Dad's Guys

This morning I finished a big set of miniatures I've been working on for a few weeks. I normally paint less miniatures at a time, but lately I've been trying to push it (17 this time!). For this batch I also had a lot of head swaps and green stuff sculpting I wanted to do. This bunch is meant to supplement my Georgian forces and my Transnistrian forces as well as provide some troops for the start of my Moldovan government forces. They should have many uses - any time there's a need for Soviet/Post-Soviet forces in khaki using older equipment. The bulk of them are based on Rolf's RMR figures. I swapped the heads on most to give them a lot variety and sculpted pants (some with side pockets) on most to give them an on-campaign, unregulated look. I left only one figure in a helmet with pants tucked in the boots. Next up is a big batch of Soviet police!

RH Models RMRAKH; RMRAK* with head swaps (all with pants sculpted with green stuff)

RH Models RMRAKH; RMRAK* with head swaps (some with pants sculpted with green stuff)

RH Models RMRAK* with head swaps (all with pants sculpted with green stuff)

RH Models RMRRPK; RMRRPK with head swap and with pants sculpted with green stuff

RH Models MULTBHCOM; MULTBHRPG

RH Models NEGSPOT with head swap; NEGSPOT

Pro-Russian fighters rest in Bendery, Moldova (June 30th, 1992).

Georgian fighters withdraw near Gumista River/Sukhumi (September, 1992).

Georgians in Gagry (September, 1992).

In the last couple of weeks I also read two books related to my blog posts, The Moldovans: Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture by Charles King and Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry by Peter Nasmyth. Both books are from a series of books called Caucasus World: Peoples of the Caucasus. King's book is one of the few Moldovan history books out there. Most of the book concerns what it means to be Moldova and Moldovan and how this has changed over time. The last part of the book concerns Transnistria, but besides a few good photographs I hadn't seen before this section wasn't all that helpful to me (I've read it all elsewhere). Nasmyth's book, although part of the same series, is written in a completely different style - a travelogue. Although the dates of his adventures aren't always clear the substance and treatment of his exploration Georgian sub-cultures is great. It took me a while to read it, but it was interesting. There are two more books in series that I'll have to read sometime soon, one concerns Abkhazians and the other Chechens.