arrives.



This is the platoon that I have "completed," including the decaling. The turret numbers were a pain to do, and I'm not 100% satisfied with the results. This is the main reason I'm waiting for the decals I ordered from Dom to do the rest!


I experimented with a couple of camo variations on the Panzer IVs; the tank in the foreground will represent my Company Commander in the game.


The last model I have to complete is this little half-track for my artillery observers to ride around in:



I decided to go a different route with this model. With my tanks, I assembled them completely and then primed them in the base yellow color. Howvever, the downside of this si that a lot of painitig needs to be done to the tracks, since only the road wheels need to be yellow. With this model, I primed the track assemblies separate from the rest of the model, and then painted the road wheels yellow by hand. This method turns out to be a lot more convenient and time efficient, due in no small part to the difficulty of brush painting tracks, with all their deep recesses. Here is the result:



Overall, I'm happy with how it is coming out, but I will need to finish it tomorrow. That's enough painting for today!

Lovely stuff! Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out, and I'm sure I can't be the only one hoping that you will post some pics from the event as well!

Thanks for the compliment, Pacific! I will post some overall shots at some point today, once I get everything together.

As for the event, I plan on posting pics of that in the FoW sub-forum, probably tomorrow night.

Okay! I managed to get the rest of my tank company done!

Here is a shot of the artillery section, including the half-track for the observers. The rest of the section had been painted earlier, for use with my early war army:



Here are the Panzer IV's; the two on the left are the company command tanks:



Finally, here is a shot of the whole company, ready for action tomorrow!