Leopard's FoW Soviets

[leopard]

Added a bit of drybrushing to the Su-100



Pic is a bit dark though, think the previous pic, but with a slightly lighter finish and more defined edges.. will get a matt varnish coat soon.

While this is ongoing the infantry are progressing, should take some pics tomorrow if the mysterious yellow thing in the sky puts in an appearance. The Flame Throwers now have the final missing bod in place, and the bases are painted dark grey to match the desired rubble effect. A eleven team pioneer company is also completed. Also today has seen the four anti tank rifle teams I needed painted up, and the nine rifle stands needed for the Challenge event next weekend are now primed, flesh tones done and the base layer of the uniform is done, should be finished tomorrow.

Sooooo please the Soviet uniform is a single basic colour, and that this base colour, once highlighted, makes a very nice base for the webbing (i.e. just add a further bit of highlighting and job done).

should have this lot based up for next weekend, if not will get the flat bases painted and some marking on the back and will finish post event.

Also really happy the Soviets are meant to have a mix of four and five models per base... so when you go to just four the eight team platoons build as nine team ones nicely for mid war.

Bolokov's little horde grows... itching for the Berlin book...

[leopard]

More updates!

Firstly WiP as of this morning, starting with some objective markers




Lovely little diorama this one, lower parts mucked up with pigments for some basic dirt which seemed to work out pretty well.




Burnt out T-34/76, shown shortly after the rust pigments were added.

Pair of Su-100, again shortly after the rust pigment went on




And now more recently, completed models




Su-100 again, notice the rust has been toned down and some more general drat added, then various varnished added along with a slight metallic hint to the tracks



T-34 objective, some black airbrushed for the burnt out sections and as with the Su-100 some dirt added.




The other objective, has now had some more dirt added to it and the wood parts toned down slightly to complete.

Of course an army is not an army without some PBI, so on with the show.



Flame throwers, custom rubble bases



Anti tank rifles, bases are basically some Hirst Arts blocks crushed up, bits of wood and grit, painted greys and reds



Infantry platoon, scary to think a single game unit can be three of them, plus various additions.



Pioneer platoon, in practice for now will be used as HQ attachments, but have made all ten teams and the command so can be run as a stand alone platoon as well.



Group shot, not bad considering they were started a little over a week ago. The urban theme is intended for Stalingrad, but will do for any other urban area. Really need to do a dedicated picture backdrop for them as the rural grass doesn't really fit.

Totally sold on the powders and oils for weathering, so much easier than mucking about with the acrylics.

[Baldie]

More meat into the grinder.
Look champion.

[leopard]

Got a heavy mortar blister assembled before dinner, called it a day for the night now but if time permits will get them primed up tomorrow.

Have a final day off work on Friday before the next event, if the mortars can be completed they will be in the event, if not will fall back to the PSC ones..

Will have to do another big game up there and run Soviets.

Looking forwards to letting the insanity of combining Infiltration with "Always Attacks" and irritating the heck out of an armoured player... specially if I face off against that list with just 8 panthers in 2x3 + the HQ... and have them have to defend against many many pairs of boots with flame throwers and pioneers getting the jump nice and early...

40 team formations

[Baldie]

What you playing in this time?

[leopard]

Got the heavy mortars finished in time for the event!



Rubble bases again, though here there is a bit more space to play so put some tiled floor surfaces in. Drags the platoon together as a company nicely, though not enough space on the command stand sadly, may make a second stand and reuse this one later - cut the base of someone and have them standing on the tiles.

The rubble/brick/ash basing seems to be working pretty nicely, combined with bits of Hirst Arts blocks, mostly miscasts and broken blocks, dead easy to do as well, and on larger bases space to do the base before priming... and by gork grit is easier to paint with an airbrush.


Event is Challenge 2015, mid war 1,750, taking Strelk and Germans from Eastern Front, Germans being the usual panzers Strelk... have gone for the Sparta! option, Sthraf for 'always attacks' and scouts for 'infiltration', coupled to a somewhat large Strelk formation (all three platoons, plus a good bit attached) for a force thats built around a somewhat unsubtle pub brawl tactic...

Will have to see how it works, even managed to get them all into one KR (well two with the Germans in another one).

Should be good, have a few more bits on order with Colin, and have got a further pair of Su-100 built, primed and glossed ready for the black lining on Monday

[leopard]

Well Bolokov did ok at Challenge, even if an utter incompetent of a higher command leader held him back... ahem..

As it stands the list is horrible against armour, the combination of the huge force size, not a single vehicle (so pretty much any gun heavier than a rifle is a waste since I seldom stop long enough to dig in), indeed the only scary weapon is the HMG (not vehicle MG) and the 'always attacks' rule forcing armour to defend.. Not many seemed to be ready for that trick, another player was using it but with a much smaller Strelk force with plenty of armour in it - never faced it so not sure how well it did.

but cannot fight dug in, veteran, infantry - nothing really to hit them with except the heavy mortar, which are ok, but never hit on better than a 5+ so tend not to do a lot on any given turn. A small elite German enemy is hard to shift, can get to assault range but have trouble getting in, a larger less elite German force with attached HMG did a scary amount of damage in the four turns it took to cross the table... a 3+ save only goes so far.

A lot of this is tactical, we advanced in a line, three teams deep, across a wide front - main effects of which were:
- a lot of enemy teams got into range quickly
- supporting units were behind the infantry
- specialist teams were never in the right place

Doh.

Next time will try a much narrower column with the 45mm guns flanking on one side much closer to try and drop enemy HMG, and indeed to try and actually fire at the enemy not be blocked the whole game until its too late. Basically bad traffic management skills on my part.

The ZiS-2 are going, they are simply not needed, the infantry can handle armour, panthers, tigers, panzers, stug, not a problem, a platoon of two guns is so fragile its just an easy point to give away - that and the Il-2 being retired, for while it did stirling work by turn three the advancing infantry were simply too close to use it, thus a waste. That alone saves 300 points... if we can get a small downgrade somewhere else which should be possible, probably dropping the HMG team or something, we can bring in the 8 gun god of war and a four gun infantry gun battery.

Drop the ZiS-3 in the centre, infantry column to either side, the heavier 122mm guns to the rear, 45mm to one flank and the infantry guns to the other, then just roll forwards....

Also made an interesting discovery, the force had two Strelk companies, the first being larger tasked with attacking, the second a reserve and defensive force, discovery being there is no need to defend - the enemy is so tied up trying to stop the advance they second unit is a waste - hence throw it forwards as well, in a second column, puts some 70+ teams on the advance to deal with. If we face a highly mobile enemy then a skirmish screen may be needed but in general armour is too busy to think of attacking, and if they break the advancing line, well they deserve to win anyway.

The list is aggressive, but perhaps not aggressive enough...

If I'm going to turtle and wait I may as well take the Militia list and seriously scale the force up...


Look forwards to running this lot in LW configuration up there... munchy munchy

[leopard]

Got the Su-100 finished, including all the weathering and varnish, these are actually finished for once, no 'oh just this to do'...





mud weathering works, but its a bit of a pain to actually do, not sure how long it will stay on either - sealed with varnish but we shall see.

Nice models, battlefront plastics that more or less fall together, perhaps not quiet up there with the more recent PSC kits but didn't need any filler.

T-34, will be a platoon commander, again a battlefront plastic, not as nice to build as the Su-100 though, hard to put a finger on why but feels more chunky.



alternative turret



second infantry platoon, these obviously not yet completed as the basing needs doing, also the prone models are not glued down, that will be done once the base is added and primed, but before its drybrushed.

[Baldie]

Cracking stuff

[leopard]

The infantry, now based