WW2 Winter Wonderland Warfare in Miniature!

So somebody asked me if I was up for painting AFVs and such for the Eastern Front during the winter. This question prompted me to attend to a neglected photo shoot today of a work-in-progress project of mine, a vanity project of sorts that was started by the acquisition of a whole pile of miniature display snow covered pine trees and such for 70% off the normal retail price…

So, without further introductory delay, here's what I've done so far, with more on the way and infantry being the one big purchase I'll need to make to wrap up this little foray into the dreaded Russian winter of 1942-43 in 1/72 scale…

"Scouting for the fascist invaders…"

"… we seek them with caution, ever vigilant to alert our gallant comrades of their presence…"

"… where could they be, those loathsome invaders of our beloved Motherland?"

The Luftwaffe is on the prowl...

… and spots the Bolsheviks up to no good!

"They are Red heavy tanks! Quick! Alert the kampfgruppe commander at once!"

"The jig is up, comrades! Forward! Make haste! We must close with the enemy before their air force can stop us!"

"Za Rodina! Forward! To the West!"

"Crush the fascist vipers! We will show them a thing or two in our new gifts from the British workers!"

"We are Red Guards! Fear us, oh vile fascist invaders of our Motherland! Forward! For the workers and peasants!"

"Achtung! Bolshevik panzers!"

"Armor piercing! Traverse turret to 2 o'clock! Engage the lead tank!"

"Panzer grenadiers, vorwarts!"

The panzer grenadiers have already debused and spread into the woods...

A Red Army anti tank gun waits in ambush for the panzers to come into range...

While a desperate German Wehrmacht deploys catered Russian field guns to try and cope with the better armored Russian heavy tanks...

"How dare you invade our Motherland! Die, you fascist viper!"

"Gutentag, mein herr!"

And there you have it, a mix of Pegasus fast build KV-1S's, BA-6s, HaT Industrie F-22 76.2mm field guns, a Skytrex 57mm anti-tank gun, repainted Corgi die cast Panzer IV Auf. F and Churchill Mk. IIIs (and one with a Foundry Russian tank commander suitably attired for winter!), Esci Sdkfz 251 halftracks one armed with a captured Russian PTRD anti-tank rifle, a lone PST kit of the massive KV-2 "Dreadnought" also suitably crewed by a Foundry Russian tank commander figure in an appropriately snug sheepskin coat, an Airfix Focke-Wulf FW189 "Flying Eye," and a Revell Polikarpov I-16 (to which I added some underwing rockets). 

One of these days I'll finish this project, and actually run a game or three set in the bitter Russian winter on the Eastern Front during the dark, freezing days of 1942-43. The goal is to have a Russian force comprised of a hodge lodge of AFVs none of which is a T-34, and an equally desperate German force the infantry of which look particularly miserable and desperate due to the sub zero temperature of the Russian winter, equipped with a gaggle of under gunned and outnumbered panzers.

Next up: Darkest Star Games has begun a Kickstarter to push the expansion of their plans to upscale all of the classic Adler 6mm sci fi vehicles and figures to 15mm, and I just got my grasping talons on a bunch of them, and those very models are outside, having been sprayed several hours ago with their primer coat...