It has been a long time - over two years - since infantry from my Spanish Civil War project graced the pages of this blog:
This is an infantry section for the Republican army, circa 1937, as outlined in the marvelous España supplement for Chain of Command, along with a figure that will be used to represent a Medical Orderly (above and right of the center of the pic). 15 soldiers - 3 squads of 5 - and a sargento (a junior leader for CoC) make up the section. The sargento is the fellow on the rightmost of the above pic, and he is being assembled from pieces from a Zvezda WW2 Soviet gunner sprue with a Minairons head in Adrian helmet.
Another pic of the troops:
None of the figures are complete, although some just need some detailing and matte overcoat.
A better pic of the two special figures:
The Medical Orderly is a Minairons infantryman that will be modified with a new right hand, courtesy of the Zvezda sprue, and a satchel. The sargento has already been glued down to the base, and a hole has been drilled for the new head. A little more glue and he will be assembled...
A really simple conversion made easy by the nice individual parts of the Zvezda sprue, and the Minairons head selection that is available separately. The figure is a bit different than the standard infantry from Minairons - a bit more stocky, different boots, a more delicate rifle, etc. The kneeling position, however, hides the extra 'pounds' on the figure and if anything will make it stand out a bit more than his troops.
There are a total of three sections in a Republican platoon for CoC, so 2 more will need to be made!
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Despite the lack of painting progress, I have been getting some stuff done. Or, just getting some stuff. Fortunately, the new stuff is for a project that is already well-founded...
First up is one of my favorites:
This is a pack of 3 FT-17 tanks from Minairons. Spain had possession of dozens of these WW1 veterans at the beginning of the war, and received more (from Poland) early in 1937.
The back of the box has the assembly instructions and a brief painting guide.
And, here are the contents - three tanks with a choice of either round or polygonal turrets, weapon choices - machine gun or short 37mm cannon - and a multitude of decals. The black plastic makes it difficult to see, but these models are well-detailed, but not loaded with many delicate parts.
Something for my Nationalist forces:
The Germans sent many Panzer 1 light tanks to Spain. This kit, once again, contains enough parts to build three tanks, with a choice of turrets. The grey plastic makes it a bit easier to see the details, but it is similar to the FT-17 with a lack of delicate details, perfect for gaming.
Now, it remains to be seen if I can get this done...
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Typically, I post pics of my new stuff to the blog, but sometimes I am lax. However, this just arrived:
This is a great item, and I desperately need terrain pieces. Hopefully, I can get these set up in an eye-pleasing way (to the eternal critic - me!) in short order.
Also new:
My first new brushes in ages. These are from Rosemary & Co., a great little brushmaker in the UK. The company was recommended by several painters across different forums, so I jumped in also. The ones with black handles are Kolinsky sable, in sizes ranging from 2/0 to 2, while the fifth one (natural-colored handle) is a sable blend. These brushes are not very expensive, with the average price of the group above - including shipping to the USA - being about $7.50. It is hoped that these new brushes will help with my figure-painting output; they are much nicer than my other brushes!
And now, the not-so-new:
1/72 Nationalist infantry for the Spanish Civil War. My Republicans now have some opposition! One more infantry section, and some heavy weapons, will give me plenty of fodder for some games.
Last, but not least:
(Apologies for the poor pics)
These are the most controversial group of all... 1/56 Savoia musketeers from Crann Tara.
Why are these controversial? They represent the nucleus of yet another project. I appear to be doing some retail therapy on myself, which I usually do not mind but typically it is pointed towards existing projects. Life seems to be a bit outside of my comfort zone at the moment, and that has always led me to think in different directions for my hobbies. Will this new project stick this time? Perhaps, as my lovely wife likes tricornes and the period is more appealing than some others. Right now I am trying to decide on single or element basing for what could be a major set-up.
To add some more controversy - I am intending to use these fine figures for Seven Years' War Russians...
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The first test order of 20mm Spanish civil War figures, produced by Minairons and purchased from Scale Creep, has arrived:
Simple and attractive packaging.
And a nice painting guide on the back of the box.
Here are the contents of the Infantry box (excuse the poor pics):
Two NCOs, one with a rifle and the other with a SMG, and thirteen riflemen, in a mixture of poses with no repeats throughout. One of the riflemen (third from the right of the top row) is a two-piece casting. He is carrying a container (ammo?) on his left shoulder with the rifle separate. These figures are very nice, with a minimum of flash and a variety of headgear that would be expected of a Republican force.
And, the contents of the HQ/Weapons box:
Standard bearer, two officers, two LMG, one Maxim HMG with three crew, one light mortar with three crew, and the two-piece rifleman - the only repeated pose between the two packs.
Flags are also included in the HQ/Weapons box:
Marvelous flags!
Of course, just two days after placing this order, I discover that Early War Miniatures is working on a comprehensive range of figures for The Abyssinian Conflict in 20mm! Ahhh, decisions, decisions...
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Searching for and acquiring books for a potential gaming project is one of the easiest parts of the gaming process. I can find it difficult to keep to a budget! But, one has to start somewhere, and here is what I have found so far with regards to my 20th century project:
These are my most recent acquisitions, and should be a hint as to what direction I am heading. With the very recent work on a fictional Abyssinian Crisis and the earlier material for the Spanish Civil War, my desire to get back into 20th century gaming has been stirred. WW2 was the period that I first started organized gaming in, back a long time ago, but had largely been given up until just recently. Part of this might be because of the TooFatLardies rules, Chain of Command, but part of it is my desire to play with tanks again!
I have had this book for some time now:
Joining the above books is this one:
This book was found, quite unexpectedly, at one of the local used bookstores, Pegasus.
So, right now the tally is two books and a wealth of gaming-related material for each conflict.
I am leaning towards the SCW for a couple of reasons. One, there is a considerable amount of gaming materials available for the period, in many scales, including the one that I would use - 1/72 or 20mm (which is a scale, along with 1/285, used by my old group in Spokane). The vehicles of the SCW period are interesting but not overpowering, and many of them are unique to this conflict. I also believe that it will be easier to manage 'project creep' while pursuing the SCW, where the Abyssinian Crisis could be a stepping stone towards more WW2 gaming, which I am trying to avoid.
There is much to think about yet, but the process is slowly grinding along!
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