I'm a Convert

After resisting the idea for many years, primarily due to fear, I finally tried my hand at a figure conversion that involved more than trimming of some bit or a paint conversion. The result isn't radically different - not like, say, a Soviet rifleman to a 19th C. Samurai - but it was extremely satisfying.

Marx re-cast Grenade thrower + Marx re-cast Officer (these are not the ones I used for the conversion)

Indeed, I greatly underestimated the degree of satisfaction. Maybe it's the manual labor (no matter how minuscule) involved that lends a sense of greater accomplishment?

Became this proof of concept. I trimmed up the shoulder a bit more per Ross's suggestion on my previous post of this figure and it made a world of difference.

The finished product: Soviet officer with a grenade. (Please pardon my sloppy painting - particularly on the hat. Close up photos reveal the awful truth.)

And so a monster has been born - I suddenly find myself looking at my unpainted plastic thinking, "what else could this figure be?"

In mind at present:

• convert a standing Soviet SMG figure into a flamethrower operator - use green stuff to make a tank and hose, convert the SMG to a rifle of sorts (they tried to disguise their flamethrowers as ordinary rifles).
• convert a prone German MG figure into a PzB 39 figure - I believe this is simple as moving the bipod legs back farther, and a paint conversion.
• convert a prone Soviet MG figure into a Soviet mine detector - remove the bipod and trim off the gun sight/stock details - or replace the gun of wire - and either way add a loop on the end.
• For my colonial Russians, convert some riflemen in close combat poses into the crew for the Russian gatling gun

I have to say, I only wish I had tried this sooner.

Soviet Maxim Team No. 2 and a Conversion

Let's start with the first part (always a good choice).

The second Zvezda MG team is complete and on their base. If you look carefully you will still see the blue tint to the air that resulted from this exercise.

The hard part was getting both of their hands onto the gun's handle, without raising the MG in the air. The end result is that they appear to be holding hands from certain angles. I'm quite alright with that, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intention and that I botched the arm attachment.

Here's another view because I'm pleased as punch with the outcome:

Speaking of arm attachment. I rapidly went from "what happens if I try to use heat to bend this figure's arm" to "better lop that melted mess off with an X-acto and find a replacement":

The donor was already missing a hand - he came that way - and so I figured he was the best donor candidate. I also have like 10 of the grenade throwers, most of whom I have no other plans for.

I consider this a proof of concept for a "leader" figure - a company commander, for example, in my G Company or Company Fire - that doesn't look exactly like the figure I painted for the Commissar. I mean it really doesn't matter, but if they're going to be standing side-by-side, I thought it was too uniform and besides this is my first "big"-ish conversion attempt (i.e not hacking off a gun or a paint conversion).

The arm is presently held in place with blu-tac, just to prove to myself that it will work.

I will drill and pin it, and then fill in the gaps (probably) with green stuff before hacking off some of the excess bits that resulted from my previous hacking. 

Figures on the table!

Peter S. was kind enough to provide me with additional feedback for the latest update of G Company (you can read his comment here). As part of that, he shared a great historically-based scenario for a British raid of a German radar station, which is absolutely worth checking out. There's a good bit of open ground for the British to deal with, so, at least given the present state of the rules, be warned that if you try it, it might get a bit bloody for them.

Inspired by his scenario, and with ample time during jury duty yesterday to sketch it out, I decided to finally get a historically-based scenario on the table that I've had in mind for some time. It is based on the section "Company G operates in Deep Snow (January 1942)" from Small Unit Actions During the German Campaign in Russia. (also, for those keeping score, this is where the idea for the name 'G Company' came from).

The scenario needs some tweaking, so I'll wait to post the full details. Suffice it to say, it's intended to play solitaire, with many of the decisions for the Soviets coming from die rolls, inspired by the print-n-play game, Sink the Bismark.(the link is to Boardgame Geek, but there is a link there to the site where you can get the download).

However, here are some screen shots from the game (please note, there's heavy snow on the ground):

A platoon from Company G sets up behind their snow defenses in front of Village M, along with an HMG, 81mm mortar, and ATG.

The Soviet hordes burst forth from the forest

The first wave struggles through the snow and is shot up well before they can get anywhere.

The second wave races toward the German line (I was playing with movement rates).

The Soviets roll up the German right flank.

Painting Madness and Plans

I got quite  bit of painting done in the last few days, much to my own surprise

Both the Germans and Soviets can now field nine infantry units.

And even better, the Soviets can field their first proper HMG:

Nothing fancy but they will serve the Motherland well. Just don't get me started on the pain of attaching the Maxim to the base.  All hail blu-tack!

The next figures in the queue include a German sniper (CTS), a Soviet commander (Marx, which will be my first "real" conversion attempt), and the second Soviet HMG team (the Zvezda box includes two) . It's probable I'll work on those this week.

Once those are painted, and assuming my painting mojo sticks around, I'll probably return to painting figures for my colonial Imagin-nation / VSF project involving the conflict between Ginland (or is it Gntania?) and Vodkya in the late 19th C. I figure a break before painting any more WWII forces will help prevent burnout.


I'd really like to get a game on the table with my figures, but I'm afraid to stop painting lest another long painting lull begin.

G Company Update Available for Download

If you look to the sidebar, there's a new link for G Company. 

I haven't been able to field a proper game with toy soldiers on the table due to my ongoing re-basing efforts and my desire to spend time painting (a rare thing for me, so strike while the iron's hot and all that), but I have run through quite a few play test games "on-line" using a very DIY grid surface and block armies and I believe the results are ready for sharing with the world before the inevitable next round of revisions/layout changes begins (might add some pictures to jazz it up).

What changes did I make? I probably should have tracked that.

Mostly, I have made the document wordier in an effort to provide clarification, as well as some rearranging. There are a few tweaks throughout, but it's not wildly different from its predecessor. Importantly, it includes a two-page QRS (print double-sided for single sheet) which should be all you need in most situations.

Vehicle rules have not really been touched - there is much more testing to be done there, but with a little interpretation, they are functional. Do note again, they are far more beer + pretzel, emphasis on the beer, than detailed.

If I can offer my own criticism of G Company, it's what appears to be a borderline obscene list of modifiers that apply to the Fire Result Table and the Close Combat results. That said, there is a lot of overlap between the lists, and after a few goes they aren't hard to recall (says the person who wrote them). The one I have trouble remembering is the bonus for Veteran/Elite units because I forget the units are such.

I still don't have a points values system for those looking to create their own scenarios (I rely on the hard work of others for my scenarios generally), but it's coming and, spoiler alert, it owes everything to Morschauser and Bob Cordery.

And because blogs are as much an image-based medium as a text-based one, here's a picture from a recent outdoor game with my son (based on this game, but using multiplication and basic division instead of spelling):

This has been my favorite "army man" pose since I was a kid. I seem to recall my army men standing up rather easily but these have very narrow bases and fall over easily.

I love the smell of Testor’s glue in the morning

The other night I was ready to wax rhapsodic about 1/35 figure kits. Assembling the soldiers was a breeze, cleaning mold lines with a blade was a delight (so easy with this plastic), and you can leave off bits and bobs that your Airfix and Marx figures don’t have if desired. 

Of course, there are slight gaps at the joins that the more detail oriented would take the time to deal with but I am not that person and am not bothered by them.

In my joy-filled haze, I moved on to the Maxims next. How anyone can call this hobby relaxing is beyond me! Minuscule pieces lost, found, lost again (this time with glue on them), tiny little bits to be stuck perfectly in place with no support/hole/anything. Clearly these were created by a sadistic mind and dutifully, I masochistically went through the process. 

The end result, however, was worth it in that I now have two proper Soviet HMG teams and for a reasonable price (dollar-wise, the jury is out on the cost of sanity).

One team and both guns. The nose of the gun on the right came from a broken resin kit I have as I lost the one included.

Despite my frustration with the fiddly gun bits,  I expect I’ll be turning to more 1/35 figure kits for some of the specialists that no one makes in 1/32 plastic.

Plastic Medieval Russian Flats

If you haven't seen this post on the estimable The Duchy of Tradgardland, you should go there first.

In the comments, I mentioned I had some medieval chaps of the same Russian-made sort, but featuring Teutonic knights and Russian knights. As there's no easy way to share pictures in comments, here we are.

Before continuing, I feel I should acknowledge that I suppose it's possible the Teutonic knights are in fact, Livonian, but that's neither here nor there.

I acquired a few packs of these several years ago and other than a few test paint jobs, which I never completed, they have languished, save for a few undocumented games of Songs of Blades & Heroes. Neither force is large enough presently for much else.

Without further ado:

The two armies.

The only painted figures of the bunch.

The Teutonic knights

The Russian knights.

There is a lot of action in these poses despite being flats (or are they semi-flats?) and I think they make quite a nice visual display, even in their Christmas-colored underwear.

The figures are a very hard plastic, have no flash, and quite minimal mold lines. Only the injection point serves to blemish them.

I was unable to find identical sets for sale currently, but there are similar sets floating about.