Completed! S-Model BMD-2

OK - so here we are with the completed BMD-2s.  I hope you like them!

And now with the other vehicles in their platoon

So that's it for this little exercise.

Onwards!

Richard

More Sun-bunnies

So in the final update in this particular series of updates here are what I truly hope are the last of my Soviets in the KLMK (Camouflage Summer Deceptive Coverall)  uniform - known to the Soviet troops who wore it as "Sun Bunnies" cam.

I have more on this unform and how to paint it here from over 5 years ago!!!

Once again the figures are from Liberation Minaitures

So here's a couple of group shots:

Basically I realised I needed 1 more AGS-17 crew and that whilst I had a bucket load of specialist troops in Sun Bunnies - I lacked a decent number of standard troopers with AK-74s.  So now I have them!  Painted!

These chaps will be used as standard Motor Rifle guys, SNI and if needed will support my VDV.  All good...

So next up I imagine will be a little air power and then some form of AAR.

Thanks

Richard

VDV Company Unit by Unit

OK - as promised here are the photos of each of the individual units broken down.

I'll start with the Company HQ

Moving from left to right we have Sniper (forgot to put a spotter figure in...) Medic, Company CO, Company Political Officer, Company HQ BMD-1P, Company Sergeant, Senior Technican (with radio) and a paratrooper.

First Platoon

The squad in the centre is the Platoon HQ squad, with each squad having 5 dismounts - an NCO, a RPG, a RPK-74 or PKM, and 2 paratroopers with AK-74 (possibly one also having a BG-15).  BMDs are a mix of BMD-1s and 2s.

Second Platoon

Similar set up to the First Platoon

Third Platoon

Again this is very similar to the First Platoon.

Now we get into the support options.  The Company would have attached to it some AA options - typically a MANPADS squad with SA-7 or SA-14.  The Battalion also has a ZU-23-2 Battery so I have mixed these two together.

Three of the four figures are armed with SAM.  The fourth is the NCO in charge.  The SAM squad could be carried in a BTRD, such as the one on the right, which could also act as a portee for a ZSU-23-2.  I've added another ZSU-23-2 onto a Gaz-66 truck - which could either tow the AA gun or again act as a portee.

Another company support option was the Automatic Grenade Launcher Squad - equipped with AGS-17 AGLs.

Again this squad is transported in a BTRD.  They had 2 x AGS-17 and 3 other squad members (and NCO and 2 other crew)

Each Battalion also had a 120mm Mortar Battery

The battery had 6 mortars, so I thought it reasonable that each of the three companies could be supported by a gun section of two tubes.  I also added in a 2S9 Nona for more options.  Beside (on the right) the 2S9 is a Mortar Fire Controller.

Probably only used if they were without the BMD's a Parachute Regiment has an anti-tank battery of AT-4 Launchers and SPG-9 recoilless rifles.  I've included them for completeness sake.

I've also included a Foward Air Controller and a Forward Artillery Observer, along with there UAZ-469 rides.

Finally - the ASU-85 platoon

So that's pretty much it for my VDV.  Of course there are a couple of other units that could fit in with the VDV, like a BRDM Anti-tank Platoon, but they can also fit in very easily to a Motor Rifle Company, so I'll hold them over for that.

Thanks for looking

Have fun

Richard

Complete VDV Mechanised Company + Attachments

Well I've finally finished and managed to photograph my first Cold War 1-to-1 company (apart from a T-72 Tank Company).  This is a VDV (Soviet Paratrooper) Mechanised Company primarily equipped with BMD-1 and BMD-2 air-portable/air-droppable infantry fighting vehicles.

All the figures here are from Liberation Miniatures and the vehicles are a range of ACE kits, S&S Models, Liberation Miniatures, MMS, GRAN and MAC.

Here are a few photos of the whole company plus attachments:

I hope you can get an idea of the size/scope of the force by looking at these pics.  Tomorrow I'll break it down into it's constituent units.

Thanks

Richard

BMD's and BTRD

Well I didn't quite realise it at the time my my last post was my 150th post - so I'm quite chuffed with managing to make it this far!

Enough self-congratulation - on with the show.

Next up are a couple of ACE Models BMD-1s.  As I said in the last post, the under-carriage on these were a bit of a nightmare, a real lesson in pain-in-the-neckery - basically because they allow you to have the wheels up or down.  Once I had decided what to do with them and which hatches to leave open - it was all relatively straight forward. 

I added some standard Liberation Miniatures Russian Tank crew as the drivers, and did some head swaps on some more tank crew to create VDV vehicle commanders.  I'm happy with the end result - (it would of helped if I had put one of the turrets on properly!) so here they are:

At the same time I quickly worked up an old MMS BTRD and added a GRAN or ACE ZU-23 to give my VDV some more AAA.  Here it is:

And here it is with the Gaz-66 AAA from last week:

Finally here is a group shot of my most recent VDV armour:

Thanks

Richard

ACE Models 2S9 Nona

Next up on the list is the ACE Models 2S9 Nona self-propelled 120mm mortar - which comes in a box like this:

You can find some general info on this AFV here and here

For an ACE kit, this one was pretty straight forward - it probably helped that I had just built 2 ACE BMD-1s (whose general fit and wheels had stressed me no end) so I had overcome all those issues before building this kit.

The biggest decision was whether to have the undercarriage raised or lowered.  Raised is for parachute landings and perhaps for firing from a position where you want to lower the the vertical view/exposure of the vehicle.  Lowered means locking the wheels in position for standard movement.  If I had 2 Nona's I'd do one of each (maybe some day) but I decided to filed this one with the wheels lowered so it fit better in with all my other BMD's and BTRD's.

I opened one hatch (one of the real benefits of the ACE kits is you can have pretty much any hatch opened or closed) and added a Liberation crew member.

So here it is:

Finally - here's a youtube clip showing various 2S9 Nona's in action



Thanks

Richard

More VDV Reinforcements

Part of my Cold War plan (and pretty much anyone's Cold War plan in my opinion) was to complete a VDV or Soviet Airborne force.  In my case I eventually decided that I wanted to do a 1:1 VDV Company equipped with BMDs.

Happily I can now say that I have finished the infantry component of that exercise, and once I have sorted a couple of ZSU-23-2 and have got a SPG-6 I will have finished all the figures and just require a few final vehicles.

Hopefully that will be done in the next few months.  But for now here are the reinforcements I have just finished.

First up my Company Commander and Zampolit:

Now a bunch of figures I'll be using as my FAC, FO's for artillery and mortars etc:

My final two SAM guys:

Some Platoon Leaders and Squad Leaders

RPGs!

RPKs and a PKM

AGS-17

SPG-9 crew (waiting for their gun to turn up!):

Everybody

That's it!

Thanks

Richard