American Heavy Weapons Teams

2024 was the year I was supposed to concentrate on finishing as many Americans as I could - both WW2 and 1980s.  Whilst not being as successful or focussed as I planned - I have made some headway with the infantry of one WW2 force basically complete (missing 2 figures damn it) - I've also managed to get a few Cold War chaps (or dudes) completed from a couple of different manufacturers.  So here they are:

This is a Zvezda Stinger Team

This is a Zvezda .50 Cal HMG Team

This is a converted Mk-19 Automatic Grenade Launcher Team.  The figures and tripod are from Zvezda (from the HMG Team obviously) and I'm pretty sure the Mk-19 is from a Dragon HMMWV kit.

 Sticking with the Zvezda theme - this is their M-60 GPMG Team.

This is a Elhiem Figures M-60 on a Sustained-Fire mount.

Finally the group photos:

That's it for today.  Next post will be the 9th ID List.

Thanks

Richard

Norwegian Home Guard

 Very quick post today as I'm trying to get ready for another Cold War game (well 2 more actually) but I just finished this figure and had to post it up straight away.

This all started when I asked what I thought was a simple theoretical question to Matthew Hingley of Elhiem Miniature fame.  I wondered how hard it would be to change a weapon on a figure stl file.  The figure I was thinking of was one of his WW2 German Gebirgjager figures, which he has already converted into stl files.  What I was thinking of was converting one to look something like this:

Rather than simply answer the question, Matt had a crack at it and then sent me the file!

Unfortunately I've recently been having serious, head banging against the wall kind of issues with my 3D printer.  But last week I finally managed to get a print of this figure off it, so I had to paint it straight away.

Here's how it turned out:

OK - my basing is pretty crap, but I just love the figure.  Now I have to work out how to convert at least a squad more!  At least the MG34 gunner is already taken care of, and the MP40 armed NCO is also easily done (as in they already exist in the Gebirgsjager range), I just need the rest of the AG3 armed Home Guard.

Another problem for another day...

Thanks

Richard

The Berlin Project - Infantry and Urban Bases - Part 3

 OK... This is a little embarrassing.  Part 1 and Part 2 of "The Berlin Project - Infantry and Urban Bases" happened back in October 2017.  Those of you paying attention to things like, time, will quickly realise that its been almost six years between parts 2 and 3!

To start off with back then I painted 3 figures (loosely forming a Machine-gun Group) and here's the photo to prove it:

Today those figures look like this:

Not much has changed.  However, I've finally managed to finish the other members of their section - the Rifle Group, lead by their NCO.

Put them together and you have a whole section:

Here's a couple of contextual shots:

I also completed the Machine-gun Group of the next section.  It's kind of a little vignette.

That's it for now.  I have a big WW2 painting project coming up, but will still add some more Cold War models shortly.

Thanks

Richard

Danish HJV (Home Guard) Special Intelligence Patrol

It's been quite hard to get anything finished recently.  I have no workshop and do my 3D printing in the same room I do my painting.  Anytime 3D printing is going on, or has even just recently been going on, you do not want to be in there because of the fumes - which give me a stinking headache.  It's also my work office several days a week.

So I've put printing on hold for a while to try and finish a couple of things - and the first thing finished was an addition to my Danes in the form of a Hjemmevaernet (HJV) or Home Guard Special Intelligence Patrol.  Although HJV, these patrols worked directly with the Danish Army as their only Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols or LRRPs.  These guys specialised in gaining tactical intel from behind the lines, both from fixed observation posts and through patrolling.  Here are a couple of pics I've found - possibly from the 1970s onwards - which should help you see why I've done some of the things I've done to the figures:

I've tried to paint these guys in what I'm calling my interpretation of the Danish M/84 Flecktarn camouflage uniform.  Head and weapon swaps all come from Elhiem.  His Hovea m/49 SMG is about 1000% better than the one I made out of plastic rod!  I'm reasonable happy with the result of these and the minor conversions I did.  Here is the whole unit:

For a closer look - here's some front and back pics of four of the chaps:

And a front shot of the other 4:

If you take 2 of these chaps you have a very useful sniper/spotter team:

Interestingly I've read that at the time only the HJV used snipers - the regular Danish Army did not.

Lastly - here are a couple of shots trying to show the weapon swaps on the NCO and the spotter.  Not the best pics but I hope you get the idea.

So that's it - my HJV Special Intelligence Patrol.  I hope you like them.  PLently more Danish stuff to come this new year - along with loads more Canadian and Norwegian stuff.

Hope you all have a much better 2021 than 2020.

Richard

  

Canadian Infantry Platoon

 Before I jump back to the Canadian M113s (which are nearly done) I have managed to finish the mechanised infantry platoon that will use them as rides.  All the figures are from the Elhiem Figures website and are selected from the NATO - FN FAL, MAG section of the webstore.

It's really great to have a figure range that covers the Canadians so well.  Everything you need to complete a platoon is there and hopefully there maybe even more figures in the future that will cover a couple of things I think are missing.  Hopefully!

Anyway - on with the show.

First up, here's a front and back set of pics of my 5 man Platoon Command Section.

This is followed by a Light Mortar Team of 2 guys and a 60mm mortar I dodgily put together rather than stump up for an actual model...

The figures in these 2 shots make up the First Section.  The top pic has from left to right the NCO armed with a Sterling SMG, a soldier with a Carl Gustav, another with a FN C2 LAR (a heavy barreled SLR used as a LMG) and a soldier with a C1 Assault Rifle (more commonly know as a FN FAL or SLR).  The second photo is of 4 riflemen with C1 assault rifles.  All the sections that follow are laid out the same way.

This is the Second Section.

And here is the Third Section.  

I also have a couple of these guys from Elhiem's LAW Gunner set.  I haven't assigned them to a particular section - and would use them to signify use of a LAW in a game, before replacing them with a standard SLR armed figure.

Here's my Blowpipe Team.  I have another Blowpipe chap and may end up painting up a second team.

And finally here is the Forward Observer Team.  Nice and straight forward, although I am thinking of putting a radio on the back of the chap holding the phone receiver.

And this is everyone together.

This is the majority of the infantry side of this project complete.  I will add 1 or 2 80mm mortar teams, and I will attempt to undertake a conversion of a figure to get rid of his SLR and exchange it for a Browning MMG.  I'd love Elhiem to do proper Canadian MMG and .50cal HMG teams - that would really top off my infantry project.  I may also do a Recon Patrol - basically another section.  Not sure...

So that's it for now.  Back to the M113s shortly

Thanks

Richard