MG42 Teams

As more light fire support to the late war German force in Flames of War, allow me to present my MG42 HMG platoon. The models are fairly straightforward, with a heavy machinegun team on each base. Interesting to note that the gun is the same MG in each infantry squad, but mounted on a more stable tripod and supplied with more ammunition for continued fire.

The only difference between an MG42 squad weapon and MG42 Heavy Machine Gun is how it's used. In game terms, the sustained fire comes in the form of a great many more shots than a normal MG infantry team gets, serving mostly to pin down enemy infantry either to prevent an assault, or to aid your teams charging the enemy.

There are minor variations in the sculpts from gun team to gun team. Also worth noting that the men of this blister pack seem a little skinnier than the other LW Germans I've painted from Battlefront. These seem more realistically scaled and proportioned, and look lankey against the normal builds of the series.

Von Knyphausen Hessians, Part II

Another opposing force for my Minutemen and Continental Army, I have completed the set of 8 Foundry Hessian Grenadiers.  They are painted in the colors of Regiment Von Knyphausen

I had originally painted up the test figure for this group a while ago, and have finally found my way back to the set's completion. Consistent with my experience with Foundry so far, the figures were well sculpted, had very few molding issues, and were fun to paint.

Pictures may not show this too clearly, but despite being all in strict regimental form, each face is distinct, and has quite a bit of character, while still not breaking the professional soldier look of the regiment.

I found some divergences in detail between the different references for this regimental color scheme. Some books give the regiment pewter buttons on their coats and black gaiters, while others have white gaiters and brass buttons, as well as yellow waistcoats. I am sticking with my original colors, which come from a period drawing, and because the black gaiters give more of a contrast to the models.

Painting mustaches is fun!

German Grenadier Mortar Teams

To privide my Flames of War LW Germans valuable indirect fire support, I painted up tehse mortar teams. Some of the teams came in my first Festungkompanie box, while others are from a supplimental blister pack.

Uniforms are painted to match the existing Grenadiers, with some field grey, some Heer splinter camouflage, and some field-applied helmet camouflage.

Mortars themselves are painted in the typical dunkelgelb of my armor. To ease basing, I built them onto small skids of cut plastic card to help raise them above the level of the sand i would add later, and also to put them at the same elevation as the crew members. I painted the completed stands with the figures and their mortars, then added the basing material over the finished assembly.

Schwalbe

My first bit of air support I constructed for my Flames of War Late War German force was actually this Messerschmidt Me 262 Schwalbe model by Trumpet. The kit is 1:144, which is the commonly used relative air scale to FoW.

I painted it up fairly quickly using Charadon Granite and Goblin Green as stand-in colors for the Luftwaffe camouflage, and gave it a pinwash of black ink into the panel lines. The recent update for the Ardenne's campaign introduces the ground-attack Sturmvogel version, so this bird may see some official action in-game.

At the time there was no official rules for using the first jet fighter in the game, but I liked the plane. I still have plans to convert it into an objective by building it a field workshop with support equipment.

Minutemen Part IV

After a hiatus from the painting scene in order to move, I have returned to complete my squad of Nervous Southern Militia figures by the Perry Brothers. On their own, the men of this set have some very dynamic poses, and would look equally good fleeing the battlefield or skirmishing in the uncut wilderness. When arranged together, they make a visually interesting tableau of a unit just beginning to break.

Looking in more detail at individual models, we can see the interesting variety of accouterment sculpted on this set. Each militiaman brings his own weapons and gear when he's called up, and this shows on the figures. There are several styles of canteen, haversack and cartridge box throughout the set. 

Another fun bit to paint is the fact that some of these men are fighting barefoot. I painted this one in a blue work smock, and a dark brown wide brimmed hat, as though he is fresh from his farm. On his back he wears a military canteen and haversack, but carries his ammunition in a civilian hunting bag, which seemed appropriate in leather.

One of my favorite militia poses is the dynamic entry. One of the better dressed of the militia, he runs across country with a french Charleville musket in his left hand. Lightly Accoutered in only a hunting bag and powder horn, he makes for a great individual figure, who would work great running toward or away from the enemy.

He is another example of how actually reenacting this period has changed my painting style. Previously I would have done a figure like this in earth tones, but would have chosen from among my WWII colors and probably done a two tone outfit. Since being a part of recreating the Revolution, however, I've noted through research and through first hand second hand experience exactly what kinds of colors and dyes would be more appropriate in different levels of colonial society, and decided that as he was more fully clothed, he was [probably a bit better off than his barefoot counterparts. He has a roughly cinnamon colored outfit with matching breeches and weskit.

Next down the line, we have another good outdoorsman. Also barefoot, I painted him up in simple shirtsleeves, but with buckskin breeches. Heavily laden with cross belts, I made them dark to contrast with the light colored outfit.

The Pose again could be a fleeing or advancing run. The important part is that he looks appropriately desperate.

Perhaps my favorite member of this team was the most militarily accoutered, and seems to be trying to convince the rest of his men to stay and fight. This was a fun challenge to paint. I did him as though he was wearing a uniform, sans coat. He sports wool breeches and weskit, a proper cartridge box, haversack and wooden canteen, and even half gaiters. It was a combination of the gaiters and military style cocked hat that made me decide to paint him this way. The hope with this figure is that the subtle color difference between shirt and small clothes is enough to differentiate the material they are constructed from. The more yellowed breeches and weskit are intended to read as wool agains the stark white linen shirt.

A brief note on photography: these models were shot outside in indirect natural morning light. You may  notice a departure from my usual white background. This time they are photographed on my colonial table.