Showing posts with label ESCI NATO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ESCI NATO. Show all posts

Monday, February 7, 2011

Matchbox NATO Paratroopers




Not quite the most accurate portrayal of the famous photo but considering the rarity of these figures and those remaining (the mortars are lost as are some others) I'm afraid to convert the radio man to a proper yomping pose. 





The men are painted in a mix of airborne (red berets) and Royal Marines (green berets.) I believe the Union Jack in the famous photo was affixed to the antennae after news of the Argentine surrender, so it's anachronistic to have the troops still fighting, but it's makes for a good show.

These are the best figures Matchbox produced, the faces perfect, the poses very natural. British camo is hard to paint, okay, I find all camo hard to paint. It has an arcing sweep pattern that's hand to achieve over folds and webbing. There's a few ESCI NATO British troops thrown in to fill these out.

This is also my first attempt at snow. Being the cheapskate, I tried powdered laundry detergent. (Bad idea) the drywall mix (too gray) powered sugar (ate it instead) and finally, settled on baking soda. I think it would be easier to do a full on Russian front snow. I don't know. Trying to mimic the wind-swept dustings and melted snow of the Falkland was hard. You never feel like it looks right. Kind of like camo pattern. You just work it till you're tired of it. I had to scrape the base a couple times and start over.

The rocks are chuncks of pink foam insulation covered with a thin coat of drywall mud then washed in layers of diluted black paint. I'm pleased with they way they turned out, while I was making them I kept thinking "I'm hack! Pink foam and baking powder!"

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Operation Iraqi Freedom


Okay, this is a shameless nod to one of my followers.

This quick diorama is somewhat a labor of love or should I say 'a labor of tribute.' I tend to be absorbed in past conflicts and fascinated with European armies often ignoring the work and sacrifices of our own military.

So this is for the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan (and specifically those artillerymen in the 4th Division!)


56th Striker Brigade arrives.


I love google images and wikipedia.




With my love of European armies, I had to add one figure of our allies.
A 'Desert Rat' patrols outside Basra.