For Ben

This is my Great War Russian collection, but I have also used it in a few Russian Civil War games. Ben over at http://benssoldiers.blogspot.co.nz/ has started a RCW project and I thought I'd post a few pictures to show what I have. All of this part of my collection was done in the very early days of my entry into this hobby so much of the paintwork and conversions are quite crude by today's standards. Some of the pictures aren't too flash as I used my wife's Nikon D550 which is fairly unforgiving on the amateur

Based on the HaT Cossack set but includes figures from all sorts of other sets, I even raided my daughters cowboys & Indians for a couple of figures with pistols to represent officers on the command stands

Strelets Russian Lancers. Say what you like about these figures but I think some of their cavalry sets are very good, and collectors are lucky to be able to get them, as I doubt any of the established manufacturers would ever have produced WW1 Russian cavalry

These are true RCW figures by Orion. Very well sculpted in good poses, I think they might be the only RCW figures available in plastic, or at least were at the time of purchase

I have a whole regiment of cavalry

These stands represent dismounted cavalry, I think the figures are Atlantic?

Machinegun stands

This is the infantry brigade. The figures are mostly by HaT though some of the earlier additions include converted Airfix and Revell WW2 Russians  as well

Brigade engineers

Machinegun platoons, HaT and a couple of conversions from the days before you could buy Russian support weapons

Trench mortar platoons. They come in two varieties but the rules group them at the 3" level

Some of the earliest conversion attempts I tried, these represent Naval Infantry and are a mixture of all manner of figures from a couple of different eras; a few need their heads reattached :)

Think this is an Austin-Putlov. I got it from a swap-meet and although it was in a pretty sad state it was an excellent addition nonetheless. This is a resin model

Lastly another armoured car, I think by LW of Russia; it ranks up there with some of the worst kits I have ever made in terms of its engineering

 As with all of my Great War stuff the rules I use for this period is Command Decision, Over the Top.

Early War Spitfire

Finally finished my first and only Spitfire

Some very minor finishing work but ready for the table. A most remarkable aircraft, with one version or another serving from the 30s to the 50s.

Slow Progress

This has had a little more attention since the picture was taken but not a lot :(

Looking forward to adding this to the collection, like most of my aircraft kits it is modelled carriage down.

Spitfire - started

Got a chance to start this yesterday, very basic, but a very nicely engineered kit

Base painted on sprue

As this is likely to be my first and only Spitfire I decided it should get on of my precious pilots that I save up for special model occasions. This is one of a few pilot figures sent to me last year by Jao from GEM.  http://garageexclusivemodels.blogspot.co.nz/

17 Pounder

Finished this yesterday after work, it is the only one I have so far

A very simple metal kit from Britannia Miniatures, goes together nicely and has a reasonable level of detail too

I'd eventually like to get another two or three of these guns, including one from the Matchbox series if possible; think I'll always prefer plastic kits.

Shore Party

Haven't done much lately but did find some time yesterday to finish this stand, which represents between 25-30 men of a RN shore party

CD3 scenarios sometimes include the odd small unit like this. Their effect on any battlefield is minimal to be sure, though it is good to include little details like this to add to the variety. These are Airfix figures from the landing craft set.

My Bits-Boxes

My addition to Paul's idea about our spares...

This is my armoured bits box, wish I had more especially PzI & II bits, early war being my favourite period

This is the rest of it, my general spares bits box, wheels, ladders, tank and gun crew figures, etc. I also have a figures spares box with around 400 from different periods and nations. Sure look forward to seeing other Bloggers spares collections and drooling:)

Project Progress

A bit of an update on my late war Panzergrenadiers but still a long way to go, with engineers and 120mm mortars still to add

Rifle platoons, x2 per company

Weapons platoons, which historically would have had four medium machineguns and a pair of 81mm mortars, x1 per company

Antitank platoons, x1 per company

Command Infantry platoons, x1 per company.

Bunkers

Dave has been making some larger bunkers

These are bigger than the pillbox variety, and in CD terms will accommodate two stands 

Designed with our WW1 set in mind but they will work for other eras as well

Formidable obstacles these, even once reduced they still count as hard cover

Here are some of Dave's Emhar British getting in some practice on a Hyde Park demonstration model.

Tarawa, the game part 2

Japanese RHQ at the southern end of their line, this unit was destroyed (as it was historically) by naval gunfire at around 2pm; about turn 7. Figures are Airfix.

This is the rear or the airfield defences, showing the northern Japanese RHQ and the reserve company of infantry attached to them

Marines supported by their light armour 

Venerable Airfix Marines in action along the seafront. The yellow markers indicate about 1/3 casualties. The rubble to the left of pictures is a destroyed pillbox

Close quarters fighting around one of the few remaining fortified areas at the southern end of the island

Just inland from Red Beach, the Marines encountered strong resistance from this area around the village and had to wait a turn or two for support to arrive

The support. US aircraft smashed the Japanese positions just about every time it turned up

Losses of armour did not hold up the drive inland. 

More armour landing on the now quiet Red Beach. Tanks are Hasegawa and Armourfast, Landing ship by Matchbox

Pack howitzer by Waterloo 1815 firing in support of the assault on the village

Marines move past wrecked Japanese armour

The end result of one of the Japanese human wave assaults at the southern end of the island. Several Japanese companies tried this tactic with fairly limited success

Marines on the airfield, not far from the last pockets of Japanese resistance. One of the best games we've ever played. Will post a few more random pictures for you all in a couple of days.

Cheers