SicSuchedniów 2023

 We gathered recently to play large multiplayer battle. Attack on Szomor (Hungary) during Konrad I operation in early 1945. Battle was long and bloody and finished close to a historical result with German forces capturing Szomor itself but being unable to clear and move through pair of hills that dominated terrain. Here are some photos of this beautiful looking game (Thanks mostly to Fromhold terrain making and painting skills )

Here is layout and the city with towering hills.

Roads to Szomor

Hills visible over the town

First victim

Szomor panorama with Filip deploying Russian tanks

Objectives from the German perspective

Here are some photos from the game without coherent narrative.

German assault on the city starts.

City from the top of a hills (Russian perspective), Both flank of German attack clearly visible with infantry and tanks on the left flank and fight in the city with gepanzert grenadiers in the support on the left German flank. Russian trenches and pakfront visible close to the hills.

Russian pakfront

Armored reinforcements

Wave after wave after wave

Bloody tank battle at the city outskirts

Tank battle ended close to mutual destruction

But Germans took the church and city center after bloody fight

Bloody house to house fighting

Pz IVs in the mud

City was cleared but at high cost in life and armor

My forces used in battle

Fromhold beautiful winter Germans with  dice rolling mug that added greatly to German successes in tank combat (and was awarded Iron cross)

As a bonus Fromhold's cute doggo

Review: Zvezda Pz IV F2 in 1:100

Welcome in another mainly photo product review. This time of Zvezda PzIV F2 tank (as always in 1:100) model from their game range. At last we are starting to get models that are usefull for mid-late war. Srsly Zvezda - you sux when you chose to do some obscure or super early models of tanks.. That insanity has to go. Now after this rant over.. :

First thing first, as with Ural truck plastic material is much more friendly now (I am not sure for when change occurred but my last batch (T72 and BTR80) were from older more brittle and harder material. Now plastic is much easier to work with but its not too soft, and keeps great detail.

So for the model itself its delicate like all Zvezda models but have more defined and deeper details than previous German vehicles That is good thing, as detail on Stug were very delicate and shallow.. It could use some improvements (track links on the armour could be  even more defined and lines on engine hatches could be bigger too)  but its very nice model overall with much cast on detail. Overall I am positively surprised and i would rate it for this price as 5 stars model !

And lastly comparison with PSC great PzIV model. To be honest I prefer PSC, but its more than twice the cost of Zvezda. So I will bulk my planned  1942 and Desert campaigns with Zvezda models. Apart from minor differences they are great match - if you fancy it shurzen from PSC will fit on Zvezda models (but turret shurzen needs some work). And they will look great side by side.  Mainly difference is broader and little more flat turret- but that is indistinguishable on the table.

Overall its one of the more useful Zvezda WWII models - They are cheap option for bulking up, but the difference is normal visible (shallow detail, disappearing lines and lack of bolts on the side surfaces)
 But that is not the case with Pz IV F2.
Only WWII multiples I have are T34 (that has to be converted for the type I like but one need them in 10s generally :) and Opel Blitz, but PZIVF2 will be third one.

And I await Tiger I that is meant for this year (with Sherman tanks) - AT last useful vehicle that will work without conversions.. PZIVF2 give me good hopes for quality.