Back of Beyond - Trotsky’s train guards

 This weeks job has been to finish off the last of my lead pile for this project . I have taken the opportunity to paint up Trotsky’s train guards in their glorious red uniforms . These guys were probably Latvians and classed as good troops . 

I suspect they might just be bullet magnets in any game . 

The usual Copplestone figures 

There were also another 3 LMG , Lewis Gun guys in the pile and these have been done too .

 

This rounds out the total force nicely now .Army as it stands.:-

Infantry, sailors, factory militia and Cheka   - 136 inc 10 LMG , various officers and standard bearers .

Mounted - 19

HMGs - 3

Tachankas - 2 

Field guns - 2

Transport vehicles 3 

Armoured vehicles 3

Small boat 

To complete yet for the big game in November  :-

armoured train 

Medium size boat

Tomorrow sees a return to the winter of 44 with a big game with Ardennes stuff . There are few new terrain pieces added to that which I will share next time .

Back of Beyond - Railway Militia and Cheka

 The latest top up for my Bolos are more of the Eureka factory militia to use for my Railway guys , and some various SMG armed Partisans  to use for my Cheka.

 

That takes me up to 20 Factory militia with the last lot . 

 

Good swift service from Eureka once more . The Ppsh armed guys are a little late for the period but they will do for now . 

I continue to be on top of this project which is nice . Everything I have sourced for the Brits and Bolos  is painted. . I have ordered some guys to use for Trotskys train guards in the glorious red uniforms . I have more Afghans in the pile , I would also  like some suitable Japs in due course .

  

I am keeping a look out for a few more Copplestone cavalry , and my own plane .

In the meantime the Caspian Seawitch has reached dry dock for fitting out .

Back of Beyond - Bolsheviks - the Siberians

 This weeks painting has been the last lot of Copplestone Bolsheviks in the stash  . Greatcoats  and fur hats . As ever they are really easy to paint . 

These will be fighting in our ongoing campaign shortly . My far east Bolos are fighting the Japanese who have invaded North of Vladivostok. This takes me to over 100 foot.  

I have a further out with Eureka to top up the factory worker militia which should arrive this week.

The plan is to run a really big game in November at the local Battlegrouhd show . 

Gaming - the Battle of Orenburg Junction

 Today’s game was a BoB campaign game with the Freikorp attacking the Bolos at Orenburg junction . There are rumours of imperial gold and Comtesse Reynaud plying her wares .i was umpiring with DiscoDave as Bolos , Bob as the Freikorp , and John as the White Cossacks . 

Bobs Freikorp had massed to attack the junction , outnumbering the on table Bolos by 2-1 . 

Freikorp  Here they come 

Train guards and the “secret Comtesse”

Comtesse Reynaud ,, working out where to go .
Having watch Dr Zhivago again recently Julie Christie , AKA the Comtesse will I am sure be a regular in our games 

Bolo Tachanka with Dismounted HMG 

The train is refueling with coal and water - rolls1d6 per activation , needs to get to 16 to move . A 5 , then 1, 1 , 1 4, 4 , means turn 7 before before steam is available.

Bolo infantry arrive 

After turn 3 the Cossack Lancers approach the train.

Bolo cavalry v White regulars .. nasty 

Col Osipov eyes the Comtesse and encourages the train crew 

Time to leave with objective done for Col Osipov’s Whites 

Cracking game . As umpire I managed to keep info from the 3 players and feed stuff into the  game as it  went on . John concentrated on his objective , Bob and Dave fought each other . John won . Bob[s Freicorp wrecked railway works , but not the Cheka HQ . The Bolo defensive fire was brutal at times , the Frei corp will lick their wounds in due course l 

The imperial gold and the Comtesse are back in the White sphere after the Cossacks overwhelmed the train guards and Col Osipov leading from the front he jumped onto the footplate of the loco and persuaded the the driver and fireman to stop the train and move in the other direction . 

The Bolo reinforcements secured the area both the Freicorp and Whites retired , 

A great game was had 

Back of Beyond - terrain pieces

 A couple of new pieces this week which will be needed for an upcoming game . 

First up a scratch build of a coal bunker . I cut down a piece of A5 2mm MDF for the base . The basic frame is made from balsa sheets cut and glued together . This is sprayed a dark grey and drybrushed . To fill the space I used some kitchen towel soaked in PVA with some black paint added . Once dried I added some scale coal available from Jarvis stuck on with the blackened PVA solution. 

 

Next is a trench strongpoint . This is from the Ironclad 28mm resin terrain which is now back in full availability and production at Pendraken . https://www.pendraken.co.uk/ironclad-miniatures

  

A pretty simple job . Sprayed dark brown overall then using Tan earth for a heavy drybrush and a white mix highlight. The wood in the trench is done a dark grey and highlighted . The sandbags were done a beige brown and highlighted . A bit of static grass added . 

That’s all for now 

Back of Beyond - Forces for the Lion of Khulm

 I needed to do some Afghan types for some up coming  campaign games to bolster the other guys collections . In the lead pile I have about a 100 Old Glory Pathans , so I have pushed some through . As ever with OG figures they look a bit meh in the base metal l,but come to life with paint .

I went with white undercoat and used some Vallejo Xpress paints . They did a job and will do for now ,though I think I need to revisit the colour palette for the rest of them .

Back of Beyond - Buildings , workers and commander

I have completed a couple of Russian farm type buildings that I got from Battle Honours 3d .

I plan to add a few scratch built types and also some fencing areas etc in due course . 

They were very clean FDM  prints overall . Took a few minutes to clean up and then a dark grey rattle can basecoat. I then used a Tamiya desert yellow overspray . The rest is basically dry brushing with various fresh timber type shades . The doors and frames etc are a bluylight blue grey mix and highlight . 

I haven’t painted the inside yet , but that will come . 

 This weeks focus has been the last of the current stock for this period .

I have picked up a few Eureka pieces . Top marks for swift service as they are arrived a couple of days after ordering . 

First up a new mounted commander . It’s ages since I painted a white horse so felt a little rusty doing it . But happy with it . As it was rearing up I have added a thin piano wire support to it .

Next are the workers militia . Clad in boiler suits and flats caps but some with the classic Bundenovka

Very nice clean castings with a good range of poses . I could due with a few more in due course .

I had picked up a 3d print from Battle Honours 3d of a couple of Russian style farm buildings . 

Back of Beyond - Captured tank for the Bolos

  Another new piece to bolster my Bolsheviks, armour in the form of a British Mk V tank . The Brits shipped around 70 as part of their intervention effort to bolster the failing Imperial Russian forces They were used around Archangel and in the Southern front area.  Some were destroyed to stop them falling into enemy hands but some were captured and repurposed. The Brits used them with the Whites in 1919 attacking Tsaritsyn - eg Stalingrad , now Volgograd . Well my Bolos have acquired one .

Some were used in Tallin in 1941 against the Germans and were shipped back to Berlin as prizes , and after 45 ended up back in museums in the Soviet Union .

This is a big old beast . 2 guns 4 MGs . Very useful . Unrealiable as hell   Even more so in the back of beyond . 

This only arrived in the post on Tuesday , so it’s been a quick turn around 

This is a 3d print piece from a eBay offer . I had the rails on the top to stick on and that was it. It was a decent print not too much clean up . A dark olive green Tamiya  rattle can and lighter green olive paint pen for the paint job , Black grey for the track's , then an oil wash and dry brush of beige brown . I added some tubing to carry a flag that can be removed or swapped out   I found some large stars in the decals stash and added these then painted the hammer and plough emblem in the middle . 

I will look out for a suitable figure to use as a commander as one stood out of the  hatch waving a flag would look cool . 

What better than to use the imperials weapons against them . “Workers of the world unite!”