CoC - Western Front - Martlet Map 3 Game 6 report

[Digits]

Thank you chaps.

Yes, Empress are very nice minis for sure....anatomically better etc.....but I have to say, I find these Warlord minis more animated, which for this game, suits where I think they should be.  I see more figures dashing to reach safety and hugging cover...whereas the poses on the Empress are more upright, almost casual.  I want to feel the action, not just stare at perfect minis. 

If I needed larger numbers, I would of course add them in, but I have one of their mg team packs, and they are closer in stature to the Offensive Miniatures pack I bought.


Saying that....if I could find the right reason to buy one....I’d have a u-boat from them in a shot! Lol

[has.been]

Saying that....if I could find the right reason to buy one....I’d have a u-boat from them in a shot! Lol

Would that make you a SUB Romanic Brit?

[Digits]

 

That was bad! 

[FreakyFenton]

Both the figures in the Parkas and the Zeltbahns look quite good! Great work on them and top job at converting them!

They do look like very action ready lot! 

[Digits]

Cheers bud.  Yup, glad I did the zeltbahns but now exhausted my supply.  I’m not looking for any more of them....just thought it would look an interesting combo.

Hopefully I have a few Artizan minis coming soon from Northstar which will bump the number of gun crew I need for the Pak40.   Can anyone tell me, does the junior leader need to be based separately or with the rest of the crew please?  I’m inclined to do him separately so he can be used elsewhere with other chosen options when necessary.   

I don’t recall ever putting more than three crew on any gun when I did rapid fire, 6 seems a lot!  Luckily I have a few mdf round bases big enough....

[Scrubber]

Operation Greif. Do yourself some German GI’s that will confuse the opposition.

[Digits]

 

Maybe a few American MP’s and I had thought of buying a panther and painting it green.....

Mostly I’m just concentrating on my core platoon and limited support options.

Still painting the core platoon, but once my additional AT crew arrive, I should have the following based and primed for painting.

Sniper Team
Flame Thrower Team
Forward Observer
HMG Team
Pak40
Additional Squad
Senior Leader

Vehicles currently owned
Hanomag
STuG
3 x Pzr IV

Other bits to buy, Infantry Gun, Tank Crew, Schwimwagon, Jagdpanther.

I can’t find any combat pioneers without spending too much to represent minefield clearance / obstacle clearance teams.....so I may need to get creative.


I also intend to make a start on some scenery.   

I have some Renedra palisade fencing which I intend to combine with hedging.  Usually only see either fencing or hedging stand alone, but I want the two inter mingled, much of it “doubled up” ie with the hedge growing against / through the fence.  The palisade fencing looks old and it should complement the idea.

[FreakyFenton]

Regarding the PaK here's a picture from the Bundesarchiv showing five crew. It depends at times. Of course you can go realistic, but some games like Bolt Action use simplified crew numbers. Alternatively I'd stick to what CoC says.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/7,5-cm-PaK_40#/media/Datei:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-024-3543-09,_Ostfront,_Soldaten_an_7,5cm_Pak.jpg

Warlord Games do a Panther from the Ardennes campaign, ready with the camouflage and all to look like an american vehicle. I could check my Osprey book for more pictures on it though. From what I read the Greif troopers weren't popular though. And rightly so. Changing uniform violated certain codes of the Geneva convention to clearly discern enemy combatants.

Amusing as it may be, Skorzeny himself said, the faux M10's that were actually Panthers would only fool american recruits. In the dark of the night. At a distance. 

[Digits]

Agreed.....not really the focus of our games I think!

Thanks for the crew picture......yup, I will have five crew but I also need five for the IG.18...AND I see I’m supposed to have five on the MG42!   I’ve already based that as a three....I may just have to have a few standing troopers to dot about it.

[Shahbahraz]

I've sourced a couple of spares with ammo boxes that I add to the gun crews supplied with the model as a separate base - and I usually do the Junior Leader separate for Chain of Command. As I'm unlikely to field a PaK, a LfGe and a HMG on tripod simultaneously, it kept down the amount of painting time required.

[Digits]

I don’t believe it...was looking for something else and found a bag of crew I didn’t even know I had!

Ok....5 plus a junior leader it is!

[FreakyFenton]

They're quite good. I particularly like the bloke sitting on the stabilizer/towing implement. Nice! Looking forward to seeing them painted!

[Digits]

They are a mix.  Artizan older winter crew / newer winter crew and a warlord guy from the mortar pack.   Still leaves me with extra crew for the IG.18.

I have a fortnight off now and the intent is to get the rest of these minis and support options painted (except the AFV’s).

We’ve reached a decision on buildings.  My collaborator has a thing for laser cut and I’m a stickler for resin.   With that in mind, I’m going to concentrate on more rural areas, and he on urban.  I’ve just placed an order on Total Battle Miniatures for their farm and a few other out buildings as I will concentrate on that first.

In time I would like to add a chateau and a church, also from the same supplier.

If I end up playing Eastern Front....there are others in the group with plenty of scenery I think!

[Shahbahraz]

I'm looking forward to seeing these all painted up. I shall watch with interest.

[Digits]

Well this is what I have to paint the next two weeks...