Playing Catch Up!

So, first post of 2014, and happy new year to all! Hope Santa was good to you all, and delivered copious amounts of lead, resin, plastic and MDF, and suitable quantities of medicinal alcohol...

I went back to work just before Christmas, so painting productivity took a somewhat inevitable nose-dive, as did actually posting up pictures of what I had got done!

So, after the Armageddon that was Hogmanay nightshift, here's a little round up of what has been done over the last few weeks...

The "Friend & Foe" group build over on The Guild drew to it's conclusion, and I actually managed to get my entries finished in time. The results of the build can be seen here.

 The MILAN team got it's base;

And was joined by a spotter/ command element

(Who still require an aerial for their Clansman set)

On the other side of the Curtain, The Soviet Motor Rifles saw the command squad finished

and joined by the BMP dismounts

A bit of variation on the uniforms on two of the figures, to emphasise that ever-reliable Soviet supply chain...

Rather pleased with how these tree stumps have come out, I must admit. They're old Woodland Scenics metal pieces I aquired years ago, before the infamous fire, so I'm using my few remaining items sparingly!

I've got enough figures in the stash to get another BMP squad done, and then it'll be onto some support weapons for the Sovs (to match the BAOR ones I've got) and then, hopefully, some appropriate vehicles to mount 'em all in.

In other news, I have aquired some scenery, which will hopefully add some sufficiently "80's Germany" flavour to proceedings, but rather more on that later...

Cheers, and all the best for 2014...
Iain

The Red Tide Advances

Some further progress on the Soviet Motor Rifles! Actually quite chuffed with how these guys have come out (after a bit of a shaky start). Looking forward to getting enough of 'em done for a game...

The Platoon Command Pack is now finished. In game terms I only need the лейтена́нт and his radio operator (who will for all intents and purposes just be a rifleman, but the radio on his back adds to the "HQ" look...) for the Command section; the marksman and rifleman with the UGL will find themselves part of the 3rd Motor Rifle section. Also, the radio-operator's backpack still needs an aerial adding.

The first four of the BMP dismounts just need based now. Still to add a further rifleman and gunner with an RPK.

Rather pleased with how well this arm shield came out! Can't see me replicating that any time soon...

Apologies again for some of the blurry pictures. It's not yer eyes, honest!

Cheers

Iain

Latest Cold War Progress...

Spent this week so far adrift in a sea of snot, Lemsip and Humbrol, as I've been loaded with the cold since Sunday. Which was marvellous.

However, I have thus been able to get some work done on the painting front. Firstly, as you may have seen over on Bobinantes, I've got the first four Soviet figures ready for basing:

These are from Elhiem's Cold War Platoon Command pack CWR08, and very nice they are too. The pack features a Platoon Commander, radio operator, marksman with Dragunov SVD (somewhat nonchalantly smoking a cigarette) and a trooper with an underslug grenade launcher on his AK-74. All are clad in the standard Soviet khaki uniform.

I've also managed to get the BAOR MILAN team finished...

...and ready for basing:

Again, figures from Elhiem's Cold War range. With the addition of a spotter team/ command element (currently undercoated) that should give me the 10 figures needed for the British side of the current Guild "Friend & Foe" group build. The Soviet side will be the Platoon Command, plus the 6 dismounts for a BMP-2 (which is itself somewhere in the pipeline).

So far looking like I might have all that finished for the 21st!

Cheers
Iain

I Ain't Dead Yet

Been nearly a month since I've managed to get anything done worth posting, but I've finally made some progress with things!

I've now got the Platoon Command section finished and based, and I'm about halfway through the MILAN team

The MILAN team will be mounted on a single base, similar to the Blowpipe team previously. Gives me an excuse to make little mini vignettes! They'll eventually get some transport aswell, either a 423 or a Spartan MCT...

Finished Platoon Command-

And I spent far too long trying to get this right-

OK, so it's not really period correct for the mid 80s, but it looks impressive, and since I'm representing a fictional regiment (to cover a multitude of sins), I can write it off as a regimental affectation (i.e. they're flash gits)...

So far, Combat Team Alpha of the Queens Own Atholl Rangers Battlegroup looks a bit like this-

Still requires a third section, and FV432s to carry them all about it. Also to be added imminently are some support weapons in the shape of MILAN teams, 81mm Mortars and SF GPMGs, and a CVR(W) Fox armoured car. I also intend to add some armoured support in the shape of some CVR(T) Scorpion and Scimitar, as well as some MBT support. Hopefully I can persuade the powers that be over at S&S Models to do a late mark Chieftain with Stillbrew armour...

In other news, I've also made a start on their opposition, the dastardly Sovs of 3rd Shock Army...

Spurred on by the Friend and Foe group build over at The Guild, I've so far been working on the Elheim Command Pack containing a platoon commander, signaller, sniper and trooper with an underslung grenade launcher attached to his AK-74

Quite happy with the colours so far. The figures give a nice contrast to the BAOR infantrymen, with the Soviets' archaic WW2 style fatigue uniforms contrasting with the modern DPM combat uniforms of the British. I intend to do some of the figures with mismatching tunics and trousers, reflecting the ever-dependable Soviet supply system (I don't think there was a Soviet version of Silverman's?)...

I took my inspiration from the Soviet Motor Rifleman pictured on p60 of the "Cold War Gone Hot" Force on Force supplement, with his red colar tabs, epaulettes and arm shield. I was keen to include these, as it gives some sort of definition to the figures, and breaks up what would otherwise just be an endless sea of khaki. While officially, on combat uniforms, these would have either been deleted or replaced with olive green versions, most Russian soldiers wouldn't have been given sufficient uniforms to have seperate "field", "combat" and "parade" versions of the same tunic, so I kept them on, for the aforementioned artistic reasons [wankspeak mode off].

Hopefully should be able to get these and another 6 finished in time for the end of the group build...

Cheers
Iain