"New 28mm Chaco War figures released by Orinoco Miniatures" Topic

Firstly, Happy New Year to everyone.

We are very happy to announce the release of our new range of 28mm figures covering the Chaco War (1932-35). This Interwar conflict was the biggest and bloodiest war seen in South America in modern history, and was certainly one of the biggest conflicts of the 1930's along with the Spanish Civil War and the Japanese invasion of China.

The war witnessed the evolution from trench warfare to more mobile tactics over a 3 year period. Indeed one of the largest battles at Nanawa was called "the South American Verdun" such was the intensity of the fighting.

The war between Bolivia and Paraguay was over ownership of the Chaco Boreal, a vast semi arid landscape of partial desert, cactus and dry savannah-like scrub and low jungle, which at the time was thought to contain large oil deposits. The Bolivians with an army four times the size of Paraguay's, and with large arms contracts from Britain, and led by a WW1 veteran German general, were effectively outfought and outmanoeuvred by the smaller Paraguayan forces who benefited from tough and acclimatised soldiers and a small but highly trained and capable officer cadre.

The figures come in four packs (each with 4 individual sculpts) which represent the vast majority of the fighting forces on both sides. In addition to these will next be released LMG, HMG and mortar squads for each side.

The packs are listed below:

Bolivian Army
BV01 – Bolivian Infantry Advancing
BV02 – Bolivian Infantry Firing/Loading

Paraguayan Army
PY01 – Paraguayan Infantry Advancing
PY02 – Paraguayan Infantry Firing/Loading

And some pictures of the figures in Chaco-like terrain:

I hope you like them.

The figures can be purchased directly from our webstore here:
orinoco-miniatures.com

Did "Tango1" scoop the manufacturer? These do look very nice.

Yes, he did.

What else is planned for release?

SMG figures for each side have just been sculpted, and now we're starting on LMGs and Officer figures. Once these are done we will start on HMG's and Mortars.

Ahoj Nice models.

I'm not interested in the Chaco War but I can see myself using those Bolivians for armed workers.
can you tell us what other lines they scale with?

Hello "Gray Ghost." These figures are the same height as our Wars of Liberation range which means they should mix well with Perry or Warlord Games figures. I hope that helps. In the coming days I'll try to put up a comparison photograph on the Orinoco Miniatures blog:

orinoco-miniatures.blogspot.cz

Best regards.

As I wrote in the Tango thread, I really like the Bolivians for some workers/militia group for VBCW. Too bad so many have blankets over the shoulder. Extra painting and of what value. Glad to know there are support weapons, SMGs, and command units in the pipeline. When all is available, I will order a company worth.

Osprey book on this war references Madsen LMG and Haenel MP28 sub-machine gun.
These will be nice additions to the Interwar figure options. Also the various Tankettes in the war should be useful.

Wonder what to do with the Paraguayans. They are nice figures, but I have never seen that style hat anywhere else. Perhaps if they were not all turned up in the front like Gabby Hayes

Hello Bobgnar,

Glad to hear you like the figures. Regarding the blankets, these really were very common in the uniforms of both sides in this war. For example the picture at the start of the thread is of an actual Bolivian patrol in the Chaco war. The Bolivians are also similar to some Republican uniforms during the Spanish Civil War, and again many troops had blankets tied over their shoulders.

We have no plans to bring out any tankettes at the moment, but there are suitable models on sale at Warlord games that should cover this (that is the Vickers light tank and Carden-Lloyd tankette).

Nice figures, I look forward to seeing more of this range.

One slight quibble. The Warlords Vickers light tanks are not suitable as Bolivian tanks, entirely different vehicle. The Bolivians used two models of the Vickers 6 Ton tank which was solely an export model. Company B has one planned in 1/56 along with a Carden Lloyd in their Japanese range IIRC

In the absence of the Company B Vickers 6 tonner, the Minairons twin turreted T-26 can be used for it's twin turreted Vickers counterpart, the T-26 was essentially a copy of the Vickers anyway.

I'm sure someone else makes a Carden Lloyd tankette but I just can't recall who, right now.

Ah, just remembered. Reiver make the Carden Lloyd MG carrier. Perfect for Bolivia.

Orinoco are also to be congratulated for not repeating the nonsense that Bolivia was the first country to possess or use tanks in South America or that the Chaco War was the first example of armoured warfare on the continent.

Wonder what to do with the Paraguayans.

you know the first time I saw those I thought Philippinos

Hello Chacrinha,

Yes you are right. I should have clarified that the Warlord games tank I was refering to is in the Polish army range, the Twin-turreted Polish 7TP tank. This was esentially a copy of the Vickers Mark E, Type B light tank. Not exactly the same as used in Bolivia, but close enough. Again it is only a suggestion.

link

For the Carden-Lloyds I will use the Warlord games ones. Again the few sent to Bolivia were modified and actually had sloping armour on the sides and front of the crew compartment.

To be honest though, tanks or tankettes are not really necessary to wargame this conflict. There were only a handful in Bolivian service, and were used mostly during the Battle of Nanawa and were quickly captured or destroyed around July 1933.

Best regards.

Very interesting range. By the way, Paraguayans remind me to the pictures of Spanish Foreign Legion soldiers in campaing gear, in Morocco in the late 20s.

I was thinking exactly that too :-)

Lovely figures

Great minds think alike, Richard! :D

Once you come out with the mgs and mortars etc, I will no doubt take the plunge and buy some of both sides. Nice figs.

Perhaps packs could be 4 with blankets and 4 without so people can choose what mix they want.

Otherwise, an offer for anyone getting into this episode. I will trade Bolivian figs with blankets for those without, and pay postage. I need 8 man units and the sets come with 2 blankets and 2 not blankets. I will order 3 sets of each pack, giving me 24 figures. 12 have blankets. I will trade those 12 for 10 with out blankets.

That will give me 22 to make a 2 full rifle units and some left over to add to command figs to make a HQ unit.

Drop me a PM if interested. Thanks

This will depend on the command figures and the Madsen LMG units being released. Hopefully the LMG's will not have blanket rolls, although there is a picture of such in the Osprey book.

Great call on the Spanish Foreign Legion, they even had blanket/tent rolls. Perfect picture 3 in the A illustration in Osprey book on SFL. However, i do not think any troops dressed that way would show up in England in 1938 for the VBCW. I already have some Spanish volunteers with those funny tassel side caps.

The sausage "salchicha" made using the Blanket or greatcoat is very common in Spanish and Latin american armies (Mexico); and during the Russian Civil War).

They used it like a pack, putting their personal gear and food inside then rolling it up and tying the ends, looping the cord around the shoulders to free-up your arms/hands. Its not just a blanket, its a useful low-tech piece of field equipment.

To be honest though, tanks or tankettes are not really necessary to wargame this conflict.

Heresy! Heresy! He's a witch! He's a witch!! Burn him!! Burn him!!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Hello Bobgnar,
If it's any help, the newly sculpted SMG figures come without blanket rolls. This will also be the same for LMG infantry and HMG and Mortar Crews, and officers. If there is enough demand at a later date we can consider sculpting extra infantry advancing and firing without blankets.

BlackWidowPilot,
Well I am currently painting up two Carden-Lloyd tankettes, and a Polish Vickers tank for the Chaco War. They would be great for a frontal assault on the trenches at the Battle of Nanawa (there is some speculation that some may even have been used at the Battle of Boqueron). But really they were very few tanks/tankettes in this war, and it seems most were destroyed/captured/out of service by December 1933. I'd be interested to hear other views on the subject.

So here are a few images of my "Chaco War Inspired" Carden-Lloyd tankettes. Not exactly the same as thoes used by the Bolivians, but with a heads replaced with those from my Chaco War range Bolivians, and a suitably dusty and rusty appearance, they almost match the real thing (below).

Very nice painting :-)

Thanks for the note about the forthcoming support weapons figures. I have pen in hand, or should I say key board, ready to order everything when all is available.

The LMG will be a Madsen, I hope.

Hello Bobgnar,

Yes, the LMG is indeed a Madsen. The green of the LMG is already sculpted and cast. Now just waiting for it to be added to the green of the figure.

Any chance you can sell the Madsen as a separate piece? Many inter war gamers would love to have this for conversions.

Hello Bobgnar,

Sorry, no plans to start producing weapons packs in the foreseeable future.