Back to the Paras...

It's been a while, but here's another para update... Thanks to the box I got from Laffe and Thomas, and which contained more than a platoon's worth of figures plus some supports, I can now complete a full company, with bataljon and brigade level supports.

So, what have I been doing since the last update:

Company CO, mix of Blitz and SHQ

A bunch of 12 paras from Blitz

Another batch of paras from Blitz (11 of them, 4 NCOs, 2 snipers, an ammo bearer for the PIAT and some riflemen)

A PIAT gunner from the Blitz PIAT pack

The Kubelwagen and the Jeep are from Academy, the crew is all SHQ
(Jeep and its crew were in the box from Laffe and Thomas)

A flamethrower team, all SHQ figures (kindly donated by Laffe and Thomas)

3 JoPs for CoC - all from Blitz's "Para supplies pack"

Another JoP for CoC. The models are TQD (actually Polish paras, but the difference is minimal)

75mm pack howitzer (Airfix) and crew (Blitz)

More paras on the painting table now:

• 4 more jeeps (another Academy one, the Airfix one, with the trailer, and the two from S-models), with around 18 SHQ crew
• Airborne Morris (SHQ) and 17lb AT gun w crew (Blitz)
• 2 more JoPs: 2 paras w trolley and an HQ set (4 officers and a radio operator around a table) (both from SHQ) 

Vadavoom.... (well, sort of...)

Some pictures of jeeps I've been doing for my British Airborn...

Comparison shot of Laffe's jeep and the new Airfix one

The new Airfix "Airborn" jeep - it comes with a trailer and a 75mm pack
howitzer. Plus some stowage. I've added an undocumented option that's on the sprues
Vickers LMG.

The new Airfix "Airborn" jeep package

I've now completed the jeep I got off Thomas, who got it off Laffe. Probably it's the Academy one

I've also almost completed another 24 paras, some quick pictures here, better (hopefully) pictures when they're all done. That's over 100 paras now, plus the jeep, the 6lb and the Vickers.

Blitz minis

Blitz minis

Still more paras

Jepp, you've guessed it... Another batch of a dozen paras completed. More crew for the guns, including some junior leaders. A padre. A 2" mortar team. And finally a Forward Observer team. Mix of AB and SHQ figures.

This gives me a total of 80 paras now, a full platoon, and parts of a second platoon. Plus supports, a.o. a 6lb AT gun and a Vickers MMG. 

Next: even more paras - just over 30 Blitz figures. These are the remainder of my 2nd platoon, some extra supports and some extra crew. And I've primed the jeep that was in the box I got off Thomas and Laffe.

More paras

Still working on my paras, even if I haven't been able to do much lately. At least I've managed to complete my Vickers MMG team and a 6pdr AT gun with crew.

I've got my hands on some Battlefield / Blitz paras to flesh out my 2nd platoon, and they are very nice and well researched figures. Hopefully I'll be able to get some shots of them once I complete my last batch of my original AB/SHQ/TQD lot.

Thomas has kindly donated me a box of AB and SHQ paras that he had lying about (I think he got them off Leif originally), and another jeep, and they will be used to create a 3rd platoon, which will take me to full company strength. The jeep will do nicely to complete a full recce squadron. 

SHQ Airborne 6pdr and mixed crew of SHQ and AB. SHQ Vickers w crew.

The 6 pdr from above. I've added some ammo boxes. I've also embedded a dice frame for the shock dice into the base.

The same from a slightly different angle

Padre in progress. I think this is an SHQ crew member (AT or howitzer), to which I've added a scarf stole with tissue and white glue.

Johnny Frost

Apart from painting my Frostgrave warband, I've also completed some more paras this week: 

SL (double based) for the 2nd platoon, crew for a Vickers MMG and 6lb AT gun. These are a mix of AB, SHQ and TQD

And some more supports in progress (they're actually almost finished, but I haven't made more recent pictures of them):

6lb AT gun with crew in progress (I tend to base some crew with my guns). The gun is SHQ; the crew AB and SHQ

6lb and Vickers in progress. On the base for the Vickers you can see the slots I left for the crew. Both Vickers and 6lb are SHQ

More paras for Arnhem...

Been painting steadily on my paras for Arnhem and Normandy (we are planning to play TFL's Von Luck campaign soon). Finished another section and a sniper, platoon HQ and some supports (flamethrower team, two extra PIAT teams), as well as  some more riflemen.

Figures are a mix of AB, TQD and SHQ,

A rifle section and a sniper

Various supports (flamethrower team, 2 PIAT teams), some extra riflemen and half the SL for the 2nd platoon

Platoon HQ (Lieutenat w radio operator, platoon sergeant, 2" mortar team, PIAT team), and some riflemen

Oasis

I forget to take further pictures while working on my oasis, so can only show the final result here now. But construction went like this:

• I cut out a rough shape from cork matting (IKEA used to sell this as placemats, but have stopped carrying them, although I'm sure other shops still do)
• I smeared out beige caulking all over the cork, also built up the rim where the water would be, I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then spread sand all over it and pushed it in (a messy job)
• I then let that dry for several days before painting it dark brown
  
• I wetbrushed with sandcoloured acrylics, then drybrushed with the same with added white. A final drybrush with almost pure white (just a touch of sand in it).
• I let that dry a couple of days again, then washed with Army Painter Soft or Strong Tone (I can't remember...).
• I then poured in Vallejo Still Water, and added more after 24 hours. It then sat a couple of days in our spare room and all looked well.
• As we were having guests (my dad) over for a week, I took it out to the garage (heated and dry), where it then sat for a week, When I was going to take it in again, most of the Still Water had become cloudy/white. Luckily after a couple of days in the house, and pricking a few tiny holes in the top layer, it all became clear again. My guess is that the bottom layer wasn't fully dry when I added the second layer and that that condensed when I put it in the garage. It then dried out completely when taken into the house again and the couple of small holes helped with that process

This is what it looked like at GothCon, with palm trees and some bushes added

I feel it turned out well in the end, but I would do some things differently now...

GothCon status

My Desert Rats for GothCon are nearing completion... All are assembled, converted and painted, just about half need their bases done. And if there's time they need to get a coat of matt varnish, as some are a bit glossy (due to the Pledge ;-)).

1 full platoon with:
Platoon HQ: 1 officer, 1 NCO, 1 AT team (2), 1 2" mortar team (2)
3 Sections, each @ 1 NCO, 1 Bren team (3), 6 riflemen

In support:
1 FOO team (2) - conversions from the standard plastics Perry box
1 Vickers MMG (5)
1 Universal carrier (3)
1 medical orderly
3 engineer teams: demolition team (3), mine clearing team (3) and wire clearing team (3) - all conversions from the standard plastics Perry box
1 company commander w radio operator
2 jump-off points for CoC

I have a Crusader Mk I, a Morris CS9 armoured car and a Dingo scout car on the way... Hopefully they get here soon, so I can complete them in time.
!Update: they arrived today (16 March) :)

My oasis is also getting along. I built it at our terrain day, but started painting it today. Dark brown basecoat. Once dry, it'll get drybrushed in several layers of ever lightening sand colour. Then it needs green flock, and some bushes, maybe even some reeds. Then the water pool in the middle will get a green-grey wash, and after that I'll fill it with 2 or 3 layers of Vallejo still water.

And finally, I have my first Germans ready painted, as we discovered we were a bit short on German infantry. About half a section of DAK and a platoon commander.

Where there's rats...

Look what's all of a sudden, as if by miracle, appeared on my painting table...

MG firing from the shoulder, inspired by Laffe ;-)

Desert Update

Basecoated the remaining desert rats tonight, and I've started the basing process on the others. They should be all done by the end of the week. Then for some Germans ;-)

Some quick (bad) pictures:

Hugh Jarce, the 2" and AT gun teams, as well as the MMG main base (2 loose figures are in the pic below), the FOO team and the Company commander's base.

Senior and junior leaders (on hex bases), the medic (the one with the red cross armband ;-)) and some troopers (on round bases - actually 5 eurocents)

The TFL jump off points.

Bases are a mixture of various decorative sand and stones that IKEA used to sell. Stuck to the bases with diluted wood glue (white glue). When dry, they will be wetbrushed with cheap sand coloured artist acrylics, then drybrushed after adding white to the same. Depending on how they look after the first wetbrushing, I might add a wash (soft or strong tone) and a drybrush with sand in between.

Oh, and I watched Arsenal beat Utd in the FA Cup 1/4 final while painting :-)

Progress ;-)

Been a while but I've been busy. Busy painting that is, and building terrain.

First the carrier. It's ready , apart from basing (which I'll do when I do all my desert bases in one go, to ensure they're uniform). Painted, washed, highlighted, weathered. Crew and stowage added and weathered again. Some pictures below. Sadly I think that it looks much better IRL than on pictures, I have bad lighting on my paint table (a continuous discussion with SWMBO) and my painting style doesn't really show up will, I feel, on enlarged close-ups. But I'll leave you to judge that ;-)

Then I also started on my desert rats. First the Perry MMG team and company command I mentioned earlier. I also painted TFL special figure Hugh Jarce, but my pictures of him all turned out overexposed. I'll see if I can do better this week.

Then I started assembling the plastics, and I did some minor conversions: made a medic from an extra radio operator (simple head swap and giving him different arms), used the bits I swapped from the radio operator on a kneeling figure to make a kneeling radio operator, to go together with another kneeling figure who got an arm with binoculars from a German para officer and the arm with the pistol from the desert rat officer. Together they make up an FOO team. I also played a bit with the arms of the prone Bren gunner and created a kneeling Bren team. Not entirely happy with it, but it'll do.

All of these conversions and just over half a platoon of infantry are now painted. No pictures yet, I'll have to add some tonight or tomorrow.

I also assembled the rest of the platoon (finishing the first box and starting on the second) and did some engineer conversions (as I couldn't find enough desert engineers poses I liked). These are now assembled and waiting undercoating. Some pictures:

From left to right:

• Demolition team (3): 2 running with a box of explosives, 1 kneeling with a detonator
• Mine clearing team (3): 1 with a mine sweeper, 1 with a bayonet, ready to dig up a mine, 1 with a spade sitting back and waiting
• Wire clearing team (3): 1 kneeling with clippers (they did't turn out that well, but they'll do), 1 lying with Bangalore torpedoes, 1 with a rifle grenade. I might do another with Bangalores or something else, and use the guy with the rifle grenade as an ordinary soldier.

I was also thinking about a flamethrower team, but got some conflicting info on the "Life buoy" flamethrower that perhaps wasn't in use prior to 1943 or even D-Day. Anyone can shed light on that? I might still do an ft team later.

Some vehicles on the way (a Crusader tank, a Dingo scout car and a Morris CS9 armoured car. And then some DAK, as we see to have more British than Germans on the way for GothCon.

Butterfly

Flapping about like a butterfly just now, going from item to item and not completing much, but there is a theme to the madness: desert rats...

All the figures I assembled and fixed are now undercoated and some even have some real paint on them, but I'm going back and forth a bit how I want to paint them (how many layers and how, and how I can simplify things by using a wash and which wash, and which colours I should use). Nearly decided on that, but want to get that clear in my head before I start painting 2 boxes worth of desert rats. And I have all sorts of ideas for conversions (e.g. engineers etc...).

But while thinking and deciding I picked up on something else, my universal carrier. Wanted to do a Caunter scheme on it and have researched that a bit and decided on the colours. Undercoated black first, then wetbrushed Dark Sand. After that set the scheme in Dark Sea Green and Green-Grey. Washed with Devlan Mud (not entirely happy how that came out), then painted again, in Dark Sand, Green-Grey and Basalt Grey. I'm reasonably happy with how it's come out. Will do some more detailing tonight, then will do the tracks, then drybrush Pale Sand or Bonewhite. And do the figures that come with it.

Some pics from before the wash and repainting. Will try and add some more tonight. The Basalt Grey I've repained with is a couple of shades lighter than the Dark Sea Green and a better fit, I believe.

Not done a thing on the tracks yet, so they're just black now...

Desert Rats

For our demo/participation game at GothCon, we've chosen the desert theme, and what better figures than Perry Miniatures to do that. So after "Jultomten" (aka Leif and Thomas) gave me a Perry universal carrier for Christmas (read: dragged me in to their plans...), I got some Desert Rats, the box of plastics (38 figs) and the Vickers MMG with 4 crew.

I've started assembling some tonight and did the MMG and crew. Little flash and nicely cast and sculpted figures. I also opened the big box tonight, and I noticed I had an extra command sprue :) So I decided to assemble the officer with cap and pistol, and use him as a more senior officer (company commander), to be used for Big CoC, and base him together with the radio operator. I can then use the bonus sprue for a platoon officer, with helmet and pistol or SMG (not decided yet). The second radio operator will go into the bits box for later use with a suitable figure for an FOO (once I get my second box there will be plenty suitable figures for that).

I also drafted one of the figures from the plastic box in a suitable posture to become the 5th crew member for the MMG (CoC lists have 5 crew members for an MMG). He can be easily recognised in the picture below.

I need to do some undercoating tomorrow, as I've now lots of assembled bits on the go, and need to start painting them. There's also an undercoated group of 8 Valiant Fallschirmjaeger waiting for some licks of paint and I need to finish those sometime soon, so I can start basing them (16 are already painted and waiting for varnishing and basing, something I prefer doing in bigger batches so they look uniform).

Jump Off Points

Started on some jump off points (JoP) for Chain of Command (CoC) tonight.

From left to right:

1. Generic JoP for 20mm games - these are from Sgts' Mess, targeted as loads for trucks. The ones I get are 4 bases of six milk churns and 3 crates. They will need some work, inspired on the ones that Rich at Toofatlardies had made (see below). I plan to use some rectangular bits of white glue soaked tissue paper to represent tarps or Zeltbahn thrown over the loads, and add some guns and/or other bits of equipment. I was going to do that tonight, but forgot the white glue in the garage. Doh!

2. Toofatlardies specially created CoC 28mm JoPs. These will be used as is, and will be based as desert, for our CoC demo/participation game at GothCon in April.

3. Some Warmodelling (ex-Fantassin) Finnish ski troops, to be used as JoPs (or patrol markers, or both) for our 20mm wintergames. I also plan to use their reindeerdrawn sled as a JoP, but was a base short tonight. It's lying next to the white glue...

Next steps - base the reindeer and the sled, and pimp the bits from Sgts' Mess. Then undercoat all black with thinned Humbrol Matt Black. Then paint and base. Hopefully these should be done (apart from the basing) this weekend. If my wife doesn't send me on an expedition to IKEA again.