Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: Digits on July 16, 2023, 03:12:06 PM
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So I had to scratch this itch some time I suppose.
The first intro to CoC I had was at HasBeen Pete’s and we played with a few Russians he has.
I was hooked on the game but my main interest lay more in the Western Theatre. However, as my favourite forces so far collected are my Winter Germans (and I’m eyeing up the rather nice looking Warlord Winter German 88!), I thought I’d pick up another opposing force to pit them against.
Anyway, another slow burner, but I’ve decided to go metal again.
This means predominantly winter Artizan infantry (what else?) supplemented with a few Crusader minis for variety and Warlord for supports. Hopefully they will match up ok. If not, I’m thinking I MIGHT make a few head moulds and copy the Artizan fur caps to swap out heads on the Warlord. I’m not sure I will need to yet though.
I have ordered a pair of early T-34s from Rubicon, and picked up a few minis to start dabbling with.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4369.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I’ve also been looking at small rural Russian houses….but the resin ones are all becoming very pricey and the laser cuts don’t float my boat. Think I will order some balsa and start making my own. I like the idea of making lots of small holdings complete with detailed fenced yards. Will probably order a small church.
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Comrade! Welcome to the Great Patriotic War.
Sad you haven't asked me to build you a Russian Village. :'(
Take a look at Charlie Foxtrot, not just his Russian stuff, but some
of his fantasy items are useful for the Russian Front.
https://www.charliefoxtrotmodels.com/collections/28mm-1-56-fantasy/products/28mm-1-56-wizards-tower
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Great start!
This means predominantly winter Artizan infantry (what else?) supplemented with a few Crusader minis for variety and Warlord for supports. Hopefully they will match up ok. If not, I’m thinking I MIGHT make a few head moulds and copy the Artizan fur caps to swap out heads on the Warlord. I’m not sure I will need to yet though.
They go together just fine. I've got a Soviet force for CoC that is a mix of those three. Crusader and Artizan both use the same weapon dollies so those match perfectly, which is the most vital thing for compatibility size-wize. Warlord plastics and metals mix with those others just fine as well, although less so the rifles - the only Warlord plastics I have in my force are SMG troops. Metal support packs blend in seamlessly to me, especially once painted.
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Yup I received a Warlord weapons teams box with resin 50mm mortar, sniper team and flame thrower. All seem to match up ok .
Not keen on resin mind….I prefer metal.
Still….onwards we go.
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Good start! I've yet to dip my toes into the Eastern front...
As mentioned by others, I think you'll fund those figure lines generally mix pretty well together.
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Should do. The weapons, which are often the biggest giveaway, are shared by Artizan and Crusader. Both lovely ranges.
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Just before I paint my first minis….I have ordered a female anti tank rifle team from Bad Squido.
Not sure how they will match up but I’m hoping they won’t be too bad. It’s on the way and I will paint it with the first batch so I can see them together. If it fits in, I’m tempted to get a few more women to vary up the force a little…..a shame they haven’t released an anti tank gun / artillery crew. I like the look of their female tankers and maybe some tank riders too.
Received the first of my heavy stuff two, a pair of T34’s.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_0816.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Edit:
So, just sold a model or two, so made enough to buy enough to give me a viable force with a host of options.
Two sections of Artizan minis to give me a four section platoon.
I section of ppsh wielding tank riders.
MMG and HMG teams
Zis 2 anti tank gun
SU76
KV 1/2
T34/85
BT-7
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Everything has arrived as ordered…..so I have a box of tanks
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4404.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
All my minis are based and undercoated ( there’s another batch of twelve on my paint tray)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4405.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
And the modelling goal for this project…..
So looking at the various options for printed / cast Russian houses, I realised that at between £25 and £45 each….it would cost me a fortune even to amass a small village.
So, the aim is to make a relatively uniform set of a dozen houses to start with. I can add a church, barn etc later, but in my head, little state run collectives would be fairly uniform in appearance.
I have a few sheets of bass plywood so I’m making the cores having just sat and cut out twenty four end pieces. I have a batch of pre laser cut windows ( I suspect not enough though) and I have ordered a little balsa sheeting which I will plank up to clad these in. I may need to order a sheet of teddy bear fur, because I like the idea of thatching these.
I will add little touches to add some individuality where I can, but looking at Winter Storm supplement, many if the scenarios need these in numbers.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4403.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
So…a long way to go!
I suspect these will bore the crap out of me, but
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WOW that's a huge project. Good luck, keep posting pics it's always interesting to see how these projects evolve.
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Good luck with those.
I have some Sarrisa Russian Houses (which I am using as modern dacha).
https://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2020/08/desirable-property-medium-dacha.html (https://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2020/08/desirable-property-medium-dacha.html)
https://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2020/08/desirable-property-small-dacha.html (https://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2020/08/desirable-property-small-dacha.html)
Not sure what type of buildings you are aiming at, this is a photograph of a buildings museum in Russia (the main point of interest was the fencing) but it shows the darker, almost reddish colour of the wood.
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nYvqP1aB65g/WipIZwO4s_I/AAAAAAAACv0/o7QFfzNSI2kUZcn1fHrcChjYUxiQWFPJgCLcBGAs/s1600/russianlogfence.png)
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Yup, thanks, .I have been looking at as many pics both of available models, a few scratch builds and lots of black and white pics. Plenty of ideas….will probably pinch a few aspects from each! The sarrisa ones are quite good, I like the windows. It would be cool if they released a pack of them alone!
As for wood colour….reddish may work, but I’m a fan of aged grey timber. We shall see.
I have just ordered the fur…10mm. I need to go looking for some good thick card tomorrow for the roof base.
And just for Tom, the 12 shells are finished! I may look to convert four of them to incorporate a dog leg….another bedroom for the party faithful!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4406.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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There was no monotony in the Russian countryside. Even under the communists ;-)
Typical buildings could only be in workers' settlements, which were built in places where new enterprises were organized. And usually these were two-story barracks for eight apartments.
A new fresh wood house looked reddish-yellowish for a very short time, and in a couple of years the wood darkened to gray-brown (like the fence in the photo above). The houses of about fifty already looked almost black.
In Russian dwellings of that time, there were usually small windows - large windows do not contribute to the preservation of heat in winter. Therefore, by the way, the windows in the house are usually uneven. Most of the windows face the street (usually the largest common room), there is often only one window on the other sides, and one of the walls, on the side where the winds most often blow, most likely will not have a window at all. The windows had architraves with wooden shutters, which were closed when necessary (for example, in a strong wind or simply so that the light did not penetrate outside through the curtains). The platbands and sashes were usually painted blue (rarely green, white and dark red) or simply covered with stain or varnish.
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All good info, thanks.
I will build a few alternate buildings in time too to mix it up…but I just want to hit the ground with a batch of quick buildings. I have already added dog legs to three of these.
Besides…I’m taking my inspiration from images like this from 1941 which in this instance do actually show a degree of monotony. You are right though, many places are not so regimented too.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4407.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Started positioning windows. I picked up some card today so roof shells next I think. Then I need a quick way to cobble 12 chimneys….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4408.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Looks good so far. Nice to see you in the real estate development business! ;)
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Perhaps you will be interested...
In your photo, I was confused by the clothes of children and women. It is not typical for rural residents of the USSR in the 1940s. At first I assumed that this photo is more likely from the beginning of the 20th century.
I had to do a little research.
https://timelineimages.sueddeutsche.de/russisches-dorf-1941_00228469
It says here that the photo was taken in 1941 in a village located in the Rakityansky (Pinsky) swamps.
(http://veraichest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/карта.jpg)
Swamp areas are shaded.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinsk_Marshes
These giant swamps are located on the territory of modern Belarus (and partly Ukraine). But the fact is that until 1939 these territories belonged to Poland.
(http://storage.yandexcloud.net/wr4img/560968_image8_5ce77b9d9877f00ceafbe9b7_jpg.jpeg)
Attached territories are marked in yellow.
So the Soviets would only have a year to build something in these territories. The buildings do not look like new buildings, which means that they were built a long time ago.
Conclusion - in the Polish part of Belarus, even then there was practically standard construction. And the peasants continued to wear clothes of the cut of the last century.
I hope it was entertaining :)
Good luck with your project.
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I just assumed the photo was a postcard from Cleethorpes. ;)
'Dear Ethel,
Having a wonderful time, although the weather has been somewhat bracing. Your mum won the tombola on Tuesday and last night we had the opportunity to see a fabulous comedian called Bernard Manning at the Grimsby Auditorium. The beach was a bit of a disappointment, being far too sandy for our taste, so we took a charabanc to Hull, which was much more to our liking.
Peter has taken to calling the place Colditz and has started a tunnel. His ambition is to be in Skegness by next Thursday.
Give our love to your nan and tell her that the Bristol Cream is in the bottom drawer of the sideboard in the parlour. Remember he needs her corns rubbing daily and is always more amenable after a sherry or two.
Ours is the third chalet from the right in the photo.
All our Love.....'
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Lol
Added the roof bases last night.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_0854.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Bovisky Homes!
Balsa wood arrived but before I can start adding it, I need to get a suede brush so I can rough it up a bit.
Anyway, I still need to place a few windows, add back door frames then come up with an easy answer for the chimneys before planking out.
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then come up with an easy answer for the chimneys before planking out.
Off-cuts of Blue(Pink) Foam. Easy to cut to the required shape &
the brick detail can be embossed with a biro or similar.
Make it longer than you need, cut a suitable hole in the roof,
insert the chimney stack. A blob of PVA/wood glue will hold
it safely in place. You can then thatch around it.
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Nice idea Pete. Any suggestions for hardening the surface once it’s embossed?
Cheers
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Any suggestions for hardening the surface once it’s embossed?
Modge-Podge. Does a good job of hardening Blue foam.
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Will give it a go….ta.
Edit:
Yup…that works for me. Another 11 to make then. Will Modge Podge when they are all in place.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4409.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4410.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Going to start with a little woodwork now I think…
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Looking good. :)
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Of course the inevitable question of where to store all this stuff pops into my head.
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Lining up the coffee stirrers/ icecream sticks with the rectangular windows should be a piece of piss. Lining them up wit the arched windows looks a bit more of a PITA.
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Lining them up wit the arched windows looks a bit more of a PITA.
1) Find a suitable sized coin.
2) Cut a thin sliver from blue/pink foam.
3) Draw a circle on the foam using the coin as a template.
(Each circle will provide two or three 'arches')
4) Draw on bricks with a biro or pencil (for the arch)
5) Cut out 'arch' & stick it above arched window.
6) When dry, coat with Modge-Podge
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I think it's being planked rather than bricked.
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It is. Balsa planking will make this easy…if a little laborious. Planking around windows is straight forward….I need to overlay though with wooden window surround but that’s with balsa too.
Teddy bear fur arrived. Chimneys are sorted, and I’m half way through making the doors. Once I’ve finished them, I will work one house up to the finished build. That will let me iron out any problems before I batch the rest of them.
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Looking good!
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Still so far, so good...
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Not much done over the weekend as I was reenacting, but I did carve a spare chimney so we could have a burned out house.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4411.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Best of all, only needs five minute paint job! Lol
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4412.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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That's a great bit of terrain! And while the painting was easy, the paintjob looks ace!
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Rather like that burned out building.
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Yes, that's superb!
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That looks great. Almost like you actually set it on fire... :D
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I was tempted…..but then remembered to a school project Magna Carta I did……soaking it in all sorts to age it….I then thought I’d singe the corners……but it had become highly flammable! Lol
Anyway, I digress / regress …..cheers chaps, yes, I think it’s pretty effective, so I’d best make another!
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About two hours work last night..fairly simple builds but effective I think.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4414.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4416.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Now, enough distraction, I really must get on with the new builds!
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Very effective, looking forward to seeing the whole village on a table.
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That's 2 houses torched now. Methinks you have a firebug about... :D
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Indeed….👀……I think he’s German though!
Lots to do to get these houses ready for painting. However, thinking ahead, I will most likely build my own church and when I do, I may do a burnt down version too. I just need to figure out how to do the onions!
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There's a fairly recent LAF thread on just that subject.
Personally I'd go with my own suggestion of the polystyrene foam Christmas baubles (suitably modge-podged for painting) as you could build the tower to fit the baubles. Locally you can buy a variety of shapes, some are like the finials on curtain rods but much larger, which btw is another route if you can find big enough finials.
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May try looking for thread then, cheers.
Edit: found it and just ordered a couple of Ian Weekly domes, the rest should be straight forward I hope! 🤔
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A visit to my mum and dads….both very crafty, raided mums studio for various pins for door handles etc, then dad turned me an onion on his lathe whilst I was still in bed!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4417.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Thinking of putting my retired parents to work and starting a Wargames supplies business!
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A visit to my mum and dads….both very crafty, raided mums studio for various pins for door handles etc, then dad turned me an onion on his lathe whilst I was still in bed!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4417.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Thinking of putting my retired parents to work and starting a Wargames supplies business!
Well, it does pay to know people...Good man your dad is! :D
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Thinking of putting my retired parents to work and starting a Wargames supplies business!
Throw in your 3D printer & the occasional stock room clearance (OK Garage) and
I think you'd be onto a winner there David.
:D :D :D
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Yup…sounds like hard work though!
Anyway quick update. All the gable ends are done, door handles added and now I will plank out the balance of the first house. I’m tempted to finish the first build so I can adjust the others as necessary…..we shall see.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4429.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Ok….trying to work up one to completion. Nearly there. The fur needs to dry on before I slick it down, trim and add roof sticks. I may also add shutters yet.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4431.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4432.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4430.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
However, you can see the look I’m going for I think. I added a little wood-store to this one, and will do similar to a few others. The timber took ages…..annoyingly I doubt I have patience to batch this lot….so I am looking do do in batch of fours. One large (this one) and three small to a batch.
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Don't trim it. Just call it Dougal or.... Boris. ;)
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Tempting…..but.
So this is the final build. Hoping the painted model will look ok.
11 more to go!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4434.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4433.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nice work on the Hairy House!
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Nice work on the Hairy House!
It's a Hairyhausen production. Chap is using stop motion cinematography.
In all seriousness, very nice work. Can't wait to see how these come out when painted.
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Your progress continues to impress. Well done!
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I wish….
Well actually, with the promise of a game or two teaching someone CoC, I have a little impetus to finish off the Russians. The platoon (in the box) is half way there, and I just finished off a few Bad Squiddo female tankers to man the KV1/2 and the T 34. The tanks were painted by Jamie along with a few others for me. I will put up action shots of them all when I get the platoon and a few supports done…..
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4824.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Looking very nice David.
Jamie continues to churn out excellent work.
Good luck on spreading the CoC. I do warn you I gave ONE
small game to...well you, & look what happened!!!! :o :o :o
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Those tanks look excellent!
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Looking good. Nice idea of using the female tankers. Probably better shots than the men.
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Probably more aggressive for sure!
In all seriousness, so long as you don’t paint them with lipstick and keep them as grimy as the men, they are good minis.
I have a few holes in my CoC support options that I have filled with Squido women..like the ATR team and a second Maxim team…..
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Those really look good!
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Great looking ladies ... and tanks :D
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Probably more aggressive for sure!
In all seriousness, so long as you don’t paint them with lipstick and keep them as grimy as the men, they are good minis.
I have a few holes in my CoC support options that I have filled with Squido women..like the ATR team and a second Maxim team…..
Agreed, I mixed some in with my Eureka force and they mix well. I did limit myself to snipers though.
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I already have a male sniper team….but a female one as alternative could be on the cards…
Just wanted to show off Jamie’s painting on mt afv collection thus far.
In the winter camo….the KV-1 and a pair of T34-76’s. I’m tempted to add a third T-34 and perhaps a pair of T70 light tanks….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4830.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
The Russians tended to chuck some tanks straight into combat without camo in certain theatres….and I wanted to have a few vehicles for non winter settings / later war etc.
So here we have a BT-7, T34/85 and SU76.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4828.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4826.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Very inspiring. I’m thinking of working up my Black Tree Russians for BA third edition. My terrain involves only an MDF church and a lot of forest though. Don’t share your admirable commitment to scratch builds and teddy bear fur…
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As always Jamie's tank work is fantastic, but I do like your charred & ruined buildings too.
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Lovely paint job on those tanks.
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Moving swiftly towards the first Eastern Front game, I thought I’d interrupt my figure painting 😇 and finish the build on an another pair of homes. Next job is to paint the three of them so we have a small hamlet to fight over.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4844.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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And a quick paint job later….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4846.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4847.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4848.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Going to return to getting some infantry painted now. However, I think I need to make th3 church after that. I also want to do a barn or two as well. Then 8 need some fencing, garden, crop plots etc…. Plus of course, there’s the matter of the rest of the homes….🥴
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Nice looking hairy hooses!
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I don't believe 'quick paint job' !
I think, 'lovely paint job' is more believable. :)
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Aww shucks! Thanks guys.
Onwards with the infantry…..wash applied…..detailing next….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4854.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nice project, especially like the buildings with thatched roofs - very well done!
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Thank you sir!
Ordered a few bits to expand on this including an anti tank gun and a box of these militia. They will form a nucleus for a partisan force. I intend to add a few Arisan partisans to them, then by mixing them in with a few troops, I can field them as a full sized partisan platoon.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4855.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I wanted to see what these will look like with fencing to. I have seen pics of lots of fence types in Russia, with barbed wire being ever present. I also saw some pics with wattle fencing so I have ordered some from Renedra ( because I can’t have ENOUGH fencing),
I think they work just fine.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4857.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4860.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4858.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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That’s a really nice looking table you’ve made!
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Lovely terrain!
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Absolutely stunning. :o I do not know how you produce the amount and quality work that you do. Again, stunning!!
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Thanks fella 😉
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The three scenic shots with fencing along with the buildings and forest in the background look good!
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Stunning table! Congrats on a job well done ;)
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Thanks for posting, as Basementboy says stunning table
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Many thanks guys.
Ok, not usually fan of mass batch painting, but 70 minis in one batch is a record for yours truly!
The mobilised hordes of mother Russia. The base rifle platoon.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4869.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4872.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4874.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4873.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
And some supports. An HMG, two MMG, two LMG, flame thrower team, AT rifle, 50mm mortar and a commissar.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4876.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4878.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I also have ready to prime, a pair of AT guns, a tank carried SMG squad and a sniper team…..
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That's a lot of grunts to do en mass, my Mk 1 eyeballs are twitching just thinking about it. End result is awesome, great result.
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Brilliantly done! Masterful execution!
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Thanks both. Glad to have the monkey off my back tbh!
Gluten for punishment, I have just cleaned up the militia…
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Sniper team added.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2141.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nice.
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Ta Pete.
Ok….i think I need to get a church built pronto….i need a village focus and the sniper needs height! lol
Pretty much going to make this one up as I go…..starting top down I think.
Just had to butcher my rolling pin to get a piece of wood to fit the onion. I want this to have a vantage hence the window back and front. I will fill panels between the uprights then build the top roof of the church. Anyway…I will change my mind a few times before it’s finished so I won’t bore you with my crappy sketch.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4883.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Edit:
A quick Russian Orthodox cross…needs to dry now..
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4885.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Good job on the soldiers! Can't wait to see the church.
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Brilliant work on the platoon and the church will be great if the beginning is anything to go by.
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I like a little pressure! Thanks 😉
I ordered a printed Flak 30 with Fallschirmjager crew so that I could replace the crew with these bad boys. Really just an exercise in hand swapping and arm positioning but they do give it a touch more dynamism I think. I need to tidy them up and winterise them yet.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4891.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I know they aren’t Russians but I don’t want to add to my Western Front thread as I intend to winterise a few more Germans so I can swap out a few models carrying assault rifles etc from my Bulge collection so I can use them here mid war so to speak.
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Building a Russian Church...how Orthodox David. :D
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It will play merry hell with his Outlook calendar. Just wait until Easter rolls around. ;)
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Indeed! 😉
Anyway basic shape is this….yes, I know it looks like something you’d feed a bone to….but I’m sure it will look fine when done!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4893.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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The Hairy Church is so grotesque, irt would make a nice Turnip28 terrain piece as it is.
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I more worried that with any more teddy bear fur you will be labelled a thatcherite. :
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Unfinished fur thatch always appears a bit woolly until it is tamed. Looks like very good progress to me.
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“Unfinished” sir?…I think you will find it’s very windy in this part of the Rodina!
But yes….looks a little like gnasher the dog from the Beano!
I will tame it this week no doubt….
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Did your dog mind donating his fur to the cause? :o
Seriously, folks - so far, so good!
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No…but next door’s pooch is a tad upset!
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Looking very good so far :)
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The Hairy Church is so grotesque, irt would make a nice Turnip28 terrain piece as it is.
Agreed! I can see Max giving his blessings to something like that lol
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I look forward to seeing it!
Ok, a little progress with the church…..still a ways to go….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4894.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Also, I’m on the lookout for either a uk shop selling pulp pack 17 - armed Orthodox priests, or someone who may have a spare or two for swaps etc…..I feel one leading the local partisans would be most appropriate!
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Lovely work, mate, that is looking really good.
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Cheers!
Ok, nearly there. The thatch is tamed, but drying out now. I’m debating putting the protective stakes on the roof for added interest, the same as I have done on the houses.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4896.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4897.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Better with I think! Ok, whilst all drying, I gave it its first coat of colour…..
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4898.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nice work David.
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Good looking building :-* :-* :-*
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Thanks guys.
Very quick paint job later and it’s done! Pleased with that.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4901.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4906.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4902.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Quite unbelievable talent!
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Very nicely done! :-*
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Another nice looking set up you have there.
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Cheers all.
Just found a Russian orthodox priest (TAG) so will add that in good time.
Think I might tackle a few barns / out buildings next…though I need to dress a few more Bovisky houses too. May as well do it as I’m on a roll and kicking my heels!
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You should be well pleased with that, it's a lovely piece. Actually, the whole scene is really fantastic.
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Excellent work! :-*
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Holy cow you did that in 4 days? You make the rest of us look bad.
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The Baksa cutting takes a few hours I will grant you, but the paint job is dead quick tbh.
Cheers guys. Just started popping together an open fronted barn. I will then dress a couple of the houses and paint them all at the same time. I may pinch ideas from my Normandy farm straw store if I can find some plastic chickens!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4908.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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That church looks great!
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Thanks Jim. A little progress on the open barn.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4911.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Going to try and get a little detailing in there…well, as deep as is visible anyway.
And of course, it gets the shaggy dog treatment
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4912.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Looks good so far.
But your neighbor's dog must be nearly bald by now... 8)
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The Church looks fantastic - great work. The barn looks very nice too. Well done on this project and looking forward to seeing the rest of it.
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Neighbours dog now runs every time it sees me coming….
3 more hairy houses to tame alongside the open barn. For now I’m going to rest on the Bovisky houses, because I want to explore a few other builds including a small grain store, sheds and a closed barn. I will add a few bits of tin roof etc just to vary the birds eye level look a tad.
After that, I am going to modify a couple of Bovisky shells to turn them into ruins / damaged houses I think….but that’s a while off.
I also need to consider a few more bits of table clutter suitable for eastern front…..not sure exactly WHAT yet but open to suggestions. I will be adding to my wire fence collection though me thinks. I will probably do a few small holding crop fields too.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4918.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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I also need to consider a few more bits of table clutter suitable for eastern front…..not sure exactly WHAT yet but open to suggestions.
One of those wells with a cantilevered pole for the bucket.
Pig sty.
Wagon &/or a cart.
Knocked out Tank (Russian or German), or other vehicles.
Dead animals.
Stores (under a tarpaulin).
Crashed plane, again Russian or German. (make it on several bits & it can represent two planes).
First aid station.
:D
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A shaduf? Is that something Russian?
Edit: answered my own question, widely used in Ukraine & Belarus .
I can do one of those!
Just need to loose the palm tree!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/951E5491-C84D-40E2-BE85-3CE754B065DB.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Great job on the temple! Also on the houses, let the hair grow :)
I also need to consider a few more bits of table clutter suitable for eastern front
orthodox cemetery
monument: in a village maybe just a little obelisk with a red star on it
Pig sty.
Dead animals.
Soviet villages had no animals, they were taken from people during the collectivization of the agriculture and they were put into the Kolhoz/Sovhoz. Hungarian soldiers wrote that they were shocked by the eerie silence of Soviet villages, as they were familiar with countryside settlements having all kind of animal sounds.
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Is that so? I was going to do a pig sty! Just read up on collectivisation…..brutal!
I may still do a pig sty…….maybe they hid the pigs? Lol
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Is that so? I was going to do a pig sty!
You can, but no pigs or chickens there since a decade.
Collectivization of the agriculture (=taking animals and soil from people) was one of the cornerstones of communism, Poland was the only communist country where they kinda skipped it. It was especially harsh in the late 20s-early 30s Soviet Union: started in 1928 and by the mid30s it was mostly performed. (In Hungary the collectivization came in the early 50s as the communist regime took over, people hid their pigs in the cellar or in the attic and they risked a serious punishment, prison or forced labour camp, if someone ratted them out to the authorities. Then as a result of the 1956 revolution, the system became more tolerant towards having 1-2 pigs at home, but the real de-collectivization came only after communism fell.)
The seized animals and arables were put into big agricultural plants, either a Kolhoz (a forced collective agricultural company) or Sovhoz (same, but state owned). It is also an interesting modeling theme, but far from scatter terrain size :) Btw German occupiers in the SU during ww2 first wanted to de-collectivize, but later they skipped this plan.
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Thanks for that. So, I need to model a couple of pigs in the attic then…
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It’s all looking very good :)
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Freddy, you are exaggerating. During the period of collectivization in the USSR, certain standards for livestock for the personal farms of collective farmers were established. According to the Collective Farm Charter of 1935, depending on the region, a collective farmer was allowed to have:
- from 0.25 to 0.5 hectares, and in certain regions of the country - up to 1 hectare, of household land for a garden, vegetable garden and other personal needs;
- from one to 2-3 cows, up to 2-3 sows, from 20 to 25 sheep and goats, an unlimited number of poultry, rabbits, up to 20 beehives.
According to data from 1938, nine years after collectivization, the average peasant family had at its personal disposal a cow, as well as a heifer or a bull, 2-3 goats or sheep, plus almost every yard had a piglet. In addition, about 15% of peasant families had never joined collective farms before the war and had the status of "individual farmer".
This farm was taken away or heavily taxed only after Stalin's death, under Khrushchev. Then the peasants even had to cut down their orchards to avoid heavy taxes.
Enemy soldiers were unlikely to hear the sounds made by domestic animals very often. The peasants tried to hide their livestock in the forest or somewhere else, as they had good reason to fear robbery by soldiers of the warring armies. In addition, according to numerous memoirs, German soldiers, upon entering a village, immediately destroyed all the dogs there. I don't know why - apparently they were very irritated by the barking of dogs.
So you can safely decorate your terrain with figures of domestic animals.
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The Russian cemetery looked like this (usually it was somewhere on the outskirts of the village, near a church or chapel):
(http://pastvu.com/_p/a/d/h/j/dhjggcojy4mo69bzel.jpg)
(http://takiedela.ru/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/024_-29.jpeg)
(http://live.staticflickr.com/4862/31233087217_ca377d8745_b.jpg)
(http://proza.ru/pics/2021/04/18/145.jpg)
(http://i.pinimg.com/originals/51/05/d6/5105d608f363e4025b6c6e963856d242.jpg)
Communists or military personnel were buried not with a cross, but with similar obelisks. Although during military operations a cross was often placed on the grave, even if the deceased was a communist:
(http://russian7.ru/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1-16.jpg)
(http://r1.mt.ru/r18/photo360A/20267163667-0/jpeg/bp.jpeg)
Here's a photo of a Russian village. Take away all the overly modern elements and I think you'll find plenty of ideas for decorating a gaming table:
https://yandex.by/images/search?from=tabbar&img_url=https%3A%2F%2Frodnaya-vyatka.ru%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Ffilebrowser%2Fuser_147%2Fplace%2F143_018.jpg&lr=202281&p=1&pos=10&rdrnd=1381&rpt=simage&text=фото%20русская%20деревня%201940-х%20панорамное
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Thank you, I will take a look fella.
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I think you can also pick up some interesting ideas here:
https://yandex.ru/images/search?from=tabbar&img_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmtdata.ru%2Fu2%2FphotoCD10%2F20643212986-0%2Foriginal.jpg&lr=197&p=1&pos=47&rpt=simage&text=диорама%201%3A35%20в%20деревне%2C%20село%2C%20хата%2C%201941
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I like the well in the first link. Will give that a go I think for starters, cheers.
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I think you can also pick up some interesting ideas here:
WOW !!! :o :o :o 'SOME' ???? Many thanks for posting, absolute treasure trove.
people hid their pigs in the cellar or in the attic
Now there is a possible game. Each player takes a section of Russian troops.
The villagers (played by the umpire) hide the pigs.
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Yup I like the pig hunt idea!
So looking about I think I will have a go first at this big hairy barn
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2152.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
And the well from above
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2151.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
There is a lot of wattle fencing in the picture and I’ve seen lots on other village pics too so I have a pack of Renedra fencing I can use for that.
The wooden crosses look balsa doable so I may do a small graveyard too.
In a nod to centralised production, I’m tempted to find a sheet metal grain store too.
.
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In those days, a warehouse made of iron was an unaffordable luxury in the countryside. Not every family could afford an iron roof in a residential building. Rather, it would be an adobe structure.
By the way, it would have been possible to make collective farm buildings - a large cowshed, for example... Or a machine and tractor station.
(http://ir-5.ozone.ru/s3/multimedia-1-8/wc1000/7061969672.jpg)
https://www.ozon.ru/product/derevyannyy-domik-derevyannye-zagotovki-dlya-tvorchestva-1-87-st05-984017077/?_bctx=CAkQ78b7Cg&asb=ipRWsyBrf1Ti%252FNOhZ%252FAm%252BTgEnDsJGj9YIRdt49J1A0E%253D&asb2=Gevo7XfYMhOVk4VDgBExxIyB0NmzUxA6ip1vY80XATzI46-fXv7lq_T01XnibZkj9MyqLD47EhC8m6vdXIbKsQ&avtc=1&avte=2&avts=1727829639
(http://i01.fotocdn.net/s217/4c273439726c32c0/public_pin_m/2970516906.jpg)
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I still need to add a little livestock….probably chickens and either pig or a dead cow. Also will probably add a parked cart…
However, useful piece I think.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4921.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4923.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Edit:
And still wet with paint, one Russian village well.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4926.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Very nice work indeed.
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Thanks fella….the well was a simple easy build, and adds a nice piece of clutter.
I do like the idea of a tractor station….but I can’t seem to find a cheap supply of 28mm Fordson-Putilovets tractors. Ideally, if someone could print me half a dozen, that would be a perfect piece of scenery in the making! Ah well…maybe one for the future.
Next job is to paint the next three Bovisky houses….
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this is excellent stuff, I find the stray tyre oddly incongruous though...
but the whole thing is reminding me of a Call of Cthulhu actual play by the Apocalypse Players - Machine Tractor Station Kharkov-37
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I lived on a farm when I was little…I saw more than one old tyre thrown on top of flimsy rooks in order to hold them down in windy times. If you like it’s more my nod to memories like those
Cheers
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I lived on a farm when I was little…I saw more than one old tyre thrown on top of flimsy rooks in order to hold them down in windy times. If you like it’s more my nod to memories like those
Cheers
That's how I remember it too, and all of the disused (or barely once a year) equipment piled behind the old sheds, overgrown with weeds, left to rot.
Great inspiration in this thread, I'm stealing a few for my Stalker projects with some minor updates for that decayed 80's style :)
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oh I get it, but it just seems to date it too much - everything else has a timeless quality to it. It's not bad or wrong :D
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Fair enough….i know what you mean. Thanks for commenting on it though, appreciate the feedback!
Gunbird….go for it!
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I'd be worried about the tyre if I was the owner of that barn, lest I be accused of being a wealthy kulak who can afford a tyre. Seems like a suspiciously anti-Soviet activity to me comrade.
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Unless I stole it off a German truck!
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Hmm, It's still an anti-proletarian display of wealth and where are you hiding the other three?
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🤷♂️
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Well, with three more homes painted, I seem to have built a whole village!
I might take a break and paint a few minis for now, but I could certainly game around it.
Small out buildings, vegetable plots, and a few damaged buildings needed still I think.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4928.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4930.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4929.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4933.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Fabulous!! :-* :-* That's a truly wonderful village. Love the way everything ties in tonally with your gaming mat.
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Just wow!!
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David, I thought you had a 3d printer.
Why ask for someone else to print tractors?
I will wait until printers are really foolproof. ;D ;D ;D
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Firstly, my experience with it wasn't great, and secondly, I wish I’d waited and bought a resin printer…so much cooler…but now I have no room for one!
Anyway, I can’t find a file for one…🙁
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Turned out a treat :-* I second the appreciation for how all of your painting tones mesh with the mat.
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Great looking table, I really like it.
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Here's another comment on how great things look in your little burg. I love the bird on the roof peak...
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the locals did not appreciate the introduction of chimneys...
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Superb stuff - really well done.
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the locals did not appreciate the introduction of chimneys...
Chimney embers and straw roofs ? 😉
Cheers for the comments all. Jim it’s rare I don’t introduce a feathered friend or two into a project. Hence also my attempt at a quick dove cote / pigeon house on the back of one house. I don’t know the history but pigeon fancying was a big thing in Russia (maybe not during the war mind) but maybe this fella just intends to eat them…
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pigeon fancying was a big thing in Russia (maybe not during the war mind)
'He's eaten Speckled Tom !!!'
Fair enough about the printer David. You could sell it & put the money towards a resin one.
Meanwhile,
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UjwAAOSwtkFfS1tK/s-l140.webp/quote]
https://miniaturmodelle.net/index.php?route=product/myshop_qv&product_id=4084
https://miniaturmodelle.net/en/1:43/russian-cars/tractors/1:43-stalinets-s-60-crawler-tractor-with-magazine-129-hachette
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393690738184
https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwj6-sDmxvSIAxWwmlAGHUr4Be4YABAEGgJkZw&co=1&ase=2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpP63BhDYARIsAOQkATadLxfMrNZOR2W9g2bTfpkcKpskz3yxFK1k2UjaEYZPzVB2novNcRgaAodeEALw_wcB&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVeD2nohw8kZsG9NDLP0w60maNj2anAYXp_t5waW2i5r9s0DRvG3DW16czNWPdYSn-RONgxSvnSWmtQRe5RxOCuP4NDvxSgkANQ4g6rT9h9yRScNt9Zk&sig=AOD64_2PpvdghgLgek9nNh4wpgq4ZqXmAA&q&nis=4&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwifwLzmxvSIAxUfVkEAHduYPTsQ0Qx6BAgWEAE
Don't know if these are of any use.
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Looked at them all, either too small or too big unfortunately. Thanks for looking however.
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Started this over the weekend. A way to go as yet, but just as I’ve realised painting destroyed houses (excluding my burnt ones anyway) is a pain in the proverbial, actually MAKING one is even worse! lol
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4934.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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it's the anti-chimney brigade again... lol
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Not this time….something fell in through roof and blew the end of the house off….unless Boris’s vodka still blew up!
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Looks good so far. Once you paint it, actually set the burnt edges on fire, and put the fire out after a minute or 2. Too bad for the foam using that technique, though... :o
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Hmm fallen foul of that before now…paint only I think!
Anyway, the build is done. 24hours to let the roof dry and I can paint it up.
I don’t think I will be doing many of these…..though I may just punch a hole in a roof or two….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4935.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4936.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Bloody Welsh Nationalists!
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Now you aren’t from around these parts are you boyo?
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Looks good!
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Cheers….fits in nicely I think! I didn’t so much want this to look burnt as blasted…
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4937.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nicely done David.
Any bits going inside, furniture etc. or would that be too Bourgeois? :D
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Trying to leave space for support equipment bases etc….always tricky if you try to get too realistic…..I toyed with it….for five seconds! 😉
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always tricky if you try to get too realistic…..I toyed with it….for five seconds!
lol
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That house looks good, in a blown-up kind of way. Will their insurance cover that damage? ;)
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Doubt it!
Work started on the big barn similar to the pic I posted up.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4942.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Very nice!
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A little beastie training to do….plus build a couple of barn doors
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4943.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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OK, you've got me. I dunno which one it is. is it Ringo? Paul? John? lol
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With that hole in the roof looking like an eye…I give you that….if could be one of them! lol
If nothing else….this wee project has allowed me to get over the fear of using thatching!
I do need to add a few small buildings with corrugated tin roofs now for a little variety. I want to look at making perhaps a lumber mill (or if I can find the tractors, a large workshop / shed).
Meanwhile let’s get this one finished…
Edit:
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4946.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Great looking buildings! The thatch looks fantastic! Terrific work!
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That looks great.
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Your holy barn looks good!
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Cheers guys. I was using this image for the reference.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2152.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Cheers….fits in nicely I think! I didn’t so much want this to look burnt as blasted…
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4937.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
lol the other buildings DO have chimneys - seriously did not see them in the other pictures, you must have been wondering what I was going on about... ;D
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I assumed you thought they were too low for the thatch? Either way don’t sweat it! 😉
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I was just dazzled by the brilliance of the fur
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Well this barn has put paid to any more hairy buildings….for now…..🥴
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4948.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
It adds a little height dimension so that’s good. Pretty happy with how the village is turning out…..useful collection of buildings I think.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4949.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4953.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Ordered a few Artizan partisans to mix in with my militia and whilst at it, a pack of Copplestone Bolshevik cavalry in great coats just to try a few head swaps in order to see if they would make viable Soviet Cavalry. Question is….do I buy more packs for shits and giggles, or do I consign them to dusty shelf? I have probably missed something.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4954.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Oh do do the Cavalry. How often do we get to see Cavalry on a WW2 game table?
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Excellent conversion idea! I agree, there's not enough cavalry in WWII games!
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Question is….do I buy more packs for shits and giggles, or do I consign them to dusty shelf? I have probably missed something.
Those conversions look great, but will be costly! I have mixed feelings about WWII Soviet Cavalry. On the one hand, it's surprising that almost no one makes Soviet cavalry, considering that you can readily find cavalry for the Poles, Germans, French, Italians, British, when the actual Red Army had more cavalry than everyone else in the world combined! On the other hand, cavalry in WWII is really mounted infantry, and the soldiers would dismount to fight. Horses can be treated much as you'd treat trucks or other transport. So, depending on your preferences, you could have a few cavalry models to represent the ability of the troopers to move quickly when out of contact with the enemy, much like some games will have a few bicycles to represent bicycle troops.
If you do feel a need to go full cavalry - which I selfishly would love to see! - plastics would be a great way to go. Combine plastic Soviet infantry with Wargames Atlantic horses and go from there.
To show you where my loyalties lie, here is the start of my WWI Russian cavalry wing:
https://willstoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2024/08/wwi-russians.html
(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2n40BWuOimdC88bgPNX7s9VeN1T0L3gmnXun9jaA82c_zWGVEA8sMx7vjilThyDq_P11oTDU933g-xFiZlzJePZFrKkRp01wao1RjItOz2QnTxUGHupHeZujlhO9iWIVw7BClvmlIlH0spL3w3juZVIZu9ROJ2qzE21ohZwONSeMwDjw-GXsMpJx/s3648/IMG_4454.JPG)
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The barn looks great and the village as a whole is fantastic.
The cavalry look great too, and I would like to see more - though I agree with Will that they would usually operate as mounted infantry so would dismount to fight in general, but they could be extremely useful is certain scenarios - IIRC there are various accounts of Cossack cavalry chasing down isolated units of Germans in snowstorms as Barbarossa was faltering before Moscow and so on.
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Thanks fella, glad you like the barn!
Cheers for the info Will.
I’m tempted to do a squad at least. If only for photo fun but you are right, it would be very expensive to do more.
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The cavalry figures look good.
If you fancy making more here are a number of folk making separate GPW Soviet heads. These people for example:
https://ozwargaming.com.au/products/soviet-winter-war-heads-pack-propylene-foliescu-28mm-ww2-wargaming-miniatures?srsltid=AfmBOorFLy3vLxVVs4fGqsq9xJEEPg3RyE-QEIMjGQI6PUFg6PBrBr6i
West Wind also did packs of separate: https://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=76_167_187
I was fortunate enough to have Nic at Eureka supply me with some separate heads from their WW2 Soviet range for conversions. Then you have various 3D files if you have a printer.
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Thanks for the link fella. I’m tempted but have plenty of warlord heads at the moment.
I need to find a cheaper supply of the Copplestone minis first though….however I may paint these up first to see if I like them enough.
Thinking I may build a small orthodox grave yard next….
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Thinking I may build a small orthodox grave yard next….
I'm so stealing that.
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I'm so stealing that.
Which would of course make you.............a grave robber. :D
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Which would of course make you.............a grave robber. :D
I prefer to call it a stable job opportunity lol
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grave digger, a job where you start at the top & work your way down. lol
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My now departed cousin Joan, was the first recorded female grave digger in England apparently!
Anyway, I digress…..an hours worth messing has given me enough markers for a small rustic grave yard.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4956.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Dead good David. :D
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Dead good David. :D
Threw him a bone, there?
Great stuff! Especially like the cavalry conversion. :)
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Cheers
Ok, simple ground clutter / obstacle etc…..three patches of overgrown orthodox graves
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4959.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I’m almost tempted to buy these Russian Silver Bayonet minis…..
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4960.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Those graves are a nice addition. They give a lot of character and look just like graves I have seen in historical photos.
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Russian cavalry rarely attacked the Germans in mounted formation - this is not the enemy that would allow this to be done successfully in the overwhelming majority of cases. Only against completely disorganized troops... But many of Hitler's allies fought on the Eastern Front - Romanians, Hungarians, Italians and others. Mounted attacks against them were much more effective and happened much more often. There are even known cavalry battles with sabers between the Soviet and Romanian cavalry in the spirit of the Napoleonic wars.
But for this you will need to make a Ukrainian village - it looks different. Most of Ukraine was forest-free and the buildings there were mostly made of clay.
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Fear not….i am not intending to take on the whole German army with them….however it is a fact they existed! 😉. This is what I’m only doing a handful.
Ok so graves are done…what next? I have some wattle fencing from renders to mount…but I still need ideas for clutter…
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That whole village looks marvellous. :-* :-*
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Much thanks fella!
Ok my TAG priest ( and other little bits) arrived….quick hand swap and he’s tooled for bear!
He will be a leader (probably junior leader) with my Partizan force. I mentioned before, not keen on the partizans but I do like their peoples militia. Going to mix in a few Artizan Partizans ( fun to say) but stick at about twenty minis….the rest of the force can be regular infantry types…cut off from their parent force mixed in to make up numbers.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4962.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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And who said the Partizans didn't have a ...prayer? :D
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Cool thread showcasing much of Digits' prodigious modeling talents.
Which leads to a question: Just how big of a storage Barn do you own, Mr. Digits? It must be substantial to hold all your stuff!
:o
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Unfortunately…according to Mrs Digits…ithd barn ain’t big enough!
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Dunno if you have ever been to an Orthodox church service but if you put an Orthodox priest of any stripe in charge the O groups are going to last several hours*. ;)
* Actually felt like weeks, the last christening I attended.
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Unfortunately…according to Mrs Digits…ithd barn ain’t big enough!
She possibly has a view to using it as a sewing basket or home for the cat?
Interesting about your cousin Joan. Certainly shows there's no glass ceiling in a grave.
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ithd? International Tom Hanks Day? Apparently that is a thing. o_o
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Errr….fat fingers.
Picked up a sprue if the new winter Fallschirmjagers as I am in need of a few more winter Germans. As paratroopers they don’t excite me, but with a little tiny tweak (heads) I can mix them into my eclectic winter German chaps easily enough as a few guys lucky enough to secure some semi decent winter garb.
The two guys in the foreground though had the criss cross pants removed and replaced with legs from the SS sprue…and I rather like the outcome.
I may get another sprue……
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4966.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4965.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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They look good - as do the graves and the orthodox priest. Great stuff.
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Thanks!
So, I’m assuming they may have kept rabbits? Either way, I need some clutter for a few back yards…chicken coup, hutches etc.
Will pop in bunnies when painted! 😀
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4967.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Mmm, hasenpfeffer for dinner. Rabbit is a fine meal.
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Be vewy, vewy quiet - we're hunting wabbits.... :D
It all looks grand, but I really dig the priest with the PPSh...In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the PPSh..... :o
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Looks to me like he’s holding it like a Stratocaster…….sees himself something of a rockstar!
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Maybe he leads a congregation of militant orthodox evangelicals.... 8)
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I've just caught up with this thread and I have to say it's amazing. Love the Church and grave markers but the Priest is a wonderful addition. Great work. :-* :-* :-*
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Mmm, hasenpfeffer for dinner. Rabbit is a fine meal.
it is literally the opposite
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Can't speak to hassenpfeffer itself - never had it. But I've had rabbit and it is exceptionally good to eat - and if you do a little research, it is one of the healthier and more environmentally friendly meats you can eat.
But back to the rabbit hutches, nice work, Digits.
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there's a report of one of the northern Canada trading companies that lived off rabbits and the low fat content leads to protein poisoning. It's fine occassionally, but you cannot live off it.
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I think the morale was you can’t live off rabbit alone….
Anyway, back on topic
The priest has taken up residence and is ready to rock’n’roll!
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4969.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Rock on!
What did you use for the gauze on the rabbit pens?
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£1.20 bought be a meter of net curtain….i can cut it up at my leisure.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2177.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Went through the whole thread, lovely work. I am a perticular fan of the armed Orthodox priest. Very nice.
Samuel
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Thanks fella!
Hutches done
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2182.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
There are rabbits in there…..hardly noticeable though 😒
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2180.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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£1.20 bought be a meter of net curtain….i can cut it up at my leisure.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2177.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Thanks a bunch, very useful!
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(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_2180.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Nicely done. They are noticeable enough.
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Good stuff - the priest looks great and the rabbits in the hutches are a nice touch.
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Love the carrot in one of the hutches - special treat day for that rabbit. Another getting some greenery - and the third thinking, "where's my meal?!"
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Indeed.
Something I picked up at Partizan…concrete pillbox.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/6aaed383-3959-4f3b-aa1a-3e83c6f0cd22.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Lovely work! I especially like the rabbit hutches! Very clever!
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Those rabbit hitches are indeed very cool. I like that pillbox, too.
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Partizans / militia painted. I have a small handful more from Artizan, but that will be enough I think.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/e2f54526-5a9e-4fb3-9f97-ef80cf3397b7.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/891d0aae-768e-48af-ba1e-2ebf09cbbcd1.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/dab8014d-15a0-44bd-b5d4-94ab23f0faf1.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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They look grand, particularly "in situ" like that...
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Good work David.
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Awesome battlefield, incredible detail!
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Diorama quality terrain!
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Very nice David.
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Diorama quality terrain!
Second on that one. Very, very nice work!
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Thank you very much gents! 😃
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Indeedy, it's a most impressive table.
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Diorama quality terrain!
What Freddy said.
Another superb collection of terrain, and it all works so well with that gaming mat.
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Superb - terrain/scenery and figures all look great. Well done.
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Awesome.
Love the rabbits!
T.
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Again, thanks all!
So, when you have some good sticks and a spare hour, these lumber piles are useful table scenics for blocking lines of sight and adding simple defences / barricades etc
I might be making a lumber mill at some point, so would also be good for that.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/50fa0e42-a142-4cef-aeaa-76d0b097fd57.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
By the way, you can pick up twigs and sticks outside the house of course, but I found and used these inexpensive sticks at Pets at Home. Already clean and nice and straight.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/09e223b1-5e34-4d51-83a7-b1965d4e9840.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
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Nice. By the way, I got a 3D printed bit of 'lumberyard' scatter recently - in 15 mm but almost certainly available in larger scales. But with your building skills, stick with your own.
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That's a great idea! Nicely done... :D
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Very nice.
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Finally managed to get the Russians on the table last weekend when Jamie came over for a game.
Simple Russian Counter Attack into the village edge.
My Russians attacking with one infantry platoon, commissar and a pair of early T34’s against Jamie’s German panzer grenadier platoon with a pak40 and MMG on tripod
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/b2dc2df5-6bcf-4dbf-a06c-3fa09af7f763.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
We didn’t get a lot of pics nor did I take notes so this is a quick telling of the action…suffice to say, an enjoyable foray into the Eastern Front.
I have somehow failed to upload the jump off point pic but in simple terms, the Germans pushed their positions forward into the trees in shadow at the bottom of the table as shown, along with two jump off points in the village centre. The Russians picked a point in each of the two low scrub points on their side of the table.
The Russians declared their hand first and deployed in overwatch, a section into the lower of the two thickets along with a tank just south of the road.
Jamie decided to push a section and the MMG into his forward deployment in order to delay any Russian push.
For a while this position traded shots with the lone section, taking a little HE from the tank.
The shock started to mount on both sides and suddenly the German NCO took an injury leaving him temporarily impotent and the Russians with 11 points of shock looking like they were about to be pinned.
Deciding now would be a good time to send in the commissar. His ability to remove shock meant he had to shot someone to restore order……the higher the roll, the more shock removed, but on a six, yes he’d remove 6 shock, but he would have determined the NCO was the problem…….SIX! His smoking pistol left the Sergeant dead on the floor, and the section snapped back into action.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/d5ce4e7b-fcfa-4bcc-95e0-d335e25c9cce.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/a65a67a0-c7c5-44de-8f47-27723ccb73ef.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
The Germans decided that the Russian advanced troops were vulnerable and their Senior Officer deployed to take over the squad with the injured NCO, and started to direct both the section and mg team, relieving shock where possible.
The pak40 deployed to cover the road and when the second T34 arrived, it and its companion were effectively shepherded into a partially blind position behind the occupied thicket, restricting their fire towards the German wooded area.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/1d933aff-0377-4094-bba2-f72ef4de5345.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
More German sections appeared, one into a wrecked house near the crossroads, and one on the left of Jamie’s table. This section wanted to move forward and bring more fire onto the Russian section hoping to break them quickly.
Once again the commissar had to smoke one of his men in order to keep them in the action. However more concentrated fire pinned them and the commissar, his face distorted with pure rage shot a third man, but failed to restore much order and inevitably, they broke and started to run for it….
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/2b19cae9-821d-4db8-b7db-bab10e04e29c.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
On my next throw, a double six finally gave me the window I needed and I was able to replace the displaced squad and bring on a third into the other thicket that began to engage the encroaching right section they faced.
The commander also deployed at the back of the first thicket and was able to remove shock from the fleeing remnants of fist squad….enough at least to ensure they weren’t broken should the turn end.
A few other officers were hit and more casualties inflicted…my mind a tad fuzzy….
The final action however saw concentrated fire from the newly arrived section in the original thicket, along with the HE fire from the tanks breaking the German section, which ran through their attached MMG team, both units running off the table. The senior leader attached to them ran too and the combined weight of rolls on bad things happen reduced the Germans morale to nothing!
Fun game, especially the increasingly frantic behaviour of the commissar!
Thinking I’m going to enjoy playing Russians………😉
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Sounds like you had fun. Got to love that Commissar, especially if you're German. lol lol lol
…my mind a tad fuzzy…./quote]
Aha! Finally joining the rest of us. :D
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To be fair….he did his job well! I’d have struggled loosing the squad too early for sure!
He adds a little flavour…..fun!
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Another great paint job from Jamie….SU122. He also painted my a third T34.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/075e2911-66c0-4510-a8db-eb815c544218.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
And some early / Mid War German opposition a few Pzr IIIJ’s and a IVG. I just added crew.
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/0d49e181-7a1d-462a-bc8c-18ff88c2a8de/e6243413-9ef1-42a1-840b-cb352ed678c4.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
I have ordered the new Warlord veterans box, and intend to paint them with a few Jebirgsjager to create a suitable German platoon or two….
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Fantastic weathering effects from Jamie there mate.
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Yes Jamie certainly does very good work.
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Amazing thread! :-* :-* :-*