"PLA 28mm?" Topic

My gaming buddies and I are looking to do a modern day what if scenario. Does anyone know where we could purchase some modern 28mm Chinese and Russian troops? Also if you have a rule set with which you are experienced with and think it would work with modern troops I am open to suggestions.

Empress did a recent Kickstarter with 28mm PLA. They should be shiiping soon, and plan on putting them online after that.

Empress also picked up a line of Russians and Chechens (Red Star??)---they are on the website now.

Mike

Empress Miniatures for PLA. They also deal with Red Star Miniatures, which sells modern Russians. You could try for rules Skirmish Sangin for modern combat. It takes place in Afghanistan but you could use the rules for any location you like. Or Brink of Battle, which are easy to play skirmish rules that cover 3 time periods: ancient, early gun powder & modern. Both are fun sets of rules.

Col Stone's Compound is another source in 28 mm. Unfortunately both theirs and the Empress Chinese are in temperate uniforms, whilst the 1990s vintage Red Star Russians are dressed for the depths of winter. TAG offer similarly equipped and attired Russians.

Force on Force for rules

Mongrel Miniatures have 1980s Russians in summer uniforms, and also have VDV.

The folks from Empress said something a while back about doing Russians as part of their next kickstarter…

Thank you for the help. The Empress minis are just what I was looking for!

Is there as maker out there who also does modern in 15mm? One of my buddies came up with the idea of using different scales depending on the scenario. We all agreed it was a good idea as we could play bigger battles and the scale up for close in combat.

Both Rebel Minis and QRF make the PLA in 15mm. QRF also make Russians as does Eureka. QRF has a greater variety of PLA figures. Eureka's 15mm Russians are super.
I think you'll find that your money will go a lot further with 15mm than 28mm for both terrain and figures and you can also get a lot more room on the board. I've been gradually changing over from 28/20mm to 15mm for just those reasons.
The cost per figure for 28mm plus shipping is just beyond my reach. In the end it depends on what you want and what you have to spend.

If you're interested in doing more than Russians vs. PLA I can recommend Peter Pig and Kurasain Miniatures very strongly. Both make terrific figures and Peter Pig has an excellent line of support weapons.

Thanks again guys. The QRF has a nice range and I like
the Peter Pig line too…different. Their "professionals" are awesome.And I agree Eureka's Russians are Sweet!

To note, nobody really does _modern_ russians in 15mm – cant really say about 28mm, in total. Caesar had, at least in some point, modern russians in their pipeline for 1:72, in plastic.

In 15mm, Eureka ones, in all their high quality, are the most closest one, but they are most suitable from 1990s to early to mid 2000s (also for georgia, with some mixing) as they wield early 90s pattern chestrigs/webbing, and sadly they completely lack RPK-equipped poses.
They also lack all heaviest support weapons (fex. AT-7/AT-13) though they do have excellent AGS-17 and NSV in their range.

With 28mm Red Star ones, AFAIK, it is pretty much the same thing though they are more suitable, as they have at least the support weapons (though I have no idea was the drumm-mag ever major issue for RPK-74 – for RPK it was), but they also have older flakvests (if any), older webbing and some even wear BVD-vest which, AFAIK, has become quite uncommon during recent years, as better options have appeared, but it is plausable still. Also, the AK type they are using is AKM, but the lack of long muzzle break might be a casting decission too.
Like with eureka, they are for chechen campaign, so pretty much stuff for 1990s.

If ultra-modern cold-weather look is desired, the most notable difference is that the new winter uniform (part of the new-gen uniform) wont have that fur-collar. Also, the combat load has changed (though steel helmet with "composite" lining will remain service in certain units – seen few pictures from spring 2013 where shifra-pattern summer uniform was used with older helmet), some units have adopted the composite helmet in full numbers, protective vest is 6B12, most of the troops have 6Sh-series webbing/load bearing vest (either 6Sh92, 104, 112 or some other version/subversion), etc.
But as it is (vast) Russia we are speaking about here, it is possible that in event of war, not all army line-units are in full equipment strenght, most likely marines and lads-coming-from-the-skies would have priority. And to note, in field conditions, it is extremely common that consripts wield privately purschased equipment.

Few references:

Modern Cold Weather kit

Clearly for show-off, with tacti-cooled new AK and the newest helmet, in total "Ratnik"-personal gear.

And first "from field" picture, he is wearing shifra field uniform, but in addition hes helmet cover is in flora, and so is his 6B12 vest.

link
In full modern gear, pic taken in Indo-Russian excercise in summer 2013. Full shifra (Barmitsa?) + latest composite helmet. But Im not sure are they from ground forces or from VDV.

I play ultra-modern 15mm Russian motorised rifles myself (against chinese!), and I did use eureka figures with minor modifications (PKMs to PKPs, all helmets covered, scratched/converted support weapons, like the allready mentioned Metis-M)

And using QRF soviet infantry as modern russians, well, that is pretty much as accurate advice than to use 1970s SLR-armed brits as US army in vietnam.. :D

Peter Pig and Khurasan are both great manufacturers, but I am quite sure they dont make completely suitable figures for this. The hardened militia are the most closest ones as russians, but no correct swap-heads are available – from them, at least. And they are lacking quite a lot of stuff like UGLs, RPKs (they are with RPDs), PKMs and disposable AT-weapons. Also, the khurasans to become soviet motorised rifles are for 1960 to 70s IIRC, so wont be any better than QRFs.

The chinese are terrifyingly rare in 15mm, QRF and Rebel both do some modern-ish infantry figures, but no hope about modern APC/IFV if we forget the BMP-1 clone (type 86 – which, though, is still used in numbers) and QRF produced obsolete YW531.

Edit: Corrected myself, Ratnik is the name of new-gen suit/equipment load.

Thank you for the info. The photos will make great painting guides even if the figures are not perfect.:)
Please post any more info you might have. This is excellent stuff. In trying to do research via YouTube link I noticed that in much of the video of Russian infantry they were using PKM's/PKP's rather than RPK's. My instinct is that this may have to do with the range and penetration power of the 7.62x54 round vs. the 5.45. Is this common for the Russian infantry? If so is it due to the caliber of the weapons?
Thanks for the help.

What I find strange about the Empress Chinese is that the packs contain two different rifles, the QBZ-95 and the QBZ-03, when there is no evidence to suggest that this is how the PLA fields these, quite different, weapons. In fact everything I've seen is that are fielded by different units. That means that for accurate squad composition, you will need to buy an extra pack for every three purchased to field squads with the QBZ-95 armed squads. Great for sales, irritating for the customer.

The comment about the QBZ-03 as seen in the Empress packs is quite correct , it was issued to less well trained units as a cheaper alternative, to the 95 .

Empress you really do need to seperate them out, as a Kickstarter sponsor I whilst still looking forward to my figs arriving thought they would all be with the QBZ-95.
On a seperate note you need a fig carrying the hand hekd version of the ATGW as the tripod mounted two crewed 98 was issued at company kevel and not at squad.

You mean the PF-89. The Col Stone's Compound PLA packs comtain those, two to each pack if you need some.