Dressing For The Apocalypse - 28mm: more Soviets

Empress miniatures (as mentioned in a previous post) has a small range of figures for the Chechnya conflict. You do have to be careful, as the figures are a bit variable in size.

These three figures are from CWR007 "Russians Fighting".

Other figures by Empress, such as the Insurgents are useful. This is the PK GPMG figure from the INS03 set that is useable.

This figure is based on the illustration of a South Ossetian Irregular in the Osprey publication "Elite 197: Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991".

Dressing For The Apocalypse - 28mm: British Army

Currently Under Fire Miniatures have a range of Cold War figures comprising Soviets, East Germans, West Germans (police and army) and US. Unfortunately there are (currently) no plans for adding British figures to their range (but there is a possibility of a compatible range from another manufacturer).

In the meantime, I want a set of figures representing British infantry that are a nice match with the Under Fire and Empress figures that I currently own.

Luckily, I have a number of figures from Crooked Dice that will fit the bill.

Crooked Dice publish the 7TV skirmish rule set designed for games based on the film and television output of a fictional British production company (and their American subsidiary). They have a matching set of figures for a number of their productions.

There are two main ranges that will be the source for my British infantry.

The first is their Army figures.
This is one of their Army Privates with Rifles.

The figures are supplied with tabs and (25mm diameter) slot bases. In this case I cut off the tabs, filed the soles of the boots flat and drilled, pinned and superglued it to a 25mm diameter Renedra plastic base.

He is armed with an L1A1 FN SLR battle rifle. The range also includes figures with Sterling SMGs, a recoiless rifle and a medium machine gun.

The rifle is a bit anachronistic, as by the time of Twilight 2000, the standard British infantry weapon was the L85 (SA80) assault rifle. However, when the original weapon was issued, there were a number of significant issues with it, and it was not until its first use in infantry combat in the 21st century were they fully overcome. For Twilight 2000 purposes, the UK would still have a stock of L1A1s, so they may have been issued to units.

I do have a pack of Hasslefree miniatures L85 rifles that I may try and use as a replacement of the L1A1s. I also might try changing the heads to ones with helmets.

The second is their Department X range.

This is one of the X-Commandos from the X-Commandos 1 pack. They are supplied with a head with a beret. I used one of Empress Miniatures British helmets with extra camouflage (BRIT13).

The figure has rather bulky body armour, similar to that seen in use in that period.

To base the figure, I used a Warlord lipped 25mm base and added a couple of strips of plastic card to make a slot for the cut down tab on the figures feet.

I added a Warlord British Commando rucksack on the back.

Greenstuff was used to add straps and a scarf.

Here it is painted with a Woodland DPM pattern.

Dressing For The Apocalypse - 28mm

As mentioned in an earlier post on 28mm figures, Under Fire Miniatures do a range of 28mm Cold War figures.

As supplied, the Soviet infantry (in this case Soviet Pack RMR2) are accurately dressed, with the uncomfortable high boots.

These would be fine for forces at the outbreak of war, but after four or five years of conflict, their kit would change. The obvious thing would be replacing the boots (and trousers) with more comfortable items - either manufactured for the troops, or those that the troops have picked up.

The first change was to add some small squares of Greenstuff to the front of the boots, sculpted with a scalpel blade to represent the laces. This was allowed to set before more Greenstuff was used to extend the trouser cuffs.

Soviet Motorised infantry were trained to be no more than 200 metres from their transport, so they do not tend to have large quantities of equipment, so only a couple of small bags or pouches were added.

The other thing is that they are quite likely to have non standard gear, or in the case of the NCO, he has discarded his helmet for a warmer and more comfortable wooly hat.

This is a head from the Empress Universal Soldier range. He is also wearing a scarf, more Greenstuff.

He also has picked up a rucksack (from the Rubicon Miniatures Allied Stowage Set 1). This was blended in with Greenstuff.

There is also a square section plastic rod and Greenstuff ammo pouch.

Once finished and based (Woodland Scenics ash ballast over Milliput), they were undercoated with Citadel Chaos Black spray. As I was painting some British vehicles at the same time, I used Plastic Soldier Company British Tank spray as the base colour.

The wooly hat was painted with Citadel Caliban Green. The rucksack is Citadel Castellan Green. The scarf is Citadel Zandri Dust. 

The NCO's jacket camouflage is Citadel Steel Legion Drab followed by smaller splurges of Citadel Zandri Dust.

The NCO, having experienced more than enough Instant Sunshine(tm), has changed his trousers for a pair with a camouflage pattern of Zandri Dust and Vallejo German Camouflage Black Brown,

The rest of the squad's camouflage spots are Citadel Zandri Dust, the helmets are Vallejo German Extra Dark Green.

The figures were dry brushed with Citadel Dry Brush Nurgling Green. The "woodwork" of the guns was Citadel Mournfang Brown. 

Once dry the green areas were washed with Citadel Athonian Camoshade, brown areas with Citadel Agrax Earhshade.

The bases were then covered with a mixture of Woodland Scenics Burnt Grass Fine Turf (finely minced sponge) and some anonymous static grass bought from a model railway show.

Here is the NCO and one of Empress Miniatures Chechnya figures.

Same source of wooly hats.