Some more Bolt Action GIs

Hello again,

This time it's just quick update about last preparations to coming edition of Road to Berlin: Bolt Action two days long gaming on march 30-31!
Last year it was just big success:
that event was just friggin awesome! I was taking as much pics as I could between giving orders to my trusty US army and rolling dices - definitely worthy visiting.

This year armies are 1200 pts strong so to fulfill the requirements I had to paint few more infantrymen and one more transport: Dodge 3/4 (a.k.a. Beep).

For uniforms I used olive combo, working really fine on US models.
New thing was using pigment binder - which turned out weird:
see that white spot on the bases with leaves? That white stuff revealed like day after models were sealed with matt varnish.
I think the reason was varnish was applied before binder was totally dry, but it's just a thought: haven't used dedicated pigment binder ever before.

Still like the team - they all look really good together with rest of my infantry:

As for the Dodge 3/4 painting was even easier. In fact, I've found painting the driver more challenging than rest of the model:

base colors were applied with airbrush, chipping medium was very helpful in getting worn look, dirt was painted with oils and thick mud on wheels is ready-to-use Vallejo stuff. Voila!

My invention was the machine gun: according to the rulebook Beep can be armed with mmg or hmg.

I prefer light version - additional 5 shots to support advancing infantry. The gun is spare mmg from M3A1 halftrack mounted on placcy stick (which actually is piece of zombie banner pole).

Gamewise I am actually considering getting one more transport like this:
regular and armed with mmg costs about 40 pts only (cheaper than static machine gun section). It can carry only 8 men but it's just enough for shock squad like full team or engineers or some veteran infantry (carrying 2 BAR and 3 smg). I guess it'll take some field testing before I write a letter to the Santa...

US infantry support

That's not exactly support for my infantrymen but should get some attention.

Anyway the previous post was dedicated to oldie Necromutants and thick bushes but since the ordered models fucking FINALLY arrived I decided to slap some paint on Atrizan Designs sculpts.

I am very beginner to Bolt Action but no matter how cool the game might turn out I know my time limitation - I don't even dream about playing large battles so decision was made to assemble small force based on cool sculpts: 100% metal (apart from vehicles that is...).

I've already got Warlord paratroopers - they are fine, but also wanted to include some ordinary troopers - backbone or US force. I've realised Artizan Designs produces really cool line of WW2 miniatures.
I do not know were they sculpted by Mark Copplestone, but in my opinion those sculpts strongly correspond to his works. Which are actually one or my fav models ever made (especially Scavengers gang or cannibalistic Savages - both from EM4 line).

Copplestone or not - those models have that "thing": they are well scaled, they are realistic, models carry only what's necessary so there's no painting useless crap on models.
Thanlk to all above painting single trooper takes about an evening, watching some WW2 documentary and having a beer. Very painter-friendly result.

I tried to heeppainting simple and easily repeatable so trousers and jackets are based on same color palette. The experiments are about getting proper mix or tones.
As you can seethe dude on the left was painted with some chalks but I  don't like that dirty way - cleaner models are more striking and all in all should look better on the battlefield.
I hope.

I also hope to make up different background for taking Bold Action models - this printed wall seems to be bit too distracting. Waddaya think?

And that "other thing"...

Recently my wifey brought some resin pieces and asked me to paint some of them - 3 bits are supposed to be xmas gifts for some of her friends.

All in all I got 7 pieces to choose from: 4 severed heads wearing Santa's hat and these 3 monsters. I like zombie models from most manufacturers but those heads wouldn't be anything pleasant to paint, so I went for lesser evil.
Working on those was nice change from 28mm scale - hope recipients will be pleased.

 And the field test - bits are hanging merrily on the string:

That's it for now, laters!