From Millsy - 15mm WWII Soviet Naval Infantry (206 points)

I figured it was about time I dropped a half decent sized points bomb and so here it is - an entire Russian Naval Infantry Brigade a.k.a. Morskaya Pekhota from the 15mm Flames of War line.

The Naval Brigades were raised from during 1941-42 to help make up the huge losses sustained by the Red Army as it slowly came up to speed fighting the Germans. They were famous for their tenacity and willingness to absorb huge numbers of casualties, especially when on the defence of their own encampments and ports. So feared were they by the Germans that they earned the nickname the "Black Death" after (you guessed it) their black uniforms.

In total there are 102 of the little buggers on 29 stands, including a CO and Komissar. I've cheated a bit in that I've stretched two packs to do the work of three but as I already have another two complete infantry battalions I just couldn't bring myself to buy the third pack of something that will rarely get used.

Modelling-wise these are some of the most frustrating and unrewarding miniatures I have ever painted. The uniform is black, more black, some more black and then some black highlights with a white hat band. Theoretically the black might also be dark blue but it's so dark it might as well be black. So I painted them all black. They don't even have much in the way of webbing or equipment to break up the relentless colour-which-shall-never-be-mentioned-again. You'd never guess I dry brushed highlights on every one of them because they just look you-know-what.

Not only are they dull to paint they aren't a particularly nice miniature either. The poses at times are quite stiff and unnatural, the sculpting is indifferent and the detail is negligible on places that matter like the face and weapons. A pity really, as they have the potential to be so much more with such an interesting background.

To try and lift them up I've gone to town on the basing with blasted trees, rocks, flowering bushes and variety of grass tufts over a two-tone base. From a distance they actually look pretty good considering all of the above complaints!

Anyway, at least they are done and I can more onto something more rewarding. On the plus side they are worth 204 Challenge points... Ka-ching! Oh yeah, did I mention I now hate black?!?

From Curt:
Yoiks!! That is a points bomb to be sure! Awesome work Millsy, though dealing with all that colour-that-is-not-a-colour must have been a little tedious (but fast!). Thankfully your wonderful basing along with the white hatbands and red banners help to set them off. If possible, see if you can pop in a nice close-up of one of the groupings. These 'points bombs' are impressive in their sheer mass but the photography can be limiting trying to fit everything in. 

This entry is worth 206 points, with a couple added for the Red banners. That's quite a bite out of your target my friend - well done!