Minor Mods

My desire for variety overcame trepidation about attempting figure conversions.  Carving up a few Wargames Factory figures turned out to be easy.  I kept it simple.

I would rather not have several "guy throwing grenade" figures, but I could not find another arm configuration that worked for this torso. To change up the pose slightly, I cut off the "finger pointing hand" on the straightest arm in the pack, replacing with a gripping hand. I used an M1 rifle with ammo pouches on the stock as the weapon. The pose looks a bit stiff, but I can live with it.

I also wanted to model a standing figure with the anti-tank grenade equipped rifle, but the arm angle would not work. Cutting off and repositioning the hand proved very easy.

Overall, I am happy with the results. I am looking forward to getting home next week with figures ready for painting. I ordered some Warlord Games units yesterday for my American force, so I should be playing pretty soon.

In closing, it has been a somber day here in Washington, DC, as I reflect on the losses on 9/11 and afterward.

Jet Lag Modeling

For the second time, I brought a wargame project along on a trip back to the States. I always suffer from jet lag, waking up around 3 AM. Working on a project is better than watching infomercials.

I am assembling my Wargames Factory WWII Americans for Bolt Action. The package contains 30 soldiers, and I will be able to field three infantry squads, an officer, and a sniper.

28mm WW II Americans

This is only my second 28mm plastic model effort, the other one being our recently acquired Warmachines models. The details look good, but I was disappointed by the lack of flexibility with the poses and weapons. The box includes a sprue full of weapons, but the figure sprue lacked right arms with open hands. All the right arms have molded in weapons, binos, etc. I am not ready to try converting the figures. In any case, there are enough options to meet my needs.  The assembly went smoothly, but I learned that getting both arms positioned can require patience when gluing.

Work in Progress

I should finish the whole set on this trip. I may wait on the small packs and canteens, given my lack of tweezers. Bolt Action coming soon!

Planning Bolt Action Purchases

Marines Landing on Iwo Jima

Cost conscious as I am, I decided to compare the cost for a few armies and manufacturers for Bolt Action.  Warlord Games, the co-publisher of the game, has a great range of WWII 28mm miniatures.  I am also considering figures from Wargames Factory, which makes late war Americans and Germans, and the Plastic Soldier Company's Russians.

Without going into every detail, the table below compares four 1000 point armies. The experience level of the majority of units is listed.  As you can see, the Soviets are able to field a lot of infantry, thanks to a points-free 11 man inexperienced squad, a national characteristic unique to the Russian army list.


Playing Bolt Action in the Pacific theater is appealing to me, but it will require a little more money than a European campaign.  Although I didn't estimate the cost for a Japanese force, the basic infantry box for both the Marines and the Japanese runs the same.   I could field a Russian and German army for the price of one Marine list by using a mix of manufacturers.  Because the Warlord USMC and Japanese units are a mix of metal and plastic figures, the boxes are also pricier than the Warlord US Army figures available for European campaigns.

Bolt Action 28mm Forces - Cost Estimates
Army	USMC	Russian	German	German
General Exp Level	Veteran	Regular	Veteran	Regular
Officers, Staff, Medic	3	2	2	2
Inf Squads	3	5	3	3
Total Infantrymen	27	55	27	27
LMG/MMG Teams	.30 LMG	MMG Maxim	MG42	MG42
Sniper Team	1	0	1	1
Mortar Team	60mm	81mm	0	0
Anti-tank Team	0	AT Rifle	0	0
Artillery	0	76mm FG	0	0
Tank	M4 75mm Sherman	T34/85	Panzer IV	Panzer IV
Other Vehicles	LVT4 Buffalo	0	1 Hanomag	2 Hanomag
Points	1010	1011	973	976
Cost Estimate	$162	$80	$82	$104
Manufacturers	Warlord	Inf - PSC Tank-Warlord	Inf-WarFact Veh-Warlord	Inf-WarFact Veh-Warlord

Figure cost is not the only factor.  It would be interesting to estimate time and cost to finish a Pacific battlefield versus a European one.  I could easily scratch-build the bunkers that would characterize a Pacific Island; building or buying numerous buildings for a burned-out town in France would undoubtedly be pricier.  How would the money and time investment balance out when the terrain is considered? Hmm...

While cost will be a consideration, I don't expect that will be the leading factor in my final decision.  Bolt Action is quite affordable to play considering the investment needed to field large horse & musket armies, at smaller scales, for Napoleonic gaming.

Welcome thoughts from any experienced WWII gamers on how the Russian and Veteran German lists would match up. They are quite different in composition.  I have a few points left on the German list, so I should be able to add a bit more firepower.