Here are two more squads and two more leaders for my early WWI German 28mm Army.
The figures are mainly Renegade figures, which are really nice for anyone that has not picked any up before. They have great detail and are generally pretty clean so there is very little work to do to prep them. They are also reasonably priced, and are now back in production.
My only complaint is that they are extremely chunky when matched up against any other 28mm figure. I would realistically call these guys 32mm not 28mm. This isn't a real issue though if you keep the models in each squad all from Renegade. When I do have to mix models into a squad, I recess these models into the bases as much as possible (dremel down 2mm) and mount the other models up on 1 - 2 mm plasti-card on top of the base so that they end up being the same height and it becomes way less noticeable.
Again though, the figures are very good, I like them and would buy more in a heart beat. It is just important to understand that they do not mix well with other figures out there.
Here is a unit of 9 riflemen with 2 having grenades to help out when counter assaulting the enemy. Also included is a leader to oversee the squad.
Also painted up is a second HMG squad and leader.
Everything is based for use with the excellent 'Through the Mud and the Blood' rule set by Too Fat Lardies. The individual soldiers are on 25mm rounds, the leaders (Big Men) are mounted on 30mm hex's, and the HMG is mounted on a 50mm round to give me some room to create a sand bag wall.
The paint scheme is based on Mr. Roundwood's excellent WWI army as he has a great colour guide available on his site. I went for a faster paint job that he does, but aimed for a rough and dirty look so being clean and smooth didn't matter as much.
The figures are based with liquitex medium and bits of wood and metal sheeting. This is then painted up in browns and blacks and then a heavy coat of pigment powders are layered over everything.
From Curt:Beautiful work Byron! I've always admired your paint style - so nice, clean and well executed. Lovely stuff.
I thought I was a bit OCD, but dremeling down and building up your bases?! Wow, that is 'focused' (though, what am I saying, I seem to remember doing something similar in the past as well...) ;)
I totally agree with you Byron, the Renegade WWI range is wonderful. True, they are a bit tall and beefy, but they have a wonderful esthetic about them and are a pleasure to paint. I really like that prone MG-08 team behind the sandbags (sorry Greg). How did you do the sandbags Byron? They look brilliant.
85 points which allows you just enough to slip past fellow-Conscript Greg. Well done!
Very impressive. I keep wanting to do World War I but haven't settled on a scale (or rule set). These look outstanding.
ReplyDeleteI can not suggest the "Through the Mud and the Blood" rule set strongly enough. It really gets the feel of a WW1 game across in my opinion. It uses card based activation and is random as to how much or if any of your force gets to do what you want. It is also extremely well supported.
DeleteAs for scale, anything goes. I went with 28mm simply because I could not find everything I wanted in 15mm. But I think 15mm would be a great scale for trench fights as it would allow a lot more on the board and the trenches would be easier to make.
My one experience with the Too Fat Lardies rules has been very good so if I can find a copy I will pick it up.
DeleteWhat an excellent bunch of early WWI Germans - and an excellent and innovative solution to the problem of differing sizes within what should ostensibly be the same scale! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Curt. To answer your question about sandbags, they are simply tiny silica bags that come in electronics for packing to keep things dry. If you know a few computer techs they can likely save some up for you, if not there are a few companies that sell them in bulk (including secret weapon but they charge more since they are reselling to hobbyists). Once you find the right size (or one that is close enough), it's just glue them down and then coat them in thinned glue to seal them a bit. I found it way faster and easier that the traditional modelling clay method, but then I'm lazy :-)
ReplyDeleteThats a great tip!
DeleteThat is an awesome tip! Well, since you are a good tech friend I will ask you to save some for me for when I next come visit. ;)
DeleteI shall borrow that tip (many thanks)
DeleteGreat looking figures, you have done a great job on them.
ReplyDeleteI have played the rules twice and enjoyed it.
Ian
These are really good. Uniform colour is spot on and I like how you've muddied up the uniforms and boots. The MG is well based - very effective. Fortunately for all of us Renegade are back in business. I have some of their ACW figures I am hoping to get done by the end of this Challenge. Bravo, sir, on this fine entry.
ReplyDeleteLovely work on these Byron :)
ReplyDeleteI've also enjoyed Renegade's line, and I forsee some major advantages to their chunkiness, especially if you want to distinguish between elite/well-fed troops and starving guys on the table.
ReplyDeleteYou've done an excellent job with them too, especially the machine gun in the sandbag emplacement.
Great work Byron.
ReplyDeleteFantastic looking figures Bryon. Stonkingly good stuff which the Kaiser doubtless would be proud of :-)
ReplyDeleteGrand looking models with a smooth paint! I like the poses and different kit loads!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful brushwork Byron, especially on a pretty drab and otherwise uninspiring colour scheme. Hard to go wrong using Sidney's lovely stuff as a guide I suppose but you still have to execute it!
ReplyDeleteRegards the respective heights of miniatures, is that really such an issue? People come is all shapes and sizes and although the military are more strict on what is acceptable there is still variation, especially in a time of war. Almost all my ECW are Bicorne/Renegae (same sculptor) but I have about 20 Old Glory mixed in and I think the variation in size adds to the realism. Just my 2c worth...
It's probably just OCD kicking in, as the variation is within the range of believability. It just bugs me that figures of apparently the same scale look so different. It looks like the regular (old glory or foundry figures) are shorty 5'5" 140lb guys and the renegade ones are 6'6" 330lb guys, thats quite a difference. At least balancing their apparent height makes them look like a thin guy and a heavy set guy and maybe 160 - 220 lb ranges instead of the above.
DeleteLike I said though, maybe just OCD :-)
These look really good. Nice clean paint work but a muddy, dirty effect, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! You've really done these nice figures justice. I'm not so much a fan of their later Germans because of poses beeing sometimes a bit odd but the early ones seem to be great figures.
ReplyDeleteHaving painted all these figures about 5 years back for a friend I can honestly say I think yours may well be better than the ones I did. Top draw mate.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! I really like these and may just have to have a go at some of that basing :)
ReplyDeleteLove the basing work on the MG, and the gunpowder burns on the sandbags.
ReplyDelete