Question: German Zeppelin Droptroops

[former user]

Hi
so, I found the Pulp Zeppelin Troopen with Gasmask


and the Artizan Nachtjager


to fit together quite well, so I bought them

OK, the weapons are a few Years apart, but never mind
However, I lack a bit of inspiration how to paint them.
I've seen Agis' Version,

 but I am looking for something else

any ideas, pics or other inspiration please?

[answer_is_42]

Do you have a Zeppelin to drop them from?

Is there any evidence of German (or anyone else, for that matter) troops attacking from airships? Was the idea ever brought up?
'twould be interesting to know.

[Westfalia Chris]

Is there any evidence of German (or anyone else, for that matter) troops attacking from airships? Was the idea ever brought up?
'twould be interesting to know.

Not historically AFAIK, but the 1971 movie "Zeppelin" is based on that premise.

[former user]

OK, so
didn't know that one - "Zeppelin"
there are Drop troops in "Rocketeer", but with Gebirgsjäger uniform.

I never intended this to be historical in any way, they will not be "Germans" but anarchist Freikorps from Germany.

I have to Zeppelin Bodies that will be made into Blimps, and I intend to build a 84 cm long battlecruiser with attachable underside to make it an Aeroneff, for which I already have the revell flower class corvette kit in 1/72.

so, any inspiration for the uniforms?
I also have the other Zeppelin troopres from Pulp Figures, but these will be "regulars"

[Plynkes]

Black with red bits (cuffs, gloves, piping, etc.) if they are Anarchists.

[former user]

well, this would be obvious of course, and I thought about that, but, well, not really a war-uniform

maybe black facings and red piping?

I've seen a version of regulars without helmets and gasmasks, with a glossy shiny blackish overall and brownish equipment, but this would be to "raygun gothic" although they looked quite nice.
Also, I need to consider some two-part uniform because of the helmets and the trench armour and knee-pads.

maybe WWI camouflage on the armour and anthracite-grey for the jumpsuit?
there was french camouflage in WWI too, but I've never seen any pictures

I will also replace the bases with removable ones of wood planking for the deck, the original ones are too thick.
I also thought of replacing the jetpacks with a hook to suspend them on dropropes for "abseiling"

[Red Orc]

...

I never intended this to be historical in any way, they will not be "Germans" but anarchist Freikorps from Germany.

...

Not trying to be deliberately obtuse here, and I see that you have put "never intended this to be historical in any way" and I understand what that means, honest, but... what on earth could "Anarchist Freikorps" mean?

The Freikorps were demobbed soldiers who fought the Bolsheviks in the Baltic States before coming back to Germany and helping the Socialists put down the workers' uprisings in Berlin and Munich; they had very right wing sympathies, and I believe were an influence on the Nazis, who adopted the Swastika from them.

Anarchists supported the Russian Revolution and the German workers' risings, and mostly were shot by the very same Freikorps that massacred the Communists. How can some people - 'Anarchist Freikorps' - be both a group, and another group implacably opposed to themselves?

Even if you just mean 'Anarchist mercenaries' that doesn't really work either, as Anarchists tend to favour neither money, nor war...

I'm sorry former user, I really don't understand.

[Westfalia Chris]

"Anarchist Freikorps"! My, they will be at each other's throats faster than the Judaean Popular Front!

Anarchist Zeppelin Militia. Now that might be one way to set them up.

[Wirelizard]

"Anarchist Freikorps"! My, they will be at each other's throats faster than the Judaean Popular Front!

Anarchist Zeppelin Militia. Now that might be one way to set them up.

Organized anarchists. In uniforms, yet! Very pulpy, I like it! 

The PF Zepptruppen are awesome figures; a friend bought the whole line when we got into pulp a few years back. They've appeared in a number of our games, frequently facing off with my PF Gyro Raiders and other flyers!

I like the thought of black uniforms with red trim & piping, and perhaps some late-WW1 style German camo accents. Regardless of what the faction winds up being called, that sounds like an awesome uniform.

[Mr.Dodo]

Red uniforms put me in mind of the old Cobra action figures for G.I Joe!
 I love these figures, and have painted them pretty much as WW1 troops. By coincidence I found a copy of Zeppelin! this weekend for 50p. Indeed, they are basically used as paras and even use gas masks as they gas a secret complex beneath a ruined Scottish castle. The Pulp figures are actually a lot cooler and have more smg's, which the guys in the film frankly could have done with! As Zeppelins are notoriously difficult to use I'm planning to use mine on a flying sky base, attacked by rocket troops.

[Red Orc]

"Anarchist Freikorps"! My, they will be at each other's throats faster than the Judaean Popular Front! ...

"I thought we were the Popular Front."

"People's Front!"... "Splitter!"

etc.

Anarchist Zeppelin Militia. Now that might be one way to set them up.

Yeah, I understand that... these words make sense (well, a bit of sense!) when you put them together... even Anarchist Zeppelin Commandos or something. I can grasp the notion of a crack Anarchist assault team using a Zeppelin. Probably shouldn't worry too much about uniforms though!

[Poliorketes]

Zeppelin Assault would be the craziest kind of suicide imaginable - the germans had no access to Helium (the US being the only nation up to WW2) and used Hydrogenium instead - Zeppellins being flying bombs. Remember the Hindenburg?

But as this is pulp us germans for sure found some way to produce synthetic Helium

[Red Orc]

Perhaps the Anarchist Scientists of the May 1st People's Airship Factory managed to find it?

Or being crazy anarchists, maybe they don't care that they're in a giant bomb!

Maybe that's what makes them such good shocktroopers? "I know it's dangerous out there sibling-comrade, but not as dangerous as it is in here..."

[former user]

Even if you just mean 'Anarchist mercenaries' that doesn't really work either, as Anarchists tend to favour neither money, nor war...
I'm sorry former user, I really don't understand.

OK, so the problem here seems to be the word "Freikorps"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freikorps
well, I stated "Anarchist" Freikorps, in order to set it apart from the other ones (socialist, reightwing etc.). The basic idea for me would be veterans, disbanded soldiers, disillusioned and revolutionary, and available for money. If You now add the interwar Anarchist movements, from Machno to SCW, You have organised troops.
Now comes the fictional element - the "Anarchist International", that is behind the "Anarchistic" movements, and that Supports Anarchism Worldwide, anti-faschist, anti-communist, anti-totalitarian  (anti-hierarchy, not disorganization is for me the essence of anarchism)
Notable leaders of the Anarchist International were Machno, Captain Nemo, Robur the Conqueror, Eric Blair   ...

and finally, the fact that some of the Freikorps did contribute to the rise of faschism in Germany and were partly absorbed into Reichswehr and SA does not make them all right-wing in retrospective.....
What about the socialists who fought the SA in the streets?

The interwar period was very anarchic, many newly organised movements struggled for concepts and many were simply misused for others' agendas.
Does the fact that british faschists dragged many women of the "Suffragette" Movement into their organisation make the women liberation faschist as such?

No intention to start a political controversy here, I only wanted to explain the "alternative history twist" ....  

I hope this makes a bit sense, and otherwise, the humoristic twist caught up by the others is intended too  

I am a bit bored of researching a suitable interwar fraction without political connotation so I bent the facts a bit and invented one of my own, that can turn up in any context.
And, btw, the Anarchist International doeas have access to Helium....
or unobtainium, liftwood, aether or whatever...

As to the miniatures
well, there will also be a submarine, boats and an aeroneff.
So how about the uniforms now?

black with red piping or tunics, sandals and stones?
and otter noses, yes....  
I must say that the black jumpsuits, brown gear, and camo helmet and trench armour does ring a bell here....
maybe the WWI camo style but with different colours? streetfight camo?
how about the french WWI camo?

Fat cigars are a must!

My other army, colonists of african ancestry for a desert planet for 40K rules include many smoking figures, but all smokes are painted white and have a conical shape 

[joroas]

The idea of camouflaged German helmets in WWI seems to be apocryphal.  I think latest research is inclined to disagree.  I even came across a reference recently to someone who painted German helmets with camouflage to raise the price he could sell them at to souveneir hunters.