US Army reinforced platoon

Well,

Another long absence from the net… or at least my blog. And in the interval, I have slaved myself painting… and taking my usual bad pictures (almost crappy I would say, I need to improve, not even a good camera will save me).

But let’s post something just to keep my projects moving.  28mm today, and… I completed a project. US Army late 1944 early 1945. It is done. No more stuff to paint at home! Yes it sounds incredible (and I am thinking maybe I can buy something new, obviously…). But everything I bought is not built and painted.

It is the result of several years of works, in two countries! It is also a combination of different manufacturers. The first figures are original Bolt Action bought straight from Paul Hicks in person, at Dadi.com more than 10 years ago...  supplemented by Artizan Designs, Empress (sculpted again by the talented Paul Hicks), and some more recent BA miniatures from Warlord (the 57mm ATG). Vehicles are Hobby Boss, original Bolt Action, current Bolt Action and Rubicon. Some of them have already appeared in the blog but lets go to see the details.

The core of the Force is a full strength infantry platoon, with Platoon Command, 3 squads, and some supports.

Platoon Command with Bazooka team.

The Infantry Squads, you can see different style of basing. In the past, before having access to plastic and MDF round bases I was doing square bases b myself with 2mm plasticard and then magnetizing them. I decided to do the whole force in this style.

Again the infantry

Static antitank support in the form of a Warlord 57mm ATG (US license built british 6pdr). The crew is in winter uniform. The sculpts are not exceptional, but they work.

The platoon is also suppoerted by a MMG squad (yes the .30 cal was designated LMG but it was in the weight class of MMG and it was belt fed).

You can also see the leftover after years of cllecting... start of a 2nd platoon? arrrghhh....

you can also see General Patton (original BA) inspecting the platoon while standing in a M3A1 HT and an additional Bazooka team and a sniper team.

Then we move to the 'heavy metal'

Two Hobby Boss Shermans (M4A3 with 75mm and 76mm, both 1/48 plastic), a Rubicon M4A3E8 (1/56) a Rubicon M36, an M8  Greyhound Armoured Car, and M8 Scott HMC  and a M5A1 Stuart.  The Scott would really befit from having crew, like the M36 Jackson.  Now some comments on mixing scales. I do not think it is a problem, usually, but sometime can be. The eagle eyes will see the difference between the M4A3(76)W and the M4A3E8 very quickly.  The M8 Kit could have been built as an M-20 or an M-8. I have seen people on other blog trying to make both version at once. considering the excellent Rubicon model has different interior for the two versions (as in reality), the 'plug in' idea is frankly rubbish. 

BA (original)  M3A1 Halftrack, Resin 1/56, preceding two Warlord Plastic Tank Destroyer, the M10 and the M18 (both Italeri products, both bough in UK... considering Calderara is not too far from my Italian Home...). I have no preference between the Italeri/WG and the Rubicon kits. Both now are extremely good. Sometime one is better than the other as in the case of the M8, the Rubicon Greyhound is much better. I really enjoy building them. A big advantage off the Italeri TD is the fact that thye have crew included.

Oh well end of post! I hope you like it.

P... L... A....

They are coming, I finally decided to start painting my Empress PLA. The command pack is the first effort. After consultations with PLA's staff I have gone for the new grayish-green  digital camo.

Now... while I was painting the PLA platoon commander (the figure equipped with handgun) I felt a certain resemblance (that i messed up with my painting) with a real PLA officer...

well I put Empress in touch with him so...


Of course I would have liked to have also the miniature of another real world PLA officer...

And a bit of eye candy....

After two reviews here there is some eye candy for you...

my newest 28mm vehicle.

It is an 1/50 M113A3 from Empress (formerly Imprint). It is a resin and metal model that I have painted in my rendition of  the infamous verdant MERDC camouflage. It has been a chore but I am happy with the result. The track commander is a Mongrel (yes I have some) Israeli tank command that I had left in my spare bing after crewing my M113 and my Sho't back in time... I think the final effect is quite nice.

no I have not disappeared... and I have some Marines to prove it!

Well, despite not having posted here for little more than a month I am not dead, well my old digital camera was... but thanks to the kindness of a good friend i have now a nice new one capable of much better shots (at least in theory, there is always the same crappy guy at the controls... me). Anyway I have also been away from more than two weeks doing what I am supposed to do in my daytime job, teaching and advising. I cannot talk on the latter, but I am pleased to have been able to meet the new crop of Conflict Simulation students, nice, motivated, and, probably, a bit better than some of the past years.

Anyway I have also had my birthday and got some new games that I will soon review (yes for the people who cannot wait: Kim Kanger's Dien Bien Phu, D-Day at Tarawa, Carrier Battle Group Solo). I have also been at Warfare (ahhhh my wallet is still screaming). Anyway I am doing several things at once (as usual).

First of all let's fill on the post title... I did another USMC fire team using the excellent Empress Miniatures... contemporary USMC. It is an in action fire team, 3 M16A4 (one with M203) and an M27 (The return of the automatic rifle as in 1960 with the automatic M-14, better I do not start another tirade on the silliness of the Corps...) and instead leave you to see the troops...

Here we are, the Team leader is pointing while his troops are firing. I like the poses, probably it is one of the best mix of poses in the USMC range.

 Flash! I used (actually Miss Canon) used the flash but the colors are still good.

A bit off center, but I want to zoom on the kneeling rifleman.

Well I have to say that...

1) I am extremely satisfied with this little pack
2) I think there is a little improvement in my ability to take pictures... thanks to the new camera.

Empress USMC, the specialists

Ok,

I am slowly chronicling my efforts to complete my small group of Empress USMC that I got as just reward for my kickstarter last January (ugh... so long ago how time flew... it is starting to look cold and gloomy again here...). I called them the specialists because they are not a a fire team, it is just random mix of Marines with specific weapons, a M240G, a M249, a M39, and a vanilla M16A4. Now do not get me wrong, they are lovely sculpts, but I find the mix quite useless... well I can even complain on the lack of a SMAW pack while we got an 81mm Mortar... lovely sculpt again, but what is its usefulness in a sensible 28mm table (except in some adaptation of that pathetic excuse for a rule set called  Bolt Action an 81mm mortar minimum range is more or less your average gamin table) ?

Anyway back at the miniatures. Here we have the group shot:

Well sculpted as we are now used with the team at Empress with lovely details. The flash suppressor of the M249 was bent out of shape and while trying to bend it back I broke uit, but I was able to repair it (more or less, I am more worried with some damage to my Chinese rifles... again finally scaled miniatures have some problems, problems that I aggravated in storage...).

Now let's talk of the guys in detail. The Machinegunner is prone, and it was quite nice to paint. I reminds me of the nice one I did for the US Army set.

The SAW guy, the Automatic rifleman, is also nice. I am not realyl sure it is a good firing pose too. I had dealt with the SAW in the past and just one year and half ago I was physically reminded of its weight (and seeing girls trying to lift one of them and assume a proper firing position was... well I was looking at the girls and not so much at the SAW... but they complained a lot).

Well, the barrel does not even look too bad. The knelling rifleman is one of my favourite, I like his face.

Finally we have the marksman. Another good pose with a nice feel.

Now... they were a joy to paint even if the pack seems a bit thrown together.  The range lacks a Javelin and a SMAW for sure... and maybe even a ground mounted TOW.

Project Sangin, update

Ok... I was hoping to have the first part of my review of Skirmish Sangin, but instead I have finished my HMMWVs in 28mm. Three vehicles, all from Empress (technically two were bought still from Imprint) equipped with different weapons. They are the basic light mobile support for both my Marines and Army platoons. I plan to use them mainly in Skirmish Sangin and Force on Force. They will be used in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, in the Andromeda Galaxy (WHAAAT!), and in the fictional island of Baraqui (and yest the last two are teasers...).

Only the one in the foreground is new, the other two were already around and had already made an appearance here. In the end they are two in woodland camo and one in desert sand. I think it it a good mix and allow me to operate in different environments.  They are quipped with a TOW launcher, a 40mm MK19 GL, and, finally, a M2 Machine Gun. The Empress Hummers are probably the best on the market, the detail is crisp, and they paint up really well. I went for a very subdued and worn woodland pattern. I am pleased with the effect. Here you can see the details:

But I went for faded colours. By the way the last picture has been taken with flash and the window glass are not really nice. Probably I need a new camera... but they turned my manuscript down (usual answer it is good and the argument strong and convincing, but at the moment I have so many books to follow that I need to disengage... the only good part is that probably the review had been done by Dale Andrade... so it is encouraging; anyway stop with real life digressions!)

One parting top view:

I hope to have them in action very soon, stay tuned!

and some Empress figures...

Well you know, I like Empress Miniatures, I like USMC...

Back in time I ended up backing the USMC-PLA kickstarter... the figures arrived last january and I did the first USMC fire team quite recently.

After a lot of debate I ended up doing them in the  desert scheme as my Eureka ones. It is the best approach for real conflict and well for imaginations/fictional settings I can just decide where the imaginatio is located. More to the point I have a good midlle eastern looking urban terrain and  I can use them in the same unit with my other squad.  I am now planning to use them in two 28mm skirmish campaign set in a middle-eastern looking setting.  Stay tuned on more details.

For now just look at the really nice figures. They have opted to do the fire teams basic pack with the M27 instead of the M249. Well at the moment the USMC seems quite happy with it but I think you are just removing suppressive fire capability from the team (oh look the 3 teams concept was created for suppressive fire. Well it is the USMC anyway usually they end up messing with equipment quite often...).

Anyway enjoy the four guys!