20mm Winter of '79 Army vehicles

As opposition to the Wallsend Revolutionary Communist Party, I've built my Army unit around a connection to me so, we have the vehicles attached to C Company 4PARA, a TA formation based in Gateshead. The vehicles are heavily weathered to show their hard use status. Saracens are the Airfix kit, the Pig and Snatches are from Sgts Mess. Dougie

The vehicles, went for an urban style of basing, tarmac and bricks

 Sgt's Mess Pig

 Sgt's Mess Snatch with their top cover figures but with liberation head swops

 Airfix Saracen

20mm British Internal Security vehicles Part 1

For "Winter of '79" and Ulster use, Sgts Mess models. I picked up a couple of Landrover Snatch's and A Humber Flying Pig with the fold out screens. Easy kits to assemble.
Here is the Snatch assembled

 The Pig comes with solid screens which wasn't what I wanted

Here's a pic of the version I had in mind

Any hoo used the basic dimensions and knocked a couple up out of plasticard, happier with these

On to painting next.
Dougie

Wallsend Revolutionary Communist Party Direct Action Group

20mm Liberation figures for "Winter of '79" games, currently using "Firefight Modern" as rules choice.
Dougie

Sgts' Mess

Just a quick update, not ordered any products from Sgts' Mess before but I've very impressed! Parcel arrived within 48hrs, a small order of 20mm goodies for Winter of '79.
A Flying Pig, 2 LandRover Snatchs, some UK small arms and a sheet of number plate decals. The vehicles are nicely done and very reasonable, updates as I build them. The link for sgts' Mess is below;
Sgts' Mess

 A decal sheet featuring the "Confidential number line" would be a nice extra ! Dougie

More Winter of '79 thoughts

In between my commission work I've been pondering 20mm Winter of '79 stuff, here's where we are, buildings wise I think I'll use Metcalfe, Scalescenes and Skaledale, these are either card or pre painted so don't need much tarting up. The photo below shows the Metcalfe corner shop in redbrick, the only thing you really need to do is paint the external folds a suitable colour or you can see the white card on the external folds. easy to do and just takes 10-15 mins per building.

 

Vehicles are the excellent Oxford diecast, a local model shop was closing so I got a load for 30% off, 70s-80s vehicles including a "Professionals" Capri, a Tonibell Ice Cream van/VBIED and a Green Goddess to put the fires out.

A few more armed civilians knocked up mainly some old Hotspur, assisted by Liberation.

I've got a reasonable selection now, have to think of a leader and standard perhaps ? Dougie

Winter of '79

I've been thinking about the "Winter of '79" genre for a while now, mainly thanks to the excellent blog of Mark Hannam and Matthew Sparkes, here's the link Winter of '79 . I'll not go into the premise just go to the linked blog or google it, suffice to say that it appeals for a number of reasons the main one being its a period that's still resonates with me due to my enlistment into the Army.
Rules wise any WW2 to Modern skirmish system will do and there is a recent set published, "Living on the Frontline" available from Caliver Books, that I've just picked up and on first look seen very interesting.

Scalewise its 20mm or 28mm, I think I'll probably opt for 20mm due to the massive availability of figures vehicles and scenery.
Initial thoughts are basing it on Tyneside so we have C company 4th (Volunteer) Battalion The Parachute Regiment locally based in Gateshead as well as the TA Hereford Hooligans in Prudhoe. Marxist elements, Loyalist Elements and South Shields Orange Order will also be making an appearance.
Some suitable 20mm figures below. Dougie
A very quick conversion of an RH Models Falklands SAS type in to an "Ally" member of C Coy 4PARA, beret pulled over eyes, capbadge over the left ear!

 The tom painted up, Denison smock and lightweights, to complete his ally look ;)

 A group of militia types, from the left, first 2 are Hotspur, last 3 RH Models