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Author Topic: CommissarMoody's cold war project.  (Read 5723 times)

Offline Wyrmalla

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #45 on: July 15, 2020, 02:24:15 PM »
If you're going ahead with the Stalhelm M1945s on the Russian bodies then modernising them a bit would help. Adding cloth covers or attachment points would be more in line with contemporary forces. Maybe the odd set of goggles, or a mounting bracket for NVGs.

I'd probably say maybe modify the Russian webbing a bit too with some East German kit. Or at least items in their style - even if they're not period correct. Stick on some old canteens or Soviet era pouches and bags perhaps. To give the impression that they State's forked out for Ratnik (or been given it), though have integrated it with their older equipment - rather than replacing everything.

If it were me I'd go for another approach though. Ah, instead going for a 1960s setting where the East was absorbed by the West, or WWII never ended. So similar figures, and things like BRDMs, but with Knights crosses on the sides. Or you could go the other way and stick a Hammer and Sickel on the side of a Leopard. I'm testing out turning those same Under Fire Miniatures East Germans into Cold War Nazi figures right now actually, which unsurprisingly doesn't take too much work. :)



Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #46 on: July 15, 2020, 11:15:51 PM »
I am working on adding a few things to make them more East German. Like I have already added those roundish backpack/bed rolls that on their upper backs.
And I will have to figure out how to add nods mounts with my limited sculpting ability. So we shell see how that works.
Or I might hit up and TAG and snag some of the items from their weapons' and equipment range. I can see some of the old style German water bottles, E-tools and equipment pouches still being used.

Biggest problem I have is weather to keep the old grey green rains drop pattern uniform, or go with something else. And if so what?
If I keep the older pattern uniform, then that means grey webgear.
So should I also paint the body armor in grey, rain drop pattern or hell go with Russian ratnik pattern on the body armor? Saying it is loner/gifted Gear or some thing.
As for background, I am saying the point of departure is that after WW2 Danzig was allowed to go back to being a neutral fee city. And East Prussia was not depopulated and remained part of the DDR. Or was gifted back to the DDR in the 60s as some kind of good faith measure.
 
Ether way when the reformer vote failed in 89 and, the wall was being torn down. The party heads and faithful fled to their stronghold of East Prussia. And held out their while the block fell around them.
I'll say that they tried to help the Soviet Union maintain the Baltic States, but lived under a paranoid siege state thru out the 90s with their only friends being nations like Cuba, Belarus, Russia, PRC..etc.
Then the 2000 came along, limited reforms, change of the old guard and Russia opening up lead to them getting back into the game.
That's my idea so far.
For campaign hooks.
Danzig being a free natural city annoys them. Especial with all the contraband being smuggled in by the Vistula Lagoon.
Posable border Conflict over the Lithuania Memel-Land. Or some kind of Curonian Spit/Lagoon war.
Internal conflicts, could be Prodemocracy groups, Kursenieki Liberation groups, Lithuanian Forest Brother Movement in the Memel region if still occupied. 
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 06:59:44 AM by commissarmoody »
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Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #47 on: July 16, 2020, 07:29:27 AM »
If it were me I'd go for another approach though. Ah, instead going for a 1960s setting where the East was absorbed by the West, or WWII never ended. So similar figures, and things like BRDMs, but with Knights crosses on the sides. Or you could go the other way and stick a Hammer and Sickel on the side of a Leopard. I'm testing out turning those same Under Fire Miniatures East Germans into Cold War Nazi figures right now actually, which unsurprisingly doesn't take too much work. :)

Also a pretty cool idea, you got a thread up for that? Or is sit sill in the workshop phase?

Offline Wyrmalla

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #48 on: July 16, 2020, 09:56:48 AM »
If you're going for a sort of East German remnants State then I'd play up the conflicting nature of their gear. Perhaps with them being in an interim phase between switching from the old to the new stuff. Or having made a failed attempt to modernise, though ran out of funds before it could  be completed.

Practically, from a propoganda perspective - on what's projected to the general public and the higher ups actually making the purchase orders - new uniforms give the appearance of a modern force. So a fictionalised digital camo or pixelated version of one of the East German schemes may work. Without just straight up giving them Russian uniforms. Or you go the other way and have them being East Germans in every way, barring their armour and the odd bit of "modern" equipment they've managed to buy in on a limited budget.

You don't want just some Russian figures wearing East German helmets though. So I'd say play up the differences in the gear - erring towards 1990s stocks - with the occasional bit of new stuff. Like they've managed to modernise so far, though either through a lack of budget, political willpower, or an outside power's only drip feeding them gear as a token political move, they're not quite there.

In which case as for vehicles, go entirely with Cold War stocks. Potentially modernised to eek a few more years out of it all. I'm thinking of say Transnistria - where they used what vehicles they had to fill in the gaps in their arsenal. Turning tanks into APCs, or artillery tractors into rocket launchers. The East Germans at least were fairly mechanised while they were still a state, so whilst what they'd have post-Cold War would be outdated, it could still be the top of the line for the 1980s.



I'd probably chuck my own stuff in that existing Weird Wars thread of mine. Though its been something that's been worked on, on and off for months. The East German conversions just happen to be something I'm working on at the moment. The idea being to put together a platoon of figures in the style of CP Model's own alt-history 20mm range - in a parody to later forces in terms of armament and structure. What I've came up with for these few infantry models I'm converting right now doesn't look terrible at least (and they'll replace the existing alt history infantry I'd made ages ago - which I unfortunately stripped, so can't really sell off).

Its something which is still ongoing. I just decided to redo my modern forces in 1/56th, so that's a time sink (there's four BTR-4 plasticard shells sitting waiting finishing in a pile...). And loads of WWII stuff to do as well for Italian, Romanian, German and Soviet forces.  ::)

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #49 on: July 16, 2020, 11:30:15 AM »
All good ideas.
Well seeing as my sculpting ability is not the best, I order a few sets of German Water bottle's, pouches and entrenching from TAG. They look close enough to some of the stuff the NVA used and will help age the guys a bit who do have them.

I am angling to the Idea that the 90s was a wreak for them, With sanctions, depressed economy and high under employment. But as Russia starting to rise again the 2000's they did too. With Russia being their biggest trade partner. And the Russians "renting" their port faculties for their Baltic fleet.
Most of their kit will be modernized or refurbished older kit. With many quick starts and equally quick stops to modernization. With much of their modern kit being loaners from the Russian Federation. Seeing as how most of their Defense industry was abandoned in the old DDR. This keeps them relatively well armed, but not strong enough to stand up to Russia.
 
Thus the keeping of the older style helmet. They have tons in storage, they are distinct, and are considered Symbolic as well. But there have been slight nods to modernization with better straps, improved ballistic lining, and hearing protection. This make them heaver, but hey the bean counters don't have to wear them.  lol

I think I'll keep the uniform the same. But will experiment with a digital style. They might end up looking a little like the USMC desert pattern. But grey green and grey kit instead of coyote brown.

As for vehicles, I do have a T-55AM hanging out. I am thinking of adding a remote turret to the command hatch to replace the poor quality DShK that came with it. I have the 3 BTR 60s that I got for my Cold war project. So they will pull double duty.
But I also have 2 BTR80A2s from Empress so They will be for the politically reliable units Say the Luftsturm Brigade 40.
(I am saying its the most modern of the Ground forces and Patterned on the Russian 45th Guards Spetznaz Brigade. So mostly professionals and long service politicly reliable conscripts. Airborne, Air Assault, Raid, recon, internal security and counter insurgency force. With its first Battalion, "Fallschirmjägerbataillon 2" filling the role of Direct action, raids, Spec ops style stuff)

And I will track down some BMPs for the Panzer Units.
Might pick up a GAZ Tiger for the VolksPolizei or Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment, internal security being paramount.
For Air Craft, I have a few Hinds, Mi-2s, And a Ka-50. The Hokum being the more modern of all of that. So might use one of the Hinds and Mi-2s for the modern version and keep the other ones for the cold war gone hot thing. 
 

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #50 on: July 17, 2020, 11:13:14 AM »
Well made a few more last night. The ultra modern segment will have to wait for a week or two while the orders from TAG and Shapeways to arrive.











I will get back to working on the regular NVA and maybe move my UltraModern dudes to a post page.

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #51 on: February 02, 2022, 12:04:50 AM »
Found this on a TW2000 page. So I guess when I get back to this project, I will need to make a Beilin Brigade VW Beetle.  :D

Offline CapnJim

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #52 on: February 02, 2022, 05:36:45 PM »
Hmm.  Never saw one of those during my all-expense paid 3-year vacation to the BRD.  Then again, I didn't get up to Berlin while there.  All we had like that were puke-green Chrysler K-Cars...
"Remember - Incoming Fire Has the Right-of-Way"

Offline carlos marighela

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #53 on: February 03, 2022, 12:29:36 AM »
Found this on a TW2000 page. So I guess when I get back to this project, I will need to make a Beilin Brigade VW Beetle.  :D

Cute but what you really want is an East German Trabbie Kubel. The Germans have a passion for converting marginal performance front wheel drive vehicles into jeep substitutes
Em dezembro de '81
Botou os ingleses na roda
3 a 0 no Liverpool
Ficou marcado na história
E no Rio não tem outro igual
Só o Flamengo é campeão mundial
E agora seu povo
Pede o mundo de novo

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #54 on: February 05, 2022, 01:37:07 PM »
Cute but what you really want is an East German Trabbie Kubel. The Germans have a passion for converting marginal performance front wheel drive vehicles into jeep substitutes

it's looks horrible, that means I need on.  lol

Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #55 on: February 05, 2022, 01:40:03 PM »
Hmm.  Never saw one of those during my all-expense paid 3-year vacation to the BRD.  Then again, I didn't get up to Berlin while there.  All we had like that were puke-green Chrysler K-Cars...

My folks picked up two of them when we first stationed in Ramstine in 86. They were always breaking down and were a lovely shade of burnt orange.  :D

Offline FreakyFenton

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #56 on: February 05, 2022, 07:01:56 PM »
Cute but what you really want is an East German Trabbie Kubel. The Germans have a passion for converting marginal performance front wheel drive vehicles into jeep substitutes

Haha, that reminds me of the Western equivalent, the Munga.

https://www.menzels-lokschuppen.de/out/pictures/master/product/5/1461-tg5055_5.jpg

Looking forward to what vehicles will appear!
"No human being would stack books like -that-!" -Dr. Peter Venkman

Offline FreakyFenton

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #57 on: February 05, 2022, 07:06:21 PM »
Also sorry to noit have responded on the camo question above, but this site (albeit in german) provides a few good photos of camouflage material of the GDR as well as some unique rarely seen ones. Hope it helps!

https://www.tierfreunde-luebben.de/44101.html

Offline carlos marighela

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #58 on: February 05, 2022, 09:05:56 PM »

My folks picked up two of them when we first stationed in Ramstine in 86. They were always breaking down and were a lovely shade of burnt orange.  :D

Well, you know what the ads said. ‘If you can find a better car, buy it!’ Obviously your parents failed to heed their advice.  :D

If it makes you feel any better, the absolute apogee of US car design, at least in my experience, was probably the Chevy Corsa. I had the pleasure of being in one in the middle of nowhere in Brazil.* This particular Chevy, albeit Brazilian manufactured, suffered a series of faults and its final meltdown was preceded by all of the electric windows failing….just as we were hit by a tropical storm of Biblical proportions. I’d say about 2 inches of rain fell in about twenty minutes, most of which seemed to fall inside the car. After that the car lost all interest in automative function. Oh well, by that time it had failed as a tent, let alone a car.  Of course I’ve never driven an Edsel or a Pinto.


* Almost literally, about 100 km east of the Araguaia River.

There’s a 1/43 diecast Trabbie Kubel out there if you are interested.



Offline commissarmoody

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Re: CommissarMoody's cold war project.
« Reply #59 on: February 07, 2022, 09:37:43 AM »
Well, you know what the ads said. ‘If you can find a better car, buy it!’ Obviously your parents failed to heed their advice.  :D

If it makes you feel any better, the absolute apogee of US car design, at least in my experience, was probably the Chevy Corsa. I had the pleasure of being in one in the middle of nowhere in Brazil.* This particular Chevy, albeit Brazilian manufactured, suffered a series of faults and its final meltdown was preceded by all of the electric windows failing….just as we were hit by a tropical storm of Biblical proportions. I’d say about 2 inches of rain fell in about twenty minutes, most of which seemed to fall inside the car. After that the car lost all interest in automative function. Oh well, by that time it had failed as a tent, let alone a car.  Of course I’ve never driven an Edsel or a Pinto.


* Almost literally, about 100 km east of the Araguaia River.

There’s a 1/43 diecast Trabbie Kubel out there if you are interested.
Hell i would be interested, and just tracked down a few for cheap on Ebay.  Thanks for pointing that out.

And yeah, that wasn't their first chose of transportation. My dad had to leave his Shelby Cobra State side when we got posted to Germany in care of a friend. (Who later stole it, lots of drama there) And we had to wait for his Ford Ranger to arrive with the rest of are household goods almost a year after we arrived in country.
My mom wound up driving I think a BMW 3 Series tell she picked up a SAAB.
If memory Serves an old E28 built in 83 was my first car in 2002. Had a lot of get up and go, just had to watch out in the passenger side seat, the floor had rusted out where your feet were supposed to go.  lol
But if never left me stranded on the side of the road at least.