Merry Christmas

Whilst I'm reaching the very end of my reserves as the working year comes towards an end, my Winter of '79 Paras are building up their reserves for the year ahead.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Maff for being a good mate as always. Major Mike for your support and a special mention to avid follower Mark Hickman for re-engergising us.

Whether you are a follower of Winter of '79 or have just stumbled on this page looking for a rock tribute band, we hope you get to share the day with the one/s who mean the most to you and for whom you mean the most. We want to wish you and your families a Very Happy Christmas!

If you are checking the net on Christmas Day, pop by to share a virtual dram and I may have some new models to share with you.

 
Cheers & All the Best!
Mark

Cracking On!

 

 The Maroon Machine

Wargaming is a tonic for the soul. Official! This has been one of my most productive weekends this year if not more, and as a consequence I feel relaxed and ready to take on the office again come Monday morning (in about 4 1/2 hours time now).

The Fun Stuff:

Cleaned, prepped and based 16 Welsh Guards, largely based on MJ Figures but with a couple of ex-Hotspur thrown in for command. The Guards include a number of conversions to British Army cold weather caps taken from ex-Hotspur Operation Corporate figs. One private underwent a delicate conversion to a GPMG gunner, using the GPMG surgically prised from a half figure supplied with Britannia Miniatures open back FV432.

I really do like these MJ Figures Falkland War Toms. I can't make up my mind whether my second force of Paras (well, technically my fourth), should be made up from MJ or continue with Rolf's square jawed heroes?

I'm keeping the beret heads from the Welsh Guard conversions above (with more in the pipeline) to replace the helmets on a pack of Elheim's Cold War British Army on Patrol . Might even do a like for like swap on some MJ Toms, giving them helmets to pad out the Taff Guards when required.

FYI, I found that the helmets taken from spare Britannia BAOR figures are cracking when added to both MJ Figures and ex-Hotspur Operation Corporate figures. Will be interesting to see if the helmets from Elheim's Cold War Brits will look as good.

Cleaned a pack worth each of ex-Hotspur Operation Corporate SAS/SBS and M&AWC. The head on the kneeling SBS figure with Sterling was shot, so I cut that off and placed him in the conversion bin till I have decied what to do with him. The standing figure firing a Sterling has all the hallmarks of being a great  personality figure for Welsh Guards hero of Abergavenny, Butch Squires. So he's been popped to one side as he really needs a woolly hat for authenticity.

Whilst talking of heroes, found a perfect match for Garri Wyn, from a CP Models Falklands era SAS 'command' figure with a new head from a suitable Platoon 20 figure. More on creating both these Winter of '79 Welsh heroes in due course.

Other M&AWC figures had their M16s removed in prep for replacing with SLRs to boost my ex-Hotspur Royal Marine platoon. 

Turned some Platoon 20 Male Armed Civilians into urban rebel command with berets and helmets which nicely contrast with their normal civilian urban attire.

Cut up some spare Britannia BAOR command figures and the best of Rolf's FalkcomH in helmets to give them berets taken from suitable Liberation Minis to create Para command figures. I know Rolf's brought out a pack but these are here in my hand right now.

The Interesting Stuff:

Established a core of 12 figure urban armed civvies during the week. All taken from Liberation Miniatures' URBMELT packs that I already owned, so I added a few helmets taken from other figures.

Created a five figure Union Steward cadre -  two AK47s, two SLR, Sterling - including two conversions. These are to enhance the core armed civvies when necessary. And finally a five figure Tooting Popular Front cadre (excluding Wolfie and Ken) mostly armed with SLRs. Well I felt Wolfie needed some dedicated minions.

That left some civvy bodies with AK47 left over. I have a crazy plan for these but that will have to wait till the Christmas Break. I've offered the remaining URBMELT figures to Maff, who has been working on a uniformed Clash Action Front cadre. 

 The Boring Stuff: 

Actually, not too boring. Watched Dan Snow on TV use satellite imagery to uncover the Roman Empire whilst prepping 20+ Britannia BAOR figures and cleaning up the bases on about the same number of Liberation Minis in berets. Just in case I go down the route of using them as Para reinforcements. Barely noticed the effort. From a prep point of view, Rolf's figures are a dream as far as cleaning up is concerned. To all intents and purposes free of mould seams and flash. All you need to do is file the base flat and you are done in most cases. 
  
And that was my weekend. Fully immersed in miniatures and Winter of '79. But not so much so that I couldn't enjoy being at home with H. too.


Cheers
Mark  

70's Paras WIP

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First photo of my new 70's Paras. Blogger is being a pain in the groin this afternoon, so you are only getting the one pic for now.

" I'd like to thank the Academy....."

Platoon 20 Post-war Brits: pack P-B6

Have spent this weekend working on Falklands era Brits from Platoon 20. Got to say, I'm really chuffed with how these minis turned out. I like my C20th minis to look grungy rather than pretty and it's worked out well. The lighter '59 pattern Denison smock really looking the part.

I used Tamiya Warm Deck as the base for GW Kommando Khaki, which on it's own would be too thin over a black undercoat. Vallejo Iraqi Sand would probably have done the job just as well but the GW paints were all close to hand. I ran Devlan Mud over the K.Khaki then highlighted with a drybrush of Bleached Bone.

The torsos on these minis are really busy with 58' pattern webbing. I suggest you leave the torso without any camo pattern at all overwise it will 'disappear' into the webbing and look like your paintbrush slipped. Concentrate on the arms, particularly around the shoulders. A patch of brown and one or two long swathes of Catachan Green. leave plenty of Kommando Khaki showing or it will start to look like DPM.

I used Catachan Green again as a base for the 'lightweights', followed by Knarloc Green highlighting - which was a loose blocking in using the side of the brush, leaving the Catachan Green in the folds and creases.

Couldn't be arsed finding another green for the webbing, so Catachan Green once again, washed with Badaab Black, highlighted with Catachan Green. Then the webbing, lightweights, boots, gloves and SMG drybrushed with Fortress Grey.

Final touches - Para Beret was Mechrite Red -  and elastic wool cuffs using Calthan Brown with black 'ribbing'.

The Platoon 20 Falklands minis are a real delight to work with. The metal is easy to work yet there is next to nothing in the way of mould seams or flash  to clean. It would be fair to say that the figures are characterful bordering on caricature, but this pays off once they are painted. Both the Para & Marine figs with SMG being a case in point. I never thought I'd have a use for the mini firing a Blowpipe SAM in Winter of '79, but he is such a nice miniature that he is a must have!

Cheers

Mark
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More Kudos to Tony & Platoon 20

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Order figs on the East Riding Miniatures webstore around midnight and they are in the post the next day. Government Paras are now on my workbench being painted in 1970's chic Denison smock ('59 pattern).

Platoon20 Post-War

Falklands Brit Paras Advancing P-B9

The Denison smock was withdrawn from the Parachute Regiment between 1976/ and '78, being replaced by a DPM pattern smock which retained the classic ribbed wooly cuffs and collar. However, for our purposes the '59 pattern SCREAMS 1970's and makes a bold statement about these being hard-nosed government troops.

Should have these minis finished sometime over the weekend - I'm off to iron my best balaclava tonight as I'm meeting Chris Ryan tomorrow - yes, seriously - a black kit and bow-tie event.

Cheers

Mark

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