Painting Challenge Theme Submission - "Epic Fail"

A grim fate for this T-55 and crew...vignette from Peter Pig

As Curt's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge cracks along, I have actually managed to enter two of the consecutive Bonus Theme Rounds.  The first was "Nostalgia", and the second, due this past weekend, was "Epic Fail".  Here is my submission for that round - a vignette of a knocked out T-55, painted in a variant of camouflage used by the Syrian army in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

I generally avoid casualty figures, as they are kind of grim, and too much like painting terrain, which I hate doing.  But this little vignette from Peter Pig has been sitting around the pending pile for years, waiting for a coat of paint, and the Challenge was just the right spur to get it done.

The Syrian attack on the Golan Heights in 1973 caught Israel by surprise in a strategic sense, but the tankers on the Golan that day October would have seen the attack coming from their well-sited and prepared defensive positions, and the outnumbered IDF Centurion crews extracted a fearsome toll from the Syrian attackers.  Many Syrian T-55s met the fate seen here...as such this is a perfect, if somewhat haunting, piece of terrain for 1973 games.

The next bonus theme is "Defensive Terrain".  I despise painting terrain of any sort, so I'm not sure I will come up with anything for that round but I still have a couple of weeks, so we'll see. 

As always, I encourage you to check out the Challenge and the Bonus Theme Round page to see all sorts of creative work by the Challengers.  You should take some particular time to check out Byron's outstanding "Epic Fail" submission - off the hook, and worthy of your time, and even votes if you can spare the clicks!

British WW2 1st Airborne in 15mm

British Airborne platoon & support in 15mm for Chain of Command etc.

Here is a group of British WW2 paras from the 1st Airborne Division in 15mm.  The figures are all from Peter Pig, and they are based for individual skirmish games like Chain of Command, Bolt Action, etc.

"Should only be some light resistance...fellows on bicycles!"

Like so many gamers I enjoy the ill-fated Operation Market Garden as a scenario for WW2 gaming, but this is the first time I have painted my own figures for the setting.  I expect these fellows could participate in some D-day-themed games as well, although I must say I know little to nothing of their role in that massive operation (shameful ignorance) (update to my shameful ignorance - apparently a different Airborne Division was involved in Normandy, not the 1st - see comments below).

Rifle sections, supported by a Bren gun team

The heroic dash and stand at the bridge in Arnhem, and the grinding and futile wait for XXX Corps to arrive in Oosterbeek provide great scenario possibilities.  Dallas was kind enough to let me set one up a few weeks ago with his beautiful 28mm figure collection.  I know he purchased a 15mm SS platoon at some point last fall, so I'm hoping he may paint them up and set the stage for some 15mm games in the future too. 

The two hex bases have the senior leaders of the platoon - I really like how the senior NCO turned out...

There is a full platoon of three sections (well everything but a sniper) and a few extra goodies - another PIAT team and a Vickers machine-gun.

PIAT team on the right and a light mortar team on the left

The basic Vickers team pack from Peter Pig has a three-man crew, but I painted a few extra fellows with Sten guns to go along with them - in Chain of Command these weapons are often a five-man team. 

A Vickers MG team - that will keep Jerry ducking!

Another view of the Vickers team - I will probably have to re-base that near fellow now that I look at this photo...he's an NCO...

The senior officers of the platoon are on hex-shaped bases, while the other NCOs, section leaders etc are on square bases.  Everyone else gets a 20mm round base.  I considered a different shape base for the Sten gunners, but in the end my obtuse aesthetic gaming preferences could only accept so many different base shapes, so we'll just have to squint a bit :) That is the main weakness of skirmish gaming with figures of this size - those fellows with the Stens blend right it in - but I enjoy many other aspects of it a lot, so I'm sticking with it.

Extra PIAT team - such a bonkers weapon, but fun to use in games

Between the Bren guns and the extra senior officer in the platoon this force would actually be pretty nasty on the table in a Chain of Command game - hopefully we can try that out sometime and see for ourselves. 

Another view of the Bren section - two Bren gun teams, would be quite useful in Chain of Command

Painting the camouflage smocks of the paras was not particularly easy, and I can't describe my technique as much more than a few different browns, tans and greens, washed and re-highlighted, in a mushed pattern that on a 15mm size figure doesn't look too terrible.  I don't think I could manage these guys in a larger scale...

Bren section - two Bren teams - lots of firepower!

Once again, Peter Pig provides the best 15mm WW2 figures to be found, and some of the neatest figures generally.  Sometime I will add some more support for these fellows from Peter Pig's extensive WW2 range.

Early '80's Soviets

1:100 A-10 from Revell

Soviet Inf from Peter Pig

T-72's from QRF in one of Byron's excellent storage boxes

T-64's from QRF w/ ERA

ZSU 23-4 with scratch built gun because QRF didn't send one. This a blessing in disguise when one considers the quality of QRF gun barrels.

BMP 2's from QRF w/ replacement barrel's

Mi-24 Hind D from QRF. Metal bits are very soft. I think the molds are old as the resin was badly pitted. It is however, the only 1:100 scale Hind out there. There are a few details I had to add using green stuff that aren't sculpted onto the model.

DAK in 15mm - Afrika Korps from Peter Pig

15mm DAK ready for action in the desert!

 Continuing to work on some miniatures and models from the Western Desert/Africa theatre of WW2. Here is a platoon of Afrika Korps troops to go up against the Desert Rats from my last post.  The figures are all Peter Pig, based individually for skirmish games such as Chain of Command, Bolt Action and our own Blitkzkrieg rules.

DAK squad with a pair of MG34 teams

Different base shapes were used as before to denote different ranks.  The hex base marks the platoon commander/senior leader, and the square bases are for NCOs/junior leaders.  I tried to mix up the colours a bit on the figures, with some wearing more faded fatigues than others.  I find that where the 8th Army soldiers have an orderly, button-downed look to them (even blasted in the desert sun), the Afrika Korps have a sort of mixed, almost slack/proto-hipster appearance. 

The NCO is on the square base at the front

This lot is based around a platoon pack from Peter Pig, which I augmented with some firing poses from their early war German line in order to get some fellows wearing helmets into the mix.

You can see a few other goodies in the back of this photo that I will deal with in a later post :)

The platoon pack came with six (!) MG34 teams...although I suppose this would not be unusual for German platoons later in the war, I didn't realize they were handing them out like candy to Rommel's lads in the desert.  I suppose this was a prelude to the situation the overall German army would face in Europe - the extra MGs were needed to make up for the fact that the smaller platoons could be otherwise short of firepower against bulkier/more numerous opponents. (EDIT - see comments below - apparently this number of LMGs was much more common from the outset of the war, at least in mobile units - thanks Arrigo!)

Six LMGs is a lot of firepower...this would certainly be a tough lot to deal with in a Chain of Command game.

Platoon commander, spare NCO (who should probably get a hex base too, as he would be a senior NCO) and AT rifle team

Overall, there are three squads, each with two MG34s, in this unit. There is also an AT rifle team, making 34 troops in all.  As always, the Peter Pig figures are a real joy to paint. There is a ton of detail and character in these castings.  I'm looking forward to a skirmish game set in the desert! Stay tuned for a few more desert-themed goodies up next.

Desert Rats in 15mm - 8th Army from Peter Pig

8th Army Platoon in 15mm from Peter Pig

Another little random project from the painting table - a platoon of 8th Army "Desert Rats" in 15mm. The figures are from Peter Pig, and are based individually for skirmish gaming in systems such as Chain of Command, Bolt Action or Dallas' "Blitzkrieg" rules. 

Platoon command on the hex-shaped base

I already have a healthy amount of WW2 desert theatre stuff based for Flames of War that I painted several years ago, so I already have a number of vehicles, trucks and tanks etc. to go along with these fellows.

Light mortar team

AT rifle team

Peter Pig 15mm figures are the best ones out there, nice enough sculpts to make individually-based skirmish gaming possible in the scale.  This was a platoon pack from Peter Pig, and you get a large number of figures - enough for three sections of 10 troops complete with Bren teams, and command elements including an AT rifle team and light mortar team.  There are over 40 castings in the pack, which is a nice feature of using 15mm figures for skirmish gaming - it's very economical.

Infantry section led by NCO (on square base)

Another view of the infantry - two man Bren teams are on the oval-shaped bases

The square bases represent NCOs/junior leaders and the hex shaped base is for the platoon commander/senior leader.  The different shapes are used to make it easier to identify what's what on the smaller 15mm figures, inspired by Regina Conscript Curt.

Ready to make their stand at Alamein and elsewhere across the western desert!

Up next are some DAK opponents for these guys.

Even More IDF Halftracks

Old-school rides for IDF mech troops in '73 - Peter Pig on the left, other two are from Battlefront

It's been quiet on the painting table for the past couple of weeks, as summer-ish weather has suddenly appeared (weeks and weeks late) on the Canadian prairies, following a winter of Retreat-From-Moscow-pocalypse proportions.  And even though I love this hobby, I love a cool glass of wine outside on the patio even more...however, Prairiecon 2014 is almost here, and I needed to complete my preparations!  Here are some more IDF halftracks.

Two of these models are mixed resin/plastic/metal from Battlefront, and one is a metal model from Peter Pig, with the addition of a ball turret conversion piece from Battlefront.  The Peter Pig one had been painted last year, and so it has my older style of painting "Sinai Grey".  They don't quite match up, but Sinai Grey always looks different every I see it in pictures anyways, so I'm not too fussed about it.

All of the stowage pieces are from a Battlefront conversion pack - they are very nice

The Battlefront models were OK to work with, but Peter Pig makes a much better M3 halftrack. You really notice it on the cupola MG in particular - the plastic .50 cal from Battlefront is heavy on the seam lines and light on detail. With hindsight, I could simply have combined Battlefront's excellent halftrack conversion kits with Peter Pig models. Oh well. But they are just 15mm, so it doesn't stand out too much.

I left the extra stowage off of the Peter Pig track...just a way to mark it as a command APC

Where I do give Battlefront more credit is the decals - the air recognition stripes look MUCH better with the decals than with my weak free-hand painting on the Peter Pig model (how hard is it to paint a white stripe? jeez Greg). The decals look a LOT better.

Ready to roll for Prairiecon!

I now have five of these IDF halftracks completed - enough to mount a full platoon of IDF mechanized infantry.  These will take to the table on Saturday morning in Brandon Manitoba as Dallas and I will be staging a scenario set at the Battle of the Chinese Farm during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. I am looking forward to another Prairiecon!

Panzer IIIs in Winter - 15mm WW2

Panzer III-Ls from Peter Pig - 15mm WW2

One last "clearing of the baffles" project that started on the Easter long weekend.  Here is a group of Panzer III-Ls in winter colours.  The models are from Peter Pig.

That tank commander would be pretty damn cold, I think...

Last fall I started, together with Curt C, a little 15mm winter WW2 project on the Eastern Front. These tanks were meant to be part of that effort, but they have sat there primed yet unpainted for almost six months.  I wanted to get them finished off during a little break from my 40k Legion project. And since there were flurries (AGAIN) this weekend, I thought it was appropriate timing.

The tactical numbers are decals from Plastic Soldier Company

The blue collar late model Panzer III is a favourite tank of mine.  The vehicle has thick plates of extra armour bolted to the front of the turret and the glacis.  The gun has been increased in size as much as it can be for the turret (to 50mm) with a longer barrel to add as much velocity as possible to the shots. This tank design has been tweaked to give everything it possibly can in the face of an increasingly superior Soviet adversary!

The detail on the Peter Pig tanks is excellent, without equal in 15mm

I think this version of the Panzer III saw service late in 1942 and into 1943 - all the way to the fighting at Kursk.  The winter of 1942-43 saw some very heavy fighting in the face of the Soviets' shattering counteroffensive around Stalingrad and through the Caucasus region.

There are a lot of nice little details, like the spare track links draped across the front of the tank

These models are from Peter Pig, and once again I am blown away by the quality.  They were easy to put together, a lot of fun to paint, and they are just gorgeous.  I would love to paint a whole company of these models!  Peter Pig is tops when it comes to 15mm WW2.

A thin gel medium was used to represent the snow

Like  my other winter tanks, I put a base coat on ("The Fang" from GW in this case - geez I hate the lame names of their paints) followed by a base off-white to represent the white wash, followed by some  heavy duty weathering to represent the abuse dished out by the elements in a Russian winter.  I stippled various shades of white on the armour, sponged some dark grey chipping along the edges, and then used some "Agrax Earthshade" and "Nuln Oil" washes from GW to pin-wash some specific spots.  The tanks look worn as heck, just the way I like them.

I hope to get these in to a Chain of Command game some time, but I'm finished painting winter stuff for now.  This past winter here in the Canadian prairies has been a relentless soul-crushing hell of non-stop cold.  While I was glad to get these cleared from the painting table, I'm done painting winter stuff for a while.  F*ck winter - just f*ck it in the face - painting winter stuff makes me think too much of it! I'll resume the winter stuff next October :)

The Lingering Winter - 15mm Winter WW2 Infantry

15mm late WW2 German winter troops

While continuing to work on my Legion project (it is taking forever, I know - you would think I am growing them from the gene seeds - more on this in later posts) I came across a small pile of primed individually-based WW2 figures.  They were winter troops, part of a 15mm winter WW2 effort I started late last year.  Since the soul-crushing winter from hell of 2013-14 refuses to let go (we had 10cm of f*cking snow on the weekend), I thought it would be appropriate to knock them off quickly in a little break from painting Space Marines.

From left, an STG 44, rifle, panzerfaust, and rifle

These figures are not a coherent force in themselves - just odds and ends I wanted to round out a late war winter German platoon, with a couple of surplus Russians done for good measure.

I split the MG team up - I found the three-man base too large, and the rifle/spotter on the right is easily removed as a casualty

The German figures are from Battlefront, wearing a variety of winter garb. There are 10 figures all together - three riflemen, one rifleman carrying a panzerfaust, and one soldier carrying an STG 44. Two more guys are based as NCOs (square bases) carrying SMGs.  Another one is based as a senior officer (hex base) carrying an STG 44.  Last but not least there is a two-man team with an MG 42 mounted on a tripod.

Senior officer on the hex base, NCOs on the square base

Dallas and Curt are always very helpful with my endless questions about German WW2 uniforms (and just uniforms in general :) and I had seen among the references they have provided me a kind of reversible jacket and pants combo that had winter white on one side and more general grey-green or camo patterns on the other.  I tried to mimic this on one of the NCOs and one of the grenadiers.

Fellow on the left made the mistake of believing in "spring" - there is no such thing

My theory is the guys wearing the non-winter sides had been duped by a forecasts of melting snow - something I can relate to.

Battlefront castings

I really enjoy these particular Battlefront castings.  As I noted with the earlier batch, they seem to have a hopeless feeling etched into their faces - knowing they are about to face another offensive in the winter - that would feel pretty hopeless. Nice to see that on these castings.

Three lonely Russians defend the Motherland!

The three Russian figures are leftovers to enhance a winter Russian platoon I had already painted.  There is another senior officer (on the hex base) and two regular soldiers carrying SMGs.  These are Peter Pig castings, and every time I come back to a Peter Pig casting I am very impressed by the incredible quality.  They remain the number one 15mm figure maker in my books!

Peter Pig - still the best for 15mm infantry

I still have a few other primed but unpainted bits for this collection sitting nearby on the pending pile, but I'm not about to dive back into mass 15mm WW2 painting any time soon. This was a fun little diversion, a clearing of the baffles on the painting table - and also to keep in practice, so I don't forget my various paint combos for the winter. I want to keep plowing ahead with my Legion Project as I am looking forward to some Horus Heresy games soon - maybe by the end of the month, if I'm lucky! Stay tuned for details...