Abyssinia Crisis: SEAMAG 20mm AA-Gun

Another option is completed - a 20mm SEMAG AA gun with 2 crew and an NCO/Junior Officer.

Since my platoon lacks real firepower especially against armored targets, this will be one of the most important options, I guess - whether this is so, the games with my Abyssinians will show, who will mostly have to face a modern army, Italians.

While there are pictures that 20mm Bofor were in use, albeit very very few, with the Kebur Zabagna (the Imperial Guard), for the normal units there are only a few and blurry pictures of SEMAG's or Oerlikon 20mm, mostly very early versions from after WW1.

These are often only mounted on simple tripods, sometimes you can see wheels for transport / quick change of position.

Of course there is no model of the early SEMAG (SEMAG would later be taken over by Oerlikon) and certainly none with Mehal Sefari as crew, so here again conversion and scratch build was the order of the day.

Completed model

Scratchbuilding the model and crew

For the crew, meanwhile, practiced handling: sawing off heads and sometimes the feet, pinning other heads and feet, fitting, gluing and, if necessary, reworking with Liquid Green Stuff.

For the SEMAG, I reworked a grip from a 20mm Solothurn (model from Warlord Games) as the corpus, to which I fitted a turned brass barrel from a german 20mm FLAK, plus a 20mm FLAK magazine.

The suspension (unfortunately blurred in the foreground) I filed from sheet brass, bent and then fitted the pin that would allow the SEMAG to be aimed horizontally.

Next, I soldered the tripod from brass wire and filed an axle mount from a U-section to hold the axle for the wheels.

The upper plate is punched out of a plastic plate, and I then fitted the suspension of the SEMAG into the centered pin.

The strut of the tripod, which points to the shooter, I then cut to length so that the shaft of the SEMAG fits exactly into the hands of the same.

The completed model of the 20mm SEMAG AAG ready for painting

Since I wanted a small diorama again, I built 2 ammunition boxes from a brass kit - that was done quite quickly in this case: separate from the frame, fold and solder, done.

From Green Stuff I then formed individual sandbags and then built the suggestion of a gun position.

Then was just the fun part left: arranging figures and designing the base, which again meant cut brass wire to represent spent and ejected cartridge cases.

The next weeks I will try my hand at a FIAT 3000 (Renault FT 17), which will be the last option of the Chain of Command Army List of my Mehal Sefari for the time being, everything else has to show up in the games.

After the tank, I'll work on suitable terrain, buildings, etc.

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Abyssinia Crisis: Mehal Sefari - Leader, MMG team and more support options

My platoon Mehal Safari is slowly but surely approaching completion - today the Amsa aleqa (leader 2nd Half-Platoon), the Meto aleqa (leader of the platoon) and as first options a flag bearer, a much needed MMG team and a Ferenghi (no, not a character from Star Trek - it simply means stranger/foreigner and denotes a kind of military advisor).

As Ferenghi I chose a British officer (ret.).

I had bought this figure because I thought it was simply ingenious and it represents a wonderful cliché, how he supports his teacup with his little finger spread.

In itself, it falls a little out of time, but he is not an official representative of the British military, but has his active service years behind him, so I think you can let that pass ;-)

Close-up of my british Ferenghi:

For the MMG team, some modifications were necessary again - i.e. the usual head swap etc.; figures are a mix of Perry and Warlord.

Besides a small stone wall made of single stones, I cut small sections of brass wire to represent spent and ejected cartridge cases.

At the moment I am working on a 20mm SEMAG AA gun for my Abyssinian. Since there is of course no model for it, I have made a scratchbuild from various ingredients; the 3 man crew are painted and varnished, the SEMAG is soldered and glued, but still waiting to be painted.

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Abyssinia Crisis: Mehal Sefari, 4th Section, 2nd Half-Platoon

The 4th section is finished and therefore the platoon is almost complete now, just the leader of the 2nd half platoon and the platoon leader itself are still missing.

The 4th section contains again a lMG option - 2 of the 3 figures are converted from Italian Askari, the 3rd figure is a mix of a body from the Perry Sudan box, a head from Woodbine and for the magazine pouches I tried to sculpt them from Greenstuff - for the first try not too bad, but next time I have to roll out the belts much thinner, the painting clearly shows that they turned out much too thick ...

The completed 4th section in all their glory:

Detail pictures - I used original Abyssinians from Empress Miniatures, converted Askari from the same manufacturer, as well as Zanzibars from Copplestone.

And here are the lMG figures, the two figures on the far right are converted Italian Askari from Empress Miniatures.

Said figure, where I modeled the magazines myself and where you can see well that the strap turned out much too thick

This week will follow the mentioned 2 leaders and as first options a MMG section and a Ferenghi.

And if everything goes smoothly, maybe a SEMAG 20mm AA Gun by next week - but since there is no suitable model for this on the market, this will require a complete self-build, let's see how that works out in terms of time.

On April 21, my Platoon Mehal Sefari should get its baptism of fire at a Chain of Command game at our Friday meeting, so I have enough incentive to make good use of the time remaining until then ;-)

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Abyssinia Crisis: Mehal Sefari, 3rd Section, 2nd Half-Platoon

With the 3rd section (2nd Half-Platoon) completed, the platoon of my Mehal Sefari for Chain of Command is nearing completion, because I'm already painting the 4th and thus for the time being the last section.

The 2 missing NCO's will follow and then I can start working on the first options of the army list.

And here are the pictures.

Conversions were limited to head swaps on the figures from Copplestone and the Italian Askari from Empress Miniatures, the other Abyssinians from Empress were left untouched.

If nothing comes up, I can complete the platoon with the most important options in the week before Easter.

In the following weeks I will build some terrain pieces, as well as a small terrain mat, which is intended exclusively for photo sessions.

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Using a drying break: Self made bushes and flower-tufts and converting the crew for the MMG for the Mehal Sefari

While the last matte coat of the 3rd section for my Abyssinian platoon is drying, I used the time yesterday to turn a few more tufts of grass into flowers or flowering bushes and to rebuild the crew for the MMG team.

For the shrubs, this time I also tested some more muted colors meant for tree foliage - the colors range from oak, to birch, to copper beech foliage.

In the 2nd row you can see the enlarged versions with the foliage material for trees, especially the copper beech foliage works really well for more arid regions in my opinion, for which the bushes are intended.

And here the converted figures for my Abyssinian MMG team, figures from Warlord and the Perrys (DAK box).

The heads are again from Woodbine and Pith helmets from the Perrys respectively, with all figures again the shoes were filed off accordingly so the figures are barefoot, except the officer.

The Perry's DAK figures without panniers fit well as Abyssinians with the corresponding helmets, but only the kneeling or lying poses, otherwise the different proportions would be too obvious.

They are not that much smaller than e.g. the Abyssinians from Empress Miniatures, or the conversion figures from Copplestone and Warlord, but they turn out much narrower to be able to mix them without hesitation.

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Abyssinia Crisis: Mehal Sefari, 1st Half-Platoon

Done!

The first of the two half-platoons for my Mehal Safari is finally finished, the 2nd half-platoon is ready for the brush and is already scratching impatiently with the hooves.

Here is the first section of the 1st Half-Platoon, all infantry with rifles:

And the 2nd section, 6 infantrymen with rifles plus an LMG section:

A few pictures of converted figures

With these figures, the conversion is limited purely to a head swap, which is sometimes easier and sometimes more difficult.

For the figures with wrapped rolled-up cover, the figures with rifle at the ready and especially the combination of both, the sawing off of the old heads is sometimes quite tricky, if the newly placed head should not look unnatural and details should not be damaged - but ultimately more a question of time and the right tools (cue watchmaker saw bow and saw blades), than pure skill.

The heads used are either from Woodbine, or from the Perrys' Sudan box, the figures from Copplestone, or Empress Miniatures.

Here said figures in detail, where you just have to take your time to adjust the heads:

The biggest conversion effort was for the LMG section, for which I used figures from Brigade Models WW1 series with Lewis MMG (which was still used by the LRDG in WW2 because it was so reliable).

The main problem here is that the Abyssinians were not allowed to wear shoes, so here was the biggest conversion effort, heads only because of the greater variety.

Again, said Perry box came just in time.

The left magazine carrier lost his feet below the gaiters and got new ones fitted, which I then glued individually to the legs and base in a pinned manner to ensure the appropriate stability (all heads are also pinned accordingly, of course).

The gunner with the Lewis-LMG got completely new legs including base. I was able to find a figure in the box with almost perfectly fitting legs, the wide pants of the gunner were milled out until just a narrow edge was left and the new legs (both pinned of course) were fitted afterwards with some Greenstuff.

The 2nd wearer then got a different head in addition to fitted legs.

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Basegestaltung: Grasbüschel in verschiedenen Größen und Farben

Da mein Vorrat an Grasbüscheln einerseits zur Neige geht und ich andererseits für meine Abessinier eher ausgeblichenes/vertrocknetes Gras brauche, konnte ich direkt weitere Tests mit meinem neuen Begrasungsgerät angehen und andererseits testen, ob ich 12mm lange Grasfasern noch verarbeiten kann.

Auf gehts also zum Gartenbau.

Hier die Ausbeute des gestrigen Abends; aus Testgründen habe ich die 12mm Fasern ungemischt verarbeitet, ansonsten habe ich Grasfasern aus den unterschiedlichsten Farben und in Größen von 4,4 bis 10mm gemischt, was nach meinem empfinden am natürlichsten wirkt (im Hintergrund sind die Jungs zu sehen, für deren Basen die Büschel u.a. bestimmt sind)

Hier eine Detailansicht der Büschel aus den 12mm langen Grasfasern (die hinteren Büschel mittig, direkt vor den Figuren).

Mein neuer elektrostatischer Begraser kann diese Länge noch prima verarbeiten, allerdings klappt das nicht mehr mit dem Gemisch aus Weißleim und Fließverbesserer (Mundwasser, Spülmittel etc.), das ich normalerweise benutze - zum Einen fallen die Fasern im Leim anfangs zu schnell um, zum Anderen bleibt er nicht lang genug offen, um wirklich dichte Büschel zu bekommen - für solche Fälle benutze ich den etwas teureren Beflockungsleim von Heki, der beide Probleme löst.

Zum Abschluß verwandelten sich einige wenige Grasbüschel dann noch in blühende Sträucher/Blumen - das bunte Beflockungsmaterial ist selbst gefärbt, um hier eine große Farbvielfalt zur Verfügung zu haben.

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Abyssinia Crisis: Mehal Safari - Conversions Part 3

After little activity here lately, I'm continuing with the platoon for my Mehal Sefari.

Even though I didn't have much time for the hobby during the last months due to my job, I was able to finish painting the 1st section, which is now only waiting for its bases, and also finish the conversions and adjustments for all figures to complete the platoon.

What will follow soon is the freestyle - for the options I still need a MMG and a 20mm autocannon, which is almost mandatory due to the lack of other options, namely to crack enemy tanks, and I'm also toying with a FT-17, which would then be usable for my Mehals as a Fiat 3000, as well as in all early war scenarios for the French etc.

Here is an overview of the Platoon, ready for the brush:

The rebuilt Zanzibars from Copplestone Miniatures fit perfectly with the original Abyssinians from Empress as you can see, the rebuilt Italian Askari from Empress anyway.

Heads are from Woodbine; in the background the first finished painted section.

Below are some close-up photos of the individual sections:

The Leaders are entirely from Empress, as is the Standard Bearer from the Abyssinian Youth - he already represents an option (due to the flag, the section he is assigned to can ignore one Shock Point per phase).

The color scheme is also in place so far; the uniform jackets/tops will be the same faded shade of green, guaranteeing a reasonably uniform look, despite the many intentional differences in the figures.

To make it easier to assign them to the individual sections, the 1st section of the 1st half-platoon will be painted with white pants/leggings (already done) and for its 2nd section with gray instead of white; correspondingly for the 2nd half-platoon with faded khaki for its first section, for the 2nd section I will use a brown shade.

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