For Christmas this year my sister and bro-in-law picked me up a set of Italeri 1/72 US Paratroopers. Life being the way it is, I've only just got around to painting them up.

The start of the project - first figure off the sprue.

I started with a thin base of grey primer. As you can see this brings the details on the figure out quite nicely. I have been pretty happy with Italeri's casting quality so far.

A pathfinder.

I also picked up a few 20mm metals, pictured here in the foreground, to go along with my plastics. The figures are from CP Models / TQD Castings, and I am quite happy with them. The proportions on the figures match the Italeri 1/72 nicely, and, because of the kinds of bases they came with, would end sitting at the right height off the table with the other figures as well.

CP Models starting to get painted up.

Also pictured is the color choice I made for mid-'44 Airborne uniform color. I did not have anything that matched well, so I decided to mix 2 parts Vallejo Khaki with 1 part Vallejo German Field Grey to try and approximate the color. As you will see I ultimately regretted this decision, but live and learn.

Progress being made on the CP Models. The detail on these is great!

Once I got all my base coats down, I gave the figures a healthy application of Army Painter Strong Tone. The wash leaves quite a bright sheen, but an application of Vallejo Matte Varnish will flatten the figures back down nicely.

A figure pre matte varnish.

I based the plastics on pennies, and kept the 20mm metals on the bases they came with. I find that pennies are a good size for basing 1/72 plastic figures. The weight of the penny also gives the figures a good heft, and helps to stabilize them on the gaming table.

Once the figures were attached to their bases, it was time to start adding ground texture and flock. A simple but effective basing method I have been using is wood filler as a base for dirt, then very watered down dark brown paint. Because the paint is so watered down, the wood filler absorbs it well gives the dirt a nice saturated yet varied color. Then I dry brush on some lighter shades of brown.

As I explained in my last post, I am just starting to get into tabletop wargaming with miniatures. As such, I want to start slow. That means, when it comes to painting my first army, I will not amassing huge quantities of paints, washes, bases, etc. - at least not at first! In this post I describe how I painted my first set of minis with almost nothing other than materials I already had laying around the house.

The Finished results. Read on to see how I got here!

After some research into various scales and rule systems, I decided that 1/72 plastics was a good place to start. A box of 40 figures costs around $10, which is good for the budget. The figures are large enough to base individually for small scale skirmish games (which is where I am starting), but small enough to be used well on a small table. 1/72 plastics are also compatible with many of the very nice 20mm metal figures available, if I ever want to upgrade, or perhaps add a few heroes to the table.

As I said, I want to ease myself into the hobby as inexpensively as possible, so for my first project I determined that I would only use paints and materials that I already had on hand. In fact, other than the minis themselves, the only thing I purchased for this project was a small dropper bottle of Army Painter Quickshade.

Priming and Basecoating

I primed my minis with a can of spray primer I had out in my garage. Grey seemed to work well, although in the future it might be fun to experiment with different colors.

For basecoating, I used my wife's old dollar store craft paints.

A few figures in progress.

A selection of American Infantry, base coat finished.

The paint may seem a bit bright, but a coat of quckshade toned the colors down quite a bit. At this point, with the quickshade wash applied so think, I thought I had ruined my mini! Thankfully, however, the wash lightened up quite a bit while drying.

For basing single figures, I used pennies, wood filler, and homemade flock. The pennies are a perfect size for 1/72 figures, and the wood filler is a nice base for simulating dirt. I watered down some brown paint and dabbed it onto the filler while it was still freshly applied. The filler soaked up the paint unevenly which gave it a varied look.

For basing weapon teams, I simply used an old paint stirring stick, cut to appropriate lengths. It worked well, with no need to go buying all different sizes of bases. A 10-pack of 1 Gal. paint sticks cost me $0.98. Here you can also see what the wood filler looks like unpainted.

A finished figure! Completed using almost nothing other than materials found on hand.The flock is a combination of sawdust mixed with paint, and dried landscaping moss.

German Infantry

For my German Infantry, I used much the same process. However, as Apple Barrel craft paint doesn't have a "World War II" line of paints (perhaps they should!) I had to get a little creative in painting the German uniforms: I mixed my own feldgrau. I used two parts dark grey, one part hunter green, and a splash of black.

Applying the color. Looks close enough for the game table, I'd say.

The finished results. I decided to paint the old grey trousers on some of the German figures to delineate "Veteran" units. This is before applying a wash.

After a coat of quickshade wash, I based the individual figures on pennies, as before.

Add the wood-filler and flock, and done!

And here is a shot of my completed American Infantry.

I learned quite a bit during this project. Mainly, you don't have to break the bank when you are first starting out! Just take a look to see what you have around you and try to think of creative ways to use what you have on hand. I definitely want to keep learning and improving, however. Next time, I think I will try to take my time adding a few more little details, and especially use highlighting and dry brushing techniques. For now, I just hope to get these guys on the game table soon. Thanks for reading.

Ever since being introduced to hex and counter wargaming a few years ago, I’ve wanted to get into miniatures. I enjoyed modeling as a kid, and painting miniatures seems like a fun, relaxing, and rewarding creative outlet. Further, Wargame tables are often beautiful in their own right – not to mention the enjoyment of playing on one! There is just something deeply rewarding about interacting with a physical environment. And the games themselves just sound like good ol’ fashioned fun.

One thing has kept me at arm’s length however:  the cost. And not just the financial cost either. There is also the cost in time needed to paint, assemble, and build everything needed for play, as well as the cost in storage space when not in use. All three are limited resources. However, with more time having opened up this year for hobbies, I’ve decided to take the plunge.

Where to start though? With so many rulesets out there, selecting the “right” one can seem a little daunting. To begin, I broke down my gaming priorities as follows:

1. Prioritize theme and “feel” over historical realism. I already own (and enjoy!) lots of big, crunchy hex and counter wargames with endless charts and tables. For a miniatures game, I just want to have fun pushing some figures around the table and rolling dice at my friends.
2. Related to number 1, I want a game that is quick to set up and quick to learn, so we can get right into the action.
3. I have limited time, funds, and space. I would like a game that plays well on a small table (3X5 maximum) and needs a relatively small number of minis to play.

Next, I identified my three main gaming interests:

1. The historical setting. Based purely on my own personal interests. Broadly speaking, I am most interested in gaming 20^th century land warfare.
2. Creating a narrative. I love a good war story. Even while playing the aforementioned crunchy hex and counter games, I create a running narrative in my mind that unfolds as the game progresses and the dice go hot or cold.
3. A small scope. Leo Tolstoy, in his work The Raid, wrote “War has always fascinated me. I don’t mean the tactical maneuvering of whole armies by famous generals – movements of such magnitude are quite beyond my imagination. I have in mind the real essence of war . . . all that interested me was the state of mind that pushes a man, without apparent advantage to himself, to expose himself to danger and, what is even more puzzling, to kill his fellow man.” Likewise, I am less interested in gaming grand strategy and huge conflicts between armies, and more interested in watching the personal struggles of a few desperate men unfold on the table.

After doing a lot of reading and research, I think I have found the rules system that best fits both my gaming interests and my gaming priorities: Five Men in Normandy (5MiN) by Nordic Weasel Games. Here is why.

Historical setting, theme, and feel

Play out a few skirmishes from the TV series? Yes, please.

5MiN is a set of skirmish rules for land combat during WWII, which fits my interest in 20^th century ground combat. It is also, comparatively speaking, a light ruleset – what I would consider to be the core gameplay rules numbers only 12 pages. The rules for character creation, skills, campaigns and encounters, on the other hand, number nearly 40 pages. Needless to say, this is a game that does not lean to heavily on the simulation side of things, but from what I have read from others, “feels” right. Ivan Sorensen, the designer, states that he wanted to design a game that felt like a war movie – and that is the kind of miniatures game I want to play.

Scope, Size, Scale

My need for a low footprint game combined with my interest in the individual soldier in battle makes 5MiN a natural fit. The game can be played on a 2X2 table, with only 5 – 8 miniatures needed per side. The rules are quick to grasp and, by all accounts, quick to play.

This offers me a few practical advantages, especially as I am getting into tabletop wargaming completely from scratch. First, I will not have to build huge armies before jumping in nor will I have to invest in much terrain. I can start slow. Second, I do not have much space available for play, so a small-scale skirmish game is ideal. Third, the simplicity of the rules will allow me to teach the game quickly to others so that we can enjoy getting right into the action. Time is precious!

Narrative

Probably what I am looking forward to the most with 5MiN. I enjoy a good tactical puzzle just as much as the next wargamer. However, when gaming with miniatures why not add a little more character?

Character skills for your soldiers.

With randomly generated characters that progress from mission to mission, campaign events, etc., 5MiN sounds as though it will provide me with no shortage of narrative. This is also the reason why I am choosing to start with Five Men in Normandy over some of the other, similar Nordic Weasel products such as FiveCore and Five Men at Kursk. I am looking forward to getting to know the men in my squad, seeing them progress through a campaign, and grow in the process. I imagine I will be witness to many small, interesting stories. And I can’t wait to start playing.

Nordic Weasel is here: https://fivemennormandy.blogspot.com/ 

Five Men in Normandy is here: https://www.wargamevault.com/product/223411/Five-Men-in-Normandy-30-cal-edition