WW2 - BG Kursk Germans

After the results with the test figures I have ordered more German figures to be used on my BG Kursk games.  I went through my spares box and found some DAK figures which will be used at the same time.

German Flamethrowers - likely to get five useful poses out this pack as the eintoss 46 doesn't come into service until 1944.

DAK SMG - as my units are leading the assault I wanted to increase the numbers of SMG figures available. 8 spread across a full company isn't going to break the bank and let's me customise each section a little more.

DAK Mortars & LW Mortars - I can field one weapon on table per platoon so these two packs will give me a couple of options plus Inam looking at reusing some of the equipment from the BF Pack. The kneeling figures will be used to make up other gun crews and loader teams.

LW Gun crews - Enough for two guns and hopefully a couple of figures to be mixed in with the ammo teams.

LW Mineteam - I will use all of these 8 figures rounding out my pioneer sections.

LW Ammo carriers - I love this set of figures and with a head swap they will be mixed in to sections and my loader teams.

LW Riflemen - one pack of each gives me another 16 infantry men or enough for 4 sections before I swap in extra ammo and SMG figures. Again head swap potential will give me something different.

LW Nebelwerfer crew - BG Kursk doesn't have the wheeled mount on table but that will have to change as I don't have any Stuka zu fuss but I do have the PP wheeled launcher.  If the Soviets can have a Katyusha on table......

Last up is a pair of Sdkfz 251/9 C variants.  While I bodged a D model superstructure onto a C before the purist in me says that time is right to get a proper one and I don't have any of PP's halts tracks in my force but they do look nice. 

WW2 - New army test figures

are done....

NCOs with Riflemen in the background and ammo carriers to the left

Ammo carriers and MG42 at the rear, Grenadier to the front and Tellermine and AT Grenades to the left

Tellermines and AT Grenades have head swaps.  The RHR figure is from the "old" German engineers set.

WW2 - Painting a new army

So......black undercoat just doesn't work anymore with my poor eyesight so I have had to go back and repaint the test figures.  Not clever but a necessity.  Rather than make things up as I go, which is how I normally paint things, I thought that this time I would actually record how I have painted things.  If nothing more it means I have a record I can at least adjust at some point in the future.

• Thinned VJ Pale Camo brown washed over the everwhere except the trousers.
• Color Party Field Grey on the trousers (and anklets and boots at this stage as I wasn't being careful)
• VJ Sunny Flesh Tone on the face and hands.
• VJ German Camo Dark Green on the Ammo boxes, Gas Mask cannisters and Tellermines.
• VJ Black Grey Boots, webbing straps, metal parts on weapons
• VJ Beige Brown, Wooden parts on weapons, Wood
• VJ German Camo Beige, Bread bag, weapons slings
• VJ Field Drab, Canteen
• VJ Khaki, Leggings
• VJ Russian Uniform, MP40 Magazine Pouches
• VJ Green Grey, Poncho Roll
• GW Bolt Gun metal, Canteen set

WW2 - Planning a new army

Well, not a whole army.  Just the infantry element for my BGK germans.

I had added a number of single based figures to my collection which had been put together for PBI. The problem was now that I had different basing schemes and some of the older figures were showing their age. I wanted a Waffen SS themed collection so I ordered three packs of BF SS Infantry and was sorely disappointed in the quality of the castings, a good variety of figures but they didn't float my boat.  The alternative...take some of the LW Germans from Peter Pig carve off the pockets, add smocks where appropriate and add helmet covers.  From other packs take off the heads and do some head swaps and then the same job with a scalpel and milliput.  With that idea in mind I ordered a rough sample of packs from Peter Pig and tried out a couple of ideas.  This is the rough idea of what they looked like.  First time I have really used milliput so the helmets do look a little overdone but as that will be the first thing you see when looking down on the table it gives me something to spend time on painting.

So, with the packs on the table, I took out all the unique figures from the following packs to see what I could do with.  I didn't order any specific firing, prone or kneeling packs.  This is what I have to work with

• 216. Tank Hunters in caps. This gave me two useable figures. One carrying a tellermine the other with AT grenades.  I can either use them as is or do a head swap from the German heads in Range 6.
• 125. DAK LMG.  I had a pack of these left over from another project. This threw up one useable figure which is a walking carrying an ammo box and a belt of ammo slung around the body.  Again an option to either use as is or do a head swap.
• 68. LW Rifles Advancing.  Three rifle armed figures walking.
• 459. LW Advancing under fire. Three rifle armed figures in a more animated pose one of whom has a ammo belt around his shoulders.
• 455. LW German Grenadiers. One standing figure throwing, one standing preparing a grenade and one kneeling figure throwing a grenade. Not massively useful but I will use the odd figure here and there.
• 450. LW LMG Advancing. All MG42 armed. One carrying the MG over the shoulder, one at the trail with an ammo box and one with the MG at the low carry.  All very useful figures and as I only want a platoon the one pack is enough.
• 336. LW Tripod MG42.  Three two man teams of a gunner and loader both kneeling and 2 kneeling gun crew commanders.  The gunner and loader will stay as they are and I will use the kneeling ammo carrier from 454 to make up three guns.  No variation in these so might see if I can recover a couple of the BF ones that I didn't like with a head swap.
• 454. LW Ammo Carriers.  I have used these figures before and they are cracking figures for any force.  All three are festooned with ammo belts. The one kneeling has an ammo box, there is one standing pointing carrying another ammo box and one advancing under fire with a belt around his shoulders.
• 451. LW SNCO with SMG. Three well animated NCO figures all armed with MP40.

A good mix of poses which are well detailed and animated.  So what do I need to make up a platoon of either Grenadiers or Pioneers?

• Each section of 8 men is split into a "rifle" group of 5 figures and an MG team of 3.  The rifle group can be armed with a mix of SMG and rifles as can the other figures in the MG team so I have some flexibility.  I probably want two SMG armed figures in a section but if I keep it at just an NCO figure to start with it keeps the pack count down.
• The Platoon HQ is 6 Figures strong and contains an Officer.
• Support options for the platoon are a medic, Tripod MG team & 3 man loader team, 81mm Mortar team & 3 man loader team, 50mm Mortar team & 3 man loader team and an AT Gun & 3 man loader team.
• The differences between Grenadiers and Pioneers is that the rifle group can take upto 2 demo charges, and each section can swap out a rifle figure for a Flamethrower and a minesweeper.

As I can also add separate sections of either Grenadiers or Pioneers I am going to start off with a Grenadier Platoon and an attached Pioneer section.

Therefore:

• 4 LMG teams made up of:
• 450. LW MG Advancing. (4 Figures with 4 in the spares pile)
• 454. LW Ammo Carriers. (8 Figures)
• 4 Rifle Groups made up of:
• 451. LW SNCO with SMG. (4 Figures with 4 in the spares pile)
• 68. LW Rifles. (8 Figures*)
• 459 LW Rifles. (8 Figures*)
• 216. Tank Hunters (1 with Tellermines)
• 461. LW Flamethrower. (1 Figure from existing forces)
• 462. LW Mineteam (1 Detector and 1 Tellermine from existing forces)
• Platoon HQ Group
• Officer from an existing base
• NCO from the spares pile
• 4 Rifle figures from the ones thrown up by the Pioneer additions of Tellermines, Flamethrowers and Detectors, or the 455. Grenadiers or the DAK Ammo carrier.

End result is a complete infantry platoon from the packs I bought and shopping list of two packs (68 & 459) to add a second Infantry platoon.