From GregB - The Fall of The West - 15mm Soviets for Team Yankee (260 points)

The west will fall...

Well, I'm back from my vacation in California, and I've been burning up the painting table this past week.  Today's submission is a big sucker, and I'm pretty psyched to have it finished - it includes two companies of 15mm Soviets for Battlefront's new game "Team Yankee" - a T-72 tank company and a motor rifle company mounted in BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles.  There are two Mi-24 Hind gunships for support, and a lone BRDM recon car.  

Group photo of the whole lot - two companies of stuff, plus supports, in 15mm

The vehicles are new plastic multi-part kits from Battlefront, with a lone exception - the BRDM is a metal kit from QRF.  The infantry are 15mm modern Russians/Soviets from Eureka. The Team Yankee infantry from Battlefront, although "released" a month ago, are still nowhere to be found, and overall the Eureka stuff is nicer, even if the kit they are sporting is a little more early 90s than the late 80s look from "Team Yankee". I got sick of waiting for BF, so I went with these Eureka fellows for my first Soviet infantry unit. All of the bases come from Warbases.

Tank commander in Soviet T-72A

Soviet Motor Rifle Battalion commander and his BMP-2 - the BMP models from Battlefront are great

Motor Rifle Company leader - I have used flowers to mark out the command bases for quick reference on the table

There are a bunch of propaganda photos to share, so I'll stow the ranting about multi-part plastic miniatures, sh!tty plastic that breaks on the sprues, and how the unditching beams on the Soviet tanks don't actually assemble as advertised, to focus instead on how nice the BMP models are, and how cool it is in general to have some Hind gunships for the table.  On to more photos!

Motor rifle troops - love these Eureka sculpts

PKM MG bases for the motor rifles

BRDM recon car from QRF - lightly armed and armoured, this thing has one job - burn brightly to mark the location of NATO resistance for advancing Soviet columns

Mi-24 gunships - a pain in the ass to assemble and paint.  I spent a lot of time on them (for me), and I'm still not totally happy with them, but overall I'm really jazzed to have these iconic Cold War beasts ready for the table

You can model them with the landing gear up or down (whatever I think of plastic kits, you have to credit Battlefront for swinging for the fences on these).  I opted for  the gear to be down as I intend to use these to land troops on the table as well as shoot up NATO tanks

T-72As...not an inspiring choice of Soviet tank IMO (the T-80s and T-64s are so much nicer, especially with the Kontakt explosive armour), but it is consistent with the "Team Yankee"  novel...

You get all sorts of tank commanders to use on the models - nice bonus

There are mine plows for all of the tanks if you want them - another very nice touch

I overdo the lense effects a fair bit, but I like the tank to look "alive" and menacing on the table - IRL the lenses are not nearly so visible...

The battalion captures an imperialist town in these propaganda photos

Gunships cover the column - I have to say the look of the static rotors is not that pleasing - a clear acrylic disc giving an impression of the blades turning would look a LOT cooler

The major tries to direct traffic

Motor rifle dismounts take up position

The town centre is swept for resistance and undesirables

PKM teams take up defensive positions

Air landing troops dismount from a Hind

Marksman keeps an eye out for Yankee Imperialists in the distance...

T-72s on the move

So this submission includes a total of 59 infantry and 23 vehicles, all in 15mm, which I think should get me 256 points. Wow - that's nearly a Tamsin-style points bomb! Of course, there can only be one Tamsin, but it's fun to imagine!

My commie overlords make plans for the fall of NATO

I have to say I'm super keen to get this stuff out for a spin on the table sometime soon, although I still need infantry and APCs for the NATO side.  Stay tuned for more on that! Now to try and get something "nautical" painted up for tonight...

Wow. Just wow. Greg, your brushes must be absolutely smoking after this effort.

Point bomb aside, this is a such a great submission. You've become such a master of working in the 15mm scale Greg, that even though I have a dim opinion on the whole 'Team Yankee' hype-fest, when I see stuff like this from you, my resolve begins to crumble. 

While the plastics make you crazy (which I always take great pleasure in reading), you've done a fabulous job on them. I always struggle with painting vehicles, but you make it seem all so easy. The weathering a basework is spot-on and I always like your inclusion of lens reflections on the optics. It literally adds that bit of sparkle to the vehicles.

I completely agree with you regarding those Eureka Soviet infantry - they are gorgeous castings. In fact they look better than most 28s. If you dedicate the time to navigate Eureka's Dantean website it's amazing the number of gems one can find buried amongst their ranges.

Of course, what completely seals it for me is the Hind helicopters. Those things are the absolute t!ts! I love the camo and I agree they'll have better utility with the landing gear down for use in deploying infantry, or as airbase 'chrome'. They are just so nasty and menacing looking - just imagining those things coming over the horizon gives me the shivers.

I'm going to top you off to 260 points for the extra time and effort you spent on these vehicles - they look brilliant. Well done Greg! I definitely look forward to rolling out with these guys the next time we game.