Force on Force: Transport for AU Peace-Keepers

The Nigerian Peace Keepers operating in Zugando have received some re-enforcements to improve their mobility and effectiveness.
First off is a Saracen APC. While without doubt the Saracen is out dated by the standards of a modern army they still have a role to play in peace keeping operations. They were used very successfully by the British Army for peace keeping operations in  Northern Ireland until the 1990's and are still used by the Nigerian Army (NA), although they are being gradually phased out. In terms of armour, the Saracen is comparable to a Bradley or a BTR, but it is lightly armed in comparison. Passengers can fire their weapons from portholes in the side and from the top hatch. 

Second up is a Land Rover Defender. This one is not armoured, and is effectively a standard civilian model, designed to transport rear echelon personnel in low risk areas. If a fire fight breaks out it will offer very little protection. 

The Saracen is, I think, by Britannia Miniatures. I bought it of a fellow Lead Adventure Forum member a while ago- I wasn't really sure what I would use it for, but I was delighted to discover the NA still use them. The latest statistic I could find on the net says they still have 10 in service, which isn't many, but enough to justify me including it in my peace keepers force. I Thought about converting the rear gunner, who is using a Bren gun, as the NA definitely don't use the Bren any more, but in the end I decided it would be too much hassle. 

The Discovery is a  Burago 1/47 scale die-cast I bought on Ebay for a few quid. It is the same model as the police Defender in the previous post, although this one was a Fire Department one. I removed the blue lights and filled the hole. It scales very well with the Airfix Snatch Landy, but was cheaper and didn't need assembling. I can also be used by Zugandan army and Rebels, and even PMC, if I ever get round to doing some of them. 

The photos have come out well, thanks to the good quality natural light we are getting in the UK, thanks to all the snow. The jungle scenery is from the latest load I have been busy building. It's very useful for Burma as well as Zugando.

Force on Force: T-55 MBT

Just another quick one because I am rather excited. This is a Russian made T-55 Main Battle Tank, as used by both the Nigerian and Finnish army (Hmm, very useful indeed!). 

This one is a 1/55 scale die-cast model I bought on eBay. It is a James Bond collectable replica from the film Golden Eye (you may remember the scene when Bond drives one through a wall). It wasn't cheep, costing me £15 including the postage, but that is still cheaper than buying a resin tank. I have another one on the way too. 

It obviously comes ready assembled and painted, so I can use it right away. In all probability  I will repaint it at some point, as it looks a bit flay and boring in real life, as it has been painted a flat green with no highlighting or shading, let alone weathering.  

To those who don't know 1/55 scale is just about right for 28mm, and finding military vehicals in that scale is something of a coup.  Here it is in my garden with it's happy owner- a Nigerian Army peace keeper. 

Force on Force: African Union Troops in Zugando

As the international community attempts to stabilise the deteriorating situation in the West African country of Zugando, UN Peace Keepers come under increasing pressure as they try to protect the Urban areas on the coast from the Peoples Resistance Army of Zugando. The Peace keeping force is mostly made up of British and African Union (AU) troops, especially Nigerian Army (NA).

The search for suitable figures to use as AU and NA troops has proved a tricky one. Most AU nations, including he Nigerians, use the AK assault rifles (AK47 and AK74). The Nigerian Army also have ballistic protection and kevlar helmets, known as K-pots of 'fritz'. No one, as far as I am aware, makes anything like that in 28mm. Well, if it doesn't exist, you have to invent it, as someone once said in a guinness advert. 

I began by taking a TAG Russian  chopping off his head and hood with clippers, then used a West Wind WW2 German helmet with canvas cover. The German helmet is similar in shape to a modern K-pot, and with the canvas cover are close enough to pass muster. I used Pro-create epoxy putty to make a back plate to their ballistic protection (which helped cover up where I had carved off the hood).

Hey presto...NA peace keepers!

The conversion was easy enough, and they were great to paint, so I think I might add some more, and perhaps make it up to a platoon strength force. I will also be adding some armour soon too.

Please forgive the dodgy photos. I am working on some new lighting techniques and its a bit trail and error. 

There are some Work In Progress shots here on Lead Adventure Forum. They give you an idea of what was involved. 

AU Troops in action