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!