Baltic Independence Wars: German Freikorps and Landeswehr

A few years back, our local gaming shop franchise went through a reorganization that caused them to clear out their shared warehouse. They were offering non-GW plastics at steep discounts and I was able to obtain a box of Wargames Atlantic Great War Germans for only $5 US. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them at that time (my existing Great War collection was for East Africa), but I couldn't resist the deal and added the figures to the pile. Fast forward to 2024 and I decided I'd combine them with the Empress Miniatures Freikorps figures I'd been admiring to create a skirmish force for the Baltic Independence Wars 1918-1920.

Now I was no expert on this force and their uniforms and equipment; my knowledge didn't extend too far beyond the relevant Osprey Publishing titles. However, I did my best to paint something that will pass casual inspection. My reading indicated there was a fair amount of variation in the feldgrau and steingrau uniform fabrics due to material shortages and varying quality of fabric dyes, so I intentionally incorporated that into my painting to help differentiate the various squads.

Command Group: I really liked the character of the Copplestone German Mercenaries from their Back of Beyond range, so opted to use them as my command.  I painted one as a Freikorps commander and the other as a Landeswehr commander.  They were joined by an Empress medic and an artillery observer from Great War Miniatures' artillery crew pack.

Freikorps Infantry Squads: These were predominately created from Wargames Atlantic plastics, with a few metal Empress figures thrown in. The WA figures were sculpted in a heroic 28mm format with very bulky bodybuilder style arms that often stuck out at strange angles (other hobbyists have commented on this previously). This was particularly noticeable with the MG08/15 arms. As such, there was a significant style difference with the Empress figures, which were slighter and sculpted with thinner proportions. While a bit obvious at table level (at least to me), I think they blended in well enough when observed from above.

Freikorps Pionieren Squad:  Again, these were WA figures with the exception of the Empress flamethrower team. I added the skulls and crossbones to the helmets to help flag that they were an elite squad.

Freikorps Stosstruppen Squad: WA figures with a single Empress grenadier figure. The MG08/15 was removed from the squad and more Bergmann MP18s added for close assaults.

MG08 Team: Another set from Empress. I really had difficulty getting the machine gun handles to fit properly in the gunner's hands and overall found the gun fiddley to assemble. As a result, the gunners feet didn't set properly on the ground, so I did my best to hide it with rocks and grass.  

FK96 Field Gun: This artillery piece and its crew were from Great War Miniatures. The crew pack came with 6 figures, but as Wikipedia says it used a 5-man crew, I used the extra figure as the observer with my command group. There were no assembly instructions provided with the gun, but I was able to eventually figure things out with reference photos.   

Baltic Landeswehr Infantry:  This unit was created from Empress miniatures.  To help differentiate them from the Freikorps units, I used the Vallejo German Uniform color to give their feldgrau a bit more of a blueish hue. I also painted the Baltic blue and white pipping onto their shoulders; the pattern wasn't as fine as I hoped, but was the best I was able to create.

Baltic Landeswehr Cavalry: Great War Miniatures. I didn't find a good reference for the uniform these miniatures were wearing, so I did my best to make them look reasonable.

And here is a close up of the figures to allow a size comparison (L-R): Wargames Atlantic, Empress, Copplestone. The WA figures were the bulkiest, but didn't stand out too badly when compared to Copplestone. The Empress figures were definitely in a style of their own. I think they would likley fit in more with the Great War figures, but I didn't have a standing GW figure for the comparison shot. One interesting bit was that while the rifles were similar in size across WA and Empress, the WA MP18s were much smaller when compared to the other manufacturers.

With that, this half of the project was finished and I was was happy with the results.  In the future, I'll be working on a joint Latvian/Estonian force that will either oppose my Freikorps when I need to supply both armies for a game, or can be combined with them if I find an opponent with a Bolshevik force.  

Into the Wasteland: Commie Ghouls

While raiders tend to be the primary adversaries in post-apocalyptic settings, I like the idea of encountering remnants of the enemy communist army, even if they weren't major players in the later Fallout world. Fallout history has Red China as America's WW3 opponent, with the Russian Soviets being on the sideline.  However, Vermillion Miniatures has a great set of Soviets (Red Menace pack) that I couldn't resist. So they are going to be the bulk of my Commies, along with a few PLA navy ghouls by Marco R. Sassi from Fallout 4.

The Red Menace pack can either be made with the troops as ghouls equipped with old weapons, or normal humans with high-tech weapons. I liked the ghoul idea, so went with that route.

Soviet Commander and Scientist. Though I took some liberties, I  based the officer's coat on ones used in the 1980s. Though it looks fairly blue in the photo, it's actually a cool grey in real life. The officer also has a cybernetic arm behind his back. Both versions of the scientist are only available in human form, so I'm having to assume he's been in some sort of statis if he arrived before the bombs. I tried to make his clothing look vinyl/rubber with more pronounced highlights and a satin finish, but I'm not 100% sold on the final effect.

Soviet Science Officers. I thought the metal grating on the bases looked a bit plain, so I've added scraps of old propaganda posters to try and give them more visual pop.

Soviet Troopers. As the center trooper is wearing a gasmask (something ghouls shouldn't need) I assumed he was another regular human from statis. Again, clothing colors are inspired by the 1980s.

Soviet Power Armor. I used 1980's tank colors for reference.

Finally, there is Captain Zao and some crew from the Yangtze-31 submarine, as seen in Fallout 4. Though probably not appropriate for the deserts of New Vegas, they were an order freebie so I'm not going to complain. The pack usually has two different feral ghouls, but my free set had two duplicates.

Overall I'm really happy with this faction and I think they should be able to bring a bit of firepower again the New California Republic and the Brotherhood of Steel.

Into the Wasteland: Caesar’s Legion and Scatter Terrain

So far I have been using 3D printed proxy miniatures for my Fallout project, but I took the plunge and bought the offical figures for Caesar's Legion from Fallout New Vegas. While the Vermillion Miniatures proxy Spartans are nice, I wanted something with more firepower that looked game accurate. The listed price for the box of eight miniatures on the Modiphius site is US $60.21 ($7.53 per figure), which isn't justified, but I was able to find a box for a little over half that price elsewhere.

The figures were produced in a flexible resin and needed to be assembled.  The casting quality was average, with some flash buildup and a few of the bases having chunks missing off the edges. The sculpting was fairly decent, but nothing better than the unofficial 3D prints on the market. For painting, I used Fallout New Vegas screen captures for reference, but opted to brighten the reds to give them more pop on the table.

So here are the figures in detail:

Legion Recruits 

Prime Legionaries

Legion Explorer and another Prime Legionary

A Centurion with salvaged power armor elements and a thermic lance, along with a Decanus commander.

In addition to the troops, I also painted up some more scatter terrain. Many of the elements were 3D prints from Etsy (they often came as part of the figure sets from Vermillion Miniatures), but I also picked up some nice resin pieces from TT Combat.

Phoenix Fizz vending machines from TT Combat. You can build them with the doors open or closed, and the back panel can be left on or off.

Bits of furniture.  The dressers could be assembled with different drawer layouts for variety.  

A raider throne from Vermillion, along with a mix of junk from both companies.

Small rock formations from Vermillion, along with a Deathclaw nest.

3D printed piles of street debris (both pieces are the same, just rotated). The 3D print lines were fairly prominent, but I opted not to spend the time needed to fully sand everything down. I think they will still look good on the table.

 

Into the Wasteland: Super Mutants, Behemoth and Billboards

I've added some more dangers for my survivors to encounter as they wander the wasteland. These Fallout-style super mutants are designed by Vermillion Miniatures and were purchased off of Etsy from a couple of vendors.  The bulk of them are from the "Atomic Mutants" set, but I've also included a few figures from "The Atomic Unity" and "Cafe of Broken Dreams" sets.

First up is a proxy for the named super mutant Marcus, from Fallout 2 and New Vegas. For his paint scheme, I've done my best to mimic what was seen in the video games. 

Various super mutants. All of them came with various weapon options, so you can do a bit of customization. They run about 40-45mm to eye level, depending on the pose.

A super mutant behemoth.  This guy is a brute, standing about 70mm to the eye. 

I just love the detail of the dead vault dweller on the supplied base.

I've also added a few billboards from TT Combat. While they were easy to assemble and look good for MDF, the one issue I have with this is they are very top heavy and the position of the sign means they can tip over backwards quite easily.  I may add bases or weights in the future to help with this. 

For the signs themselves, I selected images from Fallout New Vegas. While they print out already distressed, I added more grime and streaks using Army Painter Quickshade.

While I know Nuka Cola is the iconic beverage of the Fallout franchise, I decided to buck convention and go with its competitor, Sunset Sarsaparilla.  I figured this lesser known brand would also be easier to use in non-Fallout settings.

 Out of the Fallout proxy figures I've painted so far, I have to say the mutants were my favorites.  The sculpting quality was top notch, and I particularly loved the detail in the faces. Vermillion Miniatures has just released another super mutant set with some great looking figures (including another behemoth), so I may be adding more in the future. 

Early Italian Wars: More Units and Final Army

The refurbishment/expansion of my Late Medieval/Early Renaissance army for the Holy Roman Empire is now complete. 

First up is another commander flying the Hanseatic League banner, which is also the coat of arms of the lead Hanseatic city of Lübeck.  The figures are plastics from Perry's War of the Roses line. 

More mounted knights in plastic from Perry. While the overall combined height of horse and rider is similar to my Front Rank knights, the riders are much smaller and the overall bulk is less. Having both units on the table looks fine, but I wouldn't mix figures into one unit.

A supply cart from Front Rank.

Early Landsknecht pikemen from The Assault Group. I only needed 30 for my pike block, so used the other two as another command unit. Size-wise, they are around the same height as Old Glory and only slightly smaller than Perry.

Old Glory miniatures arquebusiers painted in the colors of Münster.

A mix of Old Glory and Perry plastic arquebusiers from Kiel. The Perry figures are a little taller and more slender than the Old Glory figures, but I think the variety of poses allows them to mix well enough in this unit.

Perry, Crusader, and Wargames Foundry arbalest crossbowmen from Lübeck. The Perry and Crusader miniatures are sculpted in a very similar size and style and blend in quite well.  The older Foundry figures, while nice, run on the smaller side, so you'll have to be a bit more careful with how you mix them in. 

And with that my army is now complete. It was fun to revisit a project I started nearly 20 years ago for Warhammer Ancient Battles and I am really happy they are now getting time on the table with my Hail Caesar group after so long in storage. So far they have managed to beat the Hussites and Hungarians in two close battles, but we'll see if their luck continues to hold.