Dan's Marines WIP

with Dan

The Marines are getting ready to hit the beach! This week I've managed to find some time to catch up on painting and now it's all down to weathering and washing.

Marine Rocket Battery is done just needs a bit of grass and the base edges touched up I also managed to find the misplaced crew members hiding on a stick at the back there :( Overall I'm pretty happy with these mini's I only hope they are better at hiding the Soviet Rocket Batteries.

The Marines themselves have been ready and waiting for a while now. When it comes to painting I really enjoy painting the complex fiddly things first that way I can have fun painting the rest of the army.

I'm on the home stretch just washes to go on my LVT's it's been a fun project. The tanks are currently coated in a gloss varnish this will help me to move around my washes and clean up my mistakes.

As you can see on the 75mm I've gone with a 3 colour camouflage but left it simple on the 37mm LVT's. The tracks have been painted with a mixture of gunmetal and AK interactive dark tracks colour. 

On the back of the LVT 37mm are also two machine gunners who are wearing Mae Wests getting the right shade of yellow is important to me so I built this up with Vallejo Dark Sand and the cut it with Model air yellow to give a worn look.

I hope to have these completed by the end of next week ready for a game and a battle report. Meanwhile here's a video I made about painting the LVT's

So....many.....infantry! Greg's Hohei WIP

with Greg

I knew that I should have baggsed the Marines when I had the chance! Who knew that painting a predominantly infantry force would mean painting so many individual infantry models?!

In all seriousness though, this one has been a real challenge for me. Typically I start something (refer to my EW Kradschutzen over on Painted Madness) and then move on to the next shiny thing in the painting queue. This time I really had to stick with it and get it done so we could get some games in and show you guys how we've fared!


So, here we go then...

This is the big one that I wanted to see through to the end. Two full Hohei platoons, painted, based and ready to go! All told, we're looking at roughly 100 individual minis! I have a huge respect for anyone crazy enough to have done a Strelk platoon now!

What this means now is that I can start moving on to my support options. I've already started this and have finished my Type 92 infantry guns.

These guys are really gonna cause some trouble for the Marines I think!

They're AT3 and FP3+ in direct fire which is great news and because they're Japanese, they get the benefit of the Fire Burst special rule meaning that they don't suffer the +1 to hit penalty for only having 2 guns!

And all for the measly sum of 85 points (including 15 for the observer) at Fearless Veteran!

And of course, I really couldn't help myself and started some of my tank support...

Yay! Te-Ke!

And Chi-Ha!

So there you have it! That's where I'm up to! Over the next week or so, I'll finish my support options which is my Hohei weapons platoon, a few more tanks and....MY ZERO/FRANK!

If you're interested in how I painted my Japanese infantry, I did a wee video as well. Its on YouTube and everything!

Thanks for reading!

Mike's Marines (Part 4: Late War List)

with Mike

I know that I will want to field my Marines in the Late War meta at least once, so I’ve mustered up a 1500 point list. I’ll be honest, it’s a tough life being a hypothetical Marine in the ETO, but damned if that’ll stop them! Besides, it’s pretty much the only way I’ll ever be able to squeeze in M3 75mm GMCs and Shermans into my list. So here it goes!

Marine Rifle Company (ETO)	Points
Marine Rifle HQ	55
Marine Rifle Platoon with BAR (2/3 strength)	210
Marine Rifle Platoon with BAR (2/3 strength)	210
Assault Section (full strength)	160
Mortar Platoon (4x 81mm)	125
Marine War Dog Platoon (2x Dog Handlers)	70
Self-propelled Gun Platoon (2x 75mm SPM)	110
Marine Tank Platoon (4x M4A2 Sherman)	365
add 4x Improvised Tank Assault Armor	20
Flame Tank Platoon (3x M3A1 Satan)	175
Total	1500
For 1750-points add:
Air Support (Priority)	190
add Close Air Support	25
add Napalm	30
Total	1745

You've got the books now, what's your 1500 pt USMC list for LW?

(previously... Mike's Move Out! List...)

ANZAC Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

The Battle of Tarawa: Mini Campaign, Day 4

Battle of Tarawa: Part IV
With special guest writer, 
Dr. Michael L. McSwiney, Ph.D.

Day 4 – November 23, 1943 – Mopping Up

On the final day of the battle, the Marines advanced across the narrow tip of Tarawa reducing the last Japanese resistance.  During this offensive, the Marines were supported by two M4A2 Sherman tanks named China Gal and Colorado as well as five Stuart light tanks.  During this action, the lead Marine elements would sometimes bypass defenses in order to outflank the Japanese.

The Mission
Play “Pincer” with a Marine Rifle Company attacking a Veteran Yosai Hohei Chutai. The battlefield should have an unimproved road running through it, though that road can be interrupted by mines, barbed wire, or other fortifications as the defending player sees fit.

USMC Force
The Marine force should include Assault Sections and may include both medium and light tank support.  The Marines should also have access to 75mm pack howitzers.

Japanese Force
The Japanese force should not have any tank support at this point.

~Fin~

For Day 1 of the battle, check out: The Battle of Tarawa: Mini Campaign, Day 1...
For Day 2 of the battle, check out: The Battle of Tarawa: Mini Campaign, Day 2...
For Day 3 of the battle, check out: The Battle of Tarawa: Mini Campaign, Day 3...

Thanks for reading! We hoped you enjoyed this series. Played through the campaign? We'd love to hear your experiences and take on your feedback! Get in touch with us in the comments below, or through the Behind Enemy Lines Facebook page or the Flames of War: Pacific page and let us know how it went! Our sincerest thanks to Dr, Michael McSwiney for his writing and enthusiasm!

Be sure to check out Mike's blog: Miniature Ordnance Review for more excellent articles and painting guides!