Last of the Vietnam War Americans

I’ve had a hankering to play some Ambush Valley and/or Tour of Darkness (or some evil mash-up of the two!?) and since I finished up the Australians… I thought I might as well finish up the last of the Americans…

I actually tried taking these pictures in my new super deep window sill/boxes – which actually get a fair bit of natural light – Not a big enough area to do big unit pictures, but I could fit a terrain square in there for a small group shot – and I think it turned out pretty well – which bodes well for those -40°C days when I’ve finished up som new figures I no longer have to freeze my fingers off to go outside and take pics – or have to wait a week for the weather to warm up a tad (to, say, -30°C…).

I am told the bulk of the workers will be off site and the yard cleaned up in less than a week (I’m not holding my breath or anything, but things do seem to be wrapping up!). When everyone’s gone I should be able to get out in the yard to take some better pics of the whole collection and update the 28mm Vietnam Gallery

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

The last of the American minis (well.. almost… I realized after I finished these up I have one more downed pilot somewhere that still has to be painted!?). These are a mix of figures from The Assault Group, and Baker Company. AS I also have a lot of West Wind Productions Vietnam figures, I’d kind of like to, at some point, pick up some of the 25mm Vietnam figures from Battle Honors, and (if I could track them down!) some from Force of Arms… Is there anyone else that makes Vietnam figures in 25/28mm?

I also happen to finish up this M113 from The Assault Group…

…and this tank that sort of looks like an M48 Patton (at least I think it does – less the search light). I picked it up as part of a pack of plastic toy soldiers at a dollar store years back thinking it looked close to 28mm… I guess I should have put a figure in there for scale. I should have picked up a few more packs so I could have had a whole platoon. I have a feeling the packs were closer to $5 and I threw out all the other stuff that came in the pack… I can’t remember if it was spending $20 on tanks that I may or may not ever use or disgust at the fact that I’d have to throw out so much extraneous plastic soldiers… (actually I may not have thrown them out… they’re probably in a  box somewhere… I am a horrible pack rat!!)

While this is the last of the Vietnam American soldiers I have, I think (somewhere in a box) a few more Viet cong and a bag of West Wind Productions “Montagnards” (which don’t look at all like any Montagnards I’ve seen on pictures, they look more like Col Kurtz’s troops from Apocalypse Now – Were they supposed to be montagnards?). I also have a few vehicles to finish up…

Huey Gunship that is very nearly complete (these are the deep window boxes I was mentioning. Nice, eh?)…

And a Revell 1/48 Navy Swift Boat. I think I might tackle this over the next week. I know… I know… If I’m tackling any model kits I should REALLY be doing the Aurora Mosnter Model kits I promised I’d do for my friend Rick (oh… almost a YEAR ago!)… Maybe if I’ve got the modeling stuff out I could do them concurrently…? That seems like a good idea…

AT some point I wouldn’t mind picking up a few more M113s (and maybe some M113 Armoured Cavalry vehicles…? Maybe even the ones from The Assault Group - if they ever get around to making a crew pack for those!!) and a couple Huey Slicks… (and the aforementioned additional figures from the other manufacturers…) but I’m pretty happy with just finishing up what I’ve got for the time being!

I think after I finish up the Swift Boat and the Gunship it’ll be time to make some more Vietnam terrain – most of which could be used for other places… I’m thinking some rifle pits and log bunkers… some perimeter wire and sandbag bunkers for American bases… gun pits for the mortar crews…. Maybe even a landing pad for the gunship? And a bunch of “Hot Spot” markers for Ambush Valley (which will mostly be tunnel entrances).

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Huey Gunship… Navy Swift Boat… The Mummy!

(and maybe that last downed pilot – if I can find him!)