20mm Bunkers – Review by Mark Wheeler

….All are to a medium 20mm in size and hence FAA/Drews/Platoon2 0 types do not look out of place with them. Whilst 2—03 looks large in the illustration, the usable room within the emplacement is only about four square inches so Flak guns of only 20/37mm can be comfortable set up. All have removable roofs and are hollow, revealing divided rooms inside and, on 20-04, a spiral stairwell. Embrasures and door-ways are open which, combined with the models hollow construction gives a good impression of depth. The detail implied by the illustrations is delivered on the models. Slab concrete construction for the wall with rough poured concrete cast roofs have been convincingly depicted, as has the occasional shell impact crater. The Tobruk Pit, Flak emplacement and HMG bunker all have circular roof recesses on which light tank turrets (not supplied) could be mounted, or these can be left clear to accommodate machine guns or spotters. I was impressed with all the pieces, which have been manufactured to a high standard with no air holes or warpage, and was inspired to send for sets of the ‘SB’ range of 20mm field emplacements and the ‘TS’ 20/25mm Trench System.

The ‘SB’ range falls into two types at present, 20-01 to 20-06 are lengths of sandbag walling, whilst 20-07 onwards are various foxholes and dugouts. The various sandbag lengths are free standing and orderly (no bases with all bags neatly stacked, none scattered) with each a little over half an inch high, giving an impression of a leisurely prepared defence rather than a hasty construction under fire or of some age. Each bag is formed with a sack fabric effect and many sag realistically. At a pinch they will serve as lengths of mealie bag defences, with the exception of SB20-04, a hut (store or armoury rather than occupation) about two and a half by one and a half inches composed entirely of sandbags but for a wooden door and a single window/embrasure. A separate sandbag lined roof can be removed and the interior is hollow but with all internal sandbag detail present – clever moulding here I think. The examples I have of the foxholes and dugouts exceed in number the three listed so I suspect this part of the range is still under development. In appearance they are circular, oval or semi-circular, some topped with sandbags or tree trunks. None have bases and surfaces are depicted as abrasive (stones and earth) and some will double as shell craters. All the ‘SB’ items are a competant attempt at basic wargamers scatter items, sensibly priced and are recommended.

….further releases from Monolith Designs, whom we first looked at last issue….they have released some very useful but different items in the shape of RB30-01 to RB30-08, a series of eight 25mm ruined ecclesiastical styled stonework ruins. Now, these are very clever models, in many ways being ‘scaleless’. For 25mm figures they blend in as abandoned church or monastery sections whilst in a 20mm game their sudden ‘increase’ in stature gives the impression of a much larger cathedral type structure. Most pieces depict a large stone block construction with concrete type base and corner pillar design and a number come with separate timber flooring sections, which fit onto lips in the internal stonework, to give a partial section of upper flooring. All are versatile, well thought out pieces with RB30-04 being both my favourite and representative of the range. Not shown in the drawing is a section of optional flooring which makes for an excellent firing/observation post from behind the huge arched windows. All wall sections are pocked and flawed as if by projectile damage and none have piled debris or indeed any bases. Personally I prefer this; although it looks more realistic it becomes far more difficult to position figures and vehicles. Moulded in a mid grey you might even get away with no painting and the pieces are usable either individually, in small groups or in one large ‘scatter’ depending on the size of the structure represented. Thoroughly recommended.

…….Monolith Designs have now completed the re-mastering of their 20mm trench system (TS20-01 to TS20-11) to include a separate rear trench, or retaining, wall for stand-alone trench pieces whilst for models depicting built in huts and bunkers the rear wall in moulded in place for simplicity. An example of this is TS20-07, ’trench length with integral hut’ a new release and now reviewed here. The total piece measures some six inches in depth with a frontage comprising a sharply falling one inch high bank topped by sandbags about four inches wide. The trench itself is over an inch wide and is fully shored with planks and upright timbers to front and rear. The mud effect ’floor’ contains irregular shaped duckboards. The integral hut is fully sandbagged, hollow with no floor, and the steep earth bank effect is repeated all around. This superb model, suitable for the latter 19th Century to the present day, is completed with a separate roof for the hut and a small sandbagged porch which extends across to the trench wall. An absolute winner from Monolith Designs who arguably have the best trench systems (also available in a noticably larger 25mm) on the market at present. My thanks to Steve Mussared for the review sample