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Author Topic: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force  (Read 14976 times)

Offline sundayhero

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Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« on: February 26, 2015, 12:32:07 PM »
Hi,

Following this topic :

Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : african force

In this topic I'll post my work in progress concerning my Bush Wars thematic, focused on Portugal Guerra do Ultramar (Independence war in Angola, Guine Bissau and Mozambique 1961-1974), this time for the portuguese side of the conflict.


The portuguese figures will be based on 20mm scale metal Liberation miniatures Rhodesia, african and south african range, modified to fit my needs.

The portuguese force will be composed of an light infantry platoon, and 4 "paper strength" (according to FoF bush wars supplement) special forces commando teams. Here's the whole figures I will be using (in order) :

platoon HQ

3 infantry squads (divided in 5men fireteams)

4 commando teams
« Last Edit: February 26, 2015, 12:52:52 PM by sundayhero »

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2015, 12:32:58 PM »
Learning from my previous works, I will organize the work in a more eficient way. This time, I will not work on the entire force, but each unit one by one. This way, I will keep the work interesting, I'll also keep time for other projects remaining.

Another thing I learned from previous projects is to always find a way to easily identify leaders and specialists on the battlefield.

Regular infantry will wear typical double peaked cap, and infantry leaders will wear a brown beret (like the commandos, this way I'll be able to use them to reinforce commando teams if needed).

COmmandos will wear brown berets (wich was common for both commandos and regulars during a long period of the Ultramar war) with sometimes (if the figure sculpt have it) crimson scarf, and commando leaders will stay bare headed, with a crimson scarf around the neck.

I started with the figures needing the biggest amount of work. I first worked on a south african scout with a SMG, transforming it  in a radio operator. There is some proper figures in liberation minis (you'll see them later), but I simply missed one to complete the force, so I did with what I had.

I also swapped the leader header from another figure, reworking the joint with a greenstuff shirt details, and neck scarf.

Finally, I added some berets (when needed), and changed the FN FAL weapons into more convincing portuguese licensed G3 rifles (I still need to rework them a bit, especially make the front sights thinner). Some of the weapons are captured russian weapons (common habit during the real conflict).

The team contains two native african soldiers, wich was very common in portuguese army (and even more in special forces, maybe).

Now I have to add pants (portuguese were not wearing shorts during missions) and some accessories to identify a grenade gunner too.

Here's the pics. In order :

full 6men team
team leader
RPG operator
Radio operator
RIfleman
Rifleman

Note that the support LMG operator is only visible (left) on the team picture, because it was used full stock, from the Liberation Miniatures african range.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2015, 01:04:47 PM by sundayhero »

Offline Ray Earle

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2015, 09:41:11 PM »
Keeping an eye on this. A very interesting project.  :D
Ray.

"They say I killed six or seven men for snoring. It ain't true. I only killed one man for snoring."


Offline juergen c. olk

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2015, 10:28:54 PM »
Looking good. And your right ,it is mentally easier to paint and complete in small batches.

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2015, 10:53:59 PM »
thank you both for your comments ! Working on unit based batchs is less like "factory work". When I finished my hundred talibans, I thought that I didn't want to do this again  lol



THe first commandos squad is finished, here's the pics (note the "energa" grenades backpack on one of the riflemen).

I wanted to start the 2nd one, but I injuried my finger, trying to cut a gpmg to resculpt a more proper portuguese weapon. I only obtain a nice cut...in my finger flesh  :lol:

Anyway, it's all for today. At least a squad is completed.

Offline Ash

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2015, 10:55:12 PM »
Small batches = good idea. I keep making the mistake of doing platoon sized groups, I get a much better result  on the painting, doing one squad at a time.

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2015, 11:18:39 PM »
It's also a lot funnier. It doesn't sound like a job anymore  lol

Today I prepared the first unit for painting , they are "almost" ready (I have to finish primer by hand) :




And I'm working on the next unit, I already completed 4 of 6 minis (note that I will have a few things to fix on weapons, as previously, but it's easier once perfectly dry).








I still need to work on these 2, the energa grenades gunner and the LMG  :




The LMG is a bren gunner (the weapon still needs to be converted/resculpted of course), but I thought that I could modify the weapon to represent a MG42 instead. It appeared that Bren was a lot easier conversion base than the FN mag I tried to cut yesterday, and only succeed to ruin the mini and my finger  lol




I'm still a bit concerned by this particular weapon, since I don't have enough bren machin guns for all units... I'll have to find a way to make it more "portuguese"   ???  It's a shame since RH models is selling (I believe) some bren only machine gunners packs. But I was thinking that the fn mag would be easier to convert...I was wrong.


Anyway, it's an interesting work (at least for now, because it's new  :grin: )  and the figures are nice... but I believe I would not build a company like this  lol  Thinking of the hundred africans, and the complete portuguese infantry I have to convert...    o_o
« Last Edit: February 27, 2015, 11:21:38 PM by sundayhero »

Offline Centaur_Seducer

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2015, 11:42:30 PM »
Really looking forward to this one :)

Offline carlos marighela

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2015, 12:35:47 AM »
Just remember that the most common squad automatic weapon, in the latter part of the period, wasn't the MG-42 but the HK-21. You just need to add an ammo belt and bipod to one or more of your G-3 armed figures.

Take the TO&Es in the FoF supplement with a large grain of salt btw.

Nice work on the figures.
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 sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2015, 09:55:43 AM »
Thank you for the tip

Concerning the squad organizations, I'm using it as a base organisation, the advantage of it is that each unit contains all possible operators and specialists; this way I'm sure I will have enough minis for each situation. Concerning the commandos, it's why I planned some "reinforcement" G3 riflemen (the future regular infantry leaders will have this "double utility").

Concerning the heavy weapons, the HK21 is one weapon I was planning to add, but just a few, since I want to keep my main force in the 60's (where everyone was wearing the brown beret).

Offline carlos marighela

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2015, 01:46:31 PM »
The HK-21 came into use in the mid to late 1960s, so for much of the war you are safe depicting it.

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2015, 03:56:15 PM »
good to know !

I thought it was after 1971.

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2015, 07:02:54 PM »
Here's the last figures for this 2nd squad. i'll primer paint them tommorow !

Concerning other machin guns, I think I'll just try to use weapons wich have been used by portuguese, no matter the timeline : madsen, mg13, hk21, mg42...This way I will make the modelling work more fun.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2015, 07:21:19 PM by sundayhero »

Offline Ray Earle

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2015, 07:34:50 PM »
Really impressed by all the work you are putting into these figures to create a purely unique force.  ;)

Offline sundayhero

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Re: Portuguese Ultramar Wars w.i.p : portuguese force
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2015, 11:19:15 PM »
thank you a lot !

Tonight I didn't do much, except fixing the primer coating on the first unit, and fix a few defects on the 2nd unit (like adding shirt collar and scarf on the "energa gunner" who had a head swap, or fixing the radio operator antenna).

I also prepared my tools for painting (wet palette and all).

Here's some sample pics :

« Last Edit: March 01, 2015, 12:50:39 AM by sundayhero »

 

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