From AlanD - Fallschirmjaeger (160 Points)

Back in January 2016 I bought a Warlord Games starter army of Fallschirmjaeger from the good people at War and Peace Games, planning to paint it up for Bolt Action and Chain of Command. I think the plastic WWII figures from Warlord are a pretty mixed bag, ranging from the caricatured Japanese Infantry, through the ape-like US infantry, to the really quite lovely British infantry. The Fallschirmjaeger might be the pick of the lot so far, a really great set with lots of options and natural, realistic poses. The only real downside is that they are really aimed at Normandy, while a few extra bits like StG-44s and regular infantry helmets would make them usable right through to the end of the war. Of course, if you have the box set of German Grenadiers, you can easily interchange the parts.

Here they all are in a little more detail.

I gave a couple of soldiers captured British weapons, inspired by a well-known photo of a Fallschirmjaeger in Italy nursing a Bren gun.

It took the inspiration of the Challenge to get me finally painting this lot. The 'splinter B' camo worn by the Fallschirmjaeger is a swine to paint, and I had to spend several months meditating in a monastery lost deep in the Himalayas before I felt confident to face the task.

If you are inclined to have a go at painting 'splinter B', I recommend the approach explained by Ruben Torregrosa in 'Painting War: WWII German Army', although if you are a purist you should note that 'splinter B' is not quite the same as the splinter camo used by the Wehrmacht on Zeltbahns and other early camo uniforms. 'Painting War' doesn't differentiate between the two, but does give some really good suggestions on how to simplify the splinter pattern so that it works in small scale. It is still a swine though.

Anyway, I ramble. These 32 figures will form the core of my Fallschirmjaeger army. After tackling the 'East' bonus round I will return to Fallschirmjaeger again and give them some heavy weapons. For now, 32 figures should give me 160 points.

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Lovely work Dux! I agree with you on the porcine nature of the fallshirmjaeger camo, but your stay in the Himalayas was well-spent as these chaps look terrific. I've always admired the 'Painting War' books from afar, and heard great reviews, but have not picked up one yet - maybe the SCW issue would be a good start...

I really like your adding of some groundwork to their helmets for additional camo - I'd tried something similar for my Viet Minh infantry, but I think yours came off better. 

160 points for you sir! Great job. 

Now, I recommend you return to your monastery retreat and meditate on being kind and understanding to those unfortunates who do not hand-paint their shields or banners. I know, it will be a struggle - I suggest self-flagellation with a 10/0 brush to encourage spiritual focus... ;)