Search the Community

This is the first of my units for my 1/72 WW2 wargame. It's 1/76 scale, but that's close enough to do okay. This kit had very crisp moldings, so it was probably a pretty early run. I'd guess it was made about 1980. I painted the camouflage with a base of old reaper pro paint Griffon Tan, with old pro paint olive and shield brown for the pattern. The little skirt near the bottom is old reaper chestnut brown. I then gave the whole thing a wash in Coat D'Arms brown ink wash, which I thinned an extra 50% to make it flow better. You can see it still caught in some surface places and looks like brown staining, but since it's a tank the dirtier the better. Raised details were then highlighted with a very light drybrush of old pro paint stone grey. The kit itself was rather nice, and has been re-released occassionally by Revell. Fit was overall good and not extremely fiddly. This is my first Char B1 in any scale, and I enjoyed it so much I'm looking for an excuse to get another one. It's a pretty heavy tank for its day so the in-game numbers have to be fairly low or it will be too strong. In most scenarios one of these with a handful of smaller escort tanks will be enough. I didn't apply any markings, partly because the decals are 35 years old and probably useless and partly because I don't know how game markings will work yet. Generic markings may be as well as no markings at all if multiple units are present. For tank types which multiple countries employed, an absence of markings may allow me to have a more useful force without a lot of expense. This tank may re-appear in 1944 as one employed against D-Day landings under the control of occupying german forces as a Pzkpfw B1 (f). The tracks are "rubber band" style, all one piece that snap together and fit on like, well, a rubber band. So they're a little warped. I drybrushed their dark grey color with a bit of reaper gunmetal to add a bit of wear. The kit also includes an FT-17 tank I will probably show later, and also some road, figures, and walls to make a little diorama. Those parts aren't a priority right now, but if I do them then I'll probably share a picture of the whole scene. Additional views: And one with Sir Forescale to give an idea of the size of the tank: