The Commander Series Forum

Greetings

To what extent do you use proxies for vehicles, guns and infantry you either cannot get in the scale or you cannot justify doing so?

As an example I am building up forces in 10mm for North Africa for the period June 1940 - January 1941 with add ons to April 1941.

For the first scenario - drawn from Frank Chadwick's Benghazi Handicap - I should have lots of M11/39s (12 + 2 HQs). Instead I am using M13/40s for the gun tanks and M40 comando vehicles for the armour HQs. I could get Minifigs M11/39s but couldn't justify spending the money for very limited use.

I'm also going to use my 75/27 field guns for Libyan 77/28 pieces in a later scenario (and indeed normal Italian infantry instead of specific figures for the Libyan infantry).

How much proxying do other people do?

Regards

Edward

I use armoured cars in a liberal fashion, a humber with an MG is basically the same as a humber with an ATG.

Over the years I've had to do this a few times but today, most models are available from someone so it's become rare.
40 years ago I got into 20mm Napoleonics (Airfix) and the only cavalry available was 7th Cav. from the old west. Painted in a variety of colours they represented just about every type of cavalry in the Napoleonic wars..........ah, the good old days....

As long as you and your opponent know what model it what, it should be be problem - I have proxied PzIVs as StuGs occasionally, as I lacked the StuG models

should = shouldn't

I am of the opinion that the figures just represent the forces and don't have to be accurate. Yes in a perfect world it would be nice to have the correct figure for each type, but hey, anyone heard of the financial crisis we are all facing. I won't be buying any figures until things start to normalize.I have no problem whatsoever in saying a Panzer IV is a Panzer 38T., or even a tennis racket is a bazooka.

I would like some Nebelwerfers for my late Germans, I will be getting the new Maco SWS with Nebelwerfer for my mobile artillery when it comes out.

http://www.mc-modellbau.de/html/maco_plastic_mo...

Due to the lack of cheap and available kits I intend to depict off table units with a counter showing a Nebelwerfer in profile. Has anybody done the same for their off board artillery?

Not yet, but I will need to for Nikfest, as I don't have enough Russian artillery!

"Due to the lack of cheap and available kits I intend to depict off table units with a counter showing a Nebelwerfer in profile."

I wish I had thought of that - I could have saved a bloody fortune in artillery models which very rarely get to see the light of day - genius

I just use a FAO to depict my off table artillery units

As to proxying models quite happy to do that and should not cause a problem as long as both sides are aware from the start. For example I recently acquired a Battlefront US Company box cheap. It contains 60mm mortars and .30 LMG teams which are not used in BKC but I will use them as 81mm Mortars and MG Units until I get the correct models.

So long as its clear - no problem.

IanS

Personally, I always make an attempt to model the thingy. But I use plastic kits, and for me conversions are fun projects. In the before times, I had to use some 1/76 and occaisional 1/72 kits instead of the preferred 1/87. Recently, I've been able to replace all those with 1/87.

Long ago, I converted 1/76 Matchbox M3 Stuarts into M5's; and then some of them into M8 HMC's with modified turrets from Roco M36's. Since replaced with 1/87 models, but it was really hard bringing myself to retire those conversions!

Did some very ersatz towed Flak by putting Roco 37mm and quad 20mm guns on whatever trailer chassis I could fit them on. Not so hard to retire those.

There are 1/87 M18's available these days, but since they sell for about $45 each, I'll stick with my own version, a Roco Bulldog chassis with a modified M36 turret.

M10 models do work great for disguised Panthers!