Kwangtung Army Security Detachment, South Manchuria Railway Zone, 192X

[WarlordFish]

The first major hobby project I've ever finished. Started on August 7th, and completed today, August 28th. I proudly present Major Tanaka and his Manchurian Stormtroopers, a detachment of the Kwangtung Army tasked with preforming anti-bandit security along the South Manchuria Railway, some time in the late 1920s.



The Major, depicted with sword in hand, is a glory seeking martinet. Behind him is Ka Squad, his most experienced soldiers. Well drilled and highly motivated, they've been in China for at the very least one full tour. However their combat experience has mostly consisted of shooting at bandits and the occasional craven warlord solder.



Major Tanaka's second in command is quite his opposite. Lt Sulu, seen here on horseback with sword, is a cavalier playboy from a well connected family. His squadron reflects their leaders attitude, ill-disciplined but daring riders none the less.  Sulu's family connections have even netted his Major quite the boon. Japan has only just started experimenting with Armor, one of the precocious few imported British Whippet tanks has been assigned to the cavalry squadron for trials and testing. The crew is green and inexperienced with their metal steed, but what they lack in skills they makeup for with spirit.



Ro Squad, the second and larger infantry squad under Major Tanaka is fresh from the academy. Eager and on their first deployment these young soldiers have yet to experience the thrill and terror of anyone actually shooting back at them. Yet. 



Aside from the aforementioned tank, the other heavy assets of Tanaka's Stormtroopers are a bog standard MMG and a medium mortar. Chemical shells included. A general purpose transport truck rounds out the ground assets, capable of comfortably carrying 6 men, or 8 with two on the running boards, the Major also has it schlep the Type 3 Machine Gun with it shooting out the back like some sort of motorized Tachanka. It can also haul the mortar around, so it can keep up with the troops.



And finally, a questionably lit group shot on their shelf. The whole Company, officially my Manchurian Stormtroopers, can't fit in my light box all at one. I still can't seem to take nice pictures though, gotta invest in a digital camera.
I can't emphasize enough how happy and proud I am to have finished this project. In all my years hobbying these guys here are the first large scale army I've ever finished. Sure in the past I've finished loads of one offs and maybe even a single squad here and there, but never have I sat down and powered through a project quite like this.

All I have left to do is get them an Airplane. But that's for the future.

[OSHIROmodels]

Lovely work 

[WarlordFish]

Lovely work 

Thank you! I have a couple of your Chinese houses as the core of my Manchurian village!

[marianas_gamer]

Very nice. I like your work around of using Chinese minis in the fur hats for Kwangtung Army troops. I have wanted some of this period Japanese troops for a long time and it is a gaping hole in availability for the BOB.

[OSHIROmodels]

Thank you! I have a couple of your Chinese houses as the core of my Manchurian village!

  Looking forward to seeing what you do with them 

[sir_shvantselot]

Really beautiful.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work! 👍

[scotty]

superb work

[aircav]

Cracking stuff 

[armchairgeneral]

Very nice indeed  Have you painted opponents for them to fight against?

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

A really splendid force, well done!   

[WarlordFish]

Very nice indeed  Have you painted opponents for them to fight against?

Oh yes, they're well on their way. I may start a large continuous project thead as several posters have here, and keep my BoB projects contained there.

Thanks all for the kind words, I'm grateful to hear it.

[Dr Bogo]

Really great work mate - cracking painting and the backstories add to it, thanks for posting!

[FramFramson]

Very nice. I like your work around of using Chinese minis in the fur hats for Kwangtung Army troops. I have wanted some of this period Japanese troops for a long time and it is a gaping hole in availability for the BOB.

This this. What's the source of the minis overall, cavalry, traditional officers, etc.? Obviously a great chunk is Copplestone Chinese, but was there any converting? 

[WarlordFish]

This this. What's the source of the minis overall, cavalry, traditional officers, etc.? Obviously a great chunk is Copplestone Chinese, but was there any converting?

No converting aside from the cavalry carrying flag, just collecting from a wide source.

The bulk of the infantry and cavalry is indeed copplestone castings as is the mortar. The SMG toting NCOs are from pulpfigures, the Type 3 MMG is from empress miniatures, and both officers are from Bolt Action, the whippet from 1st corps and the truck from eBay. A matchbox "of yesteryear".

I've been looking for 20s and early 30s appropriate Kwangtung for a long time. I'm working on a big ole Back of Manchuria project and part of it is to cover and game the invasion of Manchuria and subsequent pasifation of Manchukuo/operations in inner Mongolia. Japanese infantry that looked the part had always been a problem though, untill one night I was having a beer when the idea hit me. I had a mess of fur hat warlord troops I'd not done anything with, and I'd seen a bunch of fur hat wearing Kwangtung Army troops in photos so I decided to paint up a test mini. Needless to say I found it fit the requirements quite nicely!

These are the first major baddie in my project. I have some IJNLF to do, but after I finish some warlord troops.