Battlefront V4 6 Pounder Box Review.

With the new V4 MW books out and with my new German force table ready, it is time to look at my old Motor company and give it a V4 refresh.

Box cover. Photo from Battlefront

Review:
First up is some 6 Pounders. A great opportunity to try out one of the new plastic boxsets. The box contains 4 yellow plastic frames, each with the parts for one 6 pound gun. As is now usual, there are some options here. The frame provides three different 6 pound gun options for various iterations. This is what we have come to expect from Battlefront's new strategy of product range tightening. I think this is a clear winner for BF, store and the gamer. Fewer blisters and boxes mean it is simpler to produce, stock and buy boxes that are needed wanted. 

6 Pound Gun frame. Photo from Battlefront

Gun components

These guns are simply lovely casts. Crisp detail in hard plastic. There was no real clean up required and assembly was straightforward. Unlike the old metal wheels which never seemed to have a deep enough hole to sit on the axle, these wheels fit well on the plastic axle. The gun is them popped into the hole behind the axle. Finally the gun shield in two pieces is fitted onto guiding nubs. Simple! The frames contained some ammunition crates but I didn't include these on the bases. I will likely reserve these for future tank stowage projects. Great to see them included though.

6 Pound Card - Photo from Battlefront

The box also contains the MW unit card. This is the usual high quality, glossy card.

Crew - Photo from Battlefront

Finally, there are 2 crew frames. These are of the new soft grey plastic variety. Looking at them, they are highly detailed with deep creases, especially in the uniforms. The faces have slightly less detail than the old metal miniatures. What was a problem was the flashing and mould lines on my models. I have always just cleaned them up with a hobby knife. However these models for whatever reason resisted my efforts. I did my best but wasn't happy with the result when I started painting.

Back of the box. Photo from Battlefront

The back of the box provides a very simply assembly plan and really covers everything needed for putting the model together. I have said it before and will say it again; it would be nice if there was a simple diagram showing the appropriate options to use for the period that the box covers. In this case, what each of the 3 guns are and which is appropriate.

Painting Progress Shot.

Painting:
I chose to mount my guns on the tops of paint bottles so they would be easier to paint. The crew were simply glued onto the new recessed bases. This worked really well.

Flash aside, the models were a joy to paint. My method involves a wash and the deep recesses and clean lines really suit my method. Details like tire treads, tow hooks and rivets on the gun are clearly visible and crisp. Likewise on the crew, small details like webbing, shell rounds and binoculars are well cast.

I went with my usual 3 crew. I find that predetermined recesses mean that 4 crew will leave the barrel of the gun protruding from the front of the base. I find this leads to damage in transport and storage and gets in the way on the game table. I would rather take a crew man off and push the gun back further in the stand.

I also chose to not glue the guns to the base. This will allow me to use the base and crew for 2 Pound guns if I want to use the army for EW.

My painting steps were:

1. A white spray undercoat.
2. The guns were base coated in Desert Yellow and washed with army painter strong tone.
3. I then highlighted the guns with a 80/20 ration of Desert Yellow and Iraqi Sand.
4. The wheels are black with an Iraqi Sand dry brush.
5. The Crew uniforms are Iraqi Sand, the Webbing is Stone Grey, the helmets are Desert Yellow, the gaiters are Khaki. 
6. After a wash, I then just simply highlighted the crew colours with the base colour again.
7. The basing is Desert Yellow, with a strong tone wash and a highlight of 80/20 Desert Yellow and Iraqi Sand.

 And after a spray varnish they are ready to hit the desert sands and battle Jerry.

I hope you enjoyed this review.