Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => The Second World War => Topic started by: James Morris on May 18, 2014, 10:13:13 PM
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In preparation for the second public outing of our Battle of Keren game at Partizan on June 1st, I've been fiddling around with some Perry plastics to create some more interesting models for vignettes etc. I've also been robbing some parts from the Valiant Miniatures British Tommies (although allegedly 1/72 scale, they are actually very close to the Perrys' 1/56, I reckon more like 1/60.)
First up are some Sikh stretcher bearers:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/14024791197_c7ed636926_c.jpg)
Next are some British and Sikh casualties:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14211220194_dd5f78d4f1_c.jpg)
The backpacks are the metal Perry ones - these are great, they fit perfectly onto the models and add some nice variety. The grey heads are Valiant - they actually have a little deeper detail than the Perry ones, and also have hair, so good for a bit of character. You can see this even better in the next pic:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/14231539043_48628b53c7_c.jpg)
Here's a classic pairing - soldier helping his wounded mate back to the aid post. One of the running poses and the grenade-throwing arm really lent itself to this:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/14024717149_55a187c64b_c.jpg)
A pair of Sikhs carrying water to the front line (in the Battle of Keren around a third of the troops had to act as porters just to keep basic supplies going):
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/14024716239_ef96a1dfc3_c.jpg)
My British CO, Capt Michael Osborn, whose West Yorkshires finally took Fort Dologorodoc on 16th March 1941. Not much of a conversion this, I just wanted a figure who looked like he was pointing out the Italian MG post up the mountain.
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2906/14024758750_27a6e1d86a_c.jpg)
And some of his men of the West Yorkshires. Capt Osborn's eyewitness accout describes how his men wore orange and yellow 'screens' on their backs so as to be visible to their forward observers as they climbed the mountainous Fort Dologorodoc. (It didn't work, they still got shelled by their own side.) I've modelled the 'screens' with a bit of greenstuff attached to their backpacks; pretty rough (I hope it'll paint up OK) but probably not much different to the real thing improvised the night before the attack.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/14024721178_b23f4e8264_c.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14211230344_e6ea13ce10_c.jpg)
A West Yorks Bren team, again with a Valiant head. I've taken a leaf out of Scrivs' book and am going to prop up the Bren on a rock to fire uphill.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/14211229804_116feda95b_c.jpg)
And finally, something unusual: WW2 troops armed with shields. The Indian engineers at Keren improved shields to combat the menace of Italian 'red devil' grenades being rolled downhill. 5 feet tall and made out of corrugated iron, the shields were apparently very unwieldy and most found use as bivouacs. But I thought it'd be fun to make a couple in use:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/14208079341_9e6f783285_c.jpg)
The shields are made from corrugated iron roofing from a model railway stockist, hence the transparency. Hopefully they'll paint up well!
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/14024717889_b6fdc34945_c.jpg)
More pics when I have actually painted them...
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/13346461583_341d23d873_z.jpg)
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Excellent stuff! :) Posts like this is why I love this forum. I'd never heard of these shields. :)
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Fantastic stuff, looking forward to seeing it again at Partizan, it will undoubtedly look even better when not consumed by the vastness of Excel, where it was very imposing just the same.
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:-* :-* :-*Nice conversions and some good ideas for me to borrow! :D
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These are friggin' awesome...my only FOW army I ever did was British/Indian...lovely work here! Please do post more.
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Looks fun.
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Some very nice conversions
Keep up the inspiring work.
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Nice conversions!
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Cool! Very characterful! :o 8) 8)
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very exciting project- you have me interested.
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Have painted and based the Sikhs, here they are.
Water carriers:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/14243210561_99bfb6f1b9_c.jpg)
Chaps with mad anti-grenade shields. I suspect the man with the Thompson AND shield is just wishful thinking but he looks cool.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/14059853078_ec94a26e78_c.jpg)
Now I've made these I'll have to think of some rules for them.
The shields are black with a drybrush of gunmetal, a chestnut wash and a little dusty drybrushing. I think they look OK.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/14243212321_d586acc83f_c.jpg)
Sikh casualty:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/14223357236_f4fabf491c_c.jpg)
And finally, the stretcher bearers:
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/14059899200_67faf9a516_c.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14059913797_719213280c_c.jpg)
As I'm on holiday next week I'm hoping to get the rest done in time for Partizan on June 1st - do drop by and say hello if you're there.
Cheers
James
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/13346461583_341d23d873_z.jpg)
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all lovely stuff.
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Wonderful and inspirational work, James. So inspirational in fact that I shall probably nick a couple of your ideas for my own Perry plastics lol
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That stuff looks great! I have a mess to base up and your have inspired me!
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Those conversions looked good in the raw, they have painted up even better. Very, Very Nice.
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some very good conversions You have done there
I also must say that I am somewhat stunned to see 1/72 heads being large enough to match as well as better defined than even metal perry miniatures, or crisper for that matter. could the valiant ones be useful as youth or kids in 28mm?
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I have been following this thread and the one for the Keren game at Salute 2014, absolutely loved it. I have now read Barkers book on Eritrea 1941 (picked up one on Ebay), great read. i have a couple of questions as a result;
1: Shouldn't the water carriers be holding British flimsies i.e. 2 gallon or 4 gallon tins? I don't think British and Commonwealth had access to Jerry Cans until the Germans had suffered some reverses.
2: There is mention of armoured cars for the CIH and Skinners Horse, does anyone know what they were in? Were they the AC9s (CS9s) or had they been issued Marmon Herringtons. Doubt very much that they would have had Humbers.
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some very good conversions You have done there
I also must say that I am somewhat stunned to see 1/72 heads being large enough to match as well as better defined than even metal perry miniatures, or crisper for that matter. could the valiant ones be useful as youth or kids in 28mm?
if im correct (unlikey lol) in saying that Valiant is more 25mm, so closer to 28mm than 20mm
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I'd be more concerned that the jerrycans are rather smallish, didn't the italians use them too?
Anyway, I am waiting to see the free french
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sorry forgot to say in my last post...fantastic work, really inspiring me to start the perry figures i have. looking forward to seeing alot more :) :)
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Absolutely awesome stuff. If I ever get into WW2 skirmish I'll likely be stealing some of your ideas. The end results are nothing short of lovely - some of the most inspirational stuff I've seen on this forum. Awesome.
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some very good conversions You have done there
I also must say that I am somewhat stunned to see 1/72 heads being large enough to match as well as better defined than even metal perry miniatures, or crisper for that matter. could the valiant ones be useful as youth or kids in 28mm?
Thank you. Just swapping a few plastic bits around, really.
Valiant are marketed as 1/72 scale. Perry are sold as '28mm' and Michael P has been fairly clear that they are sized for 1/56 scale vehicles. Here's a comparison shot (I already posted this last year but it may be of interest) which shows that they are not too far off each other, size-wise. Valiant German on left, Perry Brit on right:
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8684982845_2acab9c175_c.jpg)
The Valiant heads are different to the Perry ones; they have more deeply incised detail in keeping with the style of the figures generally, which I find makes them a useful extra for characters and casualties.
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I have been following this thread and the one for the Keren game at Salute 2014, absolutely loved it. I have now read Barkers book on Eritrea 1941 (picked up one on Ebay), great read. i have a couple of questions as a result;
1: Shouldn't the water carriers be holding British flimsies i.e. 2 gallon or 4 gallon tins? I don't think British and Commonwealth had access to Jerry Cans until the Germans had suffered some reverses.
2: There is mention of armoured cars for the CIH and Skinners Horse, does anyone know what they were in? Were they the AC9s (CS9s) or had they been issued Marmon Herringtons. Doubt very much that they would have had Humbers.
I'm really glad you've been inspired to get the Barker book - definitely the best out there and a real shame it's OOP.
1. Yes. I just happened to have the Jerry cans in the bits box (admittedly small) and did some quick conversions. I'm afraid I didn't research these any further!
2. Dunno. I suspect they were older models but would have to do some more research to find out which.
Cheers
James
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I might start a thread on the ACs in use otherwise it might get lost in the admiration of your work which is really inspirational. :)
I was lucky with the Barker book, found someone in the US who was selling off her father's old books, got one on Greece 1941 as well.
I'm really glad you've been inspired to get the Barker book - definitely the best out there and a real shame it's OOP.
1. Yes. I just happened to have the Jerry cans in the bits box (admittedly small) and did some quick conversions. I'm afraid I didn't research these any further!
2. Dunno. I suspect they were older models but would have to do some more research to find out which.
Cheers
James
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Just cottoned on to this and really glad that I did.
:D
Some great conversions in there, very imaginative.
They paint up lovely too.
:-* 8) :-*
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Brilliant stuff James 8) 8) :-* :-*
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(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8684982845_2acab9c175_c.jpg)
this picture is a good reminder for people who consider uttering dogmatic remarks about scale and proportion.....
Your approach is really the best, to see what can be done with the material at hand
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Interesting theme and very nice miniatures and conversions. I am surprised about the comparison picture between Perry and Valiant.
Björn
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Finally got these based up on the eve of Partizan, ready for action on the tented mountain tomorrow! Here they are:
West Yorks riflemen and NCO
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5275/14313676014_a94469fda5_c.jpg)
Close up of two riflemen.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5116/14310950431_8c6139eaa8_c.jpg)
Back shot showing the yellow 'screens' - not sure I like them but the real things must have looked weird!
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5120/14291134206_0be6d4b397_c.jpg)
Capt Osborn command stand - spotting an Italian sniper, clearly. He looked rubbish until I gave him a moustache.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/14314279555_74fc00e683_c.jpg)
Bren team; my favourite since basing - I cut off a nice chunk of cork bark and it props up the Bren a treat.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5120/14314278845_9121f622bb_c.jpg)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5567/14314270025_eaf607ff64_c.jpg)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2901/14312430952_d17645258c_c.jpg)
Casualty with a mate stopping to help him out.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/14313661964_27c119307f_c.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/14127609538_5435b3319e_c.jpg)
Leg wound.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/14310935051_e6d9c4e9a1_c.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/14291120606_db31cb4d44_c.jpg)
That's it - cheers! See some of you at Partizan tomorrow.
James
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/13346461583_341d23d873_z.jpg)
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so very very nice :-*
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Are you doing the italians as well??
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Eventually got to see the game at Partizan and it was the bees knees. The game was fab, the idea for the angled playing board was inspired, the overall spectacle was stunning 8) 8) 8) 8) 8).
The conversions are very imaginative and i will of course be nicking your ideas James :)
Keep up the brilliant work!
Have the NI's got anything WWII Western Desert in the pipeline I wonder?
Darrell.
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Are you doing the italians as well??
Yes, see previous pics here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=60646.0 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=60646.0)
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=64826.0 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=64826.0)
Just finishing off a platoon of Bersaglieri. I'll post some pics when it's done.
Cheers
James
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Having seen the game at Partizan and having been blown away by just how brilliantly thought out and meticulously constructed it was it gives great pleasure to read back through this thread and see exactly how much hard work went into it....truly inspiring in regard to both gaming and model making.
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Having seen the game at Partizan and having been blown away by just how brilliantly thought out and meticulously constructed it was it gives great pleasure to read back through this thread and see exactly how much hard work went into it....truly inspiring in regard to both gaming and model making.
I agree, it was an inspired move to simulate the slopes on which the battle was fought in such a realistic manner. It was also inspired to have the pieces of the slopes designed so that they could hold the advancing infantry in such a way as to not detract from the steep slopes they were forces to scale to get to grips with the Italians.
The whole game was scattered with lovely converted vignettes (what were those loud speakers made out of?) and just well, really looked the part.
Highly impressive and inventive both aesthetically and technically! :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
It was great to see Paul and James (though I didn't see Dave anywhere[?]) and the Irregulars in action.
Darrell
Darrell.
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So...when and where can we find pics of the game? :-*
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I agree, it was an inspired move to simulate the slopes on which the battle was fought in such a realistic manner. It was also inspired to have the pieces of the slopes designed so that they could hold the advancing infantry in such a way as to not detract from the steep slopes they were forces to scale to get to grips with the Italians.
The whole game was scattered with lovely converted vignettes (what were those loud speakers made out of?) and just well, really looked the part.
Highly impressive and inventive both aesthetically and technically! :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
It was great to see Paul and James (though I didn't see Dave anywhere[?]) and the Irregulars in action.
Darrell
Darrell.
Cheers Darrell,
Thanks for the kind comments. We didn't have a Dave involved in the game this time, though if you mean Dave King he was running a super African IHMN Victorian game in the centre tent.
The speakers were simply ships' horns from a ship modelling website - Martin Hogg found them, and also built the Broadcasting House hut...
We don't have plans to do North Africa at the moment as East Africa is just as interesting, but it wouldn't be too hard as we seem to have most of the kit.
Cheers
James
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So...when and where can we find pics of the game? :-*
Did you see the Battle of Keren threads after Salute? There were umpteen pics and some game reports.
I've done an article for Wargames Illustrated about building the game which is due to appear very soon as well.
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Nope, I don't swing by the WW2 forum too much - but I get WI so I'll see it eventually!
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Nope, I don't swing by the WW2 forum too much - but I get WI so I'll see it eventually!
No sweat, just didn't want to bore you if you'd seen it already. The game got well documented after Salute on this thread:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=65636.0 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=65636.0)
There's a load of pics and even more on the accompanying blog links. Weirdly, we didn't take many photos at Partizan, even though the light levels were much better...
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Cheers Darrell,
Thanks for the kind comments. We didn't have a Dave involved in the game this time, though if you mean Dave King he was running a super African IHMN Victorian game in the centre tent.
Ah, missed that one- promised to leave at lunchtime- a promise I nearly kept too- left about 12;30 so didn't have time to take everything in sadly.
The speakers were simply ships' horns from a ship modelling website - Martin Hogg found them, and also built the Broadcasting House hut...
I don't know where you get the inspiration from never mind the gumtion to search out the necessary materials!
We don't have plans to do North Africa at the moment as East Africa is just as interesting, but it wouldn't be too hard as we seem to have most of the kit.
Maybe one day.... Siege of Tobruk? ;) ;) ;) :) :) :)
I'm currently thinking of doing something from Beda Fomm at skirmish level, where the Italians have a better chance than in a larger game in a smaller scale.
Darrell.