Another one of those posts with way-too-long titles today! We’ve returned to my Finns with some of what was supposed to be Battlefront models, except that two of the three kits I purchased had warped resin turrets. I got onto Battlefront’s customer service and they said they’d get right onto it… when they next have some stock arrive… in a couple of months. So those have still not arrived, and I decided I didn’t want to wait until an indeterminite time in the future to paint and finish the models. So I found a BT-42 STL turret model by a sculptor called TigerAce1945.

I did also print three more complete BT-42s as well. In fact, the turret STL also came with a hull STL in the archive file, so my first plan was to simply print a trio before later deciding to print the replacement turrets that you see here. While looking up images of BT-42s I was taken with the look of the Feldgrau models, so I decided to paint these three in the nice looking field grey (though mine have turned out a lot less clean, and more weathered and mucky) and to paint the fully printed ones with their slightly less detailed hulls in a camo scheme that would distract from the less detailed models. They’re still WIP at the moment, but hopefully we’ll see them completed soon!

Thanks to John from justneedsvarnish I’ve got the Ps.numbers for these assault guns (Ps.511.), so I’ve gone for 1, 2 and 3 and added number decals in a similar style to the hakaristi decals on the turrets, but with all of that on the rear glacis I didn’t feel up to trying to freehand another trio of tiny little hakaristi on the rear – and my stockpile of decals is limited and the Axis Allies Decal Set supply isn’t great for top-ups (and they ain’t cheap, either!) – so I need to be tight when it comes to top-hull/turret, front and rear decal use on most of these.

As per usual, I added some stowage to individualise both vehicles with some plastic spare parts from other kits – jerry cans, crates – as well as some milliput bags and bedrolls. As for the delay between posts, I wanted to get some vehicles finished before posting terrain – so I could have painted ones (and in the case of 15mm, recently-painted ones) for the size comparison pics. But I had to wait for the decals on these to come from NZ, as well as the decal set with some key bits for the next models in line as well…

These three little assault guns are also more fodder for Dave Stone’s Season of Scenery ’25. I know I’m speaking for the whole blog community that we have here when I say that we’re hoping to hear from Dave soon that he’s on the mend.