Sunday, April 12, 2020

From ChristopherS: Adding more Fallschirmjäger


My first submission in the Analogue Hobbies Quaraantine Challenge. Although I'm still busy I wanted to join in on the fun. Still continuing on with my fallschirmjäger to get them up to where I can have options and this is my 3rd squad for this year, but my 4th overall for my fallschirmjäger force.


The figures are mix of mostly Crusader and Artizan, but I did also some Foundry(MG over the back) in this unit as well; , however a small note I think the Foundry molds are getting old as I had to do quite a bit of clean up which is unusual in that most Foundry products I've purchased over the years had very little of that.


I'm very surprised I as able to keep focused long enough to build a force that I could actually field. I'm not finished by any means, but I can play a game and have a couple options now which I'm very pleased about.


The paints I used were once again mostly Vallejo with some Mig pigments for weathering. Painting the figures was once again challenging but a pleasure to do at the same time do to the design at the figures.


I'm not sure what I'll do next as I'm beginning to get a bit jumpy which is usually a sign I'm ready to do something else, but even if I don't do anything right away Fallschirmjäger I'll for sur be back as there are some items I need to add.

Thanks for viewing!
Miniature Company- Crusader, Artizan and Foundry

TomF - American Revolutionary War British - Those Darn Redcoats!

A little late in getting this out to keep pace with the one submission per week ...

Here are eight AWI British infantry (28mm) for Sharpe Practice.
This is the last batch of figures from the Warlord Games 28mm plastic figure set.  So I have a decent sized force to put on the table.  I have some native Americans and colonials sitting in boxes that might see some paint in the next month or so.




Painting Redcoats is always a slog with all that red and white (two of the most dreaded colors to paint).  Layering successively brighter shades seems to work for me in this case.  The Warlord plastics have lots of folds in the coat and pants which makes it easier.  I did a couple of rounds of drybrushing on the pants which turned out pretty decent.

Here are some more views of the miniatures ...





One of the enjoyable side benefits of sitting at the painting table is that sometimes my 5 year old daughter joins me in a little painting therapy.  Here is her latest masterpiece that she completed as I was putting the finishing touches on these Redcoats.


Thanks for viewing.


From StuartL - Indian National Army

In my last post, I said that here in Japan we don't have a quarantine. Well, we still don't. Last week the government issued an emergency declaration, but they have no legal way to enforce a full lockdown. Instead companies are being asked to close if they can or to reduce staff in the office where possible. So, I have been furloughed for a month or so. While I understand that teaching a foreign language when all overseas travel has stopped is not a top priority, it was still a bit of a blow to my ego to be informed that I was non-essential. On the other hand, it should give me a bit more time for painting, assembling minis and working on the lead mountain.

For this entry, I have painted up some units for the Indian National Army. As I guess most people are generally less well informed about the WW2 battles in Burma and India than say, Normandy, I feel I should offer some explanation.


Once the Japanese army overran the British in Singapore, Malaysia and Burma they took a large number of prisoners. Among the large number of Indian prisoners captured, there were some of them who thought that the Japanese might be the best way to free their homeland of British rule. In 1942 the POW's formed the first Indian National Army, but it was disbanded later that year. It reformed under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose, a young, radical politician who was in hiding from the British and looking to gain support for an independent India from both Germany and later Japan. As well as those hoping for a way to create massive political change at home, there were also a lot of soldiers who signed up as a way out of the Japanese POW camps.


Equipped with captured British equipment, including the older style Khaki Drill uniforms and lightly armed in comparison to both the British-Indian army and their Japanese allies, the INA was meant to lead the Japanese way into India. The idea was that upon seeing their former comrades 'liberating' India, other local units would defect and overthrow the British. When they encountered their fellow Indians, the INA troops were seen as being traitors and were often shot by their fellow countrymen if they were captured. When this harsh reality came to light, it severely damaged the morale of the INA. Add to this the fact that the Japanese high command saw them as being more of a nuisance than a professional fighting force, often assigning them guard duties or construction tasks, and it should come as no surprise that the INA was not successful in it's aims during the war. 


Even if the INA had been successful in liberating India from the British Raj, they were aware that their allies might simply have moved in to replace the Raj, thus preventing Indian independence. On the Japanese side of things, there was certainly the benefit of propaganda to be had from the INA, but they were largely sidelined during the attempted invasion of India that led to the battles of Kohima and Imphal. When the Japanese invasion was halted and then reversed, parts of the INA force formed a rearguard for the fleeing Japanese formations, holding back the British advance before falling back themselves. 


After the war was over, the Indian view of the INA changed quite quickly. While they had been criticized for taking up arms against their fellow countrymen during the war, post-war they were treated as true patriots. Trials of captured INA soldiers generated massive sympathy across the country and, despite being convicted and sentenced to exile from India, the INA commanders were instead released. All captured INA troops were released as well, though they lost any pay or allowances they would have been due if they had remained POW's. They were also forbidden from joining the newly formed Indian Armed Forces as one of the conditions for Independence. Subhas Chandra Bose died in 1945 while attempting to flee to Russia, unfortunately never living to see India becoming free of the Raj.


All of the models are from Warlord Games' plastic British 8th Army set. Sadly very little information about this formation exists, especially in English sources. There is an Osprey coming out in a few months time that covers the INA along with some other Japanese allies, so I will definitely be picking that up. As such, I have had to paint up the troops in what I hope is somewhat accurate colours and hope for the best. Since I'm the only real button counting grognard in my group, I doubt anyone will care except me though. These troops will serve as an allied contingent for my growing Japanese army for the Burma campaigns.

If anyone wants to know more about the battles in Burma and India, I thoroughly recommend Road of Bones by Fergal Keane.

In total there are 30 figures, but since 5 of them are prone and only count for half, I'll be adding 137.5 points to my overall score and my Bolt Action Era side duel. This should give me a total of 292.5 overall and 222.5 respectively.
If anyone else wants to join in the side duel, the rules are simple.


The Bolt-action Brush Battle.

Duelists attempt to paint the most minis from the era of the bolt action rifle, roughly 1825-1955 (The first bolt action rifle was developed in 1824 and the last major conflict before it was largely replaced by automatic weapons was the Korean War).
Any scale, any army, any type of miniature is fine. Models need not have an actual rifle, just fit into the appropriate period, so aircraft, ships and buildings are all acceptable.
Scoring will be done by participants using the usual AHPC scoring system found here: http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2019/11/x-marks-spot-10th-annual-analogue.html.
Participants are responsible for tracking their own scores.






From TomM: Rivendell Spearmen

At last I obtained two metal spearmen for Noshi's Rivendell battle company, and I went to swiftly paint them so she can field her band of choice.


Though seeing how she tends to trash me, I'm not sure if the raised defence, extra attack so the double handers can feint or strike two-handed, supporting pointy ears make a happy prospect.


But it are still awesome models though, and now the Rivendell starting warband is completed as well, so that's one more to scratch off the "to do" list of collecting all the starting battle companies.


By the end of the year I'll probably do a post again on how many of the bands I now have finished, as well as taking a look on what I need in case the campaign kicks off at our place middle 2021 now due to the Corona pandemic.

As an added bonus, this adds another 22 points towards the 700 point goal of Rivendell this year...

And if it doesn't at least we'll have choice a plenty for our average kitchen table game!

From Curt: 1812 Moscow Opolochenie


Just a wee submission this week to keep me honest.

I'm revisiting a project I began a few years ago - Napoleon's 1812 retreat from Moscow. I thought that since we're firmly in Spring's thawing embrace (well, almost), it might be safe to do something that is quintessentially 'winter' in theme.



So here is a trio of Moscow Horse Opolochenie

Who were the Opolochenie I hear you ask?  Sorry, folks, I have no freakin' clue. I only know they're Russian, they look rather cold and they seem to be dead set on doing some righteous (meaning deadly) work. 

Oh, and they have wonderful hats.


These boys have been sitting half-done on my hobby table for an embarrassing amount of time, so I thought the Quarantine Challenge the perfect vehicle to finally get them done-up and put in the cabinet.

You'll have to forgive me in this last shot. I indulged myself by excavating a few more models from this collection for a 'Duellist' inspired action shot.



These lads will give me another 30 points, putting my overall total to 80.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Curt