(Dismounted) Australian Light Horse

I got a little distracted from my other current projects over the weekend (moderns, Greeks, WW2 Soviets and Paras…). Maybe it was time to do something a little different. I was getting tired of working on individual figures (as many of the recent modern ones had been) and wanted to do something simple (i.e. without patterning/camouflage). What the exact thought process that led me to pull a pile of (dismounted) Australian Light Horse out of the drawer and paint them up I doubt I’d be able to retrace… but pull them out I did and below are the results…

Unfortunately this is yet another one of those smallish projects that I feel like; “gee, I could totally finish all of these up in a week or two if I stayed focused… and then they’d be done…” Unfortunately I have a couple dozen projects at the same level of completion – It’d just take a week or two… but adding them all up that’s over a year’s work!? Which to do first!?

It probably won’t be these (largely because I have very few opponents finished for them – I think I have one unit of Turks I painted a couple years back - or maybe just PART of one unit… looks like there’s only 10 there…

Anyway, it’s be good to get back to doing some Great War Stuff… but I think it’d be more productive to work on some more West Front stuff… Germans… Canadians… Rebuilding the Vimy Terrain…

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

These chaps are from Brigade Games.

Vickers team from the same.

Two of infantry I painted over a year ago. The other day I was looking at an Osprey book on the the Australian Army in WW1 and they were all illustrated in a brownish khaki serge… and I got to second guessing my decision to do them in a more greenish serge. So I partly repainted those two with a more brownish serge and started a couple more… and then started second guessing myself again and decided the brownish khaki looked like rubbish and blacked them out and started all over again with the green!?

I am an idiot.

Now that I have a whole unit painted in the greenish serge, however, I am sticking with it!?

I can see why Curt’s decided to go with grey… Who can argue with that and tell him he’s wrong – it looks JUST LIKE the photos! When I first read about his project I couldn’t decide whether it was freaking brilliant or just pretentious and Silly! I’m definitely leaning more towards brilliant these days…

Speaking of me being a daft twit… I was getting excited over the last month as My painted figure total climbed ever higher slowly approaching 700x28mm foot – while my figures purchased stayed steady at just below 1000 (which is, I’ll admit, an absurd amount regardless) and I was thinking I might actually be able to hold off on buying anything else and painting MORE then I acquire this year!? HUZZAH!? Bu then last week I was looking something up and discovered that North Bay Games and Hobbies had dropped the pack prices on their Foundry and assault group figures to $5… Five bucks for an eight figure pack… So I ordered all the Foundry stuff I could possible ever imagin making use of (which wasn’t much) and all the Assault Group stuff I could imagine ever making use of (and then some) and then then I went to place an order I was informed that they’re doing the same for Renegade…. So I bought ALL the Renegade Great War stuff, which, fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) ended up only being one blister of Germans and a boxed set of Early War French Cavalry…. So now my acquired total is through the roof again for the fourth year in a row…

I need to have a clearer plan… and stick to the plan… and ignore crazy sales – no matter how insanely good they may be…

But eight 28mm figures for $5… tell me you wouldn’t have…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Who knows…? I wouldn’t have guessed Australian Light Horse would be the next post when I put up the previous post… so…

As with any time a new batch of toys arrives in the mail, I’ll probably paint a handful of them in the next couple days… because, y’know… new stuff is EXCITING stuff! 

The Black Widows

An outlaw biker gang of… two…

I have no real back-story for them… or immediate plans for their use… They just looked cool. And so I bought them, and now I’m trying to finish up the modern stuff… so here they are:

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

These badass ladies are from West Wind Productions Road Kill line.

Mounted versions of the same. I really like these models. If ever I was to do some sort of post apocalyptic Mad Max/Road Warrior type game I’d totally buy a few more and do some serious pimping out conversions – festoon them with holsters and blanket rolls and saddle bags and water and petrol containers… Oh yeah…

Also finished up another Coppelstone/Grenadier scavenger type…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

A few more modern-ish things… and maybe some more Greeks and Amazons… hopefully a handful of WW2 things soon-ish – to finish up two collections (Paras and Soviets) 

Greek Psiloi, BPRD Agents, Survivors, etc

Another assortment of things rolling off the workbench…

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

Greek Psiloi from Black Tree Design.

The last of the BPRD Agents from Steve Jackson Games. I have a few of the villains yet to paint.

A pair from Hasslefree Miniatures

A “Trainee Agent” from Copplestone Castings.

Finally a batch of Post-Apocalyptic Survivors. Some are from Copplestone Castings, others were sculpted by Mark Coppelstone for Grenadier Miniatures, back in the day…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More modern-ish stuff... WW2 Soviets... Greek Light Horse... etc... 

Boers, Bear and Mountie

A few mounted types…

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

Two Boers from Black Tree Design.

The Bear is an old (OLD!) figure of unknown origin (if I had to guess I might say Ral Partha?) and the mountie is from Pulp Figures.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

A few more modern/sci-fi types and some Greek psiloi and light horse are in the pipe. 

Modern Women

A few more of the modern folk…

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

These four are from the Urban Cowgirls pack made by Copplestone Castings. (The fifth figure in the pack I apparently painted FOUR years ago…)

A teen from the old West Wind Productions Super System line (which is apparently still available from Old Glory)

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Modern-ish stuff… or Greeks... or something completely different. 

Moderns, Colonials, The Chindit and Some Giant Purple Worms

A couple more things I’ve finished up…

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A couple more modernish types from (L to R) West Wind Productions, Hasslefree Miniatures, and Wargames Foundry .

A mounted Boer and a British morale failure marker from Black Tree Design.

Major Lumley of the 3/6th Gurkha Rifles from The Assault Group. I say “THE” Chindit as it’s pretty much the only one I own…

That’s not quite true, I also have two Vickers teams!? Why on earth do I have TWO Vickers teams when I have no other Chindits!? Well North Star was blowing them out at super-deep-discounted prices and I accidentally ordered two. I’d meant to order two of… something else… (I can’t remember what) but ended up ordering two of the Chindit HMG teams by mistake.

Giant Purple Worms from Reaper Miniature’s new Bones line of plastic figures. Generally I don’t care for plastic figures… but these, being solid hard plastic, seemed hefty enough and at $4 a piece it seemed a pretty good deal (compared to the $28 for the metal version of the same figure!?)

For a sense of proportion….

I put these on 60x60mm bases because, well… they’re big enough that it wasn’t too awkward a size for them in a skirmish game, but also so they could be used as some rather frightful LURKERS in Hordes of the Things!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Um… more painting… Unless I play some DBA/HOTT with the kids this afternoon. 

More Modern Odds and Ends

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

Assorted modern-ish civilians from (L to R) West Wind Productions, Copplestone Castings, and Hasslefree Miniatures

The Pumpkin Man… I have no idea who manufactured this little gem. I picked it up out of a bargain bin for, I think, one dollar – thinking I would use it in a horror or supers game at some point or another. I also have a few scarecrow types that could be part of his gang…. Great Pumpkin and the Scarecrows….?

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hard to say… so much stuff cluttering the workbench at the moment…

Damn… I totally thought I was going to be able to paint more than I bought this year… For the last little bit I’ve been feeling like I’ve got enough to do and had no desire at all to pick up and more new stuff for some time… then I started this new Savage Worlds Cthulhu Now Campaign and looking ahead at the adventures coming up I realized I could do with a couple modern US Army types and some American police officer… like regular “beat cops” – I have plenty of SWAT team types already… so I went looking about to see if I could find one or two packs of each… and I found a PILE of Assault Group, Foundry, and Renegade miniatures at essentially 75% off…

doh.

So I once again have a couple hundred figures inbound… and the likelihood of painitng more than I’ve purchased this year has become ever more slim. Saving lots of money spending money I don’t got… right? Ugh… Such an idiot… 

SWAT, Aliens and Soviet Snipers

Another odd assortment…

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

Two soviet Snipers form Black Tree Design.

Some SWAT team members from Wargames Foundry.

I’m getting to have quite a collection of Law Enforcement Officers from a variety of manufacturers. Maybe when I finish up the next batch I’ll do some comparison pics.

Some Kryomek Aliens from Scotia Grendel.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Oh… lots of stuff cluttering the workbench… More modern stuff, WW2 Soviets, Amazons, Hoplites, Boers, etc, etc… Because I’ve started a Savage Worlds Cthulhu Now Campaign I’ll probably be cranking out a few moderns… and some more Greeks for the Greek Myth Campaign with the kids… 

Soviet Naval Infantry

Finishing up a few more Soviets I picked up recently…

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

The latest models painted. These are all from a  Bolt Action Miniatures  .

The entire force (so far – I should pick up the bolt action Command Pack for an even 30… ). These are a mix of a  Bolt Action Miniatures   and Black Tree Design.

Here are some comparison shots of the Black Tree and Bolt Action Miniatures:

Telogreika (the padded winter uniform jacket) and SMGs. From left to right: Black Tree, Bolt Action, Black Tree

All but one of the BTD naval Infantry are wearing Telogreika (the padded winter uniform jacket) with Ppsh… the only other is the officer in the coat with a pistol (see below).

Coats. From left to right: Bolt Action, Black Tree, Bolt Action

Others with SMGs. From left to right: Black Tree, Bolt Action, Black Tree, Bolt Action, Black Tree, Bolt Action, Black Tree

Assorted. From left to right: Bolt Action (with DP and coat), Black Tree (Telogreika and SMG), Bolt Action (Coat and SMG), Bolt Action (Shirt and Rifle), Bolt Action (Telogreika and SMG), Black Tree (Telogreika and SMG), Bolt Action (Shirt and Rifle), Black Tree (Telogreika and SMG), Bolt Action (Shirt and Rifle), Black Tree (Telogreika and SMG),

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I'm in a "finishing up forces" kind of mood. The soviets only have a handful of things that need finishing up and then the entire force (such as it currently is) will be complete... and it's  a pretty BIG force... So I will likely finish up the handful of NKVD and Snipers and, I think, two tanks...? 

 

After that There might be some British Paras (also a force very close to being "finished"). 

Of course by "finished" I mean all the ones I currently own are painted and could be fielded as a complete force of some description. Doesn't mean I won't BUY MORE to add to the collection at  some point...

I also have a few ancient/mythological Greek things haunting the workbench... 

Black Tree,

Spartans and Soviet Zombies

An odd mix I finished this weekend…

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

Spartan Psiloi from Black Tree Design. (I know, I know… Early Spartans don’t HAVE a psiloi option…)

More of the same, but for skirmish gamin’.

Soviet Zombies from West Wind Productions

One of them is another of the Zombie bombs…

A dead Canuck – also from Black Tree Design.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have some more Soviets on the workbench; some not-so-dead Naval Infantry and NKVD. I also still have some British/Canadian Paras lurking in the back along with assorted Greeks and Amazons, some mounted Boers, and the last of the Hellboy Heroes and Villains (Liz, Abe, Johann, Baba Yaga and the Frog-like-creature)…. Which I’ll finish first is anybody’s guess….

I need to play some GAMES! 

Heroes of the Rebellion

Or something like that…

Finished up a few more Star Wars figures I’ve picked up over the last few years. Bob recently brought me a bunch of his leftovers (from his HOTT Star Wars Armies). None of these are ones Bob brought me… well… maybe Lando is… I can't remember... but while basing prepping and priming the new ones I got to thinking about painting a few of the ones I already had… You know how it goes... ("OOOooh! Shiny!")

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

These are all Grenadier Miniatures/West End Games Star Wars figures. I have two Obi-Wan Kenobi figures, as I’ve already painted on as an old grayish-whitish-haired fellow (as he would have been in A New Hope), I thought I’d paint this one as a slightly younger blond haired Obi-Wan (like just at the end of the Clone Wars)…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Um… As I only have two sections worth of British Paras to complete all the figures I currently own I have them on the workbench right now. Behind them are Soviets as they are in a similar situation. I have no immediate need or plans for them at the moment… but it’s nice being able to say; “those are DONE…”

28mm WW2 British/Canadian Para Comparison

I finished up a few more WW2 British/Canadian Paras over the weekend and got to thinking maybe I should do a comparison of some of the figures from different manufacturers in the collection…

Represented here are:

Artizan Designs

Bolt Action Miniatures

Black Tree Design

Crusader Miniatures

Wargames Foundry

West Wind Productions

(I have differentiated between “older” and “newer” West Wind Productions figures as there is a significant difference in the older Berlin or Bust figures and the newer Separate Head System figures… though, I’m not sure these “newer” paras I have from them were S.H.S. figures pre se. I think they may have been added to the Berlin or Bust line around the time the newer S.H.S. stuff came out…)

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

Stuff from all of the ranges, Standing (From left to right): Artizan, West Wind (newer), West Wind (older), Black Tree Design, Bolt Action, Crusader, Foundry

Sten Guns (From left to right): Crusader, Foundry, West Wind (older), Artizan

Berets (From left to right): Black Tree Design, West Wind (newer), Bolt Action, Artizan, Foundry, Artizan, West Wind (newer),

Crouching (From left to right): West Wind (older), Artizan, Bolt Action, Foundry, West Wind (older),

Bren Guns (From left to right): Artizan, Artizan, West Wind (older), West Wind (older), Foundry, Foundry – Foundry and West Wind make Bren No.2 figures (with spare barrel bag and bonus magazine pouches – I have included them here).

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More paintin’… Don’t know what just yet… 

All Over the Place Again: Zulu War, WW2, Assorted Ancients, etc…

I had a fairly productive long weekend… Here’s some of the stuff I managed to finish up.

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

Nubians from Black Tree Design. The multi-figure base is a Psiloi element for a Nubian DBA army, the other fellow is just a sapre I based up single for skirmishy gamin’ and to try out some different leopard print pattern… Still not totally happy with it.

As above; a Early Greek Hoplite DBA Psiloi Element and ancient Greek skirmish figure, also from Black Tree Design.

A WW2 Soviet NKVD Maxim team (also from Black Tree Design) – for those “There Shall Be NO Retreating” scenarios…

Dead Paras and a German (also from Black Tree Design).

More British/Canadian Paras. These are a mix of Black Tree Design, Artizan Designs, West Wind Productions, and Warlord Games Bolt Action Miniatures. I should do a Para Figure Comparison post… as I have Paras from five different manufacturers…

Still more British/Canadian Paras – a 6lb AT Gun and Crew from Artizan Designs. The crew I painted years ago, and only just finished up the gun!?

British Infantry from the Zulu War (also from Black Tree Design). The chap on the larger stand is a casualty marker – I like to do them on larger bases so that it is clear that it is a marker and not just another infantrymen (especially ones, like this that aren’t prone!)

I suppose the fellow with the amputated leg could also be a casualty/morale failture marker… but it doesn’t look like it was “on the spot”. He looks like he was cleaned up and bandaged up nice and neat some time after the damage to his leg… Actually the more I look at that figure the more odd I think it… Why is someone with a fresh leg amputation hobbling about in full uniform – with his uniform trousers tucked into the bandages!? Makes no sense to me…

A modern(-ish) African Warlord/General from The Assault Group.

Defenders of the Galaxy. The Yoda figure is an official Grenadier Miniatures/West End Games Star Wars figure, the others are from Hasslefree Miniatures.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have an odd assortment of items populating the painting space: More WW2 (Germans, British/Canadian Paras, and Soviets, mostly – some alive, some not-so-alive…), Mounted Boers, Greek Cavalry, Greek Hoplites and Psiloi, More Nubians, assorted Star Wars characters, Those Greek Ships, Ashigaru Spearmen, Vietnam ANZACs, Amazons,  more Hellboy charactrers, … oh , the list goes on… Which I will finish up next…? Who knows!? Probably time to clean off the workbench and put some of those back into storage so I can FOCUS… although, NOT FOCUSING this past weekend has turned out to be fairly productive!?