Home Front: Civilians and Volunteers

Apologies for the dodgy photos but the light has been very poor this week in the UK.  Here are a few more additions to my Home Front collection. First up...and old man, This one is made by Foundry and is a Perry Sculpt. Just a nice useful civilian figure...also useful for VBCW.

Next, Mr Churchill...or perhaps an actor impersonating the Prime Minister? Not a great sculpt, I forgot where and when I got it, but I think it might be from Westwind. Useful as an objective in some scenarios. 

And finally two of the cast of Dad's Army in their civvies. Sargent Wilson and Lance Corporal Jones from Warlord. Lovely Sculpts, full of character, by Mr Hicks. 

Peninsular War: Farewell and Adieu to the Ladies of Spain

Here is the latest addition to my ever growing pile of Peninsular War figures- this is a Spanish 12 pdr crewed by civilian women. I bought it on Ebay. 

Initially it seems a bit of a odd idea: why would women be crewing a cannon after all? However a bit of research I found that there was certainly incidents in the Peninsular war when women did assist the men crewing artillery. I am not sure how often it happened, or if a gun was ever entirely crewed by women as this model depicts, but I liked the figures so I painted it anyway. I have based the figures separate from the gun, with the idea that I might get a male gun crew too, and then I will be able to swap them about. I might even get another one of these cannons as the ladies will be very easy to convert into ordinary civilians- the girl with the bucket will not need changing at all, and the lady with the mop could be converted to carry a pitchfork or broom. The other two might require a little bit more work, but it would be worth it as these are nice models and female civilian figures are not in plentiful supply. 

As a side note Agustina de Aragon was a heroine of the Peninsular war when she crewed a cannon after its gunners were killed (or ran off). She later led some guerillas, then somehow joined Wellington's army as an artillery officer and fought during the Battle of Vitoria. 

Agustina de Aragon- Someone please sculpt this in 28mm!

Peninsular War: Ladies

I have added a couple of civilian ladies to my collection of Peninsular War figures. Finding suitable civilian models for the Napoleonic period is a nightmare, and these two fall into the 'well it will do' category as they are not ideal. 

The lady in the lilac dress was bought on ebay, and comes form a range of Napoleonic ladies (many of whom are in Napoleonic era army uniforms for no apparent reason). They also do a female gun crew and a guerilla leader that might be useful. This one is described as an officers wife. She is carrying a small pistol. I would have preferred if she was unarmed, but there you go. She is also rather on the tall side, towering over my Spaniards. In some scenarios she could be a spy- perhaps 'she' could even be a man in drag?

Her costume is quite authentic for the period although the details on the pistol are very soft and unconvincing. I would consider getting another one and converting it to a civilian by changing the pistol to something else- a parasol perhaps. I would also consider grinding down the thick base and making her a few millimetres smaller. 

The second lady was from West Wind and was found in a box of old figures Pulp citizen gave me. It's not right on so many levels- the sculpt is odd (as many West Wing models tend to be), and her figure is very peculiar, with a tiny waste and big shoulders and the dress is completely wrong for the period (and any period as fas as I can tell). her gloves look like they would be good for welding or handling hazardous waste. On the plus side- this figure didn't cost me anything and she isn't armed- so that's good. She will make a suitable model for some damsel to be rescued by a dashing Royal Navy Officer or a grim rough and ready Rifleman. 

Peninsular War: Spanish Militia

 I have added a few more Spaniards to my Peninsular war collection. These are from Eagle Miniatures (except the guy with the axe, who is form Eureka). They are quite well sculpted  with quite fine 'realistic' proportions, and well cast, with minimal mould lines. The are quite slim and match the Eureka and Perry miniatures figures rather well, although seem a bit slight compared with Victrix and Warlord Games. These can represent a  Spanish Militia or perhaps part of a guerilla band. 

French and Indian War: 18th Century Farm Girls

These are my last entry into the Lead Painters League this Year. They are some 18th century farmers which will be used for my French And Indian Wars Project, but could easily populate a pirate board. They are lovely figures from Fenryll. They are a bit tall, probably 30mm, so would look wrong with many of my other ranges, but Redoubts FIW stuff is so chunky they could be just about right. I love the sculpts, which are very detailed. It's nice to see female figures that are attractive, but dressed (fairly) modestly. The horse and cart are from Warbases, and the cargo is form Ainsty. 

Peninsular Wars: Don Diego and his Followers

Here are a few more Spanish civilians (although they might be guerillas) armed with muskets. These ones are lead by Don Diego, the local mayor, who has managed to escape the French forces who tried to arrest him, and is leading her people in an armed uprising. 

These figures are also from Eureka Miniatures Tyrol range, but I think they make splendid Spaniards. 

Peninsular War: Spanish Civilians

The Spanish people during the Peninsular War  showed a remarkable resilience in their struggles against the French conquerors. In fact they continued the resistant long after their political rulers had given up. It was the spontaneous uprising in 1808 that convinced the English to support them by sending in troops, as well as guns and money, and open up a new front against the Emperor Bonaparte. 

The Spainsh mobs were inspired not just by patriotic fervour, but also by the Spanish Catholic church, who saw the atheist French as the biggest threat to their authority and encouraged the people to rise up, and in many cases even actively participated in the uprisings. 

My Spanish civilians were inspired by those early uprisings and are armed with a motley collection of weapons, from clubs, pitchforks and the of archaic matchlock or fowling piece. I doubt they will be much of a threat to a disciplined line of French infantry, but they have righteous fury and God on their side. 

These figures are from Eureka Miniatures, from their Tyroelian Militia range (found in the Wars of the French Revolution Range). Technically then I guess they are Italian, not Spanish, but they look fine to me. They are actually wearing lederhosen, but it's a simple job to change the look with just just paint, no need to convert them.  The advantage of this range is that they are wielding hand weapons, which makes them ideal as an angry mob, wear as the lovely figures form Perry Miniatures (which I still intend to buy at some point) and the Spanish militia from Eagle Miniatures are all carrying muskets. For a bit of extra variety I sued some of the weapons I had left over form the ECW club-men I painted. Scale wise these figures are quite small and scale well with the Perry and Eagle Miniatures ranges. 
The three little children are from Hassle Free Miniatures. They're proper tiny too. I am even thinking about getting some more and painting them as young hobbit for my Bree/Shire Lord of the Rings game. 

French and Indian Wars: Eighteenth Century Settlers

Here are a few more hardy English Settlers fro my French and Indian Wars Projects. These will also be useful for any 'tricorn era' 18th Centrury game, and will no doubt see some use in my planned Pirate Projects- Charlie and I are planning to paint some Pirates for 'on the Seven Seas' in the new year (so long as Father Christmas is good to us) and these guys will serve us well as smugglers or land lubbers. they might get some use in the American Civil War games at Earlswood too.

These figures are from Redount Miniatures (I think) and are well sculpted, with characterful faces.

AtDE: Another Rag Market Trader

Joe the Soleman is another of the merchants living and working in the Rag Market (the post-apocalypse ruins of Britain's second largest city- Birmingham). He specialises in supplying pre-war shoes for the discerning customer- not the post war canvas or leather rubbish most folks wear, but the supremely comfortable trainers and boots made with amazing fabrics which mankind has lost the knowledge and skills to manufacture. These items aren't just foot-ware...they are collectors items, works of art and relics of a lost age. 

The majority of the items the Soleman sells are reconditioned. He is skilled at repairing old shoes and making them as good as new (well almost). He buys pre-war shoes off gangs, no questions asked, and will pay top Points even if they are splattered with mud or blood. 

What really gets the Soleman excited is when he comes across a mint condition pair of pre-war shoes and boots...such a find happens rarely nowadays, but when it does the whole Rag Market will be buzzing with rumours and excitement. Any gang coming across such loot will be well advised to speak to the Soleman first, as he has the connections with the wealthy private collectors in the Trade Guild and the State who have the Points to spend on such a rarity. 

Peninsular War: Angry Spanish Mob (Part One)

Here are a few more figures for my Peninsular War setting- After reading CS Fosters 'The Gun' I felt the need to paint some angry Spaniards, outraged at the French occupying army. 

The Peninsular War was effectively kicked off by an angry mob of Spanish peasants incensed by Napoleon manipulating the Spanish line of succession in favour of his own brother. It was this rebellion that finally convinced the English that opening up another front on the Iberian Peninsular was a viable option in their war against Napoleon. 

Throughout the war the Spanish peasants and the guerilla fighters were a great thorn in the side of the French occupying force (in fact the term guerilla is a Spanish word coined in this period- it means 'little war'). It could be argued that the Spanish peasant were a greater threat to the French that the Spanish regular army.

Catholic Priest in both Spain and Portugal railed again Napoleon's atheist France, and often were at the fore of many a peasant uprising. The French knew how dangerous these religious fanatics were, and generally hung any they captured in battle. 

My intention is to do a small force of Spanish- Guerillas armed with muskets (probably supplied by the English or captured by from the French) along with an angry mob of locals and clergy, armed with anything they can grab. 

My Spanish are from Eureka, and are from their Tyrolean range (part of their French Revolutionary Wars range). So technically their Italian.
I opted for these because their is a number of figures armed with just improvised weapons, as well as some with muskets. This makes them ideal for an angry mob. Scale wise they fit well with Perry Miniatures, and should be perfect with the Perry Carlist War figures, meaning I can easily build up the faction with civilians and me armed with a variety  of fire arms. They should also scale well with the Paul Hicks sculpted Spanish from Brigade Games. 

I do like plenty of options. 

Frech and Indian Wars- Concerned Citizens

While looking through the lead mountain for something to paint I found a few French and Indian Wars figures I had al ready based and sprayed- so I thought why not slap some paint on them...here is the result.

First up- some French militias- I already have quite a few of these, but I thought I would add a few more. Although the French militias are irregulars they are better trained and drilled than their English counterparts. 

Next up, some English settlers, ready to defend their homes from the French and their Indian allies. nice figures to paint. 

I think these figures are all from redoubt, but I might be wrong because I bought them a while ago- if they are not then they are probably from Galloping Major. 

French Indian Wars- More Civilians

 Here are a couple more 18th Century civilians for French Indian Wars- they are form Redoubt Miniatures- they don't really serve any game purpose, but they are fun to paint. Also At the bottom is a cart form 4Ground, that I painted from F+IW but will be just as useful form WW2 or VBCW.

French and Indian Wars: Civilians

Here are a few of the F+IW civilians I have been working on- they are from Redoubt. The one on the right was badly cast ans missing part of the face- which is a shame because the quality of the casts from Redoubt are normally very high. I used Liquid Green Stuff form Games Workshop to build up the side of her face and sculpted in some details- its not 100% but it looks passable enough on the tabletop. 

East End Apocalypse: Moh and Parker

Moh is Alysha's boyfriend, and one of Gary's 'crew'. He was born in Eritrea, and came to the UK as a young boy to escape the conflict in his country. His father had hoped that he would make something of his life, but he fell in with the wrong crown and was always in trouble at school. He is sixteen and short for his age, but that just makes him more determined to prove himself by taking risks, especially when Alysha is around

Parker is a wana-be gangster. He is only twelve, but likes to think he comes across as a lot older. He has started following Gary and the other gang around as they patrol the estate form zombies. The older boys have tried to get rid of him, but he is very persistent and now they have resigned themselves to the fact he is part of their 'crew'. He tends to run errands and act as a look out for the others, and has yet to make his first  zombie kill. 

Parker and Moh are both Hasslefree miniatures. Moh has the same basic body as Lenard from the previous post (the boy with the chainsaw) which is why I used Green Stuff to convert Lenard. The change of posture with him stepping off the curb helps too. 

East End Apocalypse: The Boys

Before the zombie apocalypse Gary had a reputation on the estate as a bad man. At fifteen, he has an ASBO, and had already been excluded from school. He saw himself as a gangster, while most of the other residence of the estate saw him as a menace. 

 The zombie Apocalypse changed everything for Gary. Gary responded to the zombies he met in the only way he knew how: with extreme violence. The neighbors on the council estate who has always avoided him and had been afraid of him now flocked to his side, hoping he could protect them. As the authorities failed to stem the tide of the living dead Gary has found himself the unofficial leader of an armed resistance group striving to protect the estate from the hordes of zombies.  

Lenard is Gary's best mate and right hand man. He is as surprised as Gary to find himself in the role of local hero and defender of the people, but he his starting to relish the role. His preferred weapon is a chainsaw he stole from B+Q. It's noisy, unwieldy and unsubtle, but Lenard says you can't beat the growl of the engine as you saw your way through a zombie. 

Both models are from Hasslefree. Lenard has had a bit of Green Stuff applied to his trouser legs, and the cargo pockets filed off, to make them into shell suit bottoms. He also had hair added with GS.

East End Apocalypse: The Three Sisters

During a zombie apocalypse only the tough, or the lucky, survive for long. These three young sisters would defiantly fit into the 'tough' category. Growing up on a rough, rundown council estate in east London, they are used to looking after themselves. When the zombie apocalypse started, they responded with characteristic family loyalty. Ignoring the authorities, who insisted everything was under control, Alysha 'bunked' school and went to get her sisters. They armed them selves, and prepared to fight!

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Alysha is the oldest of the sister, and the responsibility weighs heavy  on her young shoulders. there is nothing she would not do for her siblings. Her preferred weapon is a hockey stick she stole from school. She is just as than happy to beat the living daylight out of of anyone who looks at her sister funny as she is knocking a zombies brains out. 

Princess is a rock chick (not call her an emo, or she will kick your ass!). She has a large dose of 'lack of respect for authority' and even chaffs when Alysha tells her what to do. Her weapon of choice  a baseball bat!

 Little Minnie is the youngest of the three, and doesn't really understand what is going on. She is very scared most of the time, but hides it well, copying her bigger sisters by making a show of aggressive bravado. She misses home, and her school, and is glad Alysha is here to look after her. Her preferred weapon is a rounders bat, but as she can't do much damage it is mostly for self defense. 

Alysha is by Crooked Dice, while Minnie and Princess are from Hasslefree. I painted them for Lead Painters League  by the photo I took didn't do them justice, so I am posting them here individually with better pictures.  I am going to post the boys soon too. 

From Our Correspondent in Zugando

News from the Chaos of civil war-torn Zugando, in West Africa, can be sparse and unreliable. Outside the UN protected coastal cities law and order has all but broken down.  It takes a brave soul to venture into the hinterlands of the Zugando in search of a story. Rex Sadler and his intrepid cameraman Lance Waverly are just such individuals, chasing the truth and bringing the light of the world’s media to bear onto this small, bloody African country.

Rex Sadler (the one with the microphone) is a freebee model made by ‘The Assault Group’ and is available on request with all orders over £30. He is dressed in a suit and wearing a flack jackets (health and safety, even in a war zone!). I can see him being of use in Pulp City and in my four-colour supers game, which is why I have based his on a 30mm round lipped base. Lance Waverly is by eM4 miniatures. I have painted this figure before, a few years ago, but I know that when I needed a cameraman for my war correspondent, only Lance would do, so I bought another one. Like Rex, Lance is dressed in a flack jacket.

I imagine that this pair could be used as objectives in Force on Force, or might even turn up as the result of a Fog of War card. 

Cat Lady

Cecilia the Cat Lady is the local eccentric homeless person. Many view her with deep suspicion; or at least those who see her at all- most look right through here as if she wasn't there. However, the wise know that Cecilia, and people like her, can be a valuable source of information, as not much happens on the city streets they don't know about.

I have just finished reading Neverwhere, by Niel Gaiman (one of my favorite writers). It's the story of the the people who 'slip through the cracks' in socialty, and enter a shadow world below the streets of London, a world occupied by strange and wonderful people.

This figure reminds me of the characters in the books (there isn't a Cat Lady in the book, but there could have been). I bought this miniature from Black Cat Bases. I have to be honest and say that some of the stuff from BCB is a bit ropey, but this miniature is really well sculpted and characterful.
She will make a useful addition to my collection of civilians and by-standers, and being based on a 30mm base, will also be useful for Pulp City too.

This is Lance Waverly, intrepid photo journalist, and award winning cameraman. He is just back from a term in Afghanistan, embedded with an elite special forces unit, and is ready to embark on his next dangerous assignment, embedded in a superhero team, risking everything to get up close real time footage of their battles.

This is an E4m Miniature, sculpted, I think, by the great Mark Copplestone. I am moving house, and the sight of just how many unpainted minis I have gathering dust made me want to press on and get some more finished. I decided to paint one at speed, just for fun; Lance here took me just 50 minutes, which I think is pretty good. He even has a free hand Channel One logo on his jacket!




Here is a couple of pictures providing size comparisons between E4M and Heresy and Hasslefree, as requested by Ajsalium on the Forum of doom. As you can see the scale is not bad, especially with the heresy mini Incinerator.

Lance interviews Incinerator after the 'Sunnyville Showdown' with his arch-nemesis Blizzard.

Lance tries to get footage of US Marshal Skipper in action, but she doesn't look too happy about it.