A few days ago I finished reading my tenth book on Post-Soviet wars, Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya by Sebastian Smith. For me my reading inspires my painting and my painting inspires my reading. I like reading about other non-fiction topics as well, but lately my primary reading topic is modern wars. This book surprised me a bit. I thought it would include material on the 2nd Chechen War as the book was supposedly updated, but it did not. The writing of the book was concluded sometime around 1998. It also had a lot more information on the Circassians and other Caucasian peoples than I expected. I learned a lot about ethnic groups related to Chechens and have a decent understanding about why other states in the Northern Caucasus didn't seek independence. The First Chechen War was not addressed until about half way through the book. His coverage of the war was bit spotty. All was covered, but he definitely decided to concentrate on the occurrences that he reported firsthand on. The book is well written and reads quickly.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
Eastern European Rebels
Urban Terror
My current obsession is modern warfare. I've been reading lots of books about post Soviet conflicts and few on wars in Yugoslavia and Iraq. To "game" these battles I've decided to go with Rolf Hedges excellent Liberation Miniatures. No other range comes close to depth and variety he stocks and being 20mm they are compatible with all the 1/72 models out there (for when I get around to painting the AFV's I've bought).
My primary interest is the wars in Chechnya. I started painting some forces for these wars using RH's Urban Terror range, civilians with light equipment and Soviet weapons. Some work better than others for this conflict, but they all should fit for some war or other that interests me. The miniatures with helmets, knit caps, fur hats and the one figure with hood and AK47/BG15 work best in my opinion.
I've picked colors according to a large collection of photos I've amassed from the web of these wars. In the past I used a wash or dip of some sort to try and pick out detail, but henceforth I've decided to forgo that approach and try my best to emulate the work of Piers Brand and a few other great 20mm painters I admire. To base the miniatures I went with dirt and trash - urban, but not too urban as to be out of place in some village or other. I'm really happy with the results.