LeeH: My Winter War Soviets are ready for the offensive!

So, how do I wrap up this year’s Challenge? If I’m being totally honest, I didn't get quite as much painted as I originally hoped. My "to-do" list was definitely more ambitious than my "done" list! But you know what? I got the essentials finished, and in this hobby, that’s a win in my book.

Despite the slower pace, I managed to hit two major milestones: My personal 600-point target was officially crossed, and I'm happy with that. Of course, no competition compared to the top of the leaderboard, but I'm happy with what I got done.  Second, I completed everything I wanted to get done, meaning my Winter War Soviets: These guys are complete and will give me plenty of options when list-building for games of Bolt Action or Chain of Command. They were the missing piece for my collaboration project with RayR, and I’m thrilled to have them ready for the table.

The dream now is to get my Soviets and Ray’s Finns into a proper scrap. However, we’ve got a bit of a "one in, one out" policy happening right now. We have a few urgent projects that need to be cleared off the workbench before we can play with these guys. Our big focus for the immediate future? Two 1812 Retreat from Moscow games. We're working on a skirmish ruleset with a friend, and alongside this, Ray and I want to run a big battle with our collection for a demo game at Broadside in June. Once we have these playtested and polished, the second half of the year is looking very clear, and very wintery!

From LeeH: Last of the Winter War Soviets

My Soviet forces for the Winter War have taken rather longer to finish than I originally planned. That, I should admit, is entirely self-inflicted. Taking on several projects at once seemed like a splendid idea at the time—right up until I discovered the universe had stubbornly refused to add extra hours to the day. Still, today’s additions mark the final figures for the force and give me a healthy range of options for my Soviet army in Bolt Action.

First up are a pair of Light Machine Gun teams. Some of the LMG squads I painted earlier are sculpted advancing between positions, and I wanted the option to swap them out for deployed figures once they reach cover. These crews are operating the 7.62mm DP-28 light machine gun, a gas-operated weapon that became the Red Army’s standard squad support gun and remained in widespread service until an improved version appeared in 1944.

I’ve also completed another 50mm mortar team, armed with the M1938/39 mortar. The main reason for adding this crew was flexibility: I now have the option of fielding a second mortar in support of the infantry when the scenario calls for it. In reality, the weapon had its limitations. Its range was fairly modest and its explosive charge was roughly comparable to that of a hand grenade, which meant its battlefield impact was often underwhelming. As a result, it was gradually replaced by the far more capable 82mm mortar.

Finally, there’s some much-needed anti-tank capability in the form of the 45mm M1937 anti-tank gun. Finnish troops nicknamed this weapon the Piiskatykki (the “whip-gun”) because of the sharp crack produced by its high-velocity rounds. It was the Red Army’s standard light anti-tank gun during the Winter War and proved effective against the limited armour available to the Finns. Ironically, when Finnish forces captured these guns, they were more than happy to turn them around and put them to good use themselves.

With these final additions completed, the Winter War Soviets are finally ready for the table... assuming, of course, I can resist the temptation to start yet another project before the paint on them has properly dried.

5x28mm Prone = 12.5pts
7x28mm Foot = 35pts
1x28mm Gun = 10 pts
Total = 57.5pts

From DaveD . Another project gets to table ready state . A useful top up in capability there too Lee.

From LeeH: Abandoned peasant wagons - 40 pts

I’ve been a bit remiss in submissions the last few weeks, and it's entirely my own fault…well, not entirely, but I am partially culpable. The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy, both in work and around the games table, pushing painting into last place. Add to that a winter cold that just won’t give up, and you have my rather poor excuse for not finishing anything for a few weeks. I now have several jobs on the painting table, but only these Carts and Wagons got finished in time for today. 

These are all MDF and produced by Warbases. I plan on using them as abandoned wagons or even makeshift barriaciads which is why I have not put them on terrain bases as I have done with other models. These are for use with the 1812 Retreat from Moscow stuff I have been working on, but I guess there's no reason they couldn't also feature in 1939/40... a cart is a cart at the end of the day, and the design hadn't fundamentally changed that much in the intervening century

More Winter War Soviets are on the way for next week. Their 90% done, but waiting for bases and varnishes to dry means I won’t get them finished, and I don’t want to rush and ruin them.   

As for scoring, technically these are 28mm Vehicles, but I think it's a bit cheeky claiming 20pts each for these. Is a vehicle still a vehicle without a power source (in this case, a horse)?? So I think I'll leave the scoring for the umpire to adjudicate on this one! 🤣

From DaveD . Sorry to hear the winter bugs are still at you . You have a hobby with so many distractions , it’s a hard life 😆. But good to see some output . The warbases carts are nice simple little pieces , so I will give ya 40 altogether. Pretty sure Rays lads will be nicking these for for firewood ? Will you do a burning one ?😆

From LeeH: Another Soviet LMG Squad (60 Pts)

This week, I finished my fourth Light Machine Gun squad for my 1939 Winter War Soviets, which means I’m finally within sight of the end of this Bolt Action painting run. Four squads lined up together give the force a real sense of cohesion. On the table, they look like what they’re meant to represent: mass infantry built around automatic fire.

Soviet infantry tactics of the period leaned heavily on firepower at the squad level. The light machine gun was the anchor, with riflemen supporting it rather than the other way around. In theory, this created a base of suppressive fire that allowed advances by weight and momentum. The Red Army’s pre-war doctrine emphasised aggression, coordination, and overwhelming force. In open terrain, backed by artillery, that approach could be brutally effective. On a Bolt Action table, four LMG squads make that doctrine tangible—steady, grinding pressure rather than elegant manoeuvre.

The reality in 1939, however, was far messier. The army that invaded Finland had been badly damaged by Stalin’s purges of the officer corps in the late 1930s. Experienced commanders were removed, imprisoned, or executed, and their replacements were often younger, less seasoned, and understandably cautious. Initiative became dangerous. Junior officers learned that independent action could end careers (or lives) if outcomes were unfavourable. The result was rigidity. Orders were followed, sometimes blindly, even when local conditions demanded flexibility. Against Finnish forces who excelled at small-unit tactics, mobility, and exploiting terrain, that lack of adaptability proved costly.

With this fourth squad complete, the core infantry element of the army is ready. I’m still waiting on an artillery crew and gun to round things out, and I have a handful of spare figures that may end up as smaller specialist teams if I can find a home for them. For now, though, these LMG squads capture both the theory and the tragedy of the 1939 Red Army: a force designed for massed firepower and relentless advance, but hampered by structural weakness and fear at the command level. 

12x28mm Foot = 60 Points

From DaveD.  Nice winter additions Lee , are you starting to get snow blindness yet ? The whole force will be looking like a proper mass when we see it . 60 it is .

RayR & LeeH - Terriany Day's & Sundays (120 points)

 

I'm not sure if this is a first or not but today's Terrain entry is actually from two Challengers. You may have seen on our respective blogs, that me and Lee got together a few weekends ago and spent the day making and finishing some Winter terrain for our Retreat from Moscow shenanigans, now of course this can also be used for our new Winter period, the Russo-Finnish War.

Here are 2 boxes of trees, that we winters over with a spray of white paint and also a flick and drybrush, with a very large 3 inch brush.

We also had to sand, paint, drybrush, add grass tufts and finally add the snow mixture 

We are both pretty chuffed how they all came out, there are a total of 76 basses of trees, some smaller trees have 2 or 3 trees on them. The bases are 70mm circles from Warbases.

I have no clue how Byron will work out the points for these???

Next up we have some road, or trackways.

This is how we left them after our days terrain building.

And here's how they ended up!

They were painted twice with our earth brown mix, then drybrushed white before adding our winter snow mixture.

We cut out some different shapes and bends, but stupidly forgot a T-Junction?!?!

The straight long lengths measure 15 inches long and 3.5 inches wide, all in all the measure approx. 17.5 feet in length.

Once again, I'm not really sure how Byron will work this one out??

But as its a 2-Man project the points, whatever they are will be split down the middle, half for LeeH and half for me!

---------------------------

Hello to both Ray and Lee, and well done on a huge submission here that will I am sure literally fill a table with terrain.  It is however a second entry for terrain today that has a bunch of parts that are light on the "painting" aspect with the trees.  However, once again I will score some points for the bases being painted up, and there is some paint on the trees to give that winter effect.  I have don't this exact thing in the past though and while it is certainly some work due to the pure number here, it is fast and easy.  Therefore for the 76 bases of trees I am going to say a bit over a point a base and go with a 80 points, as they are very quick as I think you will agree.

As for the roads, those have a lot more painting and work going on with them (although again very simple to do, but highly effective).  When I did my roads up like this I was able to do a few sections an hour, so I am going to count 2-4 of them as a figure, and award 40 points for the lot.  

That gives 120 points for the huge batch of terrain, which in my mind is the same as painting about 12 figures each that day, so works out probably a bit to your advantage points wise, as I know I can't paint a dozen figures in a day, but I feel is fair for such a huge amount of terrain being done here.

- Byron

From LeeH: Soviet Tank Hunters and T26/M1931 (100pts)

I narrowly missed last week’s submission deadline by a matter of hours, so this week turns into a double offering: more Soviet infantry and a tank. 

First up is another twelve-man Light Machine Gun Squad, the nearly finished unit that never quite made it onto the blog last time. All that stood between them and glory was drying basing and a final layer of snow, but time ran out. One of my quietly declared New Year’s resolutions was to stop saying yes to every new project that wanders past. That resolution has already collapsed in a heap, leaving me busier than ever. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it does add another tick to the ever-growing “suspected ADHD” column.

Next on the bench is another tank for my Soviet forces. This time it’s a T-26 Model 1931, the distinctive twin-turret variant armed with machine guns. Unlike my previous T-26 from Rubicon, this one is a 3D print from Danger Close Studio. Aside from some minor clean-up around the tracks where the supports had been, it’s an excellent print and blends in seamlessly with my other vehicles. Historically, the T-26 Model 1931 was heavily influenced by the British Vickers 6-Ton and was intended as an infantry support tank. Its twin turrets, usually mounting DT machine guns, offered impressive firepower on paper, but in practice proved awkward to command. That complexity eventually saw the design abandoned in favour of more practical single-turret models.

Finally, there’s a Tank Hunter team. This unit consists of two men armed with the 7.62mm PPD 1934/38 submachine gun, a design based on the Bergmann MP18/1 and fed by either drum or box magazines. They’re supported by two riflemen, with the NCO hefting a Molotov cocktail. The Molotov was a small conversion, using a plastic piece from the Warlord Games Soviet infantry sprue that recently appeared as a giveaway on the cover of Wargames Illustrated, which couldn’t have been better timed. On the tabletop in Bolt Action, Tank Hunters are nasty little specialists, with rules that allow them to double their attacks in close combat against vehicles, making them a serious threat despite their size.

In short: a delayed update turned into a productive one, with a finished LMG squad, a characterful early-war Soviet tank, and a converted Tank Hunter team all joining the ranks. Progress may be chaotic, but it’s definitely moving forward.

Scoring:
15x28mm Foot = 75pts
2x28mm Prone Foot = 5pts
1x28mm Vehicle = 20pts
Total = 100pts

From DaveD . The winter coolness continues . Your forces are building up nicely . The twin turret tank is interesting , but of course entirely understandable it didn’t meet the requirements in the end . I have one in the Back of Beyond stash too. Hopefully Ray has his can openers handy . Grand stuff Lee . 100 it is 

From LeeH: Winter War Bunker (10 Points)

I hadn’t planned on making any terrain this year at all. Fate, however, had other ideas in the form of a gammy leg and an unexpected week off work. Painting miniatures turned out to be a bit of a non-starter—too much sitting still and not enough focus—but pottering about and making something from scratch felt just right. The result was this little Winter War fieldwork, currently occupied by a couple of my Russians. Realistically, though, it’s far more likely to end up sheltering Ray’s Finns, which rather suggests I may have built something that will be used against me. Such is life.

The piece is entirely scratch-built from what can only politely be described as rubbish. A few weeks earlier, on a walk in the park, I’d picked up a selection of sticks and bits of bark that looked suitably rough and utilitarian. The irregular base measures just over five by three inches, and the snow banks were built up using offcuts of high-density foam. These were glued down and partially filled with stones and putty to create a roughly U-shaped mound, giving the whole thing a sense of purpose rather than symmetry.

Once that had set, I cut some of the larger sticks into roughly 1.25-inch lengths to form the vertical supports of the bunker walls. Smaller sticks were laid across the top to suggest a crude roof structure. At this stage, the build relied heavily on liberal applications of PVA glue and, just as importantly, patience while everything dried properly. This isn’t fast terrain, but it is forgiving terrain.

With the structure solid, I went back in to fill gaps, add extra layers of sticks, and glue on bits of bark to break up the roofline. When that had fully dried, I moved on to a simple paint job. The ground was blocked in with an Earth Brown basecoat, while the sticks were left unpainted so the natural wood could show through. The earth was then drybrushed with London Grey and lightly highlighted with white. At this point, you might reasonably wonder why I bothered, given that almost all of it would be buried under snow. Two reasons: first, I hadn’t fully committed to 100% snow coverage at that stage, and second, I think painting the ground underneath gives the snow a more natural, convincing depth. It may be subtle, but it didn’t take long, and I think it helps. The exposed wood was then given a very light drybrush of white to give it a frosty, cold-weather look.

With the painting done, it was time for the snow. On the roof, I used Woodland Scenics Soft Flake snow mixed with PVA and water into a paste, spreading it carefully between the wooden beams and letting some of the timbers poke through. For the U-shaped bank, I applied several layers of snow in varying thicknesses to keep it uneven and rough, rather than smooth and sculpted. The final touch was the addition of a few tufts, poking through the snow for a bit of visual interest.

I probably spent a couple of hours on this over a couple of days, working in short bursts while things dried. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t expensive, and it wasn’t complicated, but it was deeply satisfying. Even if it does end up giving the Finns yet another place to ambush my poor Russians.

---------

What a great looking piece Lee, it left me wishing I could award points for the actually building of the model as that is where most of the work is, and lovely work it is at that!  Everything looks very natural and it will look great on the table.  The painting itself though and the size of the piece doesn't add up to a whole lot, but I am going to bend my own rules a little bit and award 10 points because of the end effect and the work that went into the piece.

 Great work, I think most of us would love to have something like this in our terrain collection.

-Byron