20mm ANZACs for Vietnam

Having worked on a shed-load of 15mm ANZACs from Battlefront and Peterpig, I decided to give my 20mm Platoon20 ANZAC figures the same treatment.  This is one of the command packs, painted the same way as the 15's; Russian uniform base, dry brushed grey-green.  Khaki packs and webbing, US dark green grenades, NATO black dry brushed basalt grey weapons and boots.  Washed with Army Painter strong tone ink.  The bases still need detailing with some scatter and static grass.  I'm now working on FN and M16 armed infantry to go with them, so more to follow.

As ever, thanks for looking.

More 20mm UK Police

I picked up these packs of Under Fire Miniatures U.K. police from Paul at the club.  These were relatively straightforward, painted NATO black, dry brushed German grey, then basalt grey.  Helmets are Royal blue, check bands on hats and the "Police" label on the backs were picked out in Ivory.

These will go well with the previous figures from Elhiem linked below;
 http://sedimentswargameblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/20mm-uk-police.html

They even have the start of a group of villains/terrorist opponents; these from Stonewall Miniatures.

Thanks for looking.

15mm Taliban Pack-Horse Teams

These are Fireforce 15 Miniatures, available in the U.K. from Old Glory.  A nice set with four pack horses, two each of two different loads (petrol drums, various boxes, etc.), with two handlers on foot and a mounted warlord.  This set will be really useful, either as colourful background scenics or as resupply markers.

 

Nice figures to paint, not too much flash and good raised detail.  They will find a place in my 15mm Force on Force games in the future.  I picked these up at the Derby show in October, along with some DHSK teams and Taliban on motorcycles and will be picking up some other packs shortly, along with some more Taliban figures and Vietcong from the Old Glory main range.

 

Thanks for looking.

Market Garden Flames of War game

This weekend just passed, eleven players from the Deeside Defenders club met up to play a Market Garden-based game, which saw 30 Corps trying to break through Fallschirmjaeger lines around the Neerpelt bridgehead, 101st and 82nd US Paratroopers struggling to take and hold bridges along Hell's Highway despite vigorous counterattacks from Stug and Panzer Kampfgruppes and British and Polish paratroopers struggling to take and hold Arnhem and it's bridge from a mixed grenadier and panzer kampfgruppe.

The first day saw para drops along the whole length of the board and the seizing of all the bridges, although the German defenders were holding out in Nijmegen, blocking the road to Arnhem, although Poles and US paratroopers were converging on the town and bridge.

Looking along Hell's Highway (on the right) from Neerpelt towards Eindhoven, Nijmegen and with Arnhem in the far distance.  This was the situation on Sunday morning, with 30 Corps pressing along both roads and about to cross into the 101st table.

Hell's Highway with wall to wall Shermans pressing down the road.

30 Corp's armoured column on Hell's Highway.

30 Corps at the bridge on the left flank.

Fallschirmjaeger retreating onto the 101st table, using the "collapsing bag" technique.

101st Airborne around Nijmegen.  A platoon of paratroopers had cleared the buildings in the right foreground, only to be effectively wiped out by Stug reserves coming onto the table.  However, air support has knocked out the Co commander (lower left) and is about to knock out the Kingtiger, leading to a local collapse in German morale.

Polish airborne advance across the bridge on right and dig in around the bridge approaches.

Further west of Nijmegen, 82nd AB defend a hedgerow attempting to secure the bridge upper left, awaiting the inevitable German counterattack.

Polish paratroopers secure the "Island" side of the Nijmegen Bridge.

Polish paratroopers deployed along the raised causeway across the "Island" between Nijmegen and Arnhem, passing through the village of Elst on the right edge of the picture.

A German Stug Batterie starts to push into the flank of the "Island" threatening the Arnhem Bridge, although Polish paratroopers seem to have the situation under control, although not before a few jitters.  The village of Driel is visible to the left of the picture.

Some intense fighting in the built up area of Arnhem.

The German Kampfgruppe surrounding Arnhem.

British paratroopers still struggling to get to the bridge in Arnhem.

Arnhem, looking towards Oosterbeek in the distance.

Later, German forces attempt to cut the causeway across the "Island" with a Stug Batterie and a Grenadier Company.  The Poles are still confident!

The Stugs threatening Nijmegen have been dealt with, but now an armoured kampfgruppe is approaching from the west in the far distance.  At the same time, an armoured kampfgruppe is threatening the nearest bridge on the left from the next table.

Stugs and panzers start to push across the bridge into the 82nd AB flank, having brushed aside local resistance from 101st AB.

101st AB and Fallschirmjaeger bitterly fight over Eindhoven and the surrounding fields.  Where is 30 Corps?

There they are, stuck on the bridge.  Press on chaps, clear that jam and bag those Jerries.

On 30 Corps left flank, progress is better and lead Stuarts have crossed onto the 82nd AB table.  Artillery seems to be deployed en mass along the canal.

The game ended with both bridges between 101st and 82nd AB in German hands, although 30 Corps was close by the most westerly bridge and could be expected to oust the Germans in a turn or so.  However, the German force advancing on Nijmegen might have been tougher to deal with as 30 Corps were still back around Eindhoven.

So, no glorious sight of British armour streaming across the Arnhem Bridge, despite the allies holding an airborne corridor for most of the game.

Thanks for looking.

20mm Cold War Royal Marines

Having worked on DPM schemes for the SAS, I also did some figures representing the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare cadre.  These are painted the same way as the SAS, but I used uniform green for the berets - not sure it's exactly right, but I wanted it to stand out on the models and the brighter green seems to work for that.  All the figures wear light denim trousers.

First up, two packs Stonewall Figures Royal Marines from their Falklands range.  Nice figures with a useful Charlie G armed figure.  I struck lucky with one pack which was supplied with an extra figure.

And then the TQD castings offering from C P Models.  These are supplied with two options, helmets or berets and these are the beret versions.  They are supplied with separate heads, except the figure firing, who has a spare beret head supplied but has a cast head wearing a helmet - I kept him in his helmet.

These, and the SAS posted previously, should be useful for a variety of scenarios set throughout the 70's, 80's and into the 90's.

Thanks for looking.

15mm buildings

Getting ready for the big Market Garden club game at the weekend.  I picked up these buildings from Ironclad Miniatures at the Derby Show back in October.  They are really nice buildings, for Normandy according to their web site.  Each of the two storey buildings comes in 3 parts, two hollow layers for the ground and upper floors and a roof section.  I washed these in warm detergent to remove release agent and then undercoated them with grey primer.  They are painted in various shades of buff, beige or sand, with basalt grey for slate roofs.  Brickwork is ivory, dry brushed cavalry brown.  Wooden beams are chocolate brown. 

The three buildings.  The shop front is a separate plate that is glued to the front of the building.

The ruined factory.  The kit comes in three parts, the main building, courtyard and a loft floor.

Side view of the factory.

The three buildings with back garden fences - these are again from Ironclad.

One of the buildings in more detail.

The other two.

The shop front.

These are nice buildings and represent good value for money.  They are easy to paint and should be very useful on the tabletop.  I shall be keeping an eye on the website for any future releases and will pick up some more.  Their range of African shanty buildings looks really useful as well.

Thanks for looking.

20mm Cold War SAS

I've been trying to paint DPM uniforms over the last month or so.  I've gone with a base of Vallejo NATO green primer, with splodges of NATO dark earth, smaller swathes of Iraqi sand and tried to get thin streaks and swirls of NATO black.  Most are painted as all in DPM, but the Elhiem figures wear light denim trousers painted in German field grey highlighted in green grey.  Balaclavas and woollen hats in NATO black.

I picked up two packs of Stonewall Figures British SAS from their Falklands range at the Derby show in October.  On the smaller size of 20mm figures, but nicely detailed and they paint up well.

Next up, 1980's SAS, suitable for the Falklands, by TQD Castings, available from C P Models.  Nice looking figures, mostly in non-contact poses.  These are significantly taller and much thinner figures, especially compared with the Stonewall range, almost gazelle-like.

And then the Elhiem Cold War British SAS.  The figures here come from the three packs available, all in various forms of balaclava and armed with armalites, LAW 72's, shotguns, GPMGs, MP55D and M79.

I think they look the part.  Hopefully you do too.

Thanks for looking.

15mm ANZACs for Vietnam

I've been given a huge load of part-painted 15mm ANZAC troops by Steve at the club.  Once painted, we're going to share them as I want a platoon or so for Force on Force games and he is looking to add to his already extensive ANZAC collection.  I thought I'd try out the scheme recommended by Battlefront using a Russian uniform base colour, highlighted with green grey.  I opted for khaki backpacks and webbing, US dark green for grenades, black, highlighted basalt grey, and beige brown for FN rifles and flat fleshtone for skin.  The whole lot was washed in Army Painter strong tone ink diluted 2:1 with water and varnished with matt clear varnish.

I had a pack of Peterpig Australians with FNs, plus some professional infantry with LAWs from their AK-47 range, wearing bush hats, so close enough to do service as Vietnam era ANZACs.

 
I like the look of these and think they will do fine for me to use in 15mm Vietnam games.  So, just a hundred or so to work through and the jobs done.

Thanks for looking.