Off the Workbench- 28mm Highland Clansmen and more VBCW

My first post for a couple of weeks, so I need to catch-up on what has come off the workbench! As ever real life has delayed my completion of many of these figures and models - let alone publishing pictures of them....

13 x Highland Clansmen, originally I'd hoped to have these ready for our refight of Pinkie (yes I know these are later style highlanders but used as proxies for the real thing!)

First up is a group of 13 x Highland clansmen, these are Front Rank figures and they have a great level of detail, without over cluttering the models, in my opinion.

Another angle on the completed group

Close-up on the group's piper and a guy with a Lochinvar Axe.

The tartan is hand painted and not aimed to be exact representations of the real thing, rather an impression of different plaids to deceive the eye! I don't have the skills or patience to do the real thing!

Clan leader and a couple of his men.

The use of Army Painter Dark Tone wash helps cover a lot of the gaps in the tartans 

and give a dramatic grubby feel to the clansmen.

Three more of the little guys.

I gave each figure it's own plaid and jacket colour according to my whim at the time!

Hopefully a good representation of the plaids on the figures, at tabletop level these seem to work well, although under closer scrutiny they do show their gaps!

Next up is a group of VBCW 28mm figures to be used as 'tokens' in the back of trucks to indicate that they are loaded with troops. These are 28mm 3D printed British WW2 Tank riders from 'Comrades in Arms' (I believe) - via eBay...

10 British Tank Riders on bases for insertion into trucks etc.

There is no intention to represent a 1 for 1 replication of each squad in a truck, just a quick visual indication that the truck is full. I like these figures and may get some more and paint them up as a different faction - we'll see.

Another view of the tank riders

A Lledo Whitbread 'Days Gone By' diecast truck, suitable for the VBCW. 

I have used cheap Lledo trucks to mount my troops for the VBCW, these can be obtained from eBay at really reasonable prices. Typically, I simply give the vehicles a matt varnish - I don't like the super shiny toy car finish they have straight from th bow. I then add appropriate details where required.

Same truck, with the occupied 'marker' in place. I think it works well and looks better than an empty truck driving round the table top.

 

Another truck, this time given an 'Army' finish. This vehicle had a non period advertising hoarding on its side - so I simply painted over it... 

Controversially I have opted to base my vehicles for the VBCW, The one above is awaiting its base! Why? Well I think it helps take them one step away from their toy car origins.

A group of 17 x local militia men & women plus their transport.

The militia are based upon Wargames Atlantic's 28mm Resistance Fighters, two sprues of male fighters and 1 sprue of female fighters. These have been painted up randomly and deliberately left free of any insignia - so they can be deployed on different sides in each scenario.

The transport for the Holme Valley Militia,
again just a matt varnish and some touch-ups as I saw fit.

It seems Holme Valley is in Yorkshire, so not sure why they might be in Sussex - but lets suspend disbelief for the sake of a good model!

The Holme Valley Woman's section, armed with a variety of weapons 

I tried to avoid using obviously German weapons for any of my VBCW figures, although I do allow the odd one to be used, this is to try and give all the figures a definite British feel.

4 x Militia riflemen

4 x more Militiamen with  rifles plus a guys with an Italian SMG on the right

Another 4 x Militiamen

Last is my group of Albertine Royalists, you can see their truck and flag above, I completed a group of 4 or 5 of these but can't remember which ones these are - so there they all are!

2 x 9 man 'Albertinies' plus their officer, one section has a Lewis gun.
Each section has an NCO with an SMG.

As previously noted the Albertinies are based upon Warlord Games Zulu Wars British Infantry, the latest group were from a Perry Miniatures frame.

The Lewis Team section

The Rifle Section

And the Platoon Captain

Finally my Schoolboy error! Having photographed the Clansmen's Standard Bearer I have just realised that I have put the flag on upside down. Back to the drawing board and I will print another flag and put it on the correct way round. Just a reminder to double check before adding glue..

Standard Bearer with the upside down flag of the
2nd Battalion of Lord Ogilvy’s Forfarshire Regiment

Off the Workbench - Albertine Royalist Infantry

Its been a couple of weeks since I posted any of my Off the Workbench items, I'm afraid real life has got in the way!

As a quick filler here us a platoon of Albertine Royalists with their transport. The truck is a Lledo model, pretty much out the box albeit with a coat of matt varnish apples and fixed to a base.

The infantry are a mix of mostly Wargames Atlantic and Perry Zulu War / Sudan British infantry with a variety of Wargames Atlantic WW1 arms, weapons and heads swapped,  there is also Warlord Games pieces in the mix as well.

I opted for a dark grey unform with purple trim to represent their Royalist affinations.

Off the Workbench - Mike: 28mm VBCW BUF Assault Troops.

A small batch of 7 x 28mm VBCW BUF Assault Troopers was finished off this week.

The completed group of seven Assault Troopers

These little guys were kit bashed from Wargames Atlantic WW2 Italians and WW1 British, with a dash of bits from the spares box. The exception is the prone Bren Gunner, who is a spare figure from the Wargames Atlantic WW2 BEF set.

Left to right  - NCO with Tommy Gun, Rifleman, Bren Gunner and another Rifleman

Having Italian leggings and jackets gave these figures some additional flare, I have added British backpacks where possible but as I ran out of these I pressed a couple of American packs into service. I have given them all British Helmeted heads, apart form two who have jaunty BUF caps on instead, albeit with tin hats suspended from their belts.

Left to right  - Rifleman, Bomber with Grenades & Shotgun, Tommy Gunner and a Rifleman

Jackets have been painted with a speed paint mix to give a dark grey finish, trousers are British Khaki and Puttees are blue - a nod to BUF colours. I have kept the tin hats green but have added a BUF 'Thunderbolt' badge to the front of each.

Close up of one of the Riflemen and the Bomber,
note the bandolier with shotgun cartridges and the BUF Thunderbolts on their helmets

As Assault Troopers, these guys have a potent mix of Tommy Guns, Grenades and Repeating Shotguns to give them a real punch in Hand to Hand fighting but maybe a little under powered for longer range fire fights...

Off the Workbench - Mike: Sci Fi & VBCW

This post starts with the completion of 6 x Human Army personnel, armed with blasters and including an RPG team.

The figures are based upon WW2 German infantry in winter suits, they came from the front of a magazine and were donated to me by Grahame. I had no use for them as WW2 figures but they have been adapted to join my ever growing ranks of Sci-Fi figures.

The RPG Team.

The heads, arms & weapons are all spares from Northstar StarGrave and Wargames Atlantic frame that I have used in earlier projects, these sets come with lashings of spares so it is good to get to use  them.

Two Army types with Blaster variants

And two more little Army men (and woman) again with blaster variants.

Next up is a batch of 11 x VBCW Regular Infantry to join my swelling factions for this game. The figures are basically the Wargames Atlantic BEF set (I purchased 2 x frames to see what they are like). They are lovely figures and I have now decided that these guys will be the Regulars in my VBCW force and the WW1 figures that I have been painting up to now will be redesignated Territorial Army types.

4 x Regular Riflemen, all with Lee Enfields

Another view of the above showing that one is a designated 'Bomber'

These guys have the 1938 webbing and Battledress uniform, so I can justify these as being Regulars as they have the new kit. The WW1 types in my collection with the older webbing pattern and older tunic types can be justified as territorials. Note: I remember seeing my Granddad in the photo when he was in the pre-Ware TA and he was wearing WW1 uniform & kit.

5 more riflemen, these all have the unadorned Bordie helmets

And another view. Note the Lee Enfields with a bayonet attached
have come from the Wargames Atlantic WW1 infantry set!

Regular Mortar team

The Regular Army Mortar Team, will need to be expanded to include a No.3 but that is an excuse for me to get some more of these lovely figures.

Currently I have some BUF Assault Troopers on the workbench and some civilian militia to build in the near future, not to mention the need to complete some rather nice Norhstar 1672 Musketeers!

Off the Workbench - Mark: WW2, SCW & VBCW

Latest toys about to !eave Mark's workbench! Just awaiting a final varnish by all accounts....

Various aircraft suitable for eth SCW,
believe some of these are heading towards Phil's collection

A whole bunch of WW2 & VBCW miniatures and vehicles.
WW2 kit is 20mm whilst the VBCW is the more fabulous 28mm scale!

Newly arrived as Chez-Mark, A WW2 German Gun emplacement that will be a centre piece for a Commando raid game in the future.

Another view - this is in 20mm

Seems the current plan is for this to represent the Austratt Fort in Norway. The game will be set in 1945 with a what-if scenario of what if where Garrison doesn't surrender to Norwegian resistance and British paras sent to liberate Norway.

Off the Workbench - More 28mm VBCW figures

Well this has been such a terribly hot couple of weeks here, it has been hard to do any painting. The paint drys almost before you can get it on the figures!

Nevertheless less I have persisted and created 15 new VBCW figures in the last 10 days or so. When it was too hot to paint it was perfect for kitbashing and drying the old plastic glue.

Completed (well almost!) Squad,
thinking Anglican League but still wavering...

For this post, I offer a squad of 10 militiamen plus 5 more Regular Army. The Regulars are all based upon Wargames Atlantic WW1 British so I won't go into too much detail there.

And another view

The other10 man squad are based upon 1 frames of Perry Miniatures Zulu Wars British! I have used WA WW1 heads to provide 1939s tin hats, backpacks from various British WW2 frames by Perry Minis and Warlord Games. I also sourced the arms and weapons from various frames if British WW1 & WW2 infantry to provide Lee Enfields, a Lewis Gunner and an Officer with pistol.

Back row brought to the front

I gave these figures a grey uniform with Khaki webbing and pads and brown leather gaiters,  I think this gives them a quaint anachronistic look...

The Lewis Gun team

I haven't  yet committed to which faction these guys will belong. Possibly the Anglican League or alternatively Royalists.

NCO pointing the way and a rifleman

When I decide armbands and shoulder designations of the appropriate colour will be added.

Officer & rifleman

Although my main aim is to have a Socialist flying Column built into a tabletop army list, they'll need some opposition!

Two riflemen

Final two riflemen, one wounded

% more Regulars to join the team

The regulars pictured above will bulk out my existing force, his group includes a second Lewis Gun team and a Bomber alongside two new Riflemen.

A Bomber and on right Lewis Gunner No.2

Quick shot of the Lewis Gunner and supporting Riflemen