28mm Vietnam Project - Part 3 - NVA and VC so far.

Along with my US forces, I have also been picking up the odd VC/NVA figure or two.. infact a few more than I had realised in total.

So here we go;

Mix of TAG and Baker Company NVA/VC

Mix of Baker Company & Westwind NVA/VC

I won't go into a list of the exact details here for the NVA/VA forces. But just say the eventual aim is to get to a platoon of NVA, a platoon of VC, with supporting units such as mortors, DsHK's, and sappers.
Depending on which OOB's you wish to believe from which rule sets, I should have just about enough figures with these shown here, and the few FoA VC figures in Part 1.

I have a few Westwind figures mixed in here with mostly Baker Company and Assault group. In the first photo are some painted and undercoated TAG figures I won off ebay. Some need a touch up, but otherwise the paint work is neat and tidy. So will do. Eventually I will probably replace them, but for now they give me a head start on getting the communist forces going.

Figure range wise, westwinds figures are a little smaller. Some people viewing them as more toward 25mm than 28mm. Some of the casting quality has started to suffer, and I suspect the moulds are getting a little dated and need re-mastering. I bought the heavy weapons pack at a show a year or two ago and the flash, on the figures and the machine gun is some of the worst I have ever seen. Its not a huge deal, but it is anouying at times.

Some of the figures have been based, and others not, so amoungst the first task, along with my free world forces will be to get them based and the bases textured. Again will be using British 2pence coins and Basetex paint and railways gravel.

Undercoating I can do all year round, as I invested in an extraction spray booth a few years back, having found every time I want to spray figures, the weather was grim. That and I bought an air brush for painting vehicles. Having worked in environmental issues for years and knowing the risks from dust inhalation, believe me. If you cannot afford an extractor, get a good mask. Infact I use both when spraying indoors just to be sure.

Undercoating wise, I use GW or HMG black undercoat in the main. Though recently with my Empress/Mongrel Moderns I used white. I have in the past used Halfords (car parts supplier for those not in the UK) grey primer. The only issue is, it comes out of the can like a flame thrower..! Its easy to over do it a little, so if you plan to use it, then work with the can held a good way back and gradually build up the coat.

Tip: A lot of recent resin models, are made with polyeurathane resins and some of these do not allow primers such as HMGs or GW's to adhere to the paint surfaces. It looks ok at first, but other time the paint begins to flake. This is despite thoroughly washing the models in detergent before spraying.

The cure is to use, a plastic primer. Halford do one and apparently that adheres far better.
I had not noticed any issue, till my JTFM WW2 models got a bit older. I will have to strip some of them I fear. And my recent Imprint models.

Right I am digressing.. so back to Veitnam..
Once I have the figures, cleaned up, based and undercoated. I will go through the painting schemes.