Udate (28mm) - Painted 'cold apocalypse' survivor convesions and a few more WiPs

So here's the latest update on my cold/winter British Apocalypse (yeah - I'm still working on a snappy name). I've actually done quite a bit of work since I took these pictures, but updated pictures will be along in their due course...

Here are the figures I showed last time in paint. I've tried to keep to a muted pallet, but make them look like anyone you might pass in the street or any outfits that you might buy from an out-doors store. The guy in the black hooded jacket has since got some red fingerless gloves, a) to make him look a bit warmer and b) to break up the drab colour scheme some more. I'm a bit stuck on how to do bases on these guys, and I'm knocking up a couple of dummy runs on blank penny-washers to try to work out what looks best...

These folks have changed a fair bit, but this was the state of conversion a while ago. From the left: TAG Criminal, Hasslefree, TAG African Militia,TAG African Militia, TAG Tunnel Rat, Dixon Resistance Fighter. Since then, far left & right have been finished and are actually in paint, whilst the others are all only awaiting minor details (bag straps, etc). The grey paint is for improved contrast (I find it hard to work out quite how things will look in just the green)

Here is the 'quiver' I eventually settled on - I was going to try to sculpt it open, with bolts sticking out... but my sculpting isn't quite up to that yet, so closed it is.

Objective markers - the two bags I sculpted in paint, along with a couple of jerry cans and a mystery crate....!

Happy New Year and a mini-update

Just a quick note to say Happy New Year to everyone! There will be more of the same coming up next year - although I'm going to resist trying to make any predictions as given my butterfly tendencies I'm unlikely to follow them!  

Just a couple of BritApoc figures - I cant remember if I've shown these before or not: A BCB Viral mutant thingy and a Babylon's Burning roller ganger who will be joining one of my Yobbo Raider gangs

Long cold winter - some well wrapped up BritApoc survivor conversions

Well, between the recent cold weather, and the greens for the forthcoming 'Scavenge, Skirmish, Survive' game (Modern, UK Set Post Apocalypse game, following a 'Super Volcano' eruption. The main source of information I've come across is on the LAF HERE, althought there are a few other related threads on there, whilst there is also some background on the companies webstore HERE ) I've been thinking about 'winter' after the End (yes, I'm a total butterfly!) and that maybe quite a few of my figures are a bit lightly dressed... So I've started converting a few winter ones.

Inspired by the outfits I've seen out-and-about (and the possibilities of compatibility with the SSS range) I've kept them deliberately generic (possibly even "modern"). This has also been influenced by the fact I've been wondering about maybe doing some more up to date stuff (not replacing the retro bits, but adding to it, to give some wider variety. Certainly lots of the figures are generic enough to work for both, partly due to a poor effort in respect to me converting them)

The first figure is a converted MoFo Falklands British marine officer - I converted the beret, took off the trouser pouch, epaulettes and the pocket on the left arm. The back-pack is from the never-released Em-4 miniatures 'Rioters' conversion pack. I think this figure is pretty much complete in terms of conversion...

Originally a TAG Russian Mafioso with an AKSU, I switched the assault rifle for a Sterling ages ago. Then, when I realised quite how many automatic weapons I had, I decided to change it further. The crossbow is only blu-tacked in, and is a mix of brass-rod and a 'historical' crossbow I picked up in a bits lot ages ago. coupled with the wire storck, it should give a nice 'skeleton-frame sports model' look, and will probably get a natty black paint scheme. Conversions on this guy have been pretty straight forward - converting his tee-shirt into a jacket by adding sleeves, a collar and buttons; I've also incorporated the belt into it. This guy needs a bit more work yet - the crossbow needs finishing, he'll need a back-pack or satchel, a quiver of some sort and maybe a melee weapon (knife in sheath?). I'm also deciding what to do with his head - maybe a wooly hat and/or a beard....  

This chap was part of the Killer B games 'Geezers' range - I "de-70's" him by cutting the flares back into a more standard shaped trouser, and added a beard to loose the side burns. He originally had a little snub-nosed revolver in his right hand, which I very nearly kept... but I decided that I had enough fire-arms, so I switched it out for the two-handed club (Originally a GW plastic Empire Militia club, with the spikes filed down ot look like bolts). The back pack is from a 1/35th figure. I think the only other modification was removing the epaulettes of his jacket, but as that's obscured by the shoulder straps it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway. I think this guy is about done too. 

 I'm tempted to get another of these figures to convert, but this time keep the revolver, and maybe change the left arm to be carrying something...

Another TAG figure - this time a Vietnam era US special forces trooper. I cut the pump-action down, reworked the lock and added a fore-stock out to the figures grip to make it look more like an 'over-and-under' double barrel. It's not perfect, but it should look about right when painted. The short sleeves were cut off, long sleeves added, along with re-sculpting the collar of his jacket and adding a scarf, which has been tucked in (I was inspired by the Geezers figure above...). The Claymore bag has been change to being a normal satchel, and the figure lots the side-pockets on his trousers. In terms of what else to do, I'm going to extend the trousers so that they aren't tucked in in an effort to make him look less military, and I'll do some more work on the head. I think I'll go for a hat of some sort, but hold off on any facial hair.

Originally a Dixons Miniatures female partisan, I fear this lady looks a little more like a 1950's hiker rather than a post-apocalypse survivor, but I'm not sure what else I can do to rectify that (possibly add more hair, and change the beret into something a little more modern. I had hoped it would add and improvised look, but I'm not sure it does.) Very little conversion done to this figure - I added a scarf, and the back-pack from an Em-4 plastic ganger ( I thought rope might be useful to a scavenger!). In terms of what is left to do, I will add back-pack straps, and as I say, do something to her head gear. I might also extend the trousers down, but I think the walking boots add to the PA look, so maybe not.

I had a go at sculpting an abandoned pack pack to use as an objective marker, and I was pretty pleased with the result - there may well be a few more bits like this if it looks good painted up.

And finally, just a few size-comparison pictures to finish....

Found this guy on my table - a Acheson Creations caveman, with an SLR, inspired by an illustration in the back of an old 'arms-and-armour' book which was dealing the after-effects of nuclear weapons, and thought he might also fit in, as some-one actively trying to adapt to the new world by going for fur clothes, etc.

Musings on BritApoc...

(Liebster awards are still on my 'to-do' list - but I think most of the 'obvious', and even some of the un-obvious, choices have received them. However, until I get that sorted out - some musings!)

I've been doing some thinking about my BritApoc setting recently, mainly in the wake of watching all sorts of old movies whilst ill last week, and effectively what they boil down to is the twin points of rules and weapons.

No Blade of Grass (1970) - Showing a fair bit of fire-power...

Obviously, with the firearm laws being what they are in the UK, even allowing for the slightly laxer laws 'back in the day', strategic reserve stocks incase of invasion and weaponry distributed to emergency services during the course of the apocalypse and immediately after; there still wouldn't be *that* many weapons floating around, especially regarding those with an automatic capability (More of this later, when it comes to thinking about figures).

I've looked long and hard for rules which will reflect the 'feel' of BritApoc, which to me is somewhat gritty, yet without getting too bogged down in detail, and are still fun to play. Perhaps more importantly, fire-arms combat should be dangerous (no characters getting hit multiple times and shrugging them off), melee combat should also be effective (somewhat making up for the fact that guns might be rare)  and if there are rules or supplies rolls, generic profiles and an obvious way to 'build' profiles for mutants, triffids and viral  so much the better!

In terms of a campaign structure, I've often hoped for a fairly loose knit 'win some, get some bonuses, lose some, take some side effects' sort of affair rather than a Necromunda style experience points system where you track characters in minute detail. At one point last week, I was wondering on the merits of a 7TV style 'TV serial' feel, and wondering how that would work in terms of a campaign structure. Just thinking, depending on the serial, characters don't generally change abilities too much over time, but there is some consideration that those wounded in a previous episode might be somewhat diminished for a couple of subsequent episodes.

The Last Train - a reasonably good ITV PA TV series, which is almost impossible to  find outside of youtube... 

Up to now, I've looked over a whole range of rules - including some modern sets - and none have really hit the feel. Many would be playable, and probably very enjoyable, but perhaps not quite what I have had in mind. After some musing, the main contenders were Skank, At Close Quaters, Atomic Cafe and Babylon's Burning. I've played all bar BB a few times, and have both enjoyed the resulting games and been impressed with the rules. I have also tried writing my own, and infairness have drawn inspiration from all of the above, but they never seem to get finished and, darn it, I want to play some games!

Babylon's burning is the set (and setting) that first drew me into PA gaming, but which ironically I never played, and that has mainly been due to comments from friends who have played it. The rules look to be an excellent and very accurate simulation of post-apocalypse warfare; down to the inclusion of runners, written orders, and so on. Games look to take a very long time, and be pretty intense, almost to the point of being unplayable. Given that due to the lingering effects of my ME, I'm likely to end up getting tired and thus a bit brain foggy whilst playing, I think this isn't nessecarily the best way to go...

Skank is at the other end of the spectrum - it is such a simple easy to play system that it has long been a firm favourite, and infact is probably the game I have played most over the years. It is adaptable enough that I've written stacks of modifications for it. However, due to its simplicity it does lack 'realism' to a certain extent, with games feeling like an episode of the A team. Which is great fun, but not what I'm looking for.

Atomic Cafe (at least the taster rules I had) were a fun, easy set to get along with, including a couple of inventive features in terms of initiative and supply rolls. All the stats where tied into certain profiles though, and there was not nessecarily an easy way to extract some of them to give a general feel. Weapons were also based on modifying profiles (and there are only pistols, shotguns, hunting rifles, SMGs & an LMG given. Enough to get by, but a bit of a bland flavouring), as opposed to being a stand-alone element, and there were no vehicle rules. Certainly it has potential, but again, it's not quite there.

Which leaves At Close Quarters - a fairly fast flowing "moderns" system, which feels quite gritty and realistic,  and which I know pretty well. This set has it's problems too - one of the reasons it is such a good modern's set, is because it is very well adapted to playing in the genre. I have a feeling that any BritApoc games would end up feeling like WWIII: the Aftermath (which I guess is twilight 2000, and what I'm planning on doing with Force on Force, as a side note), rather than as a truly post-apocalyptic setting. Also, weaponry really starts at the assault rifle, and moves 'up and out' from there. There are stats for pistols and shotguns... but damn. you wouldn't want to use them unless you were having a gunfight in a telephone box. Figures are broken down by ability - rabble, militia, regular, professional, fanatic and elite - and are designed to be structured into squads. although it is possible to have 'heroes' the rules aren't particularly designed for it.

At this point you're thinking "Ok, great - he's just crossed out all of this nominees!" which is true, but also not entirely the whole truth. By broadening my 'gaze' somewhat, I came across another possible system.  A Good Day to Die is ACQ's pulp and old west flavoured sibling. The internal mechanics are pretty similar, but a lot of the 'over-focus' on the modern period has been drawn out, whilst still leaving rules for vehicles and automatic weapons. More importantly perhaps, the focus of the weapons has been shifted. Here the 'main' weapons are the shotgun and bolt-action rifle, with the rifle having a range of 48". It will be easy enough to add stats for an assault rifle (AK47) and semi-automatic (SLR). The classifications have also been changed so that they are now: Rabble, Civilian,  Soldier, Warrior (More melee proficient soldier, although less skilled with fire-arms) and Killer (hero class by any other name). Certainly this better reflects my perceptions of martial structure after the End.
I'm still going to need to add a lot (Triffids, mutants, virals, ammo checks) but otherwise I think it's getting there. Especially when the 'old west' addon I've got has special rules about morale checks for loss of possessions and what-not.   

Reign of Fire - interesting mix of weapons for the Brits, from high powered big game rifles through to WW2 vintage SMGS....

This focus on weapons also leads me onto my figures - and the fact that they are too heavily armed. I knew they were going to be, but following on from the discussions on the 'Scavenge Skirmish Survive' thread on the LAF (http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=48201.0) I have been coming to realise quite how over equipped most of them are. Almost a quarter (excluding the police and obviously military types ) are armed with SMGs, assault rifles or support weapons (includingg RPGs!). This is just way out of proportion -  so I'm going to need to add lots of low grade fire arms (double shotguns, pistols), crossbows/etc and melee weapons to even out the numbers some what.

  I'm going to check to see how many more figures from the 'to-do' pile can be converted across to more basic weapons, as there are even more there with heavy 'military grade' kit, but lots I think will either be moved on or used to make a 'Holnist' type wannabe-military faction for specific games. Atleast the SLRs shouldnt out-balance things too much.

Which then begs the question of what other figures to use to restore the 'right' sort of balance? I've held off getting the offensive miniatures rioters for a while, but certainly they'd be a good source of melee figures, as would some of the new Agro miniatures rioters (plus weapons) and of course the LAM melee figures. In terms of low grade firearms, the forthcoming SSS figures look promising, and it wont take much to make a couple of the back-packs look less modern. Other than that... Maybe converting some more of the TAG african militia with rifles to look  (a lot) less tropical, and possibly some of the Tiger (ex-HLBS) mounties/trappers/etc might work given their mix of rifles and shotguns. They'd almost certainly fit in well enough with the SSS figures, but perhaps might make some of my other figures look under dressed?

Anyway... enough wittering for now!

More from the painting desk? More you say? 20mm & 28mm...

So, we had an evening in the hobby room last night and I managd to get a bit more done...

Foundry Russian Orthodox priest for my EotD Cossacks. This guy looks a lot more 'worldly' than the TAG one, and perhaps not fitting for fighting vampires and werewolves! Another one I've push on with, and I'm actually quite pleased with how he came out. Not perfect, but he'll do!

More for the BritApoc games - the guys with AKs are from TAG and will go to which ever factions need them, the Policeman is Killer Bee with added riot shield (no idea what colour to do the small 'snatch' shields, as I can only find black and white pictures, which show them as 'dark') and the Triffid is from the very-OOP QRF 'Genocide' range. I have got some more somewhere, I just can't remember where! Which is a pity, as they are dead ringers for the ones from the 80's BBC series...

The first section & a bit from my (Platoon 20) Soviet Motor Rifles - the next section is in base coat, and should see quite a lot of attention this evening. As an aside, I had 4 figures (armed civilians) through from Liberation this morning, and they should fit in very nicely with the P-20 range. Infact, they might need plasticard boosters, as although the figures are slightly taller, their bases are thinner... I just need to order some more Soviets to will out the platoon (and get them some more transports)! 

Fresh from the painting desk!

Lest folks think I've just been working on 20mm moderns, here's some of the other stuff I've put out in the last couple of weeks:

3 Westwind WulfenJagers for EotD - I lost momentum on these guys a while back, but pushed on and got them finished. Still not entirely happy, but better to have them done than not...

A converted TAG militiaman (I swapped his MP5 for an SLR) and a Musketeer Workers Militia figure. These guys are both for BritApoc - no particular faction in mind, but perhaps one of the more organised ones given the berets and webbing....

A werewolf for the Wolfenjagers to hunt...! Think this was a Team Frog figure, but I picked it up so long ago I can't honestly remember. I had originally painted him, but was never very happy - so he got a repaint when I did the other EotD weres and wolves, and now I'm much happier!

2 more BritApoc figures - the Lewis gunner is a Musketeer militiaman, whilst the chap with the shotgun is artizan. The Lewis gun should be fairly ancient, and I was tempted to give it a rust wash, but I didn't want it to look too extreme... (I have also got photos of a Lewis being used in the Balkans in the early 90's, and although it is quite dark/dirty, it isn't rusty...) The helmet was another thing which almost got rusted up, but I decided that someone must have repainted it either during the troubles on the End. Not too much to say about the Artizan figure - other than the barrels of his shotgun have broken a few times now... Again, no real plans on where/who these guys are going to be attached to yet...

A question of scale - 20mm vs 28mm for Cold War Gone Hot

I've hit a bit of a conundrum.... I've got the FoF Cold War Gone Hot rules coming for my birthday, and as I was a slow day at work I had a flick through them to kill some time. And I liked what I saw. I liked it very much indeed.

I had originally only picked up the book to give me a bit more guidance for ideas to 're-use' my BritApoc figures in some FoF games (either Cold war gone hot or as a basis for Winter of '79 style civil war games), but it may well become something more than that. Which leaves me in a bit of a quandary when it comes to forces.

I've got 3 sections of British Infantry with GPMG but no Charlie-G, a platoon command and some assorted odds n sods which could be beefed up to make a few more sections. I've a couple of (Dinky) Saracen's, a Corgi Saladin and a Daimler Armoured Car. Facing off against them are about a platoon of Hungarian Motor Rifles  without any form of vehicle support, but they do have a HMG and a pair of ATGMs. Oh, and masses of guys with SLRs, shotguns, SMGs, etc which can be used for militia if need be. Whilst this will be enough for 'making things up' scenarios - especially re-skinning Iraq war/other 'regulars vs insurgents' scenarios to involve Provisional government regulars cracking down on rebel militia or possibly British partisans striking back against the invading soviets.  What is apparent is that I need more vehicles - FV432's, BMPs, BTRs & T-80's. If I replace the Americans (and there are a lot of scenarios with them in)/other Nato forces with Brits, I'll also need some British MBTs, and even more Warsaw Pact stuff. Thats ok - atleast, it was until I looked at the price of 1/56-1/60th scale vehicles! With APCs being around £20 a pop, and MBTs around £25 It's looking a bit harsh to even get my existing forces into vehicles, let alone buying new ones! There are a few usable 1/48th scale vehicles on the market, but I don't like how 1/48ths scale with 28mm infantry (it's ok if they are on Ssotta bases, but as I use 'thin' bases the vehicles are just too big IMO) and even less so regarding how they mix with 1/56th scale vehicles...

Now, although my gaming buddies play FoF Africa in 28mm, they also do Iraq/etc in 20mm, and I must say, their figures did look good - a lot better than I was expecting if I'm honest. Between price (approximately 1/2 that of 1/56th ones for resin, less if plastic kits are used) and the better-than-expected quality I am considering changing scale for this project. I've got more than enough stuff for BritApoc as things are, and given that I'll never really use army regulars (Nato or Soviet) in  much more than section strength, I don't 'need' forces of platoon+ capacity.

Another factor in 20mm's favour is the range of vehicles available. Even with an open cheque book, I'd struggle to meet the less-core requirements of FoF in 28mm, and they aren't even particularly esoteric (the Shilka being a good example!). In comparison, 20mm seems to have every vehicle varient one could ever want and more. The Character and feel of civillian/non-uniform figures was a major concern - at least 28mm has the Killer bee Geezers range, which is pretty fairly priced and has lots of 70's/80's character, and the Kiss Kiss bang bang ranges which whilst a bit early would 'do' at a pinch. Further inspection turned up the Stan Johansen, Platoon 20 & Hotspur/Stonewall figures 20mm ranges - all of which were 'ultra-modern' when they were made in the 80's, but which are now suitably vintage. None of the ranges have huge numbers of figures in mufti, and certainly combined they still don't have anywhere near the scope of say the geezers range, but it's a good start... and one has to question how many characters will actually be needed in this case...

All that said, everything I have is 28mm... apart from the HLBS 36mm stuff & my old Inquisitor 54mms, but they are both minor digressions. Infact, in the case of the HLBS stuff, as I've already shown some '28mm' (actually 32mm) figures are of a compatible size so there isn't much of a change in terms of scenery and painting styles. I don't even know if I will be able to do a decent job on 20mms - a daft thing to say, but also true. I also don't know how compatible figures are in terms of size, bulk and sculpting style..!

After a couple of enquiries, the nice people at Elhiem, ERM/Platoon20, Liberation & Under fire have all agreed to send me a couple of scale comparison/taster figures just to see how well the different ranges I've had under consideration match up, and also to see how I generally 'get on' with them.

So, no strong and fast ideas either way yet - I may pick up a 20mm/1:72/1:76 vehicle or two to see how I find those as well. If I was to go the 20mm route, I'd buy specifically for each FoF scenario, which overall would give a fairly comprehensive amalgamation of bits, although knowing me a few 'extras' for winter of 79 games would invariably sneak in... If I stick to 28mm... I'm not sure. I guess I might be able to go the diecast route for some bits (T-55s from Chinese toy car manufacturers, scorpions and the like from Dinky) and get a couple of carefully chosen pieces in resin...

As an aside, most of the blogs I read seem to have a range of pictures used to break up the text and act as eye-candy... Let me know if you like it, in which case I'll try to carry on with the style in the future!

More from the painting desk

... sadly still all waiting for basing at this stage, although the BritApoc figures have since been done :)

2 survivors (The girl with the SMLE is joining the 'white armband militia', not sure about the geezer with the SLR and beret... possibly a Warlord's retinue) and 2 scavs (the girl in the yellow great coat is a bit more of a hard-core loaner than she in the jumper. I can see jumper girl as more of the 'PR' side of the scavs operation - someone to talk to traders, etc rather than pick through the contaminated ruins... that said, she certainly seems pretty competant with that revolver, so maybe she is ex-police? from L to R; Mongrel, converted Dixons, Warmacre & converted hetzerdog

On the left is a fairly generic fighter. With his cudgel and torn clothes, he could be a poor farmer, scavenger, machine shop worker or raiding yob. 

The Punk next to him is definitely up to no good, and will join a radier gang (my vanilla one, as I doubt the kins will take to kindly to him joining them!). 

The guy in the hat is my first merchant (and entry to my 4th Birthday challenge - better pics will go up once he's based)- Ted. A former pawn-shop owner, this guy did pretty well in the run up to and immediate aftermath of the end. Having a bit of a nack for trading, a reasonable ammount of cash, no scruples or morals and lots of dodgy contacts meant he could get hold of pretty much anything. So in the dark days of the End when everyone else was beating their neighbours over the heads with planks of wood to try to get hold of the last loaf of mouldy bread on the supermarket shelves, Ted was holed up in his office, feet perched on stacks of tinns and smugly smoking cigars whilst armed hoodlums kept the hoy-poloy in line and sold tubs of dog-food at extortionate prices. He's just continued in that line. He now travels about in a motley assortment of vehicles, with a heavily armed bodyguard of thugs. Ted will trade anything - drugs, slaves, guns. 

The guy next to him was one of his contacts -a security van driver, who was drummed out of the army for misconduct and who had a side line in leg-breaking before things all went haywire. He's just the sort of man Ted likes working for him - not too bright, very violent and willing to do anything to anyone. These days he heads up Ted's bodyguard... (he has a Stirling over his shoulder)

L to R; Foundry Victorian, Urban Beat (North Star), Killer Bee, Converted Killer Bee 

Lycaons for my EotD games. The Wolf-lady is a Reaper female werewolf. She's been a fun one to paint up, but looks a lot more wolf-like than the Westwind figures. I think she's likely to end up in a seperaate pack, along with another more wolf-like mate. The wolve are Westind. I'm quite pleased with how their fur turned out - it was an adeptus battle grey base coat, bestial brown wash, drybushed with codex grey & then graveyard earth. The belly fur got an extra highlight with Denhb (or some such) stone, whilst the back got a dry brush of a mix of Adeptus battle-grey/black. The same formula was used on the werewolf too, although with the addition of Tallarn flesh for her hands/paws.

  

Assorted city types for EotD - a Foundry brawler who will be acting as muscle for a deranged aristocrat (Using the Dark Fire club template, reskinned so that most of the basic members are street toughs/henchmen) , a Foundry Gentleman (who will be joining a 'good' gentleman's club of some sort) a Design 28' Gent who has 'evil' written all over him. He'll be acting as Jack the Ripper in London games, and as a generic club member in my 'German' Dark fire club... 

More EotD figures - this time another wolf for the Lycaons (although this time an Alternative armies model which has been re-purposed from its original duties as a mount for a goblin), and a West Wind Wolfen Jager. I'm trying to keep the Wolfen jagers to quite a neutral pallet,  primarily in an attempt to match the sort of colours that are seen in Victorian era European hunting togs, but also to try to play up the more rural, sober/drab aspects of the faction

The last of the EotD figures for this update - more Foundry cossacks & a TAG priest. These guys will probably join the Hetman on his attempts to avenge his now Vampiric wife.... 

The first 1/48ths I've done in a long time. These guys have been say on my desk for ages, so it's about time I pulled my finger out! They are modern Russian Spetsnatz in Gorka(?) camouflage suits over standard Flora-pattern shirts, etc. Although I had toyed in doing them in a mix of camo schemes, I felt that this might make things confusing if/as/when they are used as advisors for the ChDKZ rebels. I've painted the unit badges black, to make them look like they have been 'sterilised' prior to deployment... not that the NATO forces will have too much difficulty guessing their origins what with the camo, etc...

Another 1/48th - in this case a MVD sniper. I've got a few more MVD figures to do at some stage, and they will be in mixed uniforms (as was often seen in Chechnya, due to having a very tangled series of supply routes). Mostly it will be a mix of the Standard 'flora' green, and the blue city scheme of this guys trousers, although there is another in a winter coat which will be getting the same scheme as this one (not sure what it's called, but it is a 3-tone vertical pattern) just to keep things a bit more ordered... They have the Russian Flag patch on one sleeve, which should help make them stand out from any ChDKZ volunteers they might be supporting.

VDV - these were the 'core' figures that I used for the ChDKZ conversions which I've already shown. They are in Flora cammo, which is used by the VSV although perhaps it is not as distinctive as the 'sun-flower' scheme, but I wanted to keep that for the ChDKZ, as it feels older (having been one of, if not THE, most distinctive soviet schemes) and more likely to be available from second hand sources...

Something of a 1 off at the moment, this guy was really quick to paint. I was hopping that the generic webbing and jacket, russian camo trousers and M16 would give a suitably eclectic feel, reflecting the mixed sources of so much of the equipment in use in africa today. He towers over my 28's, so not much chance of him getting any gaming table action in the foreseeable future... 

And finally, a view of my painting desk - cluttered as usual!