All in all I know I could have done this far cheaper with metal 20mm figures and AFV's etc and seriously considered starting again at one point, but even I have to admit that I have now fallen for this game and it's related merchandise to the point of no return. The more figures I paint ( and I'm expanding both armies with metal figures from Warlord now), the more I want to keep going in this scale.
So this weeks progress has been to work up the Sherman to a more convincing shade of green, add another six man German infantry squad and a two man Panzershreck team. The anti tank team are both Warlord castings (and I still have a sniper team and a flamethrower team to paint), and the squad commander is a lovely casting picked up on ebay for £1.00. All of the figures, both plastic and metal have very realistic characterful faces that I really enjoy painting. Like the Bazooka, the Panzershreck can punch through a tanks side armour with little problem, and in Bolt Action a 6" move with a 24" range means tanks have to be extremely aware of where on the field they are.
I have a US mortar team to do next, again Warlord metals, followed by some US Airborne squads. I could only find more plastic US infantry so went with the metal option and I have to say they are amazing castings, and should be at £1.60 per figure. The StuG is now assembled and waiting for it's job.
I'm happy for now with the terrain slightly underscale but looking very acceptable to me even with the large tank model on the table. Doubling up the main roads does seem to look better too, with single narrow track running off. Still adding more terrain features.
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| Panzershreck team will be looking to make a hole in the Sherman. |
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| 28mm Warlord plastic Sherman, still much to do, add stowage and sand bags etc but I'm pleased so far. Like the StuG this was an £18.00 kit and contained an awful lot of very tiny parts! |
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| The doubled up road sections look slightly better to my eyes, |
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| The Sherman on a test drive, the main gun has a range of no less than 60"! |
'Lee, just to be picky.... That's a plain old M4, or Sherman I in British service. You can tell by the engine deck and the spacing of the road wheels on the tracks. The V model (M4A4) has a longer hull and a engine deck I always think looks like a bit of plastic sprue has been left on.
ReplyDeleteCheers for that Jamie, I'm certainly no Sherman expert, but have watched loads of videos on restoration etc, I'm a big Sherman fan. The kit came with US decals and commander model, I may even remark it and add a metal British commander. I'm looking for 28mm stowage etc now.
DeleteTerrific looking pieces, but pricey - at the speed I paint, my monthly outlay on such figures would not be high, but you are a man who can paint up complete forces in next to no time! I'm intrigued by your previous discussion of building sizes - I confess I know less than nothing about Bolt Action - is it a 1:1 figure scale? - 28mm scale houses and vehicles (is that about 1/60 scale?) are a hefty investment for specialised kit - the game looks handsome, I have to say - very nice job, sir.
ReplyDeleteI must read up a bit about the game.
Thanks Tony. What got me hooked on Bolt Action to begin with was the activation system, one order die per squad or team drawn at random and as the game develops it creates a tension that feels quite realistic as initiative passes from one side to the other. So you get a situation for example where perhaps a tank and a bazooka are facing off against each other and it's purely down to which die is drawn first who gets the first shot off! Makes you think a couple of turns ahead, especially as the ranges are very generous. Once a unit has acted upon it's order there is little else it can do, so for example in close combat a unit marked with it's order die can't defensive fire if charged, as it has already acted that turn, it can of course still fight.
DeleteThe 28mm buildings are expensive, the plastics coming in around £15.00 each and MDF kits about £20.00 each so yes, very expensive for my budget. I do have a 28mm MDF Normandy shop to build but it's just so damn BIG!
I have to comment also on how fast you paint 'Lee. Impressive for sure and to a good tabletop standard.
ReplyDeleteBA models certainly are a bit pricey, but there are plenty of alternative manufacturers out there who make ranges that are just as good looking for a better price point. Not much better mind, but a little.
And those 28mm buildings! Yikes.... I'm thinking I'll just make my battlefields farm fields and orchards and save my $$$.
Thanks again Dai. I do try to get in a fair bit of painting time over the week and painting small squads helps my output, I find I can just about do six figures start to finish over a couple of hours.
ReplyDeleteHave to say Dai I really enjoyed reading through your 'Firestorm Caen' post on your blog couple of days ago, renewed my enthusiasm for Flames of war!
Cheers,
Lee.
That's great to hear Lee!
ReplyDeleteI'll try to document our next Flames outing too, should be before Xmas at the very latest.