Peter Pig 15mm British 8th Army and French Resistance

All,

So, another week another project, right?  I've got way too many things going on right now (too include real life), but I just can't help myself.  I'm embarking on a brand new wargaming journey; not as big as "Cuba Libre," more along the lines of my "With the Old (Lead) Breed."  The project is large enough that, like Cuba Libre and Old Breed, I'm starting yet another blog in order for it to have its very own special place. 

With a  new project I needed new troops; that's kind of the point, right? ;)  So I went out and got me some Peter Pig WWII troops for the beginning of the project.  Oh, let me explain a bit more: I'm going to follow a fictional platoon through a series of real-life wars, so I'll be playing squad-level skirmish games (that's kind of my thing now, apparently) in different eras.  For the initial war, I bought two packs of WWII British 8th Army and two packs of WWII French Resistance; I'm not going to tell you what my project is (yet), I'd love to see if anyone can figure it out.  But suffice to say, while I bought and painted up WWII British and French, they'll not be used for WWII, and they'll be used as troops from two other countries, not UK or France. 

So, that's the big question: which country are the WWII British 8th Army going to be used for, which country are the WWII French Resistance going to be used for, and what conflict are they involved in?

First up is the French Resistance troops, one pack of guys with submachine guns and one pack of guys with bolt-action rifles.  Each pack contains 8 figures in three poses.  They are painted up as irregulars, with desert basing.

The first pose is a set of three guys with German MP-40 submachine guns.

Reverse.

And some off angles to show they're nice and chunky.

The next pose is three guys standing and firing Sten guns.

Reverse.

And off angle.

And the last SMG pose is a kneeling guy firing a Sten gun.

Reverse.

And off angle. 

On to the riflemen!

First pose is a guy with rifle leveled and bandoleer across his chest.

Reverse.

Off angle.

Next pose is a guy kneeling and firing his rifle; I like the pistol holster on his hip.

Reverse.

Off angle.

Last Resistance pose is a rifleman firing off-hand.

Reverse.

And off angle.

Now let's get to the 8th Army figures!

Once again I bought two packs, one of Bren gun teams and one of rifleman firing their weapons.  They've got dark green helmets and olive green uniforms; and everything about my painting and basing is good to go insofar as providing hints at my upcoming project, but here we run into the one issue that is misleading.  In real life, the forces these guys will be used for used British kit but DID NOT wear shorts and knee socks, they wore trousers.  So, if you're looking to make a guess based on the pics provided, please keep in mind the shorts and socks are inaccurate.

First pose up is the prone Bren gunners.

Off angle.

Next are the prone assistant gunners.

Off angle.

Then we have the advancing Bren gunners.

Off angle.

And the advancing assistant gunners; I really like you can see the A-bag on his pack (left figure).

Off angle.

Then we get to the riflemen, where the first pose is of two men firing offhand, feet together.  If I have a complaint, and I really don't, it's that the rifle pack has three poses that are kinda 'samey.'

Off angle.

Next firing rifle pose, with feet spread just a bit wider and a different pack.

Reverse.

Off angle.

And then we get to the last rifle pose, where the feet are spread even more.  The poses are good, I just wish there was either a kneeling guy or an advancing guy, or both, rather than three guys firing off-hand.

Reverse.

And off angle.

So, whaddaya think?  Please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of my half-ass painting and basing efforts, what you think of the troops, and, most importantly, let me know what you think my next project is.

My last note is this: I've really gone heavy into squad-level skirmish games.  I really enjoy them, and I'm having so much fun.  Aside from time to play them, type up the batreps, and post them, do you know what my biggest limiting factor is?  Buying troops!  Painting and basing is easy, I only need about a dozen guys, but my problem is that no one sells squads of troops in 15mm!  There are several companies that sell whole platoons of infantry, but I'm tired of paying $20-$25 to get 30 guys when I only need 10.  Peter Pig works better, with their packs of 8 (be advised they also sell platoons), but even then it gets kind of screwed up.  For a modern squad you're going to want something like 8 rifleman, a couple grenadiers, and a couple SAWs, but you've got to buy a pack of riflemen, a pack of grenadiers, and a pack of SAWs, so you end up with 6 too many grenadiers and six too many SAWs.  Similarly with WWII, where you're going to need about 8 rifleman, a couple guys with SMGs, and a single light machine gun, but you have to buy a pack of riflemen, SMGs, and LMGs. 

Perhaps I need to reach out to Mr. Martin Goddard, see if I can make a large enough purchase that would make it worth his time to sort out some mixed packs of troops for me.  In any case, the new project is coming right up; everything is set and I've already played the first two fights, just need to find time to write them up.  Stay tuned!

V/R,
Jack