British Infantry

In addition to the weird war units in the Konflikt '47 British starter set, there are a number of regular infantry figures.  These were my first attempts at World War 2 era infantry, and are fairly drab, especially compared to AWI units that I'm used to seeing.

For these figures, I did some basic base-coating, attempted some shading, and did a bit of black-lining to pick out details.  I also attempted eyes, which, fortunately, I've become better at since these figures were done.

The infantry men make up the bulk of my K'47 army.  They could also be used for Warlord Game's Bolt Action, or Two Fat Lardies' Chain of Command game, which I'm looking into someday playing.

1st section of my 1st Infantry squad

2nd section of my 1st Infantry squad

Cromwell-T

After my wife purchased a BritishKonflikt `47 starter set for me, I settled in to assemble and paint. One of the first items that I tackled was the set's Cromwell tank.

British Cromwell - World War II Version

Assembly of the kit was strait-forward. The top went on the bottom, the treads were added, and the turret was popped on top. Being Weird War, the set actually came with two turrets. The standard, historical version, and the Konflikt Tesla version. For mine, I also added tank commanders in the hatches to add a little more life to the model.

If I've ever assembled any World War II armor before, it would have been 30+ years ago when I was a kid, though I don't recall building any before. Being my first, I browsed the world of the Internet for ideas on colors, markings, etc. I came across Pete the Wargamer's video on painting a Cromwell for Bolt Action.

Front View

Following this video, I gave the tank and turrets a primer coat of dark green. A lighter green was dry-brushed over the top, bringing out the various panels and greebly bits. I think I also added a bit of gray or silver for chipping and weathering. The treads were given a treatment of dark brown and black to muddy them up a bit.

Rear View

I can't recall where I found it now, but the marking were added based on some research into British World War II vehicle markings. A career military friend of mine mentioned that the Allied star was upside down, but based on my research, that's how the Brits painted it, if they painted it all. Many of their vehicles apparently were left bare.

K`47 Tesla Version

For the Tesla version of the turret, I did a quick search online for how others had painted things like laser weapons. I wanted sort of a lightening look, to match the fluff images in the Konflikt `47 rule book. If I remember correctly, I started with a watery dark blue, then a dry-brush of lighter blue, then some streaks of whitish blue to represent the light. Overall, I was happy with the results, and very happy that both turrets look completely at home on the tank body.

K`47 Tesla Version

 

Soviet Snipers

Soviet Female World War II Snipers

For Round 3 of the Lead Painters League, I purchased two sets of female Soviets from Bad Squiddo Games.  During World War II, the Soviets had a number of women on active duty within their army, including some of the deadliest snipers of the conflict.  Bad Squiddo is known for their realistic sculpts of women, and these five figures are a perfect example.

Though I lost the round, I'm very happy with how these turned out.  They are a bit monochromatic, but that fits with their setting and their purpose.  In fact, these snipers were so well camouflaged that I actually lost them on my desk at one point.  I finally found them mixed into the rubble that I call a work area.

I hadn't planned on creating a Soviet army for Bolt Action.  If I do, however, these will make a good start, with two sniper teams and a forward observer.

Australian Jungle Infantry

Australian Jungle Infantry in New Guinea

Voting has ended for the first round of the Lead Painters' League, so I can finally reveal my first steps into painting miniatures for World War II.  These ten figures represent a section of of the Australian Jungle Division, organized in 1943 to fight in the southwest Pacific.

The figures are from Warlord Games Bolt Action range and, honestly, I chose them because I really liked their hats.  Never having worked with Warlord Games figures before, I was really impressed at how well they were sculpted and molded.  These really were a lot of fun to paint.

Being my first time taking part in the Lead Painters' League, I find myself seriously outclassed by more experienced painters, however, after one round, I'm currently ranked 19th out of 24 contestants.  Given that I had to give up 10 points for not meeting the first round's theme (the gothic figures that I ordered never arrived), I'm pretty happy with my standing.  Had I been able to meet the theme, I'd be somewhere near the low middle, which I feel is a respectable placement for someone painting to a tabletop level.