15mm Soviet Motor Rifle Co dismounts

I've finished the infantry for my BMP Motor Rifle Company.  Each platoon comprises three 6-man sections armed with AK-47s and an RPG, plus a 2-man command element, allowing the entire platoon to be transported in 3 BMPs.

The entire company, three platoons, each of 3 6-man sections plus a 2-man platoon HQ, plus a company HQ of 5 men.

Attached from the battalion AT platoon are two teams of AT-4 ATGMs (These from QRF).

Three AT-3 (Sagger) ATGM teams (again QRF figures).

A pair of 75mm recoilless rifles, used as SPG-9s, with 2-man crews.

A larger 105mm recoilless rifle (B11 or equivalent), with 3-man crew.

A pair of medium 82mm mortars with 3-man crews.

A 120mm mortar (actually from the WW2 range) with 4-man crew.

Extra figures forming 2 5-man scout teams or dismounted crew figures from the BMPs.

 

Nice figures from Peter Pig's AK-47 range.  These are all helmeted regulars (except the ATGMs and crews from Quick Reaction Force).  The medium and heavy mortars and small and large calibre recoilless rifles are generic heavy weapons from the AK-47 range.

 

 

These figures will serve as Soviet infantry from the 60's through to the 90's. They will also see service as Arab troops in the Middle East (Syrians, Egyptians, etc.) and even Cuban advisors in Africa or Latin America.  Together with my mercenaries (Regulars in berets) and US Marines, they allow me to play a variety of periods and settings.  I'm trying to resist adding the "hardened militia" and militia figures, but can feel my resistance waning.  I've also got some modern French Foreign Legion troops to finish and that's before I succumb to Peter Pigs Vietnam US and NVA/VC range.

 

I'll post some pictures of the BMPs, together with armour support shortly.

 

Thanks for looking.

Another AK-47 battle in Tonkistan

These are some pictures that I grabbed early on in last weeks big club game of AK-47.  The legitimate government of Tonkistan, mainly represented by Aiden's hodge podge of infantry and scratch built vehicles, bolstered by US aid in the form of my US Marines, Ian's US army and Phil's Israeli infantry and armour took on the communist backed insurgents of Pete's dictator army, Mark's ?Jordanians and Ben's ?Syrians.

Here my US Marines M60s cautiously advance to gain good firing positions in the fields on the right of the picture.

Israeli infantry occupy the town, while their heavy armour take up good firing positions in the side streets.

A convoy of ?Syrian technicals advance somewhat incautiously.

Pete's superbly painted Peterpig dictatorship army - had to get some pictures of these as they were fantastic.  Here a unit of Buffels, loaded with militia, with an AML-90 on point advance on my marines.

A unit of Pete's T-55s supported by a bewildered group of militia (bewildered as they wondered where the tanks were heading off to in such a hurry).

A units of Mark's infantry starting to become entangled with Pete's milita as they both make for the wheat field in front.

The game went well for me.  My tanks used the cover of the cultivated fields to good effect, shrugging off various tank and A/C shots and eventually knocking out both T-55s and keeping other units at a healthy distance.  The USMC infantry flank marched, taking Pete's Buffels in flank and breaking them before digging in against a couple of units of militia advancing on foot.  In the centre, the Israelis lost a lot of their armour to artillery, air strikes and other unpleasantness, while on the far left, my US Army buddy managed to let his M60s stray too close to militia in cover and were RPG'd out of the fight.

Still a bit slow, but we are picking up speed as we get more familiar with the rules and Pete and I enjoyed our own little private struggle on our edge of the table.

Thanks for looking,

15mm Israeli infantry

To wrap up Phil's AK47 Republic force, he asked me to paint up some Israeli infantry from Peter Pig.  I painted them up as I did my Israelis for Force on Force (http://sedimentswargameblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/15mm-israeli-infantry-company.html), but they are based 4 figures to an infantry base (8 bases) and 2 figures to an RPG base (4 bases), plus two three figure command bases.  This style of basing will work well for AK47 Republic and also for the FoW Arab-Israeli war rules.

The whole group, four groups of three bases as used in AK47, plus command.

One of the command stands plus a three stand group (2 infantry and 1 RPG).

Another group plus command.

Detail of some of the infantry figures.  These are from the AK47 moderns range from Peter Pig and are superbly detailed figures which paint up really well.  There is a lot of deeply etched detail which really responds well to ink washing techniques.

Not sure if I like the basing.  The stands are painted using a Wilko sand house emulsion paint, with random splodges of Vallejo desert basing medium and some Gale Force 9 arid static grass.  I have to say that I hate this particular type of static grass with a passion - it is always clumpy and clogs up my applicator dreadfully.  Compared to the meadow green static grass that I use from Kallistra, which is a joy to use, it is horrible. Moan over!

Thanks for looking.

15mm AK-47 Republic battle photos

Some photos that have been lurking on my mobile phone for several months, this was my first game of AK-47 at the Defenders club in Broughton.  My USMC figures were organised into two units on foot, supported by a platoon of three M60s, courtesy of Poundstretcher and repainted in Desert colours.  Tanks directly support the infantry on the edge of the built up area top right and unsupported infantry advance through the light woods lower left.

US marines advancing cautiously through the woods.

The enemy defensive line.

The whole board.

A flank advance from APCs on the marines left flank.

Fighting heats up on the marines right flank with buildings hotly contested.

Marines about to close assault the defenders of the old Ottoman fortress on the hill top.

This game was slow to get going as there were lots of explanations and questions due to the steep learning curve needed to get to grips with this new, to us, set of rules.

Thanks for looking.

15mm Israeli infantry company

Last year I won an Ebay auction for an assortment of modern 15mm figures.  When they arrived, there were a lot of Israelis, Vietnam US forces and various AK-47 troops, mostly from Peterpig.  I added a pack of snipers, command and a couple of general infantry packs and got enough troops for a 3 platoon company.  Each platoon comprises three sections, each with a section leader with AK-47, RPG/AT figure, 2 LMG figures, a designated marksman and three infantrymen with Galil or M16.  Each platoon has a 4 man command element too.

I'm not sure whether I'll mount them in M113 Zeldas, or in Nagma SHOTs. Armoured supports will be from Centurion SHOTs and my toy M48s from Poundstretcher.

Oops, just looked at the photos and realised I still need to paint the helmet straps.

Thanks for looking.

15mm modern Mercenary force

Over the holidays I also worked on my mercenary force for modern African skirmish games ("Wild Geese").  All the figures are from Peter Pig in 15mm.  Most are from the AK-47 regulars in berets range, supplemented by some professional AT-4/LAW armed figures in bush hats.  There are also a handful of Vietnam range US special forces troops with LMGs and grenade launchers, plus an Australian radio operator in beret.  From the back there are 5 10-man units, each with an officer in red beret plus 2 LMGs and an AT-4 with 6 men armed with FN/SLRs.  These would comprise the core force for the "Wild Geese" units originally envisaged in the book by Daniel Carney, although this would drop to 4 units according to the film version.  At the front is an HQ unit of 8 men, including a figure carrying a belt-fed HMG (which appear in both the "Wild Geese" book and film) plus a hand held SAM, radio operator and figures in red berets for Janders and Faulkner.  Behind are two 5-man scouting sections.

They are painted NATO green with flat earth, Iraqi sand and German cammo light green patches, green ochre berets except the officers with flat red, NATO black weapons dry brushed basalt grey, khaki grey pouches, packs and webbing.  They need some static grass adding to the bases and they are done.  For transport, in the film they used a pair of open topped Land Rovers plus three Bedford lorries, so I'll have to start searching for suitable vehicles for these.

The troops in more detail including the kneeling Janders and the menacing figure wielding the HMG.

Faulkner, with hand raised, plus the hand held SAM operator (far right).

The regular troops armed with FN/SLRs.

Commanders, AT-4 figures and LMGs.

I'm going to put together a campaign based around this force using scenes from the "Wild Geese" book and film and the original book and film "The Dark of the Sun" by Wilbur Smith (film starring Rod Taylor link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_of_the_Sun ).  For the latter, I'll need a train in 15mm.  For the "Wild Geese" scenarios I'll need a Douglas DC-3 Dakota in 15mm (maybe Zvezda).

Thanks for looking.

15mm Matchbox Oshkosh MRAP

Over Christmas, I was working up these four Matchbox Oshkosh MRAPs.  The vehicles are just repainted, some were originally orange and some sand-coloured.  They are painted tan yellow and NATO black, washed with matt varnish and army painter strong tone ink.  Windows are azure, dry brushed white and the vehicles are dry brushed white with black dry brushed basalt grey.  HMGs are spares from the Plastic Soldier British M3 halftrack set and the USMC crew figures are Peter Pig medics cut in half and glued in.  These are going to find a place on the table for 15mm games of Force on Force, Tomorrows War and AK-47.  Purchase price £1.30 per vehicle, well worth getting on my knees and rummaging through the big boxes of toy cars on the bottom shelf of the toy counters in supermarkets - thanks Tesco's and Morrison's.

Thanks for looking.  Next in the pipeline will be my "Wild Geese" mercenary force.