"Flashpoint Minis 15mm Modern US Army Rangers" Topic

All,

Another modern set, more Flashpoint Minis, but this time from the modern range, some US Rangers I picked up from Mark at Scale Creep. I didn't really need these figures, but Mark had them on sale, I'm a fan of Jimmi's figures, and I just couldn't help myself ;)

The whole force, 12 guys in the pack. As I didn't need them, I didn't really know what to do with them. They're made for Somalia in 1993, but I've got plenty of guys in desert uniforms. Regarding temperate, I now find myself with only modern USMC in MARPAT, so I decided to do these guys up in 90s Woodland Camo with grassy bases.

You know I'm a sucker for grenadiers ;) To see more pics, please check the blog at:
link

That's it for now. I've got a few more small forces I've finished up recently to post, so keep your eyes open, to include these guys' opponents, Flashpoint Minis' Somalis.

V/R,
Jack

Guys from my time in. They could have been the grunts I trained with a Ft. Riley in 1992. Only the goggles don't fit in. We had them for desert duty. Once we got back from the desert these things went into the duffel bag, never to see the light of day.

Maybe they need to go to Germany and fight the Soviets.

Yeah, I came in in '94, and this is what we looked like. But we always used the goggles for air ops, very useful when you've got helos coming in ;)

V/R,
Jack

Oh, those look like shite…so terrible in fact that I need to send you my unpainted ones and let you try again. (said VERY tongue in cheek of course)

Great work, JJ! The scheme is excellent!!

We used them a lot on the tanks and they were useful when we threw dust up in the air. But they weren't uniform, so away they went! I guess they are more acceptable now what with Iraq and Afghanistan and all.

Nice brush work Jack.

Darryl – I started reading and was wondering, 'what the hell?' ;)
The figs are cool, ain't they? How are them troops I sent ya? How about a batrep? I'd like to see them in action!

Tgunner – yeah, uniformity went out the window when the war started. Hell, I remember getting back to Okinawa after Iraq, Marines were allowed to pick which uniform you wanted to wear, so half would be in desert and half in woodland (MARPAT)! I almost passed out! ;)

V/R,
Jack

Great looking dudes, Jack!

Thanks Darb!

V/R,
Jack

Sorry, Jack, didn't mean to give you a heart palpitation! You always do grand work, but these really look the part!

No sweat, just kidding. But really, how are them troops treating you? Any action pics?

V/R,
Jack

Just saw these ! , maaate ! .. your camo patterns are awesome @ 15mm !
.. you so get it right on colours and balance. Your 'chocolate chip' camo on the Somalis is a study on how to do it. Fantastic to see !

Hey Jimmi, good to 'see' ya, and glad you like them. Really good troops (these and the Somalis, not to mention all the Vietnam era stuff).

I've got a question for ya: are you ever going to/do you have any plans to get into sculpting/manufacturing 'Ultra-Modern' figs? Just curious.

V/R,
Jack

Hi Jack ,
..completely ! It's a target-rich environment out there !
The Ultramodern Range (DeltaForce, US Rangers, Iraqi Insurgents, Taliban) have consistently been popular, although not so 'Ultramodern' as they were when they were first released ! hahaha!

I'd like to do more support weapons straight away and can put together some pretty funky-looking mixes for AK 47 sized/themed armies already. I'd immediately add SAMs and ATGW for example, and I've been after some technicals since about day two at the helm of Flashpoint Miniatures.

I've promised the next range to be Khmer Rouge figures , just to maintain my apparent political incorrectness.

For the last years my immediate priorities have been to improve and expand the Vietnam themed stuff (there's a lot) and I'm just about in a happy place now with this.
..and pretty busy just keeping this rolling along well.

My gaming group (/drinking mates) is thinking maybe the 'new' direction (they'd like me to go) is 'retro-modern' Chi-Com vs USA/ASEAN in the Pacific Ocean…(like about 1984-ish ,.. same as TY)..but in the plantations of Malaysia, Australian Outback, New Guinea Highlands, Indonesian and Philipine islands, mega-Cities of Hong Kong and Singapore…. we've done this before and it becomes lots of "small" engagements over airfields and shipping channels. …so a war of "quick deployment forces" if you like ..with all the limitations this brings. (like pre-internet communications and only periodic satellite coverage)

.. so add Special forces like Indonesia's KOPASSUS and KIPAM, British Army Ghurkas, … and 'Chi-Com' Marines and Paras ..lots of them .

Jimmi,

Very interesting, and I'm absolutely in love with your China vs the rest of the Pacific concept! I'm the 80s, 90s, or now, though, that's the question. Hell, with all the focus on Northern Europe in the 80s, I don't even know what Aussie, Indonesian, Malaysian, etc…, troops looked like or what gear they used.

V/R,
Jack

Hahaha! , yes, some of the most interesting aspects of many campaigns / wars come from the "backwaters" .. even hypothetical ones.

and the "1984 Chi-com invasion of the South Pacific" scenario (think abundant natural resources of Indonesia and W Australia) in a C3I environment where the internet doesn't exist , and USA is looking the other way ..might be more "Ultramodern" than it seems.

Oh, don't misunderstand, I like it a lot. Sort of island hopping in reverse. I think you can get away with playing WWII-style naval battles, perhaps even with some WWII ships! Could have some great air combat as well. What did you Aussies fly in 1984? I think all Indonesia had was some OV-10 Broncos ;)

So, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, vs China. Does Malaysia and/or Singapore have a military to speak of in 1984? How are the Koreas affected, and what about SE Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos)?

And if the Chinese go after Hong Kong in 1984, doesn't that mean the Brits are at war? Are the Chinese staying away from the Marianas, Marshalls, Wake, Midway, and Hawaii to (theoretically) keep the US out of it? SEATO was in place, right?

Cool stuff, now get to work turning out figures ;) Your ARVN should work perfectly for PI. Your Vietnam Aussies may work for 1984? NVA for Chinese and Malaysians, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos?

V/R,
Jack

I think Australia could have flown Mirage 3's , A4 Skyhawks, and F111C strike bombers. (someone help me here , not my strongest suit).

I think the RAAF were waiting for F18's at this time and mighta have just retired the Mirage 3's , and had been flying some crusty 'ole F4 Phantoms on lend-lease. hahaha.

The narrative would be a WW3 where world wide communism makes it's inevitable 'seizure of power by military means' … As those Warsaw pact heroes of socialism attack europe (before the tech-gap opens too much, and the soviet 'quality of quantity' still holds), the opportunistic Chinese and calculating Russians (in Vietnam) are ready to take down the 'tiger' democracies in the east .

If the narrative is that WW3 is already happening in Europe at the time , then the UK (and the wealthy Cantonese) would have abandoned indefensible HongKong in a heartbeat.

and … some dodgey Chinese porcelain bowls just got dug up on a beach in north-western Australia,.. academics in China believe this is from a Chinese colony left in Australia by admiral Pong-ha in 1495 as recently translated from ancient scrolls …and thus claim the western half of Australia (and all onshore and offshore resources) as "indisputably" traditionally belonging to China….

Ahhh, not a Pacific War in a vacuum, but the balloon (or 99 Red ones?) has gone up in Europe, so UK and US are otherwise preoccupied, got it. Now it the time for China to stake out it's claims. I love it!

Palm trees, white beaches, crystal blue waters, dogfights, small naval surface actions, amphibious, airborne, and air assaults, what's not to love? Really sounds fun. I could play some tabletop fights to feed into a campaign run out of your HQ ;)

V/R,
Jack