“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:

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


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!)