More Goodness From Flashpoint Minis

All,

As you may have noticed, I haven't gotten much done with wargaming lately, but I did manage to get some more stuff from Flashpoint Minis (from my buddy Jimmi, who not only comes from, but lives, in The Land Down Under) finished up, photographed, and now posted!  For the uninitiated, Flashpoint is my go-to for 15mm Vietnam-era stuff, which is where my US Marines (with M-14s, no less!), my ARVN, my Aussies, and my LRRPs/SEALs/Marine Recon/Rangers, NVA/VC heavy weapons, and most of my jungle terrain come from.  Jimmi also has a little bit of modern stuff; Flashpoint is where my Somali bad guys come from, too.  I'm trying to talk him into more modern stuff ;)

Jimmi and I were talking about a late 70s through late 80s-era irregular force; something to be used in Third World spots where Western factions, such as the CIA, might want to exert certain types of influence without leaving any footprints.  So for awhile now Jimmi has been putting together unique packs of troops together that fit the bill.  Here's what I've got so far:

http://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2017/03/flashpoint-minis-15mm-vietnam-era-seal.html

And now I've got a few more troops to add to the task force, as well as some scenic bits.

Here's what I just finished.  Yeah, I know it's not a lot; like I said, I've been busy! ;)  In any case, there are two bunkers, two spider holes with guys firing, two cave/tunnel entrances, and eleven new guys.  Let's start with the new troops.

First up is "Bert," and he's a doozy.  Bert is, or at least was, an extraordinary badass.  Bert came up with the OSS during WWII, losing an eye on the way to becoming heavily decorated and rapidly promoted.  Post-war he was assimilated into the CIA, which was cool for a bit; he served as a case officer and then moved into Direct Action Special Projects, serving all over Africa and Asia.  But then his rapid promotions caught up to him, so he's spent quite a few years now as a member of the Chairborne-Commandos.  When the latest field project popped up he immediately volunteered and, to everyone's surprise, Bert was selected by the Agency to run the mission.  Sure he's old as hell, overweight, and out of practice, but Bert knows he's still a bad-ass.  Only time will tell if Bert's still got it.

From the side you get a view of Bert's eyepatch (yeah, I painted on an eyepatch!), his British DPM-style trousers, his American ALICE-style pack, and his Hawaiian-style leisure shirt ;)

From the rear.  I'm happy with my attempt at DPM.

Other side, you can see the eyepatch band going around his head.

Oh, and Bert's sporting a pretty impressive 'stache these days, too.

Next up is Lynrd, from the backwoods of Alabama.  Grew up in the woods, practically raised by wolves, hones his skills as a Scout Sniper in the US Marine Corps, still carries the M-14 he used in 'Nam.

Rear.

Reverse.

And front.

This is Dembe, a professional soldier from the formerly Belgian Congo, he's known nothing but war his entire life.  He sports a beret he earned from that country's Special Forces, 'duck hunter' camo (brown-side out) blouse, and a silenced MP-5.  Dembe was a member of a personal protection team for the Agency and saved Bert's life a number of years ago in Chad when the American got himself into a tight spot.

Rear.

Reverse.

Front.  Sorry for the grass I didn't remove...

Next up is Mitchell Youngdeer, formerly of the US Army's 101st Air Assault Division, carrying an M-60A1 and wearing a 'duck-hunter' camo blouse (green-side out) to go with his Mohawk.

Side.

Rear.

Other side.

Next up is Blaster, a former surfer-dude from Bakersfield-turned-demolitionist that fell in love with the adrenaline rush combat provided.  He likes to move light and quick, aided by his Chucks (sneakers).

Rear.

Reverse.  I was going make him a bit grittier, tried to paint some tattoos, couldn't get them to turn out right...

Front.

This is "Cro," short for Cromagnon, which is what the team calls him since he's so hairy he looks like he's wearing a Wooly-Pully (sweater) when he takes his shirt off.  He's so hairy he sticks to Velcro.  He's so hairy he was born with hair on his...  Well, you get the picture!  Cro, is of Eastern European descent, is short and wiry, and carries an RPK, which he is rumored to have used in Eastern Europe, but no one knows if it was for the Soviets or against the Soviets.

Rear.

Reverse.

Fore; look at that, even big, bushy eyebrows!

Next up is Pham, a refugee from the Highlands of Vietnam.  Pham was indoc'ed into the Regional Forces (Ruff-Puffs) by US Special Forces at the age of 14.  He then went on to Mike Force, then, because of his language skills and combat prowess, he became a member of MACV-SOG, taking part in cross-border operations in Laos and Cambodia.  When the US withdrew he remained in South Vietnam, becoming an officer in the ARVN 52nd Ranger Battalion, before making his way to Thailand and into contact with one of Bert's buddies after the Fall of Saigon.

Rear.

Reverse.

Fore.

Tong, carrying an RPG, is a Chinese Nung mercenary.  He was in the employ of MACV-SOG, running cross-border operations when he met Bert, who recruited him into the Phoenix Program.

Rear.

Reverse.

Front.

Here we have Sparrow, a Filipino.  Bert recruited Sparrow out of the Filipino Army's "Recon Rangers," and the two formed quite a team working against the New People's Army in northern Luzon.  Sparrow's carrying the ever popular M-16 and is adorned with a boonie cover in Woodland camo.

Side.

Reverse.

Other side.

Here is Jakob Addai, a former Ghanaian Captain.  He was recruited by Bert in the mid-60s when the latter was in-country attempting to persuade that country to lean a little further from the Soviets and a little closer to the Americans.  Jakob actually was quite helpful to Bert in a variety of locations, and was on the same team with Dembe in Chad.

Jakob sports a Tigerstripe blouse, the blue-beret of the Ghanaian Armored Corps, and carries an RPK.

Rear.

Front.

And lastly we have Torgy, a quiet profession killer.  He was a US Navy SEAL that served several tours in Vietnam.  Torgy is another membe of the team that has the distinction of having saved Bert's life; when Bert was in an O-1 Birddog shot down over Laos, Torgy infiltrated alone up the Mekong River, located Bert (who had a broken leg), and dragged his ass out of there, back to friendly lines.

Rear.

Torgy sports a Tigerstripe blouse, the crossed gunbelts I love so much, and he's gone old-school wearing gaiters over his jungle boots.  He carries an M-60 machine gun.

Front, and sorry, not a great photo...

Now on to the terrain.

First up are a couple of bunkers.  Cool, low vis/low profile bunkers useful in a lot of different settings.

And some more looks.

The firing point (left) and entrance (right).  I suppose you could go either way though, if you like.

And one more.

Then we've got a couple spider holes, which are nifty little models which could be used for a lot of different stuff on the table, like jump-off points in Chain of Command, sniper, actual spider-holes, hidden enemy, etc...  The model has got two guys popping out of a hole in the ground, one firing a rifle and the other sort of climbing/peering out.

Fore and aft, at an angle.

Again.

Opposite sides.

And from above.

And then we've got a couple tunnel/cave entrances which, again, could be used for a variety of different purposes.

Again.

Again.

And from above.

Oh yeah, I forgot, Jimmi also sent this, a big bunch of beautiful bushes.  I plan on cutting it up into various shapes, just haven't gotten around to it yet.  You can see Bert at far left, for scale.

I think it's awesome for dense underbrush.

And one more.

So, there you go from now, a bunch more goodness from Flashpoint Minis.  I hope you like the figures and terrain pieces, and I hope Jimmi is proud of them.  I can't wait to see them getting rolled out for some fights!

V/R,
Jack