During Coronavirus Lockdown I thought I would complete my Western Desert project.
Reading some of the literature on the campaign I liked the open terrain and the almost naval manoeuvres made by the Armoured Brigades especially in the earlier battles and it seemed to suit the rules perfectly.
Idea was for a smaller scale than the usual 15mm or 20mm we have been using so far. I had some 10mm Minifigs for at least a couple of years that never got beyond an undercoat, so decided to go with that. After a comparison of manufacturers it was clear that some picking and choosing was necessary. Slightly thwarted by a lack of photos on the Minifigs (Caliver) site I stuck with them for some of the models and the infantry, and decided on Pendraken for others.
I have gone as far as the end of 1941, around Operation Crusader. The Brits consist of Mk VI, Matilda, A9, A10, A13, A15 (Crusader I) and Honey. Armoured cars include Rolls Royce, Morris and Marmon-Herrington. Infantry amount to almost 2 battalions, plus 2pdr dismounted and portee, 25pdr and some transport. Germans include the usual Pz I, II, III and IV, a couple of PzJgr !, Sd 222, Sd 232, 37mm, 50mm, an 88 and a variety of transport and infantry. The Italians so far have massed some L3-35, M11/39 and M13/40 with a solitary AB 41 armoured car. A couple of A/T guns but no infantry. The Minifigs all had large back packs which didn’t look anything like the photos I’d seen, and I haven’t got to accepting the chunky Pendraken infantry just yet.
So a few days with the file, the airbrush, the ink wash and the dry brush and it all looked ok. I haven’t found any decals in the right scale so they lack those at the moment which is a shame because it seems to make a considerable difference.
Blinds were made from mdf with suitable insignia from the airbrush and homemade stencils.
