Teenage Fighters

I don't normally put up works in progress here, but I do enjoy seeing them on other people's blogs and Facebook sites so here's such a post. Normally, I guess I just like how paint hides all the green bits. During the past two nights I converted Rolf's PLO14 (2 KIDS/YOUNG LIONS WITH RPK'S - BAREHEADED) to what I think of as EERKIDS (2 KIDS/TEENS MIX OF HEADGEAR & WEAPONS). It takes me a while to sculpt anything, but it sure is fun. I'm pleased with how these came out. They are my first try at a weapons swap too. Leaving the cast rifle butts in place and just swapping out the front end of the weapons worked rather well, although getting them just the right angle took a while and until I sculpted the hands they were really fragile. I also swapped the heads for two that fit my genre more, sculpted new left hands, sleeves, a jacket extension and a rifle butt. I'm a bit tempted to try to make a similar figure with an RPG7, but I don't want to over do it. ;)

RH Models PLO14 with head/weapon swap; PLO14

RH Models PLO14 with head/weapon swap; PLO14

Special Forces

Recently I found some great non-professionally taken pictures of special forces during the Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis that took place in January, 1996 during the First Chechen War. These half dozen or so images inspired this next unit. I'm not sure exactly which special force they represent, SOBR, Alfa Team, etc., as picture captions tend to be sloppy with the specifics, but they should be suitable for any winter season Russian special forces 1995-1996. To add variety and winter character to the figures I did a few head swaps, gave almost all large fur collars and replaced most of the cast back pockets with sculpted pockets of the three side by side type. Two of the figures' jackets were extended so as to give them winter coats. When painting them I chose a mix of camouflage patterns, VSR, winter SMK, winter tiger and dark spring tiger (that's what I call it anyway). I'm very pleased with how they turned out - not so much with some of the pictures I took, but these dark camouflage schemes are tough to take photos of.

Next up is a batch of civilians and fighters with all manner of caps I haven't painted much of, worker's caps, derbies, gangster hats and traditional Georgian felt hats. I'm also putting together two Chechen child fighters with my first weapon swaps to paint with this group as well. After that I'll get back to this Russian winter special forces squad and paint up some figures with RPG's, PKM's etc.

RH Models RUS20COME; RUS20H; RUS20BGH; RUS20* with head swap

RH Models RUS26H; RUS25H; RUS24H

RH Models RUS20COM* with head swap; RUS20BGE; RUS20H, RUS20COMH

RH Models RUS20H; RUS20* with head swap; RUS20H

Russian Alfa team in Grozny (February 6th, 1995).

Russian special forces unit (Grozny, January 3rd, 1996).

Kizlyar Airport immediately after fighting (Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis). Left is Junior Sgt. A. Matancev; Right is Sgt. A. Andreev. (January 9th, 1996)

Russian Sobr at Pervomayskoye (January 16th, 1996).

Senior Lt. M. Churkin during Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis (January, 1996).

Russian forces in Pervomayskoye (January, 1996).