Since I recently discovered the Crossfire rules I have been painting and basing my 1:72 scale figures to begin playing games set in Europe. Many of these are from sets that I bought when I was a lot younger and I'm finding uses for figures that never used to mean a lot to me.
Scenarios
World Crossfire Day: April 4, 2009
Units
As I paint and collect units, I am documenting them on separate pages. These are notes about what figures I'm using to create the stands in each unit, as well as the OOB for each group. The ones highlighted are incomplete.
See an overall listing that matches the Crossfire rules.
Company Designations
For the moment I'm trying out marking squad stands with various vegetation and debris that identify them with a particular platoon.
- Plain ground
- Tufts of Grass
- Bushes
- Pile of rocks
- Log(s)
- Low brick wall
Company markings (when I get more than one) will be a colored stripe painted on the edge of the base (red, blue, green, etc.)
Basing
The standard base size of 1.25 inches is a little small for 1:72 scale figures so I have gone to 1.5 inches as my standard base size. Platoon Commanders (PC) have a half width rectangle base (1.5 x 0.75 inches). The Forward Observers (FO) are based on a smaller stand that is 1 x 0.75 inches to distinguish them from PC stands.
When basing these figures, I glue them to a thin piece of corrugated cardboard and use a layer of Spackle on top to blend in the individual bases of each figure. Then I paint the "ground" brown and dry-brush with a light tan. So far for the grass I've used sand and fine sawdust, both painted green.
the British figures
Painting Notes
These are notes about how I'm painting the figures. It's a work in progress as I try to get the washes right. I've also started using dry-brushing to highlight the clothes.
| Pants | Jacket | Skin | Helmet (and Socks) | Webbing | Canteen | Other Kit | Rifle | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British |
Base: 3p Nutmeg Brown, 2p Espresso Wash: black Dry-brush: Nutmeg Brown |
Base: Safari Taupe Wash: brown + orange Dry-brush: Antique White |
Base: Flesh Wash: Espresso + Bright Red |
Spanish Olive | Café-au-lait | Add 1 part Bright Red to brown used for pants | Café-au-lait | Nutmeg Brown | |
| German | Base: Pewter Gray Wash: black |
Base: 1p Spanish Olive, 3p Pewter Gray Wash: black Dry-brush Dolphin Gray |
same | 1 part black added to gray used for blouse | Black | Brown | Spanish Olive, Pewter Gray, or Tan | Nutmeg Brown | Entrenching tool is black with a tan handle |
| United States | Base: Spanish Olive Wash: 2p olive, 1p black |
Spanish Olive; same wash as pants | same | Spanish Olive | Safari Taupe | Spanish Olive | Spanish Olive or Pewter Gray | Nutmeg Brown | Brown boots |
Sources
The British Army 1939-45 (2): Middle East & Mediterranean (Men-at-Arms Series, 368)
The German Army 1939-45 (5): Western Front 1943-45 (Men-At-Arms Series, 336)
German Airborne Troops 1939-45 (Men-at-Arms Series, 139)
Vehicles
This is a list of model sets that would provide useful vehicles for Crossfire. Obviously any of the 1:72 World War 2 models made by Revell, Airfix, etc., are appropriate, so I'm just listing ones that might not be so obvious.
- Academy makes a WW.II GROUND VEHICLE SET (product code 1310), has an American Jeep, a German Kubelwagen, and a halftrack motorcycle(?). Also includes oil drums and gas cans.
- Transporter distributed by Dolgencorp, Inc., is a box of three vehicles, one tractor trailer, a pickup truck, and a car. The set is made out of cheap plastic, but the vehicles are very nearly 1:72 scale. I found a bunch of them with different selections at the Dollar General store.
Interesting note: comments on how to pronounce "Jagd" in Jagdpanzer, Jagdpanther, etc., can be found in a Battlefront Forum thread (e.g. Jagdpanzer would be "yahktpanzer").
Links
Miniatures Painting Guide and FAQ
Plastic Soldier Review: World War 2