writes:This is the second stage – but a big step! – for my WWI British force: the basic infantry!
These figures were painted by our friends in Ukraine, Old Guard Painters.
Now, when you send figures off to a painting service, you need to plan what instructions to send. I usually send written instruction as well as instructions or pictures from the original box, printed pictures from the internet, whatever I think will be useful to the artists. Never assume they can read your mind, or that they will have guides on hand for your specific historic figures.
However, you also need to retain and store the materials you'll need for when the figures come back to you, all painted up! If you want the painters to send your materials back to you, better specify that in your instructions. If you will be basing the figures yourself (usually the best practice), then make sure you put the bases aside somewhere so you'll have them when you need them, as well as the instructions on how to mount the figures.
For this project… ahem… I managed to misplace all of my info on how to base the figures. I've even mislaid the Great War rulebook! So I've had to refer to the publisher's online articles, but those seem to sometimes refer to an earlier edition of the rules, or to different figures than the ones I have. Nevertheless, I have muddled onwards!
According to the online catalog, the Mitchell’s Marauders boxed set contains:
1x Rifle Company HQ (with 2 teams), 2x Rifle Platoons (each with 5 teams), 1x Machine-Gun Platoon (with 4 teams), 4x 3” Stokes Trench Mortars, 2x OQF 18 pdr Field Guns, 1x Mark V Male or Female Tank, 1x Mark IV Male or Female Tank, 1x Mark A Whippet Tank and 1x Sniper.
I think this might be the listing for the older version of the boxed set, because I don't seem to have enough figures for two platoons of five stands each plus two command stands. Unless I've lost figures somehow? So next I looked at the Rifle Platoon listing:
1x Webley pistol team (Formation HQ) 5x SMLE rifle teams, 2x Hales rifle grenade teams, 2x Lewis MG teams and 1x Sniper team.
OK, that's a bit closer. A platoon should have one command stand, five rifle stands, two rifle-grenade stands, two Lewis MG teams, and one sniper stand. At least I know where to start!
The sniper figures were easy to spot and mount up. As with all these figures, I glued them to the bases provided, flocked with railroad ballast for a 'muddy wasteland' appearance, and put FlexSteel (available from LITKO in Flames of War sizes) underneath so they will stick to magnet-lined storage boxes.
Next, I recognize and mount up the two Lewis MG stands.
(Whoops, needs more railroad ballast!)
I then sorted out six rifle team stands, spreading out the few NCO-types on half the stands. Despite examining the online catalog pictures carefully, I wasn't sure if I had any rifle-grenade figures, but I put some possibles on two of the stands.
That left me with twelve remaining figures, which seemed to be the right mix for four three-figure command stands. That seemed to be three or four too many.
I thought the current edition of the rules used fewer command stands, but I suppose the 'surplus' stands could be used with artillery, the machinegun platoon, or to beef up the company HQ.
Coming up next for the Brits – the machinegun platoon!