Thursday 8 December 2011

WW2....what on earth am I doing????

Three more followers! Welcome, welcome Ray, Mark and Brummie!!

Dear follower, you may have read an earlier post here regarding Operation Squad. WW2 has never really been a wargame interest for me but of late I have found myself buying figures, albeit a few at a time as my ebay account allows. This is almost entirely due to the Operation Squad rule set, I like the mechnics, the scale of game, the interactions between the players.....and I appear to like them enough to have ended up with several forces. Each squad consists of up to a dozen figures and operates as a true squad, no tanks or planes or other out of scale complications; this is a true skirmish game.

My metal Fallschirmjager squad is now complete with four extra anti tank figures I got for my birthday still to do. I am not entirely happy with the painting, sort of got the camo pattern wrong...a bit anyway...but they work. I recently found some undercoated German infantry figures on ebay and picked them up for a song. The seller seems to have sold off the extra figures he had left over from a project, most being the plastic Bolt Action ones, so no fiddly figure making first! I am not in love with them though, they fit in with my metal figures size and heft wise but the weapons are very skinny. A quick look through the Operation Squad squad lists soon highlighted the issue of weapons, my new figures were mainly armed with KAR98's and not enough of the MP40's and stuff. But that is OK, Warlord games sell a sprue of extra weapons that I can use to outfit a squad to the required level for just £4.00, I shall order one straight away, I paid so little for the germans that even with this cost I am still well ahead.

........except......with Warlord Games an order has to be a minimum of £10.00! RUDE WORD.

A look at my ebay account showed me that I had just a few extra pounds left available, I could buy something else and build up the order. Long story short...I ended with ordering a squad of Italian paratroops as well.......I know, I know.........lets not even get into the number of figures I already have to paint, Ancient Greeks, Marlburians, Pirates, secret project figures.......

But the worst of it? I have absolutely no idea how to paint Italian Paratroops! I have trawled the internet and found a few examples but nothing helpful. The Warlord Games site has a picture of ready painted figures but none close up enough to really be much help....add to that my colour blindness issues. Again, I know, I know.

Has anyone got and ideas for me, all help greatfully received!

4 comments:

  1. What's a gamer to do, if he can't buy extra figures to paint even if he hasn't finished the last 4 projects he's already started!!!
    Found this pic online, it may help with the Italians
    http://www.freewebs.com/ookpaintingservice/apps/photos/photo?photoid=132174788

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  2. I just checked out your club webpage, I've got photos of the 2011 show up on my blog as well, if your interested you could put a link up on your page along with the others, here's a link.
    http://onelover-ray.blogspot.com/2011/06/broadsword-wargames-show-2011.html

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  3. Hehe the lure of WW2 figs has me tempted alot. If your after uniform ideas I'm not sure exactly how accurate these are but I have seen somthing simliar use the Medal Of Honour games.

    Hope these help
    http://www.massimomoscarelli.it/leadaddicted/?cat=12

    http://www.kollectablekaos.com.au/product_info.php/wwii-italian-franco-rizzoli-p-8101

    http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-books-publications/39455-italian-paratrooper-books-ww2.html

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  4. Dear Ray and Brummie, thanks guys! I really appreciate your help. I will take a look at these sites over the weekend. Hopefully I can get to post some piccies as these figures get done....when I get around to them may be more accurate :( Thanks for the Broadside pics too Ray, I will indeed sort out a link.
    What great followers I have :)

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