Soviet Tank Crew

I’ve been mostly prepping and priming and rebasing and stuff this last week, but I did finish up some bailed out tank crew for the Soviets – in an effort to keep on top of the Soviets! After the first game with the tanks I realized I needed some bailed crew…

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These comrades are from Bolt Action Miniatures. If I have to bail out a KV-2 I’m kind of out of luck… but then, how often am I ever going to field the KV-2 let alone have it hit hard enough to bail the crew!?

One would think all black uniforms would be EASY. They’re not. I fretted over how to paint these guys for hours about how to give them SOME contrast?! Eventually I painted the helmets and leather jacket with Americana Charcoal Grey, the overalls I painted with a Delta Creamcoat dark grey of some sort – which may very well also have been called “charcoal” – and the boots I just left plain old black… Maybe I should have lightened up the coveralls a bit more (mixed the two “charcoals” for something in between)?

I need to makes some burning tank markers…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hmmmm… Hard to say… I’ve been working on some African villagers(!?) and some German sailors (from the Great War!?), but there’s also a handful of Canadians working their way on to the work bench and the ever-present, desperately-wanting-attention Elves…

More 28mm WW2 Japanese

Another lot of Japanese...

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These are from Battle Honors. I got them in trade from The Teenage Visigoth, which, curse him, got me started on this whole “WW2 in the Far East” thing… Oh sure I had and even painted up the previous bunch that I picked up off of ebay first… but I only picked them up because I had arranged the trade…




A couple of comparison pics – the chap on the left in each picture is from Battle Honors, on the right is the one from First Corps. The First Corps figures do look a little bit “better fed” than the Battle Honors fellows, but not so much to cause me distress (I’m not all that fussy!)

I had planned to do more (some standing vs. kneeling, etc) but some recent rain (a LOT of it) has products CLOUDS of mosquitos and if I'd donated any more blood taking pictures I might have needed a transfusion myself!



When you get a pile of them together on the tabletop It gets harder to sort out who is who (as long as they are all painted the same!)

This is it for the Japanese… for now… but only briefly.. because… I, um… well I just picked up another lot of First Corps Japanese off ebay last night and I’m bidding on some more from Battle Honors?! DOH!?

If I win the Battle Honors ones that will put me at platoon+ strength – probably close to two platoons or an understrength company…?! The only additional items I would need would be a few HMGs and some tanks. But that’s kind of counting chickens – maybe I should wait and see if I do get that second lot…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Two stands worth of ECW musketeers somehow made it on to the painting desk?! (curse you neldoreth!!)

More Pulpy-Modernish-Civilian (not-so-useful) Stuff

A few more odds and sods rolling off the painting table…

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From left to right we have: a “Wild West Women” from Shadowforge Miniatures, a script girl from Pulp Figures Movie/Film Crew, and a figure that I’ve had forever and just decided to repaint (entirely) – I think I actually got her as a part of a box of Dr. Who miniatures produced by FASA…? Or Maybe GW for FASA…? I don’t know – it was 20 years ago!!


From left to right, again, we have: some weirdo I have no idea when it came from… might have been something I got in a trade from Bob or The Teenage Visigoth, or something Jolo gave me at some point… or I may very well have just bought it years ago and had it in storage… anyway, no idea of the manufacturer (though I have a funny feeling it might be Grenadier... I don't know... it sort of has that "look"), supposed to be some fantasy wizard of some sort but I thought it would work fine as a pulpy mystic/cult leader of some sort. Then we have some sort of “Scientific Mastermind” from Pulp Figures

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Japanese… really – whole squad nearly complete, probably finish them up tonight and post tomorrow. I’m a painting fool!! There's very little else ON the painting table right now. Last week I cleared it off and decided to only have one or two project batches on the table at a time - it's really helped to stay focused on one thing.

Film Crew and a French Cyclist

A couple more Pulp/WW2-ish era odds and ends…

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This film crew is from Pulp Figures. I’ve had them for a few years now, but just got around to them. Not sure why it’s taken so damn long – they were such a snap to paint up!?


This cycliste is from a new(-ish) pack of French Civilians from West Wind Productions. Honestly, this figure is the only reason I bought the pack. (Bit of a bike geek). Oh the other figures are fine and will come in handy for something or other… but I totally wouldn’t have bought them if it hadn’t been for this chap.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Japanese. Then probably some Canadians. Elves are still lurking on the painting desk… but I seem to be successfully managing to completely ignore them.

Diggers

If you thought I was talking about grave diggers or archaeological excavators you were horribly, horribly wrong…

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These Aussies are from Battle Honors, as are the gunners below…


That’s it for diggers for a bit. Here’s the lot of them (for the moment...):


I should finish off the Japanese that I have. Then I could say I have all of the WW2 in the Far East stuff I have done… Of course that’s not all that terribly much – understrength Digger and Jap platoons, and a solitary squad of Jarheads… still, finished (for now) is still finished (for now!).

I would, at some point, like to add a third section of Diggers… maybe some mortars and Vickers MGs… If I went really crazy maybe I could pick up a Matilda tank… but that’d be a long way off! I’d pick up some more Japanese infantry before I started buying tanks for either side!

And now for something completely different…


This Nursing Sister is from Pulp Figures. I’ve had her for a couple years but just never got around to painting her…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hmmmmm… Elves? Giant? Should try and do some Germans, but it’ll probably be Canucks!

Bobbies

As mentioned previously, some bobbies:

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These chaps are all from Artizan Designs’ Thrilling Tales line. Ready to catch criminals (sometimes, perhaps, with the aid of a Consulting Detective from Baker Street) or put down insurrections between the wars or investigate strange occurrences of tentacles or round up fallschirmjägers dropping on London!? There’s a few more with Rifles, now, that I’d also like to pick up… sometime…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

A dozen Diggers (or so) should be finished up by tomorrow. Then I’ve got a Giant, an Elf Wizard, and a Universal Carrier on deck. After that I’m going to try and get on to some GERMANS(!)… but I’ll probably end up finishing off the platoon of Regina Rifles…

Stug III C/D

A little armoured fire support for the Heer!

I had for a moment thought I’d title this post “At Last Some Elves”… just to fake out those waiting for me to get back to HOTT. But lately I’ve been looking back through the blog to find pictures of games or minis I posted over the last couple years and it’s really darn hard to find stuff when you use misleading of vague post titles!

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This is a Stug IIIC/D fromArmy Group North Miniatures. Nice Model. My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have a little diagram to see where all the little bits and bobs were supposed to go.

The commander is not from AGNM (at least as far as I know!). I got it in a lot of assorted drivers and commanders. He was actuall a driver of some sort wih a sterring wheel in his hands. I carved his arms off and made new ones with green stuff…


While this will be fun to bust up some Barbarossa Bunkers on the Stalin Line, I think I’d like a Stug IIIG (or two!) if I were to pick up some more. Does anyone make one…!?

I was thinking I might lull the players in my east front campaign into a false sense of security this evening by telling them they’ve finally met up with some friendly forces on the Stalin line… give them a nice hard bunker to hold… then come and blast them with the Stug – new toys must always be tried out! We shall see…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Did I say something about Bobbies, Diggers or Elves…? Hmmmmm…. How about some more Canucks or Commandos…!?

(Stay on target… STAY ON TARGET!!)

“Do-I-Count-Them” Canaucks…?

A couple more Canadians… Not sure if I should count them on my painted tally because they WERE previously painted as British Commandos (more brown-ish khaki uniform). Probably not. Though I’m not keeping a total Painted vs. Unpainted (just a tally of how many things I paint – whether for me or someone else)… and though the uniform that I repainted probably covers 80+% of the figures surface area… I probably won’t…

Anyway, here they are:

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These are all from Crusader Miniatures.

I did a bit of stocktaking and organizing of the WW2 stuff and came up with a bit of a plan. I was going to publish it on the blog (thinking that if it’s “published” somewhere I might be more likely to stick to it), but then decided I wouldn’t waste the time just to bore anyone with it, and besides publishing toy plans has never stopped me from abandoning a project part way through it I stop having fun with it!!

It has been handy to sort out what I have and what I “need” or what I could possibly add to each of the forces. It was during the stocktaking that I realized I had surplus commandos that could be repainted to fill in a couple of the gaps in the Canadian force. If I hadn’t I probably would have just bought a couple more brens and a command pack to get an officer and ended up with surplus commandos…

The short version of the “plan” is that I have 512 painted 28mm WW2 figures and about 268 to paint (plus about painted vehicles and two to paint – plus three more in the nefarious netherworld of “pre-painted die-cast stuff that I’m still not sure if I’m going to boher repainting them….”). If I painted 10 per week (easy) I could finish all the WW2 stuff I have by the end of the year.

Of course I’ll work on some other stuff – I’ll HAVE to if I want to reach the “painted more than I bought” goal. I have to paint over 460 figures to make that goal (assuming I actually manage to NOT buy anymore stuff for the rest of the year) – not impossible… (either then painting or the not purchasing…!)

There were a few things I identified as “need to get” items to finish off a few basic forces:

- A platoon command team for the second British Para platoon (~4)
- A section, an LMG team, and a platoon command to finish off an Italian platoon (~15)
- Five LMG teams, and three SMG armed section commanders to finish an SS Panzer Grenadier platoon (~13)
- Three LMG teams to finish off a Fallshirmjäger platoon (6)
- Two Bren teams, two 2” mortar teams and about ten riflemen to finish off two platoons of Canadians (~18).

There were a few “nice to get” items:
- a few more Japanese to fill out a “full-strength” platoon
- a third section of Australians, as well as a mortar, MG, AT, and platoon command
- Commando Vickers team
- German infantry gun

And finally, in the category of “someday” items (in no particular order...):
- 3x Sherman V and a Sherman VC for a Canadian armoured platoon.
- 3x BT-7 and/or 3x T-26 for early war Russian tank platoon(s)
- T-34 platoon (3-4)
- Some Japanese tanks (for Soviet-Japanese tank battles in Manchuria!)
- 4x German half tracks for the DAK or SS Panzer Grenadiers
- Mortars, AT guns, Third platoon for the Canadian Infantry?
- more German tanks (not sure what variety or combination…)
- More partisans/generic armed civilians
- Jeep mounted SAS and/or truck mounted LRDG
- Third British Para Platoon?! Plus a company command!?
- Italian tanks (Couple CV-33, and maybe some M11-39 or M13-40)
- a few more Russian DP LMGs
- a second BA-64

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

The Bobbies and Diggers are still at the front of the painting table – thought I’ve kind of been working on rebasing the last of the WW2 stuff that are still on the older, smaller washers.

(I have also located the missing Elves and did a bit of work on the magician last night!)

GAZ Light Truck

No really this is the LAST of the Soviets… well.. the ones that I have.. for now… (except for the bomb dog… so not really…).

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This truck is from Bolt Action Miniatures. I got this in the first lot of Soviets (that started it all…), which I had gotten in trade for my 15mm Fallshirmjägers. And here it is, the very last thing to be painted… well… almost…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Bobbies and Diggers… Then hopefully some Germans! (but probably more Canadians!?)

Also I’ve been doing a bit of stock taking of the WW2 stuff – to sort out what I have and what I really “need” (as opposed to the stuff that would be “nice to get”…).

Still More WW2 Canucks!

Nothing to do with the east front campaign but still keeping with the WW2 theme and the general interest in the early twentieth century that’s taken hold at the moment.... (I will, at some point however, be running a campaign involving Canadians when the east front campaign peters out... )

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Most of the chaps with all the Stens are from Crusader Miniatures (the six in the middle). The two riflemen on the left of the picture are from West Wind Productions. the Rifleman and radio operator (also with a sten) on the right are from First Corps (though they don’t seem to list any British/Commonwealth troops currently…).

I tried painting a unit flash on some of these (went with the Regina Rifles – keeping it local… sort of…)

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

The GAZ is darn near complete (probably later this afternoon…) and the Stug is patiently waiting in the wings.

Bobbies and Diggers seem next closest to the front of the painting table, however.

I think my goal for this year will be to finish up ALL the 28mm World War Two and Pulp Adventure stuff that I have. I think it’s easily attainable. I should take stock and come up with a plan…

More WW2 Canucks

Just to switch gears a little I decided to paint up a couple of my 28mm WW2 Canucks – staying with the general era – just switching fronts.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The Miniatures are mostly from Bolt Action Miniatures/Warlord Games except for the chap on the far right of the picture who is from West Wind Productions.

I painted them with the grey patch of 3rd Division - the ones that landed on D-Day. I’ve debated whether to paint a unit flash above it… Does that pidgeon hole me into using them only as members of that one battalion? Is it better to just leave the Grey patch? Should I have left the divisional patch off as well (so they could also be fielded as troops from any other Canadian formation…)? Or do a unit patch (which will be cool to point out whenever I happen to actually use them as that unit), but use them for whatever is required/desired because, honestly, NO ONE BUT ME will know the difference anyway!?


This figure is from a BTD “Resistance Casualties” pack.

Just… don’t ask… (it was an ebay thing….)

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Should be Germans, but there’ll probably be more Canadians as I’m having fun with them. Though I have actually got the GAZ and the Stug assembled and primed, so they’ll likely be finished up soon enough.

Last of the Commie Horde

This is the last of the WW2 Russians that I have in my possession! They’re all done. Well, for now… I did actually make one last little order to Bolt Action Miniatures/Warlord Games to pick up a Dismounted Soviet Tank Crew – when they show up in a week or two they’ll be the first thing painted so I can stay on top of things here…

I like things being done. I like not having stuff to paint – even if it’s in just one sub-category of only one of many genres/periods/scales. I think I’m actually going to paint up some Elves next week – to finish off my plastic GW Elf HOTT army. Oh, I still have more elves… and many, many more figures for other HOTT armies. But I only have a dozen or so of the plastic Elves left and I could get them done and say “that army is complete”

(It also might help inspire Neldoreth to keep on track!)

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This is a BT-7 from Army Group North Miniatures. Have I mentioned that I like AGNM? I do. I’d like to get a couple more (maybe order a platoon of three for a total of four…?) at some point.


A few more of my “reds in white” - some Soviet scouts from West Wind Productions that I didn’t really NEED so I decided to paint them up in winter coveralls (unfortunately HALF of them are carrying MP-40 Submachineguns!?)

Here’s the whole lot of them:


That’s 132 foot (including crew), 2 guns, 4 tanks, and one armoured car.

The company is understrength – but I’m guessing that was the norm for the Russian army for most of the war. I think the “on paper” soviet Rifle company by the end of 1941 (or 42..?) had three platoons of four sections – two of which were “heavy” section containing TWO DP Light Machine guns!? The Osprey Warrior series book on the Soviet Rifleman assures me that the companies in the field very rarely looked anything like their theoretical war establishment – sometimes fielding only tow or three sections per platoon – with much less men per section than was called for…

So I think I’m done with the Infantry. If I were to add anything else to these Russians it would be in the form of equipment – mostly more tanks. As mentioned earlier I wouldn’t mind another three T-26 and/or BT-7. I might pick up a second armoured car at some point. A Platoon of T-34 would be pretty cool too… (just in case anybody’s wondering what to get me for father’s day… or my birthday next year!!)

Aw, crumb!! I’m totally lying – I forgot I still have that little GAZ truck and crew to finish…!? Ah well… You get the idea…

And now for something completely different…


A British Bobby from Artizan Designs. I have another eight of these that I’ll probably finish up pretty soon. Not sure why I thought I’d ever need so many. Three of them have SMLE rifles… and I’d like to pick up a few more of those (someday)… for putting down potential insurrections in the troubled 1930s…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Krauts, Elves, Bobbies and Canucks… maybe some Japs and Diggers… hard to say.

I “should” probably get working on some more opponents for the Russians (i.e. GERMANS) since I’m running an East Front campaign and all… I’m really having a lot of fun with it. Seems like the players are too – even though some have experienced a pretty high mortality rate!

Though I’ve been looking around for other little side projects – stuff that I a) have all I need and b) don’t require a lot of painting to “finish up”. The aforementioned Elves being one… maybe some other WW2 stuff not really related to the East Front, per se…

The BIG Guns

…well… “Gun”…

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This is a Soviet 76mm gun from Crusader Miniatures. I LOVE this gun – it’s nice an chunky and SOLID – it will take a beating on the tabletop and come back for more. I seem to remember it was totally easy to put together and didn’t involve finger getting stuck together like some of the other guns I’ve assembled… but it was a while ago that I actually put it together and for some reason never got around to painting it. In fact the crew isn’t recently painted… they were painted months ago…!? But the gun is done and I’m that much closer .

I also seem to recall it was pretty reasonably priced compared to some others I was looking at, at the time…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

The BT-7… The scouts in winter gear… some Germans… Some Canadians… and some ELVES!?

Better Red than Dead….?

Few more Soviets… This is just about it. There’s just the 76mm gun, a BT-7, the six scouts I’m doing in the winter camouflage, and the GAZ (with Driver and Officer).

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


This is a Soviet 45mm AT gun and crew from Bolt Action Miniatures.


The frontnik with the flamethrower is from Battle Honors and his two comrades are from Bolt Action Miniatures.



Not a soviet. This chap is another Battle Honors figure from their Great War British in tropical kit line.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Germans…? Maybe the BT-7… yeah, probably the BT-7. I have the turrent complete (including the commander), just have to finish up the hull…

Slight Diversion – Modern Plainclothes Cops

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These are Plainclothes Police in Tactical Body Armour from West Wind Productions. Nice enough. Not terribly useful right now… but, whatever…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Russians… then some Germans… then some Canucks…

Reds in White

I got a package of Soviet Scouts from West Wind Productions - they were, more or less, thrown in with a lot I bought off ebay. I really have no great need for more scouts, so I thought I’d paint a couple in white to see what they’d look like. The idea being I could use them as winter troops (defending Moscow or Leningrad, perhaps….)

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These are from West Wind Productions.

I kind of like the look of them. I think I’ll paint the rest of the package in white.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

A slight diversion