Tuesday 12 January 2016

From ClintB - 28mm BUF Auxilery troops (125 points)

OK folks, let's start the day off with one of Clint's many submissions.


A total of 23 figures from Footsore/Musketeer Miniatures with a couple of very small conversions (either gun or head swaps) . The represent a depleted platoon of British Union of Fascists along with machine gun support.

OK that picture is them all crowded together, so better to see them all in component form. All the colours and uniforms are from the Solway and Pete Barfield supplement so I can take no credit for the choice of colours.


Firstly 3 command figures, officer platoon runner and platoon standard bearer. There will be another standard bearer next week as I have mucked it up and am re-painting it. Then I dropped it and then I stuck the flag on upside down. Some figures are just mistake after mistake!


1st Squad is 9 figures including a junior NCO with a sword. Mostly they are rifle armed but there is also a shot gun for close in work (Guy in the Trench coat) and another with a Lewis gun and another carrying ammunition. So a pretty complete squad.


2nd Squad also has 9 troops, but no officer. Again mostly rifle armed. But the sergeant carries a Lewis gun (far right) but the guy in the trench coat now carries a Lanchester SMG for close I work.  As with the first squad they all carry holstered pistols as back up weapons and if they need to close assault.



Finally the machinegun and crew. 2 men and the gun all on one base. For rules we tend to use "Chain of Command" by the TOO Fat Lardies. as they give a complete game for a platoon that we can easily manage in a day (sometimes 2 games in a day!) Which gives you an idea of how much chatting and making tea also occurs!


The last picture is a facial close up.  Not perfect by any means but given the size of the figures I would struggle to do better. All this and Note I am not blaming the camera, but rest assured if I was better at taking pictures a better result would be achieved.  Whinge over!


Fascists! Boo! Hiss! No pasaran!
Lovely work Clint and very characterful figures. I make that 23 foot figures and one crew-served weapon for 125 points.


65 comments:

  1. Thank you Tamsin. These are the Gravesend Boys segment of the BUF. So feel free to boo and Hiss.

    Also Note I had a gift from Pete Barfield this morning. Of a Flag for a very Men of Kent (NOT Kentish men) unit for which I am incredibly grateful.

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    1. Fascism has crossed the Medway? Yikes!

      Very nice of Pete :)

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    2. PK certainly delivers the goods!

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    3. Nope Fascism is still the wrong side of the river (The Kentish man/London side. ) So no Yikes needed.

      The flag is for Betteshanger the last pit to return to work after the 84-84 Miners strike! And I am totally chuffed with it!

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    4. Thanks goodness that there's no need for "Yikes!".

      Three cheers for the Betteshanger miners! Hip, hip, hoorah!

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  2. Very nice! Once again, flags in a game of this era really stand out as being great fun and I think the faces look great - kudos!

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    1. Thank you Jamie. I agree the flags do add some very interesting colours to the Khaki period.

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  3. You continue to make a VBCW extremely tempting with your terrific paint jobs, Clint. These are very good indeed :-)

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    1. Thanks Blax(Simon) . The VBCW was a slow burning project for me, but now in full swing. It is currently played in two scales at the club (20 and 28mm). But the real joy is to make it your own with your local history and groups, towns ad Villages.

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  4. Excellent stuff! I always enjoy seeing more VBCW

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    1. Thank you Paul. And there will be more. Currently painting some 28mm Motorbikes/sidecars for it!

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  5. Great work on those fascists, Clint - though if they show their faces down Cable Street way, they won't be so pretty...!

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    1. Thank you Evan, In the VBCW "History" I am in Anglican league territory but will be starting some socialists soon. That is the Joy of VBCW everyone can fight everyone! (So certain club members are collecting several forces!)

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  6. Very nice sir, your colour choices really work

    Ian

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    1. Thank you Ian. The colour choices are Pete Barfields, I am just the paint monkey. less thought and more waving a brush about slapping on paint.

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  7. Very nice work, and the photos are really atmospheric!

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    1. Thank you RMacedo. I find a bright light and a picture taken from the computer work really well as a backdrop. As mentioned above there will be more to come.

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    2. I sometimes do that, but use mainly books and paintings for backdrops - the pics are part of the fun :) I´ll be waiting for more :) Cheers!

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  8. Really great unit, great colours

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    1. Thank you Martin. As previously mentioned the colours are from a Pete Barfield (PanzerKaput) illustration so I had little choice but to just paint by numbers following his illustration.

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  9. Excellent figures. I've had many a figure where a flag was put on wrong or other mishap.

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    1. Thanks Miles It does not happen to me often. But it does still happen and the pig on the flag had its legs waving in the air. It has now been re-painted and submitted so you should see it later today.

      Later today I will work on the next bonus round and some 28mm WW1 figures. And I may start looking for a donor tank I can convert to a tentacle thingie that man was best not Knowing! (Take that as a warning Tamsin and Millsy!)

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  10. Great work - What lists are you using for CoC?

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    1. Thanks Pat. We are using the 1939 BEF lists mostly but allowing each squad to have shotguns instead of SMGs. We do not have special rules for Banners but include them just because they look good. But as it is a fictional war who cares as long as we have fun.

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  11. very good work Clint especialy on the faces of the HMG crew and that pompus looking officer.

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    1. Thank you Adam. There will be more VBCW stuff to come, probably in 2 weeks as I have gotten side tracked with the bonus round.

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    2. Bonus Rounds can do that to you...

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    3. I agree Adam. I avaoided them last year but felt I was missing some of the fun so I am only doing wargames figures I can and will use. Strictly no dioramas for me, which means I do not get many votes but I do get things I can wargame with.

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  12. Well done Clint! Lots of character.
    Cheers PD

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    1. Thanks Peter. I do enjoy VBCW. And there will be more in a few weeks.

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    2. Can I put in a request for Roderick Spode and his Blackshorts Alta P G Wodehouse?

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    3. You can put in a request. But unfortunately I do not see it on the horizon just yet. The next VBCW troops will be the Kent Miners, from Betteshanger as PK very kindly has made me a flag and it would seem fitting to do them soon.

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  13. Great paint work! Well done.

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    1. Thank you Greg. there will be more VBCW in the future.

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  14. While I'm with Tamsin in my aversion to Fascism, I do like how you painted these fellows up. I think your job on the faces is quite good actually. Macro photography of figures is something that can be quite excruciating for the painter. Would you care to share your set up for photographing the whole group on a white background. I thought the picture was very clear and well exposed. It really showed off the figures quite well.

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    1. Thanks Sean. Fascism and communism are equally repugnant to me. In fact any extreme political belief. But I will be painting some socialists soon (give me a couple more weeks).

      The faces look better in real life the colours are blended better but when you enlarge the picture it distorts the colours.

      The Photography is mostly good luck, bright lights a cheap camera and a lot of swearing!

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    2. I share your view of extremism Clint. Sounds like we belong to the same school of photography.

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  15. No idea what the talk of Fascism is about ( my history is lacking ) but the quality of the painting is great.. so keep at it! :D Looking forward to your challenge piece this weekend ;)

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    1. Thanks Kyle. All extreme political views are horrid.

      I hope the Epic Fail is not a self fulfilling prophecy! LOL

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  16. You know how much I love this particular project Clint. You've done a great job with them and I like your signature basing style.

    Nice job on those eyes btw. I like how you've offset the gaze to show the direction the figure is looking in. They're not always looking straight ahead and people tend to forget that.

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    1. Thanks Anne. There will (as mentioned previously ) be more VBCW stuff soon. As for the eyes, the first one went in wonky so I put the others in wonky as well. On 23 figures very hard to get them all looking straight ahead.

      Before more VBCW I have some WW1 figures. Well that is the intention but I may get side-tracked onto tentacles and tanks!!! I just do not know.

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  17. Grand work, Clint! I really like the blending, faces, basing, flag...heck not very much about these fellows I dislike- politics aside!
    Very fine work!

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    1. Thank you David. I think they came out about how I hoped so I was happy with them.

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  18. Great looking stuff! Nice to see some VBCW stuff. Definitely a great setting for wargaming!

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    1. Thank you Samuli. I also like the game setting it is so diverse and fits into everyones local background. I do wonder how it might translate to different countries.

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  19. Great looking figures, very nice.

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    1. Thank you Juan. I did enjoy them and there will be more at a later date.

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  20. Like those a lot Clint.. Very nice

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    1. Thank you Dave, been a lot of emails to Pete Barfield this week. I am sure he would also approve.

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  21. Wonderful work Clint. I love the uniform colours and the banner. I find VBCW to be a very cool concept, but one that intrinsically relies on a intimate knowledge of UK regions, populations, politics, religion etc. thereby making it difficult for people from 'away' to come to grips with it. This is not a knock against it, but just attempts to explain my jealously at not being able to get into it. Nonetheless, I say again, lovely stuff and I look forward to seeing more of this.

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    1. But who's to say that the conflict wouldn't spread throughout the Empire, maybe even to Canada? ;)

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    2. Thank you Curt. I have to agree with you about needing to know some local knowledge. But I also Strongly agree with Tamsin. While I have NO knowledge of Canadian politics I can see the ideas being exported.

      Imagine a power vacuum with different factions vying for contention. Would Part of Canada want to stay allied to the King? Would Part of Canada want total independence? Would French Canada want to succeed from the Commonwealth? Would the first nation be united or divided and which side or sides would they join? Would the loggers want to set up the Hudson Bay company again?

      I am sure you can think of many more options but hopefully you get my idea.

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    3. I appreciate both of your suggestions, but I think that would be a bit of a stretch, for me anyway.

      First, after the bloodletting of WWI Canada considered itself an autonomous dominion of the Commonwealth and began a policy to keep an arms length from Imperial politics. For example, the Canadian parliament waited one week after Britain's declaration of war in Sept 1939 to make a point of its right to autonomous action.

      Also, as you point out, we have a significant portion of our population which has no blood link whatsoever to Great Britain (French Canadians, Aboriginals, Germans, Eastern Europeans, etc.).

      If this British Civil War were to have happened I think most of Canada would be deeply concerned, have strong opinions certainly, and most likely have independent volunteers to go to the UK (now that might be interesting!) - but I seriously doubt it would get actively involved, or be seriously impacted, as a state.

      Besides, I like the idea that a VBCW stays, well, Very British. :)

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  22. Be it Betteshanger or Gravesend, they are rather nice!! Nothing wrong with their faces either Clint.

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    1. Thank you Ray. I am getting better at faces I have noticed. And Betteshanger (the only English coal mine to strike in WW2) will be along in a few weeks.

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    2. Thank you Fran. WW1 troops next.

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  23. Footsore/Musketeer Miniatures are just a pleasure to paint eh Clint? Paul Hicks is a real talent. You've really done a lovely job on these and your painted bases always impress me.

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    1. Thank you Millsy. I have enjoyed painting the figures and will get some more. Very kind of you to say about the bases. Much appreciated.

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  24. I'm booing and hissing the Fascists, but loving the overall effect. I would relish a chance to square off against these guys, at least. :)

    Off to listen to Elvis Costello's "Less Than Zero"...

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    1. Thank you David. I suspect I will get to control the bad guys.

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  25. Lovely characterful figures there!

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    1. Thank you Barks some more VBCW along before too long.

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