Thursday 22 August 2013

Italy's Involvement....

...in WW2 is not, by any measure, a glorious chapter. Whether what happened to Italy from 1922-1945 is a self-inflicted wound is another matter for wiser people than me to discuss. I have long been fascinated by the Italians from re-unification to today despite the fact that I speak not a word of Italian; I am a Hispanophile by inclination but I'll tell you about that another time.

Right then, why? Well, come on, the period 1939-1942 is chock-full of interesting (crap?) armies and their even more interesting (crappier?) equipment using extremely interesting (crappiest?) doctrines and formations. What's not to like? Hence my love of the Italians and their suitability for a Megablitz treatment. The Poles have also received a baleful glance so they may be next.

Starting for 10 is my take on the enormous Cannone da Banga 149/40  and its beautifully rendered crew figures. The very thought of having a 6" naval gun in the desert made me fair trembly (sounds ruder than it should). The build was actually a bit of a nightmare because the 'instructions' on the back of the box don't match the picture on the front. I got there in the end though: G**gle is a great image resource.

Accompanying the gun are two dodgy diecasts I picked up for cheaps down the market and at one of my local charity shops. A paint job and the addition of stowage and ladders made them look slightly more military. Trust me, charity shops are a great resource for all things diecast. The largest vehicle is now the tractor-LOG for the gun. The bus is just in it for the filming expenses at the moment. Gainful employment beckons though. The sand and stones on the toys' bases are from Wilkos 'Budgie Sand and Grit' range. A half kilo bag each for pennies and they last for ages; also considerably cheaper than the identical product sold in smaller bags by a certain workshop of games.

I saved five toys from the crew for other duties of an artillery based nature but the four who did get jobs look rather splendid. Putting the megaphonist so close to the gun-layer appealed to my awful sense of bad-joke humour. I hope you like them too.

Looking more like Mars then Tripolitania.......




Positions, everybody! And.............ACTION!!

Tractor-LOG

Bus

Written whilst listening to The Stereophonics on BBC Wireless 2 - Hurrah!



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