Bunker Talk

BTR-60

2026-11-08T09:11:00.000-06:00

Roskopf BTR-60.

It is the open early top version.

The main machine gun is the same one Roskopf uses on all their Russian vehicles. Which I like since they are supposed to be the same gun. I think Roco makes 20 different .50 caliber M2 machine guns.

Interior detail is limited but good enough.

The bottom is nicely detailed, which is rather strange I think.

Nice comfy seating for the crew.

Why Would I Want Scaffolding?

2026-11-07T09:11:00.000-06:00

Movie crews use scaffolds all the time.

So more than just construction workers.

But also TV crews too.

Most of my wargames and many of my set ups have media in them.

Help the morale of the troops if they know mom is back home watching.

This is about 6 inches tall.

Its all plastic and pretty sturdy.

Lights on the side and from above to light the scene.

Big heavy camera and boom microphone.

Camera crew from LOD Enterprises.

Adventure figures from Elastowit, in Ukraine.

Scaffold

2026-11-06T09:11:00.000-06:00

I got this scaffold on Amazon a while ago.

It is a really nice kit.

Made in Japan by a company I never heard of before.

It makes a nice scaffold.

It is about 1/32nd scale. Its a two pack and they stack or fit side by side.

Finishing Trucks

2026-11-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

Trucks waiting to dry.

Finally finishing painting these many trucks.

Probably close to 100 of the various types in total.

The Soviet Army will have a reasonable supply train.

And the engineers will have heavy dump trucks.

Somehow a Roskopf BTR-60 open top managed to sneak in there. It's the only one I have, sadly.

Painting Trucks

2026-11-04T09:11:00.000-06:00

My painting techniques have been getting a workout this last month.

The wheels are very time consuming.

Note to Roskopf BTR-152 in the middle, both have been slightly modified by a previous owner. I think the one with the flat roof originally had a Roco SdKfz 234/1 turret on it.

These desperately need the window frames painted.

So do these!

I paint with a brush but I keep a cotton swab handy. I use it to wipe off any excess paint that gets on the windows. Tamiya can be cleaned with water and so I dip the swab with water if the first wipe does not work.

I use a toothpick to spin the wheels so I don't have to touch them while painting.

Trucks and Painting Tips

2026-11-03T09:11:00.000-06:00

More Cold War Soviet Trucks in line for there wheels to get painted.

I use Tamiya X-1 gloss black, Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, and Tamiya X-18 Semi Gloss Black to paint most vehicle wheels. In this can get confusing since these are Soviet tactical trucks they are all getting Flat Black. Since all three jars are similar, I put the little note TRACKS for the Flat Black and TIRES on the Semi-Gloss black. On a similar project I was painting black civilian construction vehicles and used black for the tracks, and semi-gloss for tires.

On top of all my paints I put a little price tag. I put the color and other data. The black dot indicates there is a steel ball for paint mixing already in the container. The silver circle around the jar lid indicates this jar has been opened. Tracks and Tires indicate the typical use for this paint. With three jars that look very similar this seems to minimize problems.

Flat black.

Side two waiting for paint application.

Not just watching paint dry, but photographing it for posterity.

Brush Painting Trucks and a House

2026-11-02T09:11:00.000-06:00

Another dollar store house gets a painting upgrade. I use cheap paints on these and they work just fine. A little extra brushwork and these things look a lot better I think. They are great for dropping down a whole village in the middle of a wargame, or even constructing a whole city. You can get 10 of these types of buildings for the cost of one box of troops or one tank. You probably would not want ten of this specific one of course.

The Cold War Soviet Union project continues. Over the years I picked up a lot of Chinese made die cast trucks and others from the former Warsaw Pact and now it is time to paint them. These are finished, note the painted canvas and black tires on the trucks in the back.

Wheels are painted. These get a very basic paint job, overall green, canvas light green, tires. That's about all. Quick and easy and so I can do 100 of them in less than a year.

Canvas tops waiting for assignment.

Truck tires drying in the open air of my desktop.

Truck tires get painted one side at a time so I can handle the truck and not get black paint on my fingertips.

Dump trucks, cargo trucks, van body trucks, tow trucks, heavy dump trucks, fuel and other liquid tanker trucks.

Windshields get masked off and them when the mask is removed the window edges get painted.

Lighting and Painting

2026-11-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

The Sturmtiger in the background is a conversion from a Roco Tiger I. The resin Porsche Tiger is I think ArsenalM. It's a resin kit. The grey camouflage Tiger II is a Roco Minitank.

Roco Tiger II in urban camouflage. The base is an interlocking floor mat. The pattern looked good as some kind of worn paving stones. The gray color looks good with bombed out buildings. Often in photos of bombed out cities everything seems gray and covered with dust.

All the figures are 1/72nd scale Caesar Miniatures WII Germans, not sure which set.

I found a model of the Bismark that is about 1/300th scale, maybe, and the turret fits perfectly on a Roco Tiger II. As the war continued and Allied bombers got larger and flew higher the Germans went from 88mm to 105mm to 128mm ant-aircraft guns. Those 128mm guns were used as anti-tank and indirect fire weapons also. They were even used as dual guns on the flak towers in Berlin. So this is a notional, 128mm twin flak / anti-tank / indirect fire self-propelled armored vehicle. Often in tank battles that side that fires first wins. So having the second shot already loaded and near to the target is an advantage.

This and all of these are color photographs. The gray mat, gray buildings, gray vehicles, and gray troops as well as the late in the day lighting make it look black and white.

You can see the matt colors of this tank show up in this light, but it did make everything look somber. Sometimes knowing when to take photos can make a different in the result.

Tigers in Urban Combat

2026-10-31T09:11:00.000-05:00

This is a giant rocket firing mortar the Germans used to destroy whole buildings with one hit.

There were a number of operational Tiger II tanks in Berlin at the end of the war. This is the ambush scheme of camouflage, modified for urban operations.

This camouflage is notional, that is, it never existed, but the pattern was used, but typically in brown, tank, and green.

I have two of these tanks that I got used 20 years ago or more.

I think it is a pretty cool color scheme for city combat.

This is the Porsche Tiger. This is what the Tiger I would have looked like if Porsche got the contract. As it was the turrets were put on the Tiger II tanks and this hull was used for the Elephant tank destroyers. I think they did actually complete one or two of these.

Preparation for a Counter-Attack

2026-10-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

Tanks and infantry prepare for a limited counter attack.

German doctrine was to try and counter attack as soon as possible so the enemy did not have time to establish defenses.

Panzerschreck.

Note troop in the window.

Twin 128mm guns in a single turret.

Tanks in Rubble

2026-10-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

Bombed out store fronts.

Enemy in almost any direction requires a 360 defense.

Vehicles that were rarely seen on the battlefield.

Mostly used in the indirect fire mode, or in long distance ambush. Pulling away before the enemy got within range.

It was too slow to out run the enemy so it would usually retire to a secondary prepared position.

Super heavy rocket gun, perfect for urban combat.

Very Late War Heavy Tanks

2026-10-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

Two series production Tiger II tanks with the urban ambush camouflage scheme.

A familiar sight late in the war, Germans troops defending rubble.

Triple purpose, dual 128mm Anti-Aircraft, Anti-Tank, and indirect fire turret for the Tiger II. The turret is very heavy and the tank was quite slow.

Porsche tank hull with early production Tiger turret.

Late war urban ambush scheme, this time in color.

ARV and ARV

2026-10-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

Here are the two Soviet ARVs that I made from Roco Minitanks T34 tanks.

I suspect that ARVs like this were in the inventory of the Soviet Union perhaps as late as the end of the Cold War.

Certainly there are nations, Yemen and Vietnam that STILL use the T34 as an active duty tank in 2026.

So there must be some that still have them in reserve!

Tanks are expensive and even an old tank, as long as it runs is useful.

I painted these in the color that I use for the Soviet Union in WWII and into the early Cold War until about 1960.

ARV Towing Vehicle

2026-10-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

A Soviet truck and two armored recovery vehicles, receiving supplies.

The weight of tanks puts a lot of wear on them, but without the turret and a ton of ammunition they ARV often lasted longer than the tanks.

So in real life an older ARV might serve more modern tanks as long as they were in the same weight class.

A towing vehicle like this could also serve in armored personnel carrier or armored artillery units.

I like them in wargames because if there are a few tanks knocked out on the bridge or in the mountain pass or on the main street, the ARV can remove the obstacles. Sometime a smoke mortar might be part of the ARV kit so they can provide a screen to work behind.

ARVs and a Truck and Supplies

2026-10-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

Orion WWII Soviet Tank Crews in 1/72nd scale.

HO 1/87 scale Roco Minitank conversion.

Roco Minitank HO scale 1/87 vehicle conversion.

The supplies are resin cast and designed to fit into various vehicles in my collection.

Truck is from Filament Fighters, HO scale 3D printed.

ARV Vehicles

2026-10-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

This type of Armored Recovery Vehicle typically has a large winch.

This allows the ARV to hook up to a stranded vehicle without having to risk getting stranded itself.

Sometimes more purpose built vehicles will have a spade or dozer blade to allow them greater purchase when towing a vehicle with a winch.

Some of my Roco vehicles have the little wheels and some don't. They are kind of fun, but on the other hand they roll down slopes.

This vehicle has a bow machine gun, because sometimes they take fire from the enemy.

Two different types of T34 armored recovery vehicle.

Boom Tank

2026-10-23T09:11:00.000-05:00

While a vehicle that can tow disabled tanks out if the mud, and snow, is great, having a vehicle that can help replace an engine or transmission too is even better.

This Roco T34 has been modified to just such a vehicle.

A few pieces of scrap sheet plastic, a couple pieces of plastic rod, and Roco wire spool, and a little hook and you have everything you need to make this vehicle.

Many tanks burn engines and transmissions out quickly.

Having a crane tank like this can make the difference in keeping a tank in service and having to leave it behind.

T-34 ARV

2026-10-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

This Roco Minitank might be 50 years old.

In the 1970s I was reading about Soviet Union making armored recovery vehicles out of the T34.

The simple version is remove the turret, weld over the hold in the hull top, and add a hatch.

I added a couple tow cables.

And some tools. This model sat unpainted for over 40 years until this week. Not detail painted, but good enough for wargaming.

Cold War Soviet Engineer Gear

2026-10-21T09:11:00.000-05:00

This is the rocket launcher that was hiding under yesterdays tent. I am not sure what it is actually supposed to be.

The tent from yesterday for comparison.

A group of large cargo trucks.

Support vehicles from my heavy engineer unit. Note road rollers on the left side.

AVLB on T54 chassis.

Note the upper left a farm tractor, used for towing large aircraft, and the small van that had it's roof repaired a while ago when it was blue.

Another view of the skip loaders.

Cold War Soviet Union

2026-10-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

HO scale BMP, Cold War Soviet Union. At least four different companies made these. Hard to find models of it in HO.

Roskopf motorcycles, I got a ton of these in a used collection years ago.

ARV and TOG by SDV.

Plastic dump trucks. Heavy engineer unit to install the big bridge.

This big green tent was part of the original packaging to this model. I painted it green and use it as a cover for the rocket launcher that belongs underneath.

A couple die cast generic scoop loaders, the back of the rocket launcher and BRDM-2.

New Boxes

2026-10-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

I have been working on upgrading my old Cold War Soviet Union collection. Here are some armored fighting vehicles used by airborne troops. The bridge is a cheap copy of the Airfix Baily Bridge. Such items used to be common in the dollar stores decades ago.

After at least 3 decades of making a nice big underbed storage box that was perfect for my collection, so perfect that I built my storage shelved around those boxes, Sterilite decided to re-imagine them. They are still the same height, but are wider and shorter, with the same volume as the old boxes. But they don't fit the same in my shelves. So I am having to re-imagine my storage solutions to fit the new box.

Here are some of the Cold War Soviet vehicle that have been completed during this Cold War Soviet Union upgrade. Each of these vehicles has had all the parts inspected, repaired, replaced, painted and then minimal detail painting done. There are over 40 vehicles in this box alone.

I take a 3x5 card and tape it to the inside of the box. The name of the collection is in big bold marker letters and then the contents in smaller letters. Obviously this one has been changed and the card will have to be replaced before this project is over.

Another view of the bridge and the BMDs.

Motorcycles, BMP, and dump trucks all in the box. These are actually in a waiting room box and will be sorted into the correct box at the conclusion of the painting, repair and upgrades. I usually put bubble wrap on the bottom of the box to prevent vehicles from sliding around on the smooth surface.

BTR Painting

2026-10-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

I made this little device to mix spray paint cans. I run the drill both directs for a count of 40 and then remove the can and shake it for about 10 seconds. It works very well and mixes the paint better than any other paint mixing I have tried.

Painting a few more Cold War vehicles from the Soviet Union.

A previous owner trimmed the bumper on the first vehicle, I choose not to replace it.

This BTR152 had a little turret on top, I think it was originally an open top model. I think the turret was from a Roco SdKfz 234 / 1 armored car, but just the top half of that turret. You can see the octagonal shape.

Painting is ready to begin.

You can see a little bit of a turret outline on the lower BTR 152. That's despite a lot of scraping and sanding.

Infantry and Overview

2026-10-17T09:11:00.000-05:00

Paul Heiser makes a lot of WWII vehicles, and I have a ton of their trucks.

Watching out for the enemy.

1/72nd scale Italeri WWII US Army figures.

Most of these figures are walking as on patrol.

They fit nicely with most other brands like Revell.

Anti-Aircraft Halftrack

2026-10-16T09:11:00.000-05:00

Looks like a widescreen movie version.

The halftrack is a Roco M16 that has had the .50 caliber machine guns removed.

Those machine guns were replaced by two 20mm guns. 100 were manufactured but none were probably sent into combat.

Most were reconverted back into .50 caliber gun mounts.

With air supremacy the need for AA defense guns was usually not great.

Craters

2026-10-15T09:11:00.000-05:00

Two Sherman tanks along the edge of the road.

The artillery towing truck moves up.

The craters limit maneuver.

The whole set up.

These vehicles were some that were out of the box for repair, upgrade, or paint.