Showing posts with label Elhiem miniatures. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Terrain Tuesday - TV crew

Another table piece for my Cold War collection this time a camera crew covering the troubles along the border….. figures from Elhiem miniatures range.

Cheers

Matt

Friday, June 14, 2024

Nationale Volksarmee - Trabant 601 car

Elhiem miniatures have released a few pieces for the Nationale Volksarmee GDR East Germans. A simple start to my project coming up this year is a Trabant 601 car for some minor officer of the army. A nice start to kit off the army!

Cheers

Matt

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Bundesgrenzschutz Part 8 - Ambulance

Another piece for my Bundesgrenzschutz regiment a VW ambulance this time, a few more vehicles to come and a helicopter before the regiment is complete.

The vehicle is from Jonny Lightening and needs a windscreen warning lights and rear window and the Elhiem driver adding before truly complete. Really happy with it, I striped the original paint scheme back to bare metal as the acrylic paint did not cover properly over the matt guide coat. Second time round much happier. The crosses are from a job lot I picked up years ago, gloss varnish, then decal, then gloss again, followed by a complete Artist matt varnish.

Bundesgrenzschutz Ambulance

Cheers

Matt

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Bundesgrenzschutz part 7

Support weapons and Bundesgrenzschutz company

Finally on the last of my support units and rifle coy for my Federal Border Guard battalion. These chaps can be used in airfield and key installation protection for my Warpac special forces operations. All of the figs are from the Elhiem miniatures generic NATO range.

Bundesgrenzschutz Head Quarters platoon, officer and radio, sniper, NCO and medic.

Bundesgrenzschutz Milan and M92 Stinger teams

Bundesgrenzschutz Mortar teams

Bundesgrenzschutz Observer team

Cheers

Matt

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Egyptian Army Part 1 Infantry

Egyptian Army 1967-73 -Infantry

The infantry for this project are from Elhiem miniatures. The figures are from the middle eastern range which will work for most middle eastern nations during the period. They have a good variety of poses and I am really happy with my results.

Painting guide Egyptian Infantry Arab Israeli wars

I have researched the uniforms and decided to go a little darker than the sand colour recommended in battlefront fate of nations guide. I use a black undercoat, a base colour, the wash, then Highlight the same colour.

Flesh Vallejo dwarf flesh, highlight about 10% elf flesh, Warpaint brown flesh wash.

Tunic and trousers Vallejo panzer aces French tanker uniform

Webbing AK khaki webbing

Helmet Vallejo Russian uniform

Wood Rifle Furniture Vallejo mahogany

Weapon metal work Vallejo German grey

Boots Vallejo German grey

Support weapons and RPG is Vallejo German camo green

Airborne Berets Vallejo dark red, then blood red highlight.

The grass tufts are my own using either Noch or faller flocks.

I am really happy with these chaps and they will also double for my Iraqis.

1st Motorised regiment

The motorised truck units had a structure of ; One HQ company and two rifle companies and one support company. I have 6 trucks almost completed for these chaps, plus two command Zil 157 vans. I also need to print some Soviet jeeps for the Sagger crews to complete the regiment.

1st Battalion

2nd Battalion

Armoured infantry battalion

I need to add a sniper to this battalion and some heavy weapons. I am having trouble finding a decent order of battle for these with conflicting sources for the structure of the battalions. I have followed the Russian structure for them. A HQ and two rifle companies, with two in the BTR 152 or BTR 50. I have ordered extra vehicles so I can depict 1967 and 73 formations.

Airborne battalion

The Egyptian airborne infantry chaps need a few more figures to complete them, this will include some head swaps to get more variation and radio op and heavy weapons. I need to do another order with elhiem shortly.

Cheers

Matt

Friday, October 15, 2021

Soviet Cold War Motorised Infantry part two

Soviet Motostrelki

Finally after finishing some more house renovations I have managed to sit down and complete some miniatures. last week I completed another soviet motorised battalion for my cold war collection. The figures 20mm from the Elhiem Miniatures range, I plan to paint another three battalions to complete my Armoured Division collection.

My cold war collection is growing rapidly and may soon surpass my ww2 collection for "completed kits" and figures. In 2022 I am planning a big Able Archer game, multi divisional gaming weekend in Autumn for four to six players hopefully in the newly renovated apartments with a 26-30m x 6 table, over a full weekend of modern wargaming. I will release the details in November for the event and our 2022 calendar.

Soviet Motostrelki Command

Soviet Motostrelki Elhiem miniatures

Soviet Motostrelki

I need to add Anti Air, 81mm and 120mm Mortar and HMG coys

cheers

Matt

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Soviet Motorised troops Part 1 WIP

Soviet Motorised Troops

I have started to refocus to complete a number of my projects for 2021 and my Soviet motorised troops are next on the list for completion. I am using Elhiem miniatures Russians to fill out my recon and motorised battalions in camouflage suits. I will probably pick up a second regiment in the coming months to bring them up to a brigade combat group.

I am following my previous recipe for the for camouflage. Vallejo Green with dark sand splotches, washed then highlighted in same with a hint of bleached bone.

cheers

Matt

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Bundesgrenzschutz part 4

Bundesgrenzschutz Kampfgruppe
Completed my first part of my kampfgruppe of Bundesgrenzschutz, the uniform of the Elhiem Miniatures figures works from 1967 to 1990. The Female figures are only suitable after 87.

I have painted some in checkpoint colours and some in port and airport khaki trousers, so they will be suitable for Warpac SF raids . I still have two companies in camouflage to complete, plus support mortar, dog section, and bomb disposal. For vehicles I have one car, one VW van, an ambulance, and helicopter to complete the kampfgruppe. I also want to scratch build a armoured car.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Bundesgrenzschutz Part two WIP

Bundesgrenzschutz WIP

Elhiem 20mm figures, a simple paint job really except for the stumpfmuster chaps. 18 figures in total, I want to add one truck or two trucks, one armoured car, two cars and a motorcycle, ambulance and perhaps a helicopter to the unit. I plan to have them complete by Friday. I will also be adding plastic Nato figures to this build for a few variations and the mortar team.

now my first vehicle a Ambulance in the common yellow

Ambulance Wip

I will post a step by step painting guide next

Cheers

Matt

Bundesgrenzschutz Cold War troops Part 1

Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS)

post 1976 shoulder badge

One of Elhiem miniatures more unusual offerings for a 20mm Cold War Wargamer is the Bundesgrenzschutz border police. They served as a paramilitary force from 1951 up until 1994, the main objective was to monitor the 84.7 klm border zone with the GDR and help with internal policing. In 1987 they started recruiting women and by then had exceeded 24,000 uniformed personnel. They operated along the entire border including ports and even had a mountain unit for the Bavarian alps, no units however served in Berlin until after the wall came down. After the Munich olympics terrorist attack in 1972, a special unit known as GSG-9 terror kommando, the german special anti-terrorist group 9 was formed and operational by 1973. After October 1990 patrols no longer occurred along the border and in 2005 the BGS were renamed Bundespolizei.

My units basically will be built for my games set between 1976 and 1987. I will use them in the role of border guards, rail, port, coast guard, airports, foreign embassies, nuclear plant protection and air security. I will use them as first line of defence for the initial WARPAC assaults, scenario specific special forces strikes on airports, port facilities, foreign embassy guards and as backup units for the Bundeswehr. I could also use the the GSG-9 for the 1977 Mogadishu Somalia operation, or regular BGS for UN operations in Namibia in 1989.

Organisation and Equipment

Two border guard groups (GSG) were subordinate to each GSK.

The GSK South GSG 1 and 2, the GSK Middle GSG 3 and 4, the GSK North GSG 5 and 6 and the GSK Coast GSG 7 and See (coast guard). Each GSG (except for the GSG See) consisted of three departments (GSA), each department of four hundred. The GSG See consisted of the Maritime Border Protection Associations (SGV) I and II. In 1955, a helicopter flight readiness was set up in Bonn-Hangelar.

Uniforms

In 1976 a the new federal / state uniform police uniform (moss green jacket, beige pants). In the BGS, only the members of the individual border protection service at airports, port facilities and border checkpoints are equipped with beige trousers. BGS members with combatant status receive moss-green trousers. The service field uniform was reed green, beret or service cap, or but field units did wear camouflage fatigues based on the sumpfmuster camouflage.

The military rank structure similar to that of the Bundeswehr was replaced in 1976 by civil service-type personnel grades with a Police ranking structure.

Field dress green uniform, note the black post 1975 arm badge and shoulder waffenfarbe, and like all greens different shades of green, circa 1990.

Full dress service dress, often seen in airports note the collar tabs, post 1976 yellow shirt and green tie.

1987 Service Uniform, a photo when women were allowed to enter the BGS

M35-53 stahlhelm Helmet in service until mid 1990. The troops liked the helmet as the nervous east germans could identify the BGS troops on patrol easily.

The BGS’s cloth hat, the Bergmutze M51, was essentially the same as the Einheitsmutze M43 cap of WWII.

BGS beret earlly pattern

BGS Beret late pattern

Camouflage clothing

Post 1963, the sumpfmuster camouflage was made for several of the BGS items of clothing

Triangular tent track
Tent equipment pocket
Helmet camouflage cover
Field cap
Camouflage jacket
Camouflage pants
parka, reversible snow.

A pre 1963 Sumpfmuster camouflage jacket, in service until 1985, note the badge is pre 1975 green.

Note the post 1963 sumpfmuster has lost its rain lines and the brown dominates the pattern, Gewehr G1, shoulder boards and steel helmet, photo 1978

The latest photo I have found for use of the camouflage uniforms

Weapons

Esperanza 81mm mortar complete with ECIA ammunition crate. The red/yellow helmet bands were used by the BGS when exercising with live ammo.

FN G1 7.62 rifle

HK Gewehr FN G1 on exercise 1978 note the red suppressors, ww2 webbing harness and belt.

G3a3 7.62 rifle

MG1 machine gun, entering service as rechambered MG42 to 7.62 Nato round, it seen service as the primary BSG machine gun until the mid eighties when it was replaced by the MG3.

MG8 7.62 machine gun

Astra 9mm pistol

Sig 9mm pistol

P1-P38 9mm psitol

panzerabwehr gerat 101mm

K9 units

I will have one K9 ( dog section of four figs ) for protection units, mostly because I have some old airfix ones!

Vehicles

MOWAG MR 8 (WOTAN)

a interesting photo from circa 1973, note the panzer wrap jacket

The SW1

MOWAG MR 8 basic vehicle was not armed and had a small observation turret, IN 1963 the BGS received the first models as unarmed armoured cars with two crew and four passengers.

The MR8- SW 2

MOWAG MR 8 SW2 was armed with either a G3 machine gun or a 20mm cannon armoured car with two crew

TM170 (SW 4)

Based on the tested Unimog chassis, 80 of these vehicles came into service from 1983 replacing the MOWAG series 1 and 2. with two crew and capacity for 10 men, it was fitted with NBC and run flat tyres. Armed with a pintle mounted MG3 or a turret with twin MG3 or a turret with a 20mm cannon.