Red Forces now include insurgents!

One would perhaps think it odd that someone like myself would be painting 15mm miniatures of enemies he faced in Iraq about 10 years ago, mostly because those same enemies still occupy parts of Iraq under a different name (but from the same root organization)...  But somehow, I'm not bothered by that as much.  I figure that gives me a slight edge in knowing how to paint and play them using various rules systems and exploiting the advantages of being an insurgent as opposed to a uniformed force.  

That, and I can paint them how I want, and justify it by personal experience...

These are the awesome Khurasan Miniatures modern middle east line (http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/modern-middle-eastern.html), starting with AFGHAN-WEP-COM, which are the PK and RPG armed squad.  I figure they can form the basis of what I call the CAKTs, or Chechen Armor Kill Teams (for further reading, anything by Lester A. Grau is recommend: http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/documents/rusav/rusav.htm & http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/documents/Rusn_leslrn.htm).  I plan on following the concept of teaming RPG/PK gunner teams across an urban landscape some day in the future on the war games tables.

What can I say, I'm a student of history, and that is the biggest draw of wargaming for me.  Simulate history, and see how you react.  

Here are more detailed miniatures in Central Asian (i.e. Afghan/Pakistani/Caucus region garb) from Khurasan Modern Combat series (Item MOD-2) containing a terror cell leader hiding in the mountains (BinLaden style) and a stereotypical hostage (screaming objective marker, because capturing hostages feels better than smashing a terror cell just for a laptop the might contain real world intel worth seizing more a stupid journalist who sympathized with sociopathic murdering 13th century religious fanatics just to get a scoop for the Times...).  Sorry, can't help with the commentary sometimes...

As we have come to expect, Khurasan hires great sculptors and casting companies, and my photography attempts and poor paint job do no real justice the incredible detail of the miniatures.

I unified my red force irregulars with khaki trousers (you know, the old school Soviet Motorized Rifle Regiment type from the 70's/80's that were left lying around...) and either desert style or woodland style camo jackets (again, more eastern European style camo, left lying around after a withdraw from the region in the late 80's/early 90's).  So, early war stuff.  Digital camo is hard to capture in 15mm.  But even the dots of paint can be construed as that at this scale!

2017 Welcomed in the Dungeon, SEAL Direct Action Team with JTAC painted

New Years was spent playing the WotC boardgame Dungeon (the 2012 version anyway) with the boys.  Instead of playing with the cardboard pieces WotC uses, I pulled in some of my Khurasan Miniatures Tom Meier Collection Fantasy Master Pack 15mm Miniatures.  Not only are they top notch sculpts, with penny bases, they worked out great on the Dungeon board as well as adding excitement for a 6, 8, and 10 year old boy.

15mm Tom Meier Sculpts from Khurasan Miniatures taking on WotC's 2012 Dungeon

To match the cardboard pieces, I've painted the penny bases with the colors of each class based on the color of the cardboard counters.  Red for Wizard, Green for Rogue, Purple for Fighter, and Blue for Cleric.

I also finally finished my SEAL (or other SOCOM) 8 member team.  I decided to keep it simple and do desert colors.  This reflects the use of camo by the Dept. of Navy, be they SEALS or MARSOC, or even Army and Air Force from tri-color DCU days.  At any rate, this eight member team includes one sniper with M-14, an M-249 SAW gunner, a JTAC with radios (and whatever might be flying in a few hundred mile radius that can drop something...) and 5 members with M-4 carbines.  Given rules for most games (for example, Osprey/Ambush Alley Force on Force), even those 8 members, properly utilized, are a force to be reckoned with!

I was very pleased with the acrylic ink wash I used instead of wood stain this go around.  For one thing, drying time is minutes, not hours!  Once again, on both sets of miniatures, I mixed used, dried, coffee grounds into the burnt umber paint for the bases.  Perfect 15mm ground texture for a rocky arid environment!  I'll have to find the link of the guy who got me into doing that...