End of an Era

I've been combing through my collection of miniatures, and hit upon my 15mm World War II. Flames of War can be best described as a graveyard of a dozen schemes. I would purchase a bunch for an army, paint up a little, lose interest, and move onto the next.

The truth is, I've not played a Flames of War game in at least two years - I'm hazy on the changes from 1st Edition to 2nd, and have no knowledge about 3rd. It's not something my gaming group plays, and with the demise of my LGS, it doesn't look like something I will be playing with in the future.

Thus, I am contemplating parting with pieces of the collection. It's a hard decision, because some pieces I put a lot of work into and am rather proud of. It's not the first time I have sold miniatures, but all previous sales were to people I knew, people I gamed with, and those whom I knew would give the miniatures a good home. Prices were low, and swaps were as common as cash purchases.

Ebay is a whole new world. I have bought a lot of unpainted miniatures to expand collections and a few painted, but selling is new.

So I dug out the old miniatures and took some photographs, some for the first time ever. Most of these were taken on the dining room table, where the only terrain was a green placement. Every miniature has a bit of a story to it.

DAK Germans:
These were my first FOW miniatures - two PzKfwIIIs and 2 PzKfwIVs. They were also my first bits of conversion work, taking the Rettemeier Panzer III J moden and splitting the pieces between three different tanks to give a lived-in look with minimal cost. They were also my first attempt at dunkelgelb. I've never been that pleased with them - the detail works, but they're just subtly off.

Ultimately, they formed part of a small kampfgruppe I'd put together. It was never really large enough to play with on it's own, and until recently it wasn't a combination that could be fielded legally. However, I changed how I painted German tanks midway through, so these guys didn't really fit.

Here's the rest of the kampfgruppe:

In the back row on the left is the Tigerless Tiger platoon. It's vehicles #2 and #4 (which the TOE has as Panzer III Ns) and one of the battalion HQ vehicles added to make a legal platoon. There's another use of the Rettemeier model in there too. Next to that (back right) is the three squadpanzergrenadier platoon. I never got around to finishing their transport. They were my first attempt at German infantry, using Humbro's Italian Uniform for the greenish/faded German tropical uniforms. It kind of worked.

In the front on the left is a pionier platoon with two squads. The infantry are Old Glory 15mm conversions, and the faded German feldgrau was a Reaper mid gray. On the right is a two-gun 150mm infantry gun battery, which can only be fielded with panzergrenadiers (at the time) and was pretty but not as useful as I'd thought. They also need a command base and transport.

I have enough tanks to flesh it out as a late 1943 Panzer Company if I desire to. I have some recon elements that also need some painting, should I get around to it. There I will keep, should I get back into FoW.


Winter 1942 Germans:
I'd been interested in the battle of Rzhev ever since I'd read David M. Glanz' "The Battle that Never Happened" in the anthology No End Save Victory. Thus began a Grossdeutchland infantry company, before they were made into a Panzergrenadier Division.

This has some of my second attempts at making snowy bases, along with some of my favorite work on 15mm WWII.

Infanterie Platoon with attached anti-tank

 

These are Old Glory/Command decision, and the same Reaper gray was used for feldgrau. The bases need some reworking and so do the faces, but they're servicable and they have a nice level of detail. I have the miniatures for additional platoons and the weapons platoon, but never got around to painting them either.

 Headquarters 28mm anti-tank gun

I'm quite proud of this guy. It's the 28mm that also comes in the hq box. I think I scrounged the crew from a bits box. If you double-click to enlarge the image, you can see the cuff bands and NCO piping painted, along with the gloves from home on the NCO. I think those were a fabric paint.

Infantry Gun Platoon

Here are two Battlefront 7.5cm light infantry guns, with transport. The command team are Command Decision. I'm missing an observer, but I'm not sure the platoon comes with one. I'm proud of these for the same reason I'm proud of the 28mm gun. Yes, I realize the shell is out of scale, but I had the spare crewmen. This is version 3 of snow bases, with lots more snow directly glued to the base and white painted on the flocking. The piled up rocks started out as blue aquarium gravel and were then painted, washed and dusted with snow.


The transport is Battlefront and they were cast resin, which are different to paint than all metal or resin/metal vehicles. I'm pleased with them, but they need decals. The space for the GD helmet is deliberately darker than the rest of the vehicle, because they wouldn't wash over the stenciling when they whitewashed it.


4 Marder I self-propelled anti-tank guns

I don't know if these are the right kind of Marder or not for what GD actually had in the Rzhev salient. They're older Battlefront models, before they retooled and added crew to their vehicles. Despite that, they have a good war record, even if they think they are tanks half the time.

88mm gun platoon with transport

 

Tactically, they're often a liability, but they're just so beautiful and I put a good deal of work into them that I can't not take them. Instead of whitewashing the guns, I painted white stripes and then glued fake snow to them. I'd read that, when whitewash was scarce, they would put snow on vehicles and/or gunshields to conceal them, so it sounded like a good idea to model. The supports are pieces of wire, and the camouflage netting is window screen material. I'd also put some spray-on snow on them, but that has fallen by the wayside.

Midwar Winter Soviets
Naturally, to fight the Germans, I needed Soviets. I'd whipped the credit card out before I'd thought, because Soviets mean hordes, and I paint very slowly. The idea was to paint a Naval Infantry Battalion to fight the Germans in the snow.

4 15mm Soviet Flamethrower teams:

 At the time, flamethrower teams were the thing to have in a Soviet horde. So they were the first thing I painted. The snowsuits are Reaper White Leather and the helmets are Reaper Kilt Green. You can also see some dismounted Cossacks I added to the stands. They're conversions for troopers in winter dress - mostly using paint. I'm quite fond of the officer with the drawn sword leading one of the flamethrower teams!

Blocking Detachment and Commisars

These began as the blocking detachment blister pack, and evolved into the ability to field that, or just the battalion's machine guns for the companies or the MG company.

You can see the theme I was going for. Most of the conversions were done with paint - painting khaki trousers instead of blue, different color greatcoats, or machine gun crews in dark naval uniforms. I think it makes for a good "in the field making do" look. The flags are a combination of standard Soviet flags, with one naval ensign. I think the naval ensign was planned for the Battalion Kommisar.

I have the miniatures to finish out the battalion, but, as with the rest of these, not much desire to.

The Kommisar's Tiger Tank

 

Even if I sell off all of my WWII, this mini I will not part with. Easily ten years ago, we gamed the Grossdeutchland attack at Kursk. The Germans had the mission of attacking through a series of Russian infantry positions. The Germans were warned that they heard tank noises and clanking on their right flank. They ignored the warning and were completely surprised when three entire battalions of T-34s came surging through the open flank. One battalion pushed into the rear of the assaulting Germans, one across the battlefield hunting their air and artillery observers, and one circled back to attack the heavy tanks. In the melee, several Tigers were destroyed and one captured.

I asked whether the Russians could field the captured tank - I was told yes, provided I purchased and painted one appropriately. I did so, and this was the result. The Saga of the Kommisar in his Tiger was born. The Kommisar commanded a heavy tank battalion from his Tiger through all the remaining Battle of Kursk and the Russian 1943 offensive. The Germans were determined to destroy it, and threw everything they had at it - artillery, air attacks, anti-tank guns, even more Tigers. Nothing worked! Not even a swamp could stop the Kommisar and his Tiger!

American MidWar Armor

4 T28E1/M15 (one with armor, three without)

These are all that are left of a Midwar Operation Torch force. The Lees and infantry were sold years ago when I lost interest in the project. They're painted in a Tamiya olive drab that I passionately hate working with. Unfortunately, the photography has washed out some of the shading on the olive drab.

So, that's a bit of a trip down memory lane.

Huzzah!

Three followers now!

I suspect you expect me to paint more!

The Orange Sash Matchlockmen

Several years ago, I acquired a collection of figures to play in a game of Ponape at an Advance the Colors in Springfield. After that, they sat in a box until the Colonials bug bit me at the turn of the year. Through ebay, I acquired enough additional Foundry Baluchis to flesh them out to two twenty-man matchlock units and a fifteen-man sword unit.

Shamelessly stealing an idea from The Campaigns of General William A. Pettygree, I've designated them by the color of their sashes. The first unit of matchlockmen, the Orange Sash Matchlockmen, are shown below:

Each unit will have a chief, and maybe a sub-chief. If in British service, they may have a British officer. For the Orange Sash Matchlockmen, their chief is Mehrab Khan:

Ideally, he should be part of the sword-armed unit. However, since I now have two of the figure (from Foundry) and he looks sufficiently fierce, I've no real problem promoting him.

The Baluchis have also been a chance (along with the Sassanids) to experiment with shading and colors. Mehrab Khan shows two successful color combinations: the terra-cotta of his robes, and the yellow sash.

A color that's been giving me real problems lately is red. I have some reds I like for 15mm, but getting good shading on 25mms was quite difficult. I finally accepted the recommendation of Churchill on the League of Augsburg's Fighting Talk Forums. His painter for his 25mm Marlburian British cavalry uses a five-layer combination. First Vallejo Burnt Cadmium Red (70814), then Carmine Red (70908) for the shadows. The base coat is Vallejo Red (70947), highlighted by Vermillion (70909) and Scarlet (70817). It was a lot of work, and I was skeptical if it was worth it. However, I think you will agree that the results are well worth it:

The real joy is that this figure is a complete repaint. I'd initially tried to paint him in a white robe, and was bitterly disappointed with how it turned out. So I repainted the robe red, and the figure came out well!

Here you can see the Orange Sash Matchlockmen blocking a pass somewhere on the Northwest Frontier:

Who are they blocking the pass against? Who knows? Maybe Pathans, maybe the British. Maybe they're securing a weapons convoy to the Pathans somewhere in Baluchistan or Persia. Maybe they're around the Horn of Africa.

The advantage of the Baluchis is that they can fight for both sides!

Rumors of this blog's demise are slightly exaggerate

I've been slowly making my way through the pile of pewter on the painting table, as the winds and period enthusiasms take me. Since Sunday is usually slow at my LGS, I decided to take some pictures.

One of my projects is a 25mm Sassanid army for Might of Arms. The Sassanians (in 15mm) were the first Ancients army I ever collected, and so I'm quite partial to them. Might of Arms is a fast playing, quite flexible, and quite enjoyable "all period" ancients game. While it is probably a bit too generous in your ability to command your troops, it does provide a good compromise on playability and accuracy. I rather enjoy it.

One of the members of the club has always wanted a 25mm Belisarian Byzantine army, so I agreed to paint Sassanids. Might of Arms provides suggested Army lists, which while FAR too small at the given 1:50 scale to recreate historical battles, are at least illustrative of what size armies the game can handle in an afternoon, and what the ratios of forces are. While Christmas is probably too ambitious a completion date


The current objective is the "left wing" of the Sassanian Army. Three regiments of clibinarii (9 figures each), three regiments of light cavalry (4-6 figures each) and a general. So far, two of the clibinarii are completed, and the third is on the painting table.

Clibinarii Regiment #1 from the front:

Rear:

Side, with a close-up of the shields:

The figures are a mix. Standard bearer and musician are Gripping Beast, while the troopers are all Old Glory. Lances are from Xyston, and the standard is from Essex. Shields are all Little Big Man transfers for Gripping Beast miniatures.

Sassanid Clibinarii Regiment #2:

Side view:

You can clearly see how my basing style changed radically from Regiment #1. Regiment #1 had the base painted with Delta Ceramicoat Mississippi Mud, then immediately dipped in the rock. Silfor tufts were later glued on. For Regiment #2, I paint the base Mississippi Mud, glue rock to it, wash it with GW flesh wash, then dry brush it with Delta Ceramicoat Teddy Bear Brown, Vallejo Thick Ochre, and then Delta Bamboo. Dry and Summer grass mixtures are then glued to the base to finish it. I'm much happier with the results, and given the possible terrain in the Sassanian Empire, it's still equally plausible.

My painting style has also advanced. Every figure has at least a base color and highlight everywhere, and large expanses are shaded, main colored, and then highlighted.

All of these are Gripping Beast, with the large draco standard by Essex. I had high hopes for the figs, and I was sadly disappointed. There were LOTS of issues with flash. To make the bows fit, I spent an afternoon with a Dremel buzzing out their hands. The horses also had a LARGE amount of flash, especially around the forelegs. Finally, the draco - while VERY pretty - is also fragile.

The results are pretty, but they're a LOT of work. I'm not that motivated to get back to Regiment #3, about 1/2 done. Instead, my colonials collection has absorbed my fancy, with 15mm Napoleonics fighting for second place. But, as they say, that is a blog post for another day.

Gladitorial Combat with the Greens!

Cheer for the home team in gladitorial combat in the 22nd Century New Roman Empire!

Our heroes (from left to right): the Minigunner, the Sniper, the Squad Leader, the Plasma Gunner and the Grunt.

Today's match: The Greens versus the dreaded Space Orx and the dastardly Reaction Marines.

Highlights from SportsCenter:

A close-up of the dashing Squad Leader. Don't worry folks! Despite being carried off the field on a stretcher in the first period after being gutted by Reaction Marine buzzsaws and grenades, he's perfectly all right! Just a few dends and broken servos in his power armor.

The sniper in his blind. He promised to put a bullet in the Reaction Marine Enforcer's head and kill him before the end of the match, and that's exactly what he did, folks!

The view from the far corner as the Space Orx charge the Reaction Marines, with fire support from our heroes! The headless Enforcer can be seen at the bottom. That Ork rifleman is dead folks; he just doesn't know it yet!

Only the Kid and the Orc Chaingunner survived!

The MVP moment! The Plasma Gunner roasts both the Orc Lieutenant and the Reaction Marine Barion Cloud Gunner!

That's all for SportCenter folks. Stay tuned for the details of next week's match! For those interested, front row tickets have just become available, as soon as they finish cleaning up rows one through five.

Bitterly disappointed by my camera

March is a spring month; I am told. Since it was nice and sunny out, I decided to take a few pictures of the miniatures I painted in February.

Needless to say, I was deeply disappointed in the results of the photos. I am biased, but I honestly think these are some of the best miniatures (and certainly the best basing) that I have done. I was afraid that some of the highlights would be too subtle for the camera to pick up, but I was not prepared for photos to look like this:

All I can say is that I either got some wicked glare, or my Olympus needs to lay off the booze. I don't think I have ever had as much trouble getting things to focus. The Sassanid pictures were totally unusuable - I do believe those figures desire to spite me!

If your eyes can stand the strain, that is supposed to be General José Jerónimo de los Dolores Leal Treviño, Governor of Nuevo Leon from 1867-1871, and the entire División del Norte from 1877-1880. Seeing as how he fought the French, the Apaches, the Kickapoos, and the Americans (and incidentally, married the daughter of the General Edward Ord, commanding the Department of Texas and his nominal American opponent), he seemed an ideal use of the Foundry figure.

This is the only remotely decent image of the mounted figures. Naturally, you can only see them from the back and most of the shading I worked very hard at is washed out. However, you can make out some of the bases. They're a new basing approach for me. I usually paint 15mm figures, so my basing skills were pretty rudimentary. I would just paint the base, dip in the proper colored flock, and be done with it.

25mm figures mean I needed to step it up a notch. Each figure was glued to a Litko 1"x2" plywood base before painting (I used a brush-on primer). Once the figure was completed, I spackled the base to hide the figure base line, painted the base in Delta's Mississippi Mud, then glued down rock. The rock was washed with Games Workshop Flesh Wash, left to dry overnight, then drybrushed with Reaper Woodland Brown, Vallejo Thick Ochre, and then Delta Bamboo. I then glued on Games Workshop Dead Grass, and then Gale Force 9 Summer Static Grass. As you can see, each figure's base has their name in white ink on a colored tab.The colored tab reflects a figure's varying skill (yellow-very inexperienced/brand new, green=less experienced, still kind of raw, blue=average, red=experienced, black=veteran). I was less than impressed with Reno's performance at Little Big Horn, so I made him average. Benteen is referred to in Son of the Morning Star as "an agate-eyed killer," so I decided he was not somebody I would want to mess with. Custer is Custer.

Here are the dismounts. Every mounted figure also needs a dismount, should a horse be wounded or incapacitated (for cavalry that don't like to fight on foot) or should they form a skirmish line. So here is the dismounted General de Brigata Treviño, General George Armstrong Custer, Captain Frederick W. Benteen, and Major Marcus Reno. Once again, the lighting has pretty much washed out the figures, but you can see the bases I am very proud of.

Zooming in on General Custer, and the best of the pictures, frankly.

Benteen center stage. You cannot see the frogged uniform tunic, but hopefully the highlights on his campaign hat and face came out. Yes, his eyes are actually blue!

Here is Major Reno. Once again, you cannot really see his expression. I tried to make him look drunk (as alleged at the Little Big Horn) and clearly show his indecision. In person, I think I achieved that effect. I don't know if you can see it in the photos.

Well, that's what I painted in February. I hope to take some better pictures over the weekend.

First Sassanid Clibinarii are almost done!

I'm waiting on the Gripping Beast shield transfers to finish setting before they get varnished and based.

Pictures will come tomorrow.

Edit. The bases for the figures are 2mm longer than the 60x40mm bases for them, and I cannot find my clippers. Pictures will have to wait.

I just hope they fight the Byzantines as hard as they fought me! These guys did NOT want to be painted one bit.

Red Baron

It's a furball!

An image from yesterday's game, with my favorite set of WWI air combat rules: Red Baron. A De Haviland DH4, Bristol F2.B, and Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a are in the middle. Germans swarm around the formation: two Fokker DVIIs to the left, and a Siemens Schuckert DIII diving from to right. Another SE.5a (the one I was flying) tries to join in at the bottom right.

For me, Red Baron are the only WWI air rules that actually feel like flying a plane. Sadly, they are out of print. The best part of the game is the true vertical system. As you can see from the dowel rods, battles are fought in all four dimensions (x, y, z and t), where 1"=100 feet. That allows for actual maneuverability, realistic speed loss to maneuver and climbing, and all the difficulties in lining up a target, the dangers of target fixation, and performance difference between different aircraft. There is a world of difference between a SPAD XIII and a Morane-Saulnier A1, for example. Both have a similar top speed, armament and maneuverability - but the Morane-Saulnier is so underpowered, it's very difficult to properly maneuver. Until you have to compensate for your speed losses, you really don't appreciate it!

All pilots begin as "rookies" and have the potential to be good (or bad) at certain aspects like flying, shooting, fixing, seeing or thinking. Rookies are also naturally worse at shooting (due to inexperience) and handling the aircraft. After two missions where they "survive" (or attaining at least one kill), rookies are then considered normal pilots. Aces (5 kills) and legendary aces (10+ kills) get additional special abilities. This usually leads to their retirement after a "gauntlet" where they're the only pilot on their side (occasionally accompanied by a rookie wingman).

The campaign and mission format naturally leads to developing characters. Pilots get names, and the game situations that develop give them personalities to boot. Vendettas develop, airplanes get stolen, balloons explode while pilots are flying over them, people get run over with staff cars, and occasionally even avalanches are set off. Their exploits are recorded here. Enjoy, and do try not to ruin your keyboard laughing at inopportune times.