Some of these aren't technically tanks

Universal carriers: Spot the difference.

Note: universal carriers, not having a turret, are not tanks and therefore part of a balanced model painting diet. Which means the tanks and armoured cars to follow are entirely justified.

The trio of universal carriers are from Grubby Tanks (ex-Britannia Miniatures) again. While cheap at only £5 a pop, the casting quality wasn't great. plenty of gaps in the resin which needed filling with putty and looked very bendy in places. I suspect the moulds are getting on a bit. Still, paint covers a multitude of sins and the price is good.

In Chain of Command it is possible to dismount troops from carriers, so I haven't glued down the back seat crew figures in the two Commonwealth ones. The Russian lend-lease crew are stuck in place to save faff.

It's not clear (and I was too busy painting to take photos), but the Indian carrier has been converted: the bren gun supplied with the model is mounted on a stand for firing from the rear compartment, but I clipped it off and put it in the front gun mount instead. This required me to cut off the stock to accommodate the commander, but you can't tell.

Top-down view to show off the crews, including the dismountables.

My other recent order has been from Frontline Wargaming who, although lacking in modern e-shopping conveniences, make very nice vehicles in what appears to be 1/76 scale (older Airfix kits). Some of these are the Italian supports mentioned in my previous missive which are not shown here because there are too many pictures already.

German SdKfz 221 armoured car painted in desert camouflage stolen from Captain Blood's excellent Western Desert thread on Lead Adventure.

 The Panzer II I included in this order is currently half-way into it's coating of early-war grey. I seem to have developed a mental block with this one, being unable to summon the will to mix the exact shade of grey needed to not look awful. At least uniform grey is a lot less hassle than the Caunter camouflage I'm planning for the Rolls-Royce...

Panzer II work-in-progress. I will be using Suzanne's Panzer III to represent the heavier German tanks.

 To my surprise, I discovered that I hadn't yet posted photos of my US Stuart and Sherman, despite having finished them last month. Ho hum. Here they are.

American Stuart (left) and Sherman (centre). I compare my attempt at 'Olive Drab' with the dark green of my Russian Valentine.

 I have nothing else to say on the modelling front really, so I'll leave an empty space between the last two pics. In the mean time, don't forget to check out the Labour manifesto, available in lengthy PDF form, or more digestible video.

Closer-up of the Sherman, initially assembled in my early teens and had the main gun snapped off in the ravages of time. The barrel is replaced with leftover wire spear, and the numerous gaps between joints are filled in with putty.

2nd Plastic Soldier Company Stuart, with American commander and in American colours. Assembled skillfully this year, so no need for extensive repair jobs.