British Sailors

[Rob_bresnen]

I am new to VBCW, but the period has captured my imagination. I am thinking of starting a VBCW force of communist rebels from Liverpool- Millitant dock workers and the likes. What do you think? does this fit into teh known background of the period?

I have secured some IRA minis, which are dressed in civilian clothes, to be my communists. I was thinking of adding some sailors, who might have mutanied and joined the rebels in defence of the Liverpool Bolshevic Commune. Are there any nice british sailors from the interwar period (not in tropical uniform)? preferably with some heavy weapons to bolster my commnists.

Alternativly, do you think it is likely that the russians might have sent a small force of sailors ashore to support their comrades in Liverpool? in which case I could use the Copplestone back of beyond range.

[commissarmoody]

As far as I know and from what I have read so far, your idea for a dockers militia sound spot on.
Same with the Sailors, but sadly I can not think of any sailor mins of the top of my head.
I don't know about any full unites of russians showing up. that being said, I am sure "advisers" and volunteers would not be turned away.

[carlos marighela]

The fleet, or parts therof, actually did mutiny in 1931 over drastic pay cuts. Try googling Invergordon Mutiny.  One of the mutineers later  decamped to the Soviet Union, where he ended up doing a 10 year stretch in the gulags. 

I know someone did a range of 28mm RN landing parties for WW2. Not absolutely ideal but they are at least in square rig, '08 webbing and carry SMLEs. You would probably want to swap out the heads as they are all in tin hats.  Someone with less Swiss cheese like grey matter will no doubt supply the name. American company IIRC.

Foundry do RN sailors in their Great War range. First Corps also have an RN sailor in their catalogue. Only the one figure near as I can tell but he is wearing a matelot's cap. Worse comes to worst then use the Copplestone Darkest Africa sailors.

[Plynkes]

I know someone did a range of 28mm RN landing parties for WW2.

Regiment Games. 08 pattern webbing, tin hats, short Lee Enfields, Tommy guns and Brens. Nice figures as it happens. I don't think you'll find anything better suited. If you don't want them in tin hats they are of a suitable size that the Gripping Beast RND separate heads would swap on to them without looking odd.

[Hammers]

Regiment Games. 08 pattern webbing, tin hats, short Lee Enfields, Tommy guns and Brens. Nice figures as it happens. I don't think you'll find anything better suited. If you don't want them in tin hats they are of a suitable size that the Gripping Beast RND separate heads would swap on to them without looking odd.

I painted them for LPL3:

[former user]

Pulp figures sells loads of merchant seamen in their savage sea range.
these should do very well for mutinous sailors, and the occasional uniform lookalike can be painted accordingly.

Or is the tin hat conditional for VBCW? 

[Calimero]

You can also see how Regiment Games figures look like once painted (this time with a basic paint job ) if you scroll down this page;
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=9936.msg116439#msg116439

[fastolfrus]

Not sure that you'd get a lot of mutineers in Liverpool though - it's a long walk from Scapa or Pompey.

Since you're in Brum, have you looked closer to home ?
Somewhere like the Car factories or even Staffordshire potteries ?
Coventry might be a good place for militant union members to rise up - they could have the added bonus of home made armoured cars or even tanks.....

[Elprez]

Those Regiment Games sailors look very useful.
How do they scale up to, say Artizan figures?

[Rob_bresnen]

Not sure that you'd get a lot of mutineers in Liverpool though - it's a long walk from Scapa or Pompey.

Since you're in Brum, have you looked closer to home ?
Somewhere like the Car factories or even Staffordshire potteries ?
Coventry might be a good place for militant union members to rise up - they could have the added bonus of home made armoured cars or even tanks.....

In brum- but from Liverpool- hence the conection.
 
Did the RN not dock in Liverpool? If not, I might go down the Artizan/Pulp route and use their nice sailors as merchent seamen. They might look better with my communists that the smarter Regiment games figs.
Perhaps I could always use the Regimental Games RN figs as loyalist Kings men, sent in to the dock yards to restore order?

I know someone did a range of 28mm RN landing parties for WW2. Not absolutely ideal but they are at least in square rig, '08 webbing and carry SMLEs. You would probably want to swap out the heads as they are all in tin hats. 

Why would I have to swop their heads? Were the tin hats not worn in this period?

[Lowtardog]

Those Regiment Games sailors look very useful.
How do they scale up to, say Artizan figures?

Not bad at all they are a little thinner but not noticable, here are mine mixed around some Brigade merchant men and artizan sailors.

[Elprez]

Thanks.
Looks like they'll certainly do.
Nice, atmospheric pic by the way, 

[carlos marighela]

In brum- but from Liverpool- hence the conection.
 
Did the RN not dock in Liverpool? If not, I might go down the Artizan/Pulp route and use their nice sailors as merchent seamen. They might look better with my communists that the smarter Regiment games figs.
Perhaps I could always use the Regimental Games RN figs as loyalist Kings men, sent in to the dock yards to restore order?

Why would I have to swop their heads? Were the tin hats not worn in this period?

The RN did dock in Liverpool, that's true. I believe I had a distant relative who was lost aboard HMS Thetis in 1937. That said the main fleet bases were elsewhere so if you are thinking Kronstadt on the Mersey, think again.

I'd swap the tin hats myself, because they wouldn't be the sort of thing, the avererage mutineer of naval deserter would be likely to carry. Maybe one or two dotted amongst them to five a more irregular look but a group all in battle bowlers would look a bit odd IMO.

[Calimero]

Those Regiment Games sailors look very useful.
How do they scale up to, say Artizan figures?

When I first saw them "in the flesh", I thought that they could easily pass for Paul Hicks’ sculpts so I would think that they could work very well with the VBCW figures from musketeers.

[former user]

very nice street scene, with the off-white knitted wool etc.

very inspirational