Having watched The Red Beret and rewatched A Bridge Too Far, I was motivated to find even more inspiration for British paratrooper missions. However, I was in the mood for something "pulp-like" for variety.
A brief search and I found that Commando comics would fit the bill and lo-and-behold they even have a collection of three airborne specific stories!
I'm looking forward to reading it, both as a source of entertainment and scenarios.
Also arriving today was the Valiant brand British paratrooper with PIAT. I *really* don't like painting camo, but the pre-painted paratrooper PIAT figures are exceptionally pricey and unlikely to turn up at a price I can afford. So, painting my own it is.
I will note that 21st Century/Forces of Valor (one of those) made a paratrooper with PIAT and it's easy and inexpensive to acquire (you can get the whole set of their British paras for under $20 usd if you are patient on eBay - note that they are sometimes mislabeled as British infantry as they are similar shades of brown, and no camo), however I find those figures run closer to 1/35. Conte (and the one or two King & Country figures I have), which makes up the bulk of my pre-painted British paras and Waffen SS metal collection, is closer to 1/30 but, while bigger, they mix fine with the Britain's WWII figures I have, which are 1/32.
I can't see mixing the Forces of Valor figures into that - at least not in the same squad. Which means, if you're paying attention, I've provided a justification for buying them to form their *own* squad!
That said, I was ready to swear off buying any more figures for a time, but I found a fantastic deal on a Conte paratrooper set I don't already have. So those are on the way too.
Finally, this evening I commenced making some buildings out of foamcore acquired at Dollar Tree (which has increased its prices and the sheets cost $1.25). I also started working on low walls - using the same stuff - something I have meant to make for a long time. These scenery and terrain items are intended to fill the table up a bit more than I do for my other games as there will be fewer figures generally on the table. They will most likely be in my simple, toy-soldery style and not works of scale modeling art, as suits my aesthetic preference.
You are right John, 21st Century figures are an awesome bargain! The paint jobs look great and they are relatively cheap. I found twenty loose Afrika Corps figures for $20 on eBay, and quickly bought them! They look great on my table!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to resist them but I think just a squad of their British paras won't hurt anything :D I have quite a few of their mortar figures for my Heer Germans and my Americans and the detail level is excellent.
DeleteInteresting post John. Was not familiar with 21st Century figures. Had to do some research. The 1/32 were reviewed quite favourably, and the artwork was also good. Look forward to viewing your new acquisitions. (Brad, a nice find for $20!)
ReplyDeleteMichael
Hi Michael, The figures turn up on eBay under a couple of names, as you may have found ot already - Unimax, 21st Century, Forces of Valor, Ultimate Soldier, and 32x. The vehicles are stunning and you can often find bargains on open-box items and lots - but at true 1/32, they take up a lot of real estate (not a problem if you have big table, but I do not). The figures are, as I noted, a touch small compared to even my Airfix, but they fit in, especially as I use them primarily for my mortar crews (I also have their PAK-40 and two figures it came with. Compared to my Italeri 1/32 PAK-40 it's a slender piece of machine). Generally,they won't fit with 1/30 figures, but as their own squad on a different part of the table, I'm quite happy to call it close enough.
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