10mm Late WW2 British Infantry .. Shades and Highlights (3) Basing

From figures stuck on coffee stirrers to based on a 40mm by 40mm base (see below, luckily I had a stack of suitable bases handy which I PVA'ed figures and sand onto - my "library stock" Anita's Acrylics 'browns' [a watery mixture of Burnt Umber and Coffee Brown mix] was brought into play):

Then I applied a watery black (again Anita's Acrylics) that was seeped around any ridge or stone (see below, the last 10mm of the base was left flat so I could put on a unit designation):

The Anita Acrylic "Coffee Brown" was extremely useful in putting a highlight down over the dark brown Burnt Umber and Black, followed by a dry-brush in White (see below, the other 'big win' was using a very cheap [I think picked up from The Works] bargain 'Art' brush in wet/dry brushing fashion - perfect for basing):

More PVA and apply a layer of flock followed clumps of static grass (see below, the bottom left hand corner is finished):

The final batch is complete (see below, 12 x Rifle sections, 2 x Vickers HMG, 2 x 3" Mortar, 1 x HQ, 2 x PIAT and a 1 x LMG):

A close up of a Rifles section (see below, two rifles and a Sten gun):

The Vickers HMG (see below, two crew and an officer looking on):

The 3" Mortar (see below, an officer and one 'overworked' loader):

All good, a bit of unit identification and we will be ready to go!

10mm Late WW2 British Infantry .. Shades and Highlights (2) Painting

The "factory style" of 'batch painting' proceeds apace (see below, six coffee sticks of infantry and three of supports, ahem - surrounded by ten 28mm GW fantasy 'impulse buys' for Dungeons and Dragons use that have been primed grey [ .. don't judge me .. I am fallible .. ]):

The 'base coat painting was:

• General Shade: [First Shade of] Vallejo Burnt Umber Wash
• Uniform: Vallejo British Uniform Green [Model Colour]
• Flesh: Vallejo Dark Flesh [Game Colour]
• Boots: Vallejo Black [Game Colour]
• Webbing: Vallejo Khaki [Model Colour] 
• Weapon Stock: Vallejo Beasty Brown [Game Colour]
• Gun Barrels: Vallejo Gun Metal [Game Colour]
• Helmets and Large Weapons: Vallejo Russian Green [Model Colour] - note in the past I made the faux pas of applying "gun metal" to Vickers HMG, PIATs and Mortars instead of a basic green as per the helmets.

Base coating approaching completion (see below, at least this way you progressively paint less and less on each model):

Another Vallejo Brown Wash follows (see below: a close-up of the British PBI - it seems to be an intense study in shades of green, brown and khaki):

Highlights follow - I took one coffee stirrer of infantry through the remaining regime of:

• General Shade: [Second (lighter) Shade to blend] Vallejo Burnt Umber Wash
• Uniform (Highlight): Vallejo Grey Green [Model Colour]
• Flesh (Highlight): Vallejo Flesh [Model Colour]
• Boots: Vallejo Black "light touched up if needed" [Game Colour]
• Webbing: Vallejo Khaki "again as the wash had darkened the webbing" [Model Colour] 
• [NA] Weapon Stock: Vallejo Beasty Brown "was left dulled" [Game Colour]
• [NA] Gun Barrels: Vallejo Gun Metal "was left dulled" [Game Colour]
• Helmets and Large Weapons (highlight): Vallejo Russian Uniform Green [Model Colour] - note in the past I made the faux pas of applying "gun metal" to Vickers HMG, PIATs and Mortars instead of a basic green as per the helmets.

I was pleased with the end result (see below, a suitably murky brown and green mix): 

Next "to do" is the remaining eight coffee sticks of infantry and support weapons.

10mm Late WW2 British Infantry .. Starting Point (1) Preparation

Back to more usual hobby posts. I need a force of 10mm Pendrakon British Infantry to represent an infantry battalion for a WWII Fire and Movement game (see Phil Sabin from Simulating War) so out with the "silver legions" and time to paint some of the little beggars!

Step One: Remove flash by filing down, wash figures and then PVA glue them to a wooden strip, aka coffee stirrer (see below, although during the course of painting some figures dropped off, I used cheap super glue to reattach them):

Step Two: Undercoat in Airfix acrylic primer (see below, I stocked up on the Airfix primer once it came back into the shops):

Step Three: Added a Vallejo Brown Wash to act as a dark base which I can highlight over (see below,  for the basic force I need four infantry companies of three platoons each [12 stands], a mortar and HMG platoon as supports - plus a command base and PIAT base - although each infantry platoon had an integral PIAT, this was just an extra):

Getting started - often that's the hardest bit! Figures out of the loft and primed ready for painting and basing.

The Troops Assemble: "Battalion Attack" (Mk I)

A small but perfectly formed little game:

The troops needed for the WWII infantry (rural battalion attack) have been assembled (see below), nineteen infantry stands in all:

The Attackers: A British Infantry Battalion (circa 1944):

• 'A' Coy (3 Platoons)
• 'B' Coy (3 Platoons)
• 'C' Coy (3 Platoons)
• 'D' Coy (3 Platoons)
• HMG Support Platoon
• 81mm Mortar Support Platoon (Off Table)

The Attacking Stands:

'A' and 'B' Coys (see below):

'C' and 'D' Coys (see below):

HMG Vickers Support Platoon (see below):

Note: The attackers have a 2:1 numerical advantage, an indirect mortar attack per turn, a static "indirect" HMG shoot plus an initial artillery barrage (that can 'suppress' but not 'kill'). The latter factors could be thought of as a 'column shift' making it approximately equivalent to a 3:1 attack requirement. The defenders are also in "hasty defenses" rather than permanent fortified emplacements and subject to an improvised battalion attack on a spotted weakness on the enemy front line before it gets reinforced.  

The Defenders: Two Understrength German Infantry Companies (circa 1944): 

• '1st' Company (3 Platoons)
• '2nd' Company (3 Platoons)
• 81mm Mortar Support Platoon (Off Table)

The Defending Stands: 

'1st' Company (see below):

'2nd' Company (see below):

All the above figures come from Skytrex's Action 200 range (1/200). The above British OoB can be made up from 4 x British Infantry Packets (A010) + 1 x HMG Packet (A013), while the Germans OoB can be made from 2 x LMG (A031) Packets. In total (excluding P&P) it would be under £13.65 by their website, so for a "game" it is a fairly cheap affair in terms of toys.

My Figures: 

I just gutted the infantry companies from a 1940 Infantry Battalion I had set up for a Spearhead/BGC organisation and quickly painted up (and I do mean quickly) a Vickers MMG stand. The Germans were just LMG's I had 'surplus' from my "early war" 1939-41 1/200 "German Panzer Division" project I have (a bit like a DBM army spawning many a little DBA army).1/300 would be equally attractive for the "small squad" look (though each stand is supposed to represent 40 troops).

Likewise 15mm or 'old fashioned plastic' 20mm (in 3's or 4's) would be an equally attractive representation, maybe on slightly bigger bases. To bulk up the counters to represent the platoons into "four squads and leaders" (just for visual appearance sakes) I have my eye on using piles of my old Squad Leader counters (though I might have to use the "Russians" rather than the British counters as I don't remember 'Crescendo of Doom' having an excess of British units).

A Battle to be Played: "Over and Over Again"

This is my WWII (land) project for 2013. 

It is a battle scenario based on Phillip Sabin's "Fire and Movement" game in his book Simulating War. It does not require that many figures or a particularly large board. In many ways is resembles the "portable wargaming" craze that has been sweeping the varios CoW (Conference of Wargamers) blogs (for example see Bob Cordery's blog "Wagaming Miscellany").

The scenario Phillip Sabin's poses is of interest when I think back to the mid-1990's when I was feverishly collecting (at that time exclusively 20mm) WWII toys. I was left with an awful sinking feeling that after I had painted and based them (at that time for the Command Decision rule set, a project that in itself is still "not complete" and an active never ending Work In Progress [WIP]), I still didn't or wouldn't know what to do with the "toys". Not just the mechanics of the rules (hard enough), but a sensible way to set things up. Yes there were scenario's ... but did they really make any sense? What for a battalion's purpose was a sensible sort of fight (and yes I know war is not fair).  

By this I meant "What was a realistic battle scenario" in terms of space and time?". What was a common battle the rules were meant to control and simulate. All the 'command and control' commentary in Designers Notes describing commanding Divisional strength table top formations (which I personally is over reaching Command Decision) didn't help me nor did the interesting aspect of rates of fire. I needed a simple scenario to blood myself on infantry combat.

The Scenario:

A infantry battalion is on the "attack", against a half a battalion of infantry under "hasty defensive positions", as in using cover rather than entrenchments. The attackers are a full strength whereas the defenders are deemed under strength (roughly 2:1, 13 attacking stands to the defenders 6 [all stands representing platoons]). Good or lucky intelligence has directed the attack against a sector that "should give" or "could hold" depending upon the tactics and skill of the attacker (plus a bit of "lady luck"). The defenders are trying to cover a kilometer wide frontage and can call upon an indirect fire base (medium 81mm mortar) while the attacker has the luxury of an initial artillery barrage (25pdrs or 105mm howitzers), then a mortar and indirect machine gun fire bases. The additional support assets seem to tip the odds in the attackers favour but there is a large random element of "battlefield terrain" creates a good deal of uncertainty (as it is generated new each time). The duration of the attack is deemed to be abut "two" hours which translates into about 12 x 10 minute turns. The "board" is twelve hexes wide (the kilometer "battle zone" of the defending battalion) and six hexes deep. The determination of victory is determined in an attritional manner of "unbroken" units on the enemy baseline at the end of the twelve turns. Thus it is assumed that the full battalion "should be able to dislodge" two companies out of 'hasty positions'. .

Starting from this more board-game orientated description I plan to take "the scenario" for a long walk, starting with Sabin's rules and then through the various rule-sets I possess, varying nationalities and periods (early, mid and late WW2). Initially from Simulating War the attack is envisioned to take place in 1944, Normandy/France, with a British Infantry Battalion advancing against a composite, scratch force of German Infantry, reduced from an initial battalion and supplemented by "a series drafts" of replacement sections and platoons that 'keep making up'the numbers up.

Kit to use:


The battles should be suitable for my: 1/300, 1/200, 20mm, 1/72 and 1/76 toys (but not all at the same time), heck I might even start things off with my old Squad Leader counters

Rules to Use (Initial List): 

• Fire and Movement (Phillip Sabin)
• Command Decision II/II/I
• Spearhead
• Battle Group Commander 
• CrossFire
• Great Battles of WWII
• Squad Leader

Watch this space ...