Well, the boys of the 82nd are done.  Finally.

Here are some shots
1st platoon:

The First platoon is themed with mortar craters and multiple clumps of darker grass.  The command stand has one fellow who is spacing off looking into the sky.  His bloody leg and pale face tells the story of his predicament.

2nd Platoon:
Themed with larger rocks on every base and more brown earth showing. the mortar crew has a map made from a corner of a foil coffee can seal.

3rd platoon is my favorite. The bases are more heavily covered with grass and each has 2-3 "flowers" or varying colors.

The bazooka team of 3rd platoon also have some poison ivy type dark green vine leafy stuff on a stump.  looks pretty cool.

The Company command units are all a bit characterful too.  The commander himself has a pile of brass and spent magazines at his feet and is calmly reloading another. Behind him, a Lucky Strike smoking Sarge is looking back.

Various shots of the Company Command attachments.  Sniper behind a pile of cut wood and Ivy vines.

The 3 bazooka teams are detailed with kill rings on one, hash marks on another and "ole Kill Joy" written on the third.

 Some other shots of various.

The wounded space cadet's bloody leg in first platoons command

I ordered one of these little goodies in 15mm.  Should make a sweet addition to any near future army.

Stryker

I'll review it when it arrives, cant wait!

Miniature Review: Khurasan Miniatures, Neptune SPAR TacMech

Miniature Review: Khurasan Miniatures, Neptune SPAR TacMech: Here is a look at the Khurasan Miniatures Neptune SPAR TacMech. I can see soem of these painted up in a 2129 4th Reich sort of Panzergrenadier camo..

Miniature Review: Critical Mass Games, Painting Tips

Miniature Review: Critical Mass Games, Painting Tips: Here is a great airbrushing video showing how to do digital camo.

So today I ventured into the new Source store (just north of where they were about a mile) and came upon a group of jolly gamers playing a superb looking ACW game using the Regimental Fire and Fury rules.  I have seen these guys in the old store but as any local knows that place was ever so crowded and it was a chore to even take a peek at the action.  NOT ANY MORE

The guys playing were none other than the 

The Centurions Wargaming Gaming Group

 and here is a look at what they were up to today:

I spoke to Fitz and here is what I gathered from the conversation.  They meet the 1st and 3rd days of each month at Source.  They are non-competitive, non-tournament style gamers who just like to have fun while gaming historical battles.  This time around it was ACW painted by Tom Zwirn and boy was it a site for anyone who likes miniatures gaming.

Check out their blog for a schedule.  From the conversation you do not even need to bring miniatures or know the rules.  Now that's a good bunch of gamers!

 

 

good account from Soviet perspective

Commanding-Red-Armys-Sherman-Tanks

2011 82nd Airborne

I have had these gents for entirely too long.  I think Major Bill asked me to do them a year ago.  Due to some painful annoyances in my digits and arm, I have not been up to getting much done on these.  I took a long time off from painting and Bill has been very cool about it.  Now, however, I am determined to finish them.  Having overdue work nagging me in the background of my life keeps me from feeling like I can work on anything else. I am very keen to do some 15mm Sci-Fi and maybe some 6mm or 10mm stuff as well.  However, I am linear in my processes so I feel I can't start those until the 82nd is done.

The 82nd consists of a 3 platoon company boxed set, the old one with the full 3 platoons and the extras like the supply carts etc.  The entire list:
1x Lt. Turnbull
5x Command teams
6x Bazooka teams
3x Snipers
1x Pathfinder marker
3x 60mm mortar teams
27x Rifle/Mg teams
A grand total of 159 figures!  All with the American flag on one shoulder and the "AA" Patch on the other. In reality, the shoulder patches are so small that I can really only suggest their presence with colors rather than a full rendering. Sure I could make them huge but then things look a little cartoonly in my opinion. They are painted to represent the green M1943 uniforms issued after Normandy but prior to Market garden.

Here is one example of the finished stands.

The helmets need to be a little greener I think. I do like how the crater effect turned out with the dirt being darker to reflect recent impact. 9 Stands have these, and 9 have stones of larger size with 9 stands being "plain".  This provides visual reference for platoon ident. without resorting to unsightly means.