Mad March - 30 day Kit build challenge

 

 Mad March 

Every year I try to reduce the stash, I have a lot of unbuilt kits, particularly modern and ww2, plus some ww1 aircraft. I also suffer from half built kit syndrome, as I like to paint the interiors, the pilots or drivers then assemble the kit. So with that in mind I'm starting the 30 day kit build, if you like join me and blog about it, steal the picture below if you like

Join me if you wish on Facebook, Blog and Instagram using the tag 

#30daykitchallenge 

Or join the fun on the 

The Wargamers Forum

RULES

Goals are simple, you will build your part built and new kits during the 30 day challenge:

• Any material (plastic, resin, metal, wood).
• New in the box or partially built, it matters not.
• Gun, tank, truck, aircraft, ship, figure animal? Your call.
• Kit must be basically finished, based if you prefer that, to qualify as a build.
• The completed kit must be ready for primer.
• Resin and metal upgradesets can be applied after the build.....the goal is to get kits built and ready for primer, not to finish them with paint and varnish etc.
• You decide how many kits/models you want to build in the 30 day period.
• You set the penalty for not meeting your goal (and after that it is the honor system)

Anything beyond that is up to you

My goal is the period from 1/3/2026 up to 31/3/2026, I plan to work on a number of kits, until I have completed my goal.  My goal is grand total of 16 kits, If I can build more kits in the month, then bonus.

My penalty is that if I don't make my target, is not to buy another kit for the rest of the year :(.

So, starting with Day #1 (1st March 2025), I'm starting with some Allied 1/72 landing craft kits first then onto some more vehicles and some aircraft.

Cheers
Matt

The Leopard Battalion - 10th Commando in the Congo

 The Leopard Battalion -

 10 Commando in the Congo 

The iconic leopard "Kansimba" commandos of the Congo, led by Major Jean "Black Jack" Schramme. The design of the original 2nd pattern patch features a jumping leopard motif, superimposed onto an outlines of the Katangan state (red), Lake Tanganyika (blue), and the distinctive Katanga cross (locally called the "handa").


Tracing it's origins to "Leopard Group" in 1961 for service in during the Katanga crisis. It was originally formed up of white volunteers from South Africa and Rhodesia, but was augmented by a force of black Katangan Gendarmes as the unit withdrew to Angola in early 1963. Upon the outbreak of the Simba Rebellion in 1964, the unit was fully incorporated back into Armée Nationale Congolaise (ANC) as 10 Commando (Kansimba). The unit served throughout the war helping to liberate large swathes of the country from the ruthless rule of the lawless Simbas rebels.


Upon the outbreak of the Mercenary's Revolt in 1967, 10 Commando turned against General Mobutu's ANC in continued favor of Moise Tshombe. The unit scored some early successes under Schramme's renegade command, the unit was critically under-supplied. As ANC forces regrouped, 10 Commando was largely destroyed as a fighting force by the fall of 1967 by the elite ANC 2nd Parachute Brigade. A large number the surviving 10 Commando men of Lunda descent fled to Angola, where many would fight for the Portuguese against communist rebels. Schramme and the white volunteers largely departed for Europe permanently by 1968.

I plan to add a command unit of 5 figures and two sections of 8 figures to my collection armed with SLR and Mag 58 from Britannia 

Cheers

Matt

2026 projects list

 2026 is upon us and future projects are starting to flood my ideas of what is possible to do this year. So I commenced a list over the last few days of possible projects. This year I do want to complete a few of the smaller armies and add additions to my other collections. 

In no real order of priority 

• Main Project US 2nd Armoured and 90th infantry Division additions of 18 Sherman’s, 12 halftracks, 12 trucks, 6 jeeps, SP artillery, towed artillery, 90 infantry 
• American airborne 83rd 3 battalions for Arnhem (underway) 
• Last Levy Berlin 1945 - complete third volkssturm battalion, add ATgun
• 1940 Belgians 1 battalion of infantry, 1 battalion of chassuers, 1 battery of heavy guns, 4 tanks, two aircraft
• Polish 1939 infantry two battalions of infantry 100 infantry, 1 battery of guns, 6 trucks, 6 tanks 
• French 1940 18 tanks, 12 trucks, two battalions of  80 infantry, two heavy artillery battery’s
• British tank guards regiment 
• Panzer Lehr, one battalion of infantry (underway), 10 panzers, 9 halftracks 
• 21st Panzer 10 tanks, 15 halftracks, 6 trucks, light vehicles 
• 9th SS element additions for Arnhem, battalion of infantry and vehicles. 
• 346th infantry Division, 60 infantry, sp guns, artillery and vehicles. 
• Desert Storm Iraqis 6 tanks, 12 APCs, 1x aircraft 
• Desert Storm American 30 infantry and 7 Bradley APCs 
• Warpac Soviet Marines 90 figs (almost complete) 3 x T55s, 4 x PT76, 1 aircraft, two helicopters 
• Warpac 90 soviet infantry, 9 BTRs, 6 BDRM, 9 BMPs, tank regiment 15 T80s,  2 Shilka, 2 Nona, 1 helicopter 
• BAOR 90 infantry, 6 APCs, 1 light artillery battery, one rapier battery, one bloodhound battery, two aircraft
• Egyptian trucks and APCs (80% complete) one helicopter 
• Syrian infantry x 80, 7 x tanks, 8 APCs, one aircraft 
• Israeli infantry x 40, 6 tanks, 4 APCs, 2 x aircraft, 2 x helicopters 
• Congo crisis - more Congolese rebels, UN and mercenaries, vehicles, buildings  and aircraft.
• Gaslands Apocalypse vehicles 
• Terrain - ww2, Cold War and Middle East 

Cheers

Matt

Happy New Year 2026

  

Cheers

Matt

Christmas greetings 2025

 

 Christmas greetings to one and all 

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas, I am down under baking in the summer sun, visiting family and friends. 

Cheers

Matt

French & Belgian Artillery Tractors

 French Artillery Tractors 

While researching 155mm artillery tow vehicles for my Belgians I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of photos of tractors for towing pieces across country into position from a road. The lighter guns by 1940 had started to receive 4wd trucks and vehicles. The heavy and reserve guns however were still using them in 1940. This must of been a major frustration for mobility of heavy guns as only four tracked tractors was assigned to a battery of French guns and two for the Belgians, with other spare vehicles assigned to the corps artillery reserve. Tractors could be from a number of manufactures Pavezi, Renault HI and Ford for the heavy guns  Clétrac, Ara Alpha Prime 3 (only in Belgian service) and Ford for the 75mm guns, all tracked and mostly underpowered. Obviously this would have slowed the rapid redeployment of medium and heavy guns in a war of movement. 

Now to find a H1 Renault tractor …. Or scratchbuild one….

75mm canon with Cletrac tractor

Artillery school Bretagne, unloading a 75mm 

H1 Renault tractors for the 105mm and the 155mm

H1 Renault tractor 

Captured Belgian tractors in the foreground, behind is two T13 Armoured tank destroyers, and a FT 17 

On the rail car