Year of the Butterfly. 7: Belgica 1951

I have finished painting one “company” for each of the North Brabantian and South Brabantian infantry.

The models are part of a long outstanding project that I came up with when I retired : to resurrect the old, sometimes unaffordable, toys of my youth. When I retired I stocked up, usually from eBay, on such things as Merit alder trees, Britains hedges and walls, Airfix “La Haie Sainte” buildings, and best of all, the old Infantry Combat Group.

I had to supplement the infantry with their old opponents, the somewhat rigid German Infantry, and as many of the old polythene tanks, guns and vehicles that I could lay my hands on.

I am wonder why Airfix decided to make most of the first range of these ready-made vehicles in the 1950s and ‘60s, but they did later release Second World War models, which now demand silly prices.

I was hoping to equip the North Brabantian (Army of Vlaams) forces with Centurion tanks, but alas, one of the two models in stock has suffered from brittle deterioration. The barrel has snapped, as has the turret pin. Trying to extract the pin the entire hull shattered.

Anyway, here are the forces as currently assembled:

Note that in Belgica Regimental facings are retained in the cuff colours and officers’ hatbands. And looking at the photo’s I see that the application of spray varnish has removed the faces from some of the North Brabantians. That must be revisited. 🙁