Tieflings

 Yes, Tieflings. Six of them in total. Scroll down to see them all. These ones are from Bad Squiddo.

I decided that a bold colour palette was the way to go for these lovely figures. Above we have a Fighter of some sort, possibly even a Paladin and a spellcaster with a grimoire under her arm and a mystical McGuffin in her hand, maybe a Warlock or Wizard.

Next are two more Fighters. I decided to tie all the more martial Tieflings together with the colour of their clothes, making them kind of swaggering and dandified swashbucklers. The one on the right has some kind of small pet creature on her wrist.

The last two seem to be rather useful additions to any band of dungeon adventurers; another spellcaster and a rogue. I will say that these two are my favourites of the six. I could see the spellcaster working as a Druid, Sorcerer or a Wizard and the Rogue speaks for herself. I mean, everyone likes a sneaky thief with assassin-type skills, surely?

The backdrops are, as usual from Jon Hodgson's terrific books available from Bad Squiddo or Handiwork Games.

Pyrates!

 Two 28mm female ones, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, from Bad Squiddo;

The treasure chests are resin ones I've had for years, also from Bad Squiddo and are a great match for these two famous female pirates, Anne Bonny on the left and Mary Read on the right.

I've had these on the painting table for ages, half-finished but languishing becalmed in the Doldrums, but now I've finally finished them off.

You will note that I have given them rather dark skin, this is a deliberate attempt to make them look sunburnt and hardened by salty waves and high winds (in Jamaica). 

The backdrop is a Jon Hodgson one. 

I am reasonably pleased with how they look, but blown up to the original size of the photo, I can see all soerts of things I could have done better. Still, on the table, I'm sure that they'll look fine. I just need some more pirates to accompany them on their adventures on the Spanish Main.

61st Foot - my final few things

Some people may remember my 28mm Sharp Practice British Peninsular War force using the 61st Foot, the South Gloucestershires. These are the final 15 figures I planned to complete and a mere 4 years late, they are done.

Above are my final six skirmishers from the Light company, with a sergeant on the right. As previously, I have tried to make them look somewhat bedraggled and battle-worn, mainly by varying the colour of their trousers.

Below are an Ensign for the force and a drummer for the Light Bobs, I already have a drummer for the Centre Company chaps and finally, two Deployment Point markers, one for the centre company troops and another for the Light Bobs.

I like to give my Leader figures names, so the Light Company sergeant is Sgt. John Redcliffe and the Ensign is Thomas Barton-Hill. Anyway, I have now finally completed my force for Sharp Practice and hope to get a chance to deploy it at some point in the future. It now consists of four groups of 8 line foot and another four of six skirmishing light infantry, plus a fair number of leaders and support choices.

The backdrop is from a Jon Hodgson book, as per normal and the figures are from the Victrix Flank Company set.

Six female Pulp figures

These are all 28mm figures from Bad Squiddo;

Those of you who read this blog regularly will recognise that I've used the same setting as in my previous post. Well, what can I say? I already had the lightbox set up so why not take advantage of it? I did use a different Jon Hodgson backdrop, though.

These six will work for all kinds of Pulp games, including Eldritch Horror and also for VBCW. As usual, they are lovely clean casts and a joy to paint.

I've got a lot more stuff in varying degrees of completion, so it is now just a case of actually finishing them off and not giving in to starting other figures instead!

She's big, red and angry.....

 ...... yes, she is a female ogre (28mm Amazon warrior for scale only)

I didn't want to do her as a green Princess Fiona sort of ogre. I wanted her to look more "human", so I gave her a human flesh tone, which I darkened with Citadel Reikland Flesh wash, because I liked the idea of her becoming red when filled with rage and in stone-throwing, warrior-crushing mode. 

She is a Bad Squiddo resin figure and a lovely piece of sculpting. She was a joy to paint because the casting is so crisp and detailed. I'm really very happy with how she has turned out.

The background is a Jon Hodgson fantasy one from Handiwork Games and the hapless, about to be squished warrior is from Bad Squiddo.

I'm sure she'll have lots of opportunities to see tabletop action.

New 15mm German troops

Following on from my previous post where I showed additional troops to make my Soviet units CoC2 compliant, here are the German equivalents, again all by Peter Pig, plus a new Zug (platoon).

First, a three-man Engineer team and a sniper team;

Next a Volksgrenadier squad (see below also) supporting a three-man Flamethrower team;

Here are eight ammunition carriers because LMG teams now need more guys supporting the MG42 and I've also painted an extra Senior Leader. The figure was spare, so I painted him up;

And finally, my new unit, a Volksgrenadier Zug, equipped with the StG 44 assault rifle;

Volksgrenadier units weren't all supplied with the StG 44 because the bulk of the troops still had the Kar 98k rifle, because millions of them were produced during the war, with less than 500,000 StG 44s entering service. However, this is an assault Zug, with two assault squads and a heavy squad with two MG42 teams. That is a lot of firepower. The extra Volksgrenadier squad above will be a potential support choice for the Germans.

I'm pleased with the final photo, because I was able to use one of Jon Hodgson's SciFi backdrops as a battle-scarred cityscape.

Having reorganised all of my German units by mixing in the ammunition carriers and changing the structure of my Panzergrenadier Zug , I've managed to create two extra rifleman (Grenadier) squads and an extra Panzergrenadier squad as support options.

Looking at my Soviets and Germans, when I add in my Volkssturm and an earlier "green" Volksgrenadier squad I painted a few years ago, I reckon that I could put on a huge game with the Soviets and Germans fighting over the ruins of Berlin. Of course, I'd have to create a big pile of ruined buildings to add to the ones I've already got. Maybe a plan for the future?

 

New 15mm WW2 Soviet troops

These are all additions to make my 15mm Soviet units compliant with Chain of Command V2;

Everything is from Peter Pig. 

Above are two additions to fill a gap I had previously; two 50mm mortar teams.

Next, I have an additional squad for a standard Rifle platoon. These will either work as a support option or for games set in 1941-43.

Below are figures that I needed to add to some SMG-armed figures to make a second squad for a SMG platoon, all armed with the PPSh-41 SMG.

CoC2 changes Soviet platoon HQ sections. So, I now have a rifle platoon commander (peaked cap), a platoon sergeant (helmet) and a sniper team (in the middle). Platoon commanders are now equipped with SMGs.

Below is the HQ section for my SMG platoon with the same organisation as above for the rifle one.

Next up, a heavy squad for my SMG platoon. Both the rifle and SMG platoons now have a "heavy" squad with two DP-27 LMG teams. This is a big change. I was able to make the necessary changes for my rifle platoon from figures I already had.

Here are two more sniper teams and a couple of spare SMG-armed men. I did these because the Peter Pig sniper set gives you four teams and the SMG guys are just spares.

Below are "resting" SMG men, who I have painted up to use as extra DP-27 LMG team members, because in CoC2 the Soviet LMG teams now have either three or four members.

So, all in all, that is 56 more recruits for my Soviet forces. 

This has allowed me to reorganise what I have available for the Soviet Union. As core troops, I now have a Rifle platoon, a SMG (or tank rider) platoon, a Motor Rifle platoon and as supports (including things I had already), I can field two 50cm mortar teams, two sniper teams, a rifle squad, a SMG squad, a Scout squad (Junior leader and 6 men, all with SMGs), two Maxim MMG teams, a 45cm anti-tank gun with crew and a junior leader and a Commissar. 

I have armoured cars, various tanks and a SU-76 as vehicle support too and I have a number of painted figures that are surplus to my units.

I've also still got a few things left to paint, mostly extra riflemen, so who knows what else I'll be able to turn the leftovers into in the future? 
 

Chain of Command 2 - a few first thoughts

My pre-order bundle arrived yesterday afternoon.

The cover keeps the spirit of the original alive, while also looking all new and shiny. I chose the Veteran Resupply Bundle, which includes the book, a PDF of the book, two Force morale trackers, nicely printed on card and a set of MDF tokens;

I've already taken the opportunity to laminate the force Morale trackers, to ensure they have a long and useful life and the MDF tokens and markers are a nice update to the original set (of which I have two) and include a few new things. All in all, an excellent set of the important stuff. I've already got patrol markers, CoC dice and jump off points, but if you are a new player, you can get two other bundles that have the extra things you'll need to play.

I've spent a bit of time skimming through the book and, so far, the changes I've seen all appear to be improvements rather than things I don't like. I've played CoC2 a couple of times already and knew how some of the new things work but there is also stuff that I'd not seen, so I expect that there will be a period of adjustment ahead. 

One thing I really do like from an early dip into the book are the changes to Soviet platoons which give them a bit more punch and potentially make them a more flexible attacking force. I'm thinking that I'll be following in the footsteps of Comrade Stalin and reorganising my Soviet infantry quite soon. I may well end up with more Soviet troops than I'll ever be able to get onto the table. Looking at the cost of Supports, I still doubt that I'll ever see my T-34/85, SU-85 or IS-2 on the table.

I'm also looking at the German list and I'm now planning a Volksgrenadier force, which should be an interesting Zug to play with. Assault rifles are less powerful than in CoC1, but still pack a big punch and SMGs are also downgraded but have a longer range. Volksgrenadiers field a lot of firepower, especially at close range, but look like they might be pretty brittle once they start taking casualties and shock.

I really like the changes to the Panzergrenadier Zug too. Now, each squad is all about the two MG42 teams. There are no additional riflemen. Everyone in the team now supports the MG42.

I've not looked as closely at the British lists, but a third crewman for the 2" mortar makes sense. The Airborne platoon no longer has an embedded PIAT team, that is now a support option and the platoon structure has changed.

The new ways you can use CoC dice points is also great. I've had a chance to use it in practice and I like it a lot.

Finally, Elite status is no longer applicable, except in one specific case. I've never liked the idea of Elites. There are better ways of giving certain troop types a bit of extra welly, red dice, for example as introduced in the Blitzkrieg handbook.

So, it is looking good for the future of Chain of Command and now I'm going to have to visit the Peter Pig website and spend some money.

Three mounted figures from Bloody Miniatures

I painted these a while ago but forgot to do a post. They have even featured in a game or two. First, a trumpeter.

Next, a standard bearer;

And finally, a commander;

As the title says, these are all from Bloody Miniatures and they are excellent sculpts and really nice clean casts too.

The standard needs improvement, it is just a simple thing but needs to be replaced with something better. I haven't found anything I like yet, though.

They featured as my brigade's command in a game of Never Mind The Matchlocks recently, leading three battalia of pike and shot.
 

My latest four foot figures from Bloody Miniatures

Here are my final four completed 28mm 17th century figures from Bloody Miniatures.

These are pikemen who have abandoned their pikes to fight face-to-face with their opponents, apart from the one on the right who is using a broken-off pike head. You'll note that I have stuck with my red and blue colour palette for them. They can definitely play a part in skirmish games but perhaps also in a large pike and shot unit to break up the monotony of having all standard pikemen? Anyway, they are nice figures and I'm pleased with them.

Once again, I'm using a Jon Hodgson backdrop.

I've currently got some mounted troops ready to photograph, so I'll post them as soon as I can be bothered to set up the lightbox.

More Scots from Bloody Miniatures

There are eight figures again, so scrolling down will be required. First some dismounted troopers and a figure I see as an Intelligencer (smoking his pipe);

I particularly like the figure in the long red Dutch-style coat. He's clearly a leader or maybe a Scottish cavalryman who's been away fighting for the Protestant cause in the Rhineland?. Anyway, He's a great sculpt.

Below are my other attempts at doing a plaid, two more dismounted troopers and a nice officer figure, together with someone who's brought something to drink with him. Looking at the photo, I think that I've made his neckerchief look a bit too clean and gleaming white. I don't think I'll repaint it, though. I'm quite happy with the plaids. They aren't perfect by any standard but they'll pass the one or two metres away test on the table.

I've only got four more finished foot figures to post, and I'll keep them for another time. I'm currently working on some mounted figures, a few are finished but most are still in the early stages of painting. 

After that, I've got more Horse to prime and paint, some mounted command figures and then some more Foot figures and a couple of small guns.

After that, I shall move on to something different.

 

The next eight of my latest Bloody Miniatures figures

 You'll have to scroll down to see all of them. First up, four Lowland Scottish musketeers;

I've stuck to the blue and red colour scheme for these, because I really like it and you'll see that I've attempted a plaid on the left-hard figure. I'm not sure that it is that successful, but it'll have to do.

Next are four more Lowland Scots, this time with a variety of nasty-looking polearms, the central two being, I think variants of the Lochaber axe.

Once again, red and blue dominates. This latter group is called The Border Staves on the Bloody Miniatures website. There are more Scots to follow later.

The backdrop is by Handiwork Games.
 

The next four figures from Bloody Miniatures

Here is the second group of four figures from Bloody Miniatures out of a total of 28 that I've recently completed.

These represent four experienced dismounted troopers, described as being Continental Mercenaries on the Bloody Miniatures website. I particularly like the somewhat dandyish figure on the left. He is clearly not a fop but a skilled and ruthless swordsman. The figure next to him is a dismounted cuirassier in half-armour, with short tassets rather than long cuisses, with his warhammer at the ready, maybe as a member of a storming party. The remaining two are the more commonly found harquebusiers, in a buff coat and a back- and breastplate, with the one on the right wearing a burgonet helmet.

I've given three of these the same dark blue and red uniforms I've been using elsewhere, because I like the combination, but also because when I get round to fielding a complete 17th century force, they will give it a core of uniformly-dressed troops. The lighter blue sashes are also part of this idea.
 

I've been painting more Bloody Miniatures figures

As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am a huge fan of the excellent 17th century figures from Bloody Miniatures. I've been working on 28 more figures, and I'm going to do separate posts of them in groups of four figures;

I really like this little group, which is called The Witchfinder General. As you can see, it contains the aforementioned Witchfinder, his Clerk, his unfortunate victim and a dismounted trooper to stop the poor girl from running away.

These have loads of character and were a joy to paint. Although they aren't necessary for any battlefield, I'm sure that there might be plenty of scenarios where a Witchfinder might have a role. 

The background is, yet again from one of Jon Hodgson's excellent books.

I'll post the next four in a day or two.
 

17th century Pike and Shot (scroll down, lots to see)

Ages ago, fror Christmas 2022, I was given several packs of pikemen, musketeers and command groups from Bicorne Miniatures to augment my Bloody Miniatures figures and turn them into complete units. I finished off the musketeers back then but never finished the pikemen and leaders off. Basically, I got bored with painting 17th century stuff and set them aside. Finally I've got round to completing them. So, here are three blocks of pikemen and command figures. First, in green coats;

Next, in burgundy coats;

And finally in blue coats;

The flags are just simple generic ones, based upon banners used by anti-Imperialist troops in the Thirty Years' War. I cobbled them together on a spreadsheet and printed them off. I was happy with the green and yellow one, but the other two needed over-painting by hand to make them look different to one another. They aren't great, but they'll do for now. 

I had already painted musketeers in green and blue, but didn't have enough musketeers to complete the burgundy-coated unit, so I bought couple of extra packs from Bloody Miniatures (who now have a few nice unit builder packs), so here they are;

As you can see, I intend each of the three battalia to have a central block of pikes and officers etc on a 4 x 3 hole movement tray and two sleeves of six musketeers on a 3 x 2 tray.

I've taken pictures of each of these units, but sadly, they are two wide for my Jon Hodgson A4 backdrops book. Still, you get the general idea how they will look on the table.

I'm pretty happy with how these have turned out and I'm planning to use them for Never Mind The Matchlocks, which is a set of rules we have recently started playing at the club.

I have a few spare command types which is making me think about doing another pike and shot unit, but for the moment, I am switching my attention to mounted troops.

Anyway, here are the spare officers. Clearly, another set of bluecoats is in my future plans.

Another (final) group of Roman auxiliary infantry.

These are the last infantry figures for my Cohors I Syldaviorum Equitata auxiliary cohort project, apart from a couple of leaders who I am working on.

I have a group of eight auxiliary infantry plus a dismounted decurion from a cavalry turma, clearly detached for some kind of mission. These are pretty much the end of the auxilia, although I recently bought a pack of the Victrix Roman auxiliary archers, which at some point I'll work on and use eight of them to replace the Aventine archers I painted up originally. I haven't got anything against the Aventine guys, but I rather fancy having all the troops as Victrix ones. The archer set allows me to make up 12 Western-style and 12 Eastern-style archers and I've always liked the appearance of the so-called Eastern archers (a cohort of these, the Cohors Prima Hamiorum Sagittariorum recruited in Syria) actually served in Britannia on Hadrian's Wall and were based at the fort we know as Housesteads.

Anyway, I've now used up the last eight green LBMS shield transfers, so I used one that my auxiliary  cavalry carry for the leader's shield. I don't think it really matters. The Romans often detached officers for all manner of purposes.

I am thinking about using my auxiliary cohort for Midgard when it is published and how I can get the troops on the right sized bases. I think that the answer lies with Warbases movement trays which just have a lip all the way round, allowing me to drop these smaller sabots inside.

An Outlaw band plus a Big Surprise (at the end of the post)

I've been working on these, on and off for the last couple of weeks. The figures are from the Oathmark Human Light Infantry box but I've used them to create a band of outlaws to use in Never Mind The Ruckus games.

First; two groups of bowmen;

Next, a group of men with spears and staves;

And next, two leaders and a mysterious Black Knight (don't Outlaw legends always have one of these?);

As I said above, these are all Oathmark figures, except the Black Knight who is from the Perry Men-at-arms on Foot plastic set.

I like the figures, even though they don't look particularly historically accurate. They definitely look like something from a film.

So, as legendary screen outlaws living in the woods, green has to dominate their wardrobe choices and therefore these are the Men of the Holly Wood (and they are all wearing tights too), in which case, the Black Knight has to be Sir Antony Courtois of Falworth (even though he isn't carrying his black shield.

I could easily use these guys as Rangers of the Dunedain too or for Rangers of Shadowdeep. There are plenty more of these in the box to be made up, so I have lots of options here. I think more Dunedain might be a small project, but probably not in green.

Now, for the Big Surprise;

Yes, it is the last Giant Spider from the Wargames Atlantic box set. I had thought I'd lost the head and thorax but I was tidying up all my computer and other cables and found it on the floor under my desk. I decided to paint this one in a completely different colour scheme, and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Here is Big Spidey with an outlaw for scale;

All of the pictures feature a backdrop from one of my Handiwork Games Jon Hodgson backdrop books.