Sunday, December 31, 2017

Battlefront 15mm US Infantry

All,

I recently decided to take on yet another skirmish project, but this one is back in WWII.  I've always wanted to follow a group of dogfaces through WWII, probably following this path: Tunisia-Sicily-Italy-Normandy-Breakout-Hurtgen Forest-Bulge-Into Germany.  I don't know when I'll get this started, I've got way too many projects going on already, plus a really big one planned for 2018, but I'll get to it at some point.  Probably follow a Recon Cavalry Platoon, very small games, like "six dudes and an armored car taking out a German machine gun nest"-type small.  I'd really like to develop the characters, almost to an RPG-type (which I've done a little bit of with my Sword of Gideon blog and my Operation Currahee action for Cuba Libre) level, using Ivan's "Five Men in Normandy" rules.

I've got a jeep, 37mm ATG, halftrack, and M8 armored car for the Americans, a Pz Mk III, halftrack, and Sdkfz 222 armored car for the Germans.  All but the Pz Mk III are from "Gaming Models."  The panzer is a toy from Axis and Allies Miniatures that I painted.  The Battlefront 15mm troops are at bottom; I didn't paint up the whole platoon.  These guys have early war uniforms and are based for Tunisia-Sicily-Italy.  I'll use the remainder of the platoon for 1) winter snow basing, and 2) late war uniforms.

The troops.  I like'em, nice and chunky, but these are really old sculpts, so some of the metal was really brittle (broke a few of them), some of the poses are 'samey,' and some of the detail is a bit soft.  But in the overall scheme of things they work and I dig'em.

The German vehicles.  I need to get them an anti-tank gun.

The American gear.


I also got an LVT from Gaming Models for my WWII Marines.

First up is the Skipper, leading the way with his 1911 drawn.

Reverse.

Rear, with his officer stripe painted on.

Next up we've got a squad leader with a Tommy Gun and the Platoon Sergeant with a Garand.  Seeing this guy I can't help but think of Fess Parker in "Hell is for Heroes":

(top right)

Reverse.  You can see I tried to paint Sergeant's stripes on them.  It doesn't look that crappy in real life...

The bazooka team.

Reverse.

A couple Corporals, one with Tommy Gun.

Reverse.

A rifleman and BAR gunner.

Reverse.  And then there are a bunch of rifle poses:

And so there you go, more guys for yet another project.  Just need to find some time to get them on the table.  And I always have a hard time coming up with skirmish scenarios for Tunisia, so any ideas are welcome!

V/R,
Jack

2 comments:

  1. One of the things I like about the BF figures is that they are always very animated in their poses, even if, as you say, the old packs were a bit more samey.

    A lot of companies just do the "hunched run" pose and stick with that, but BF figures always look like they're straight out of a comic book, I dig that.

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    Replies
    1. I like Battlefront figs too, generally. I think the more recent offerings do a better job of varying the poses, but yeah, they all have a goodly amount of character.

      I also like the fact I can just go out and buy a single pack and have a whole platoon, EXCEPT when they've split out a key weapon that I only need one of, but they only sell in packs of eight!!! I've been needing a single WWII US Airborne .30 cal MG team in the prone position for a couple years; the platoon pack comes with a couple teams moving, but none firing...

      V/R,
      Jack

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