writes:A while ago, I picked up the Flames of War boxed starter set, Open Fire!. The contents include a parachute rifle platoon, and here they are:
You can't buy Open Fire! any more, but the replacement Hit the Beach! seems to be pretty much the same thing, with a different product code but same cover pic.
The figures are plastic. This is a stiff plastic, so the gun barrels aren't bendy and warp issues are rare.
These figures were painted by our friends in Ukraine, Old Guard Painters. I provided them with the painting information from the boxed set, and asked them to follow those directions.
When the figures came back, I based them, flocked the bases, and added FlexSteel on the bottoms for storage purposes. (LITKO sells FlexSteel pre-cut to Flames of War base sizes.)
Command SMG Team/HQ Section/Lieutenant
One of the things I really like about the instructions in this set is that they tell you specifically which figure goes on which base. In my mind, that's what a starter set should do. Make it as hard as possible for a newbie to screw it up!
I recently wrote an article about photographing miniatures – compare two photos of the same stand, same lighting, different cameras!
I also noticed a tendency for the pictures to come out with uniforms more gray than reality – so don't criticize the painting service, it's the photographer! 
Note that the directions tell you which figures go on which base, but not how to place them. The figures on this base are officer (front), radio operator (left), and NCO (right).
Rifle Squad/Sergeant
This is one of three rifle squads in the platoon. It consists of two bases: one with an NCO, and one with a machinegun team.
This is the Rifle/MG Team stand with the sergeant/NCO. He is second to the left. The other figures are riflemen.
Notice the insignia on the figures? The American flag even has discernible stripes.
This is the Rifle/MG Team base with the machinegunner.
The gunner is on the back right; the loader is on the far left. The other figures are riflemen.
Rifle Squad/Sergeant
This is the second rifle squad, composed again of two Rifle/MG Teams (one with sergeant, one with machinegun).
This is the base with the sergeant (he is the one in front). The others are riflemen.
The bottoms of these figures fit into holes in the bases. There is often a small gap between the figure and the base. Normally, I fill in this gap, but for this platoon, I wanted to see if they would look OK if I just flocked the base, filling the gap with the same white glue used for the flock. (I'll go back to using filler on the gaps in the future!)
The machinegun team comes as one piece, and was slightly warped. I used clamps to hold it down while I glued it to the base. I used filler to take care of gaps. The front tripod leg is still riding high.
The other two figures are riflemen.
Rifle Squad/Sergeant
Third rifle squad, pretty much same as the last one.
This is the team with the sergeant/NCO (second to the left).
And here is the base with the machinegun team:
Again, the machinegun team (one piece) was warped, and I used clamps when gluing it to the base to straighten it out.
I used filler and flock to mask any gaps. For instance, the loader's left hand is levitating, but the flock helps hide that.
Mortar Squad/Corporal
The mortar squad includes two stands. This is the 60mm mortar team.
The nature of the basing system means you can't put any figure close to the mortar. (I don't know if that's realistic or not.)
The other stand in this squad is a bazooka team.
And that's the platoon!
The starter set also includes a British armoured squadron, which should be on my workbench soon…