Renault VAB

Finally some armoured transport for my Frenchies….

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Three Renault VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé) from S&S Models.

A little light on details – no gun or gun shield, no rear view mirrors, closed armoured panels over the front windshield… Which I suppose makes it easy to paint… but seriously, how are they supposed to drive? By the Force!? The casting quality was also no where near as nice as the Imprint Models Warrior MCV I just finished.

I supposed beggars can’t be choosers and there aren’t really any other options (other than one made in France that’s about 3-4x as much as the S&S model)

Seen here with my Eureka French Foreign Legionnaires.

Comparison with the Heller 1/72 plastic kit.

Another comparison shot.

Patrol ready to go out.

I’m sure a platoon is supposed to have four VAB. But when did any unit ever have a full compliment of serviceable vehicles? Or full-strength manpower, for that matter?

The breakdown of the modern French Platoons is a bit different from other western platoons. It seems there’s a four man platoon command (Officer, Sergeant, Radioman, Designated marksmen). I’m assuming these assents would, theoretically, be split up among the four vehicles. Then there are three Combat Squads and an AT Squad. The combat squads break down into Squad Leader and two, three man fire teams. This is what I find really different – most other western armies have (in theory) four man fire teams.

What I don’t get is what happens when units are understrength…? Do they amalgamate and just field fewer fire teams per platoon to keep 3-4 men in a fire team? Or do they have “fire teams” of one or two men!?

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Working on the next Warrior MCV… and some other stuff; US Marines, Afghans, Near Future Troopers for Tomorrow’s War and some ancient Greeks… and some other stuff… 

More Modern British

Trying to finish up a few forces – the British seem close to completion, so I thought I’d work on a few of them. This is the last of the infantry I have (though I just ordered one more pack of four command-types…). The only things remaining are two more Warriors MCVs and three Challenger tanks. I’d like to pick up an Imprint Models Scimitar to round out this force. Maybe at some point I’ll pick up a WMIK or two…

So far I have about two sections worth of generic British infantry in helmets from The Assault Group. My plan was to do about a section worth of each of the other hat guys available: Paras, Highlander, and Fusiliers – that I could mix and match with to fill out at platoon with a bit of “flavour”. 

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3^rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Black Watch). Currently a Light Role Battalion (so I shouldn’t really be using the Warriors with them…)

Of course they “currently” aren’t wearing DPM anymore, either… and most of the conflicts they’ll be serving in are completely fictitious…. so…. Black Watch Armoured Infantry it is!! Huzzah!

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The 1^st battalion is Armoured infantry, so I could use the Warriors with them and feel a little less ahistorical

Sustained Fire GPMG team.

Yet another sniper…

Once I finish up the vehicles and that Command Team (when they arrive) I'll post pictures of the entire force...

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hard to say… I have some French VABs I’m assembling along with the other Warrior MCVs and Challengers… I’ve also had my eye on a Sci Fi unit that’s awfully close to completion that I could finish off and have a decent unit for use in Tomorrow’s War… A few more US Marines also arrived… 

Warrior MCV

I finally finished up the first of three Imprint Models Warrior MCVs that I have (so far!). I should probably pick up a fourth at some time to fill out a full strength platoon…

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I have to say these are lovely models. The detail and casting quality are the very best I have seen by far!

The figures are from The Assault Group.

If I understand the markings correctly this would be the vehicle for 3^rd section, 2^nd Platoon, Bravo Company.

The model could be build without the Reactive Armour…

The hatches are all serarate metal bits so they could be modeled open or closed. I’m going to have to find some spare heads (or model a few) for the next one to have some unbuttoned turret crews and/or drivers.

The question isn’t whether I’ll be ordering more from Imprint… it’s WHICH models I’ll be ordering NEXT!? I think I might go for some AAVP-7A1 for my growing contingent of modern USMC.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hard to say… I have some modern Africans on the workbench and a whole bunch of Modern Vehicles; some die-cast repaints, some 1/48 plastic kits (including some Challenger 2)… The SEAL team from Eureka… A handful of modern British to finish up… Some WW2 stuff still waiting in the wing…. 

Modern Afghans

I just finished up at batch of Modern Afghans (or Burkadurkastanis…)

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Afghans from Eureka Miniatures.

One team

Another team

Command or Forward Observers and a Stinger missile launcher.

I think these were supposed to be Indian children (also from Eureka) but I was hoping to pass them off as generic Central Asian kids…

More civilians from Eureka.

I also have a few other Afghans from Devil Dog Designs and a Stinger team from Mongrel Miniatures that I painted up some time ago – though a few of the DDD figures have had a partial repaint and their bases jazzed up more recently. Here are a few comparison pics:

From Left to Right; Devil Dog Design, Eureka, Mongrel, Eureka, and Devil Dog Design

From Left to Right; Eureka, Mongrel

From Left to Right; Eureka, Devil Dog Design, Eureka, and Devil Dog Design

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I also finished up a Warrior MCV for my Modern British this weekend. I should have pictures of that up a bit later… 

Semper Fi! - Modern USMC

Nothing for over a week, then TWO POSTS in one day!? See, I have been painting I just haven’t gotten around to taking pictures and posting them. Lack of time and crappy weather were the main factors…

Anyway…

This is the beginning of a Modern United States Marine Corps force. WHY and I doing a Modern United States Marine Corps force!? Well… Eureka had these miniatures… and they were very pretty… and… well, you get the idea.

I realize painting them in the Arid (or desert) MARPAT or even the Three Colour Desert pattern would probably have been more useful… but when has anything I’ve even done made any sense whatsoever…?

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The whole force (so far...). As mentioned these are all from Eureka Miniatures. What I have there is a full strength section of regular marines along with a Force Recon patrol and a sniper.

The Force Recon patrol – ready for intelligence gathering deep behind enemy lines!

The Squad Leader and a Radio Operator. I know, Radio Operators like this guy would normally be at the platoon command section… But he came in the pack, so…

Fire Team One Alpha

Fire Team One Bravo

Fire Team One Charlie

Sniper!

Another Sniper!? This figure is actually one of the many surplus The Assault Group SAS Snipers I have that I’ve painted up in MARPAT for use with these marines.

I’ve ordered another two squads to round out a platoon and a command team and EOD team from Empress Miniatures. I thought at some point I might pick up an LAV-25 from Imprint Models and maybe a plastic ki-tech M1 tank or two… and I should probably pick up some Hummers of some sort… at some point…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I think I’ll get cracking on some Eureka Afghans next… 

Special Air Service (in Desert DPM)

This is the last of the Modern British SAS I am doing in Desert DPM. While a good chunk of these I’ve had for years, over the summer I’d picked up a pile more from North Bay Games and Hobbies when they were blowing out their Assault Group stock. I actually now have enough to do the same bunch in Temperate DPM as well!?

I’d, at one point, organized these into specific fire teams or patrols, but have taken a more flexible attitude to the organization of these. Largely because I don’ think one would ever (EVER!?) find this many Special Air Service Troopers all in one place on an operation together… When I looked over all the stuff I’d picked up in the sale (and the stuff I’d had already) I decided just to do two big bunches of troopers (one in Desert DPM, one in Temperate DPM) with a variety of kit and weapons that could then be tailored to any sort of scenario I could dream up…

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

These are the most recent additions to the force – and the last ones I’m planning on painting in Desert DPM.

This is the entire force. All the figures are from The Assault Group.

This is the first of the packs that I bought; “SAS fire team with silenced weapons”. For some reason the packs that were available (in North America, at least) when these were first available, were in packs of eight. So I have eight of them. At one point I was using these as “Patrol Leaders” – but as part of my re-thinking/reorganization I realized they probably wouldn’t use the MP5 out on “patrol” but rather they might be issued as mission specific kit for some close-quarter direct action.

The next batch I’d picked up;  “SAS fire team with Bergen side packs for CEFO”. Added them to the first pack for some more fire support…

The latest chaps I’ve added – all with Bergns. I think the packs were “SAS fire team with Bergen CEMO” and “SAS fire team 4 (bergans)”. Handy for a scenario involving a patrol on the move that bumps into some bad guys…

A pair of radio operators – perhaps FACs for calling in air strikes.

Some Snipers. I ended up with two packs of snipers – for a total of 16!? I obviously don’t need that many SAS snipers – so some of them are working their way into other forces… These two I kept for the SAS.

A pair of operators with Stinger Missile launchers. Not sure how useful these will be… Considering in most theatres the SAS has operated in, the British/Coalition has pretty much had complete air superiority… but perhaps if the War in Burkadurkastan escalates (and I finish the pair of Hind D models I picked up recently…)

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I have some Modern United States Marines coming up next. They’re done; just have to take some pictures… Maybe later today. 

More Modern Africans, etc.

I finished up the last of the ZANLA from Eureka Miniatures. they will probably see more action as regulars in the Peoples Revolutionary Army of Timbogo (P.R.A.T.).

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The aforementioned ZANLA from Eureka Miniatures.

I’m not totally happy with the beret colour. Essentially I’d wanted black – but I rarely just paint something black – I usually highlight it a bit with a “Charcoal Grey”… Except I’d used the Charcoal grey to highlight their hair… So I’d tried using a really dark blue… then (as you see them now) a “Black Plum”… I think I may actually just go back and paint them straight black…

Just as I was finishing these up another parcel arrived from Eureka Miniatures USA with some modern US Marines and Taliban.

Also rolling off the workbench: a “Fat Veteran with Machinegun” from Black Cat Bases. I thought I might use him as a foreign mercenary training consultant who claimed to have past experience with the SAS (or US Special Forces… or French Foreign Legion… depending on who he was talking to… he once even claimed to be ex-Spetznaz…). He calls himself Colonel Weisz, and he only ever speaks in French – with a think Irish accent…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More painting… Likely modern…