Bolt Action: US Army Part One

I've played a few games of Bolt Action and I've really liked it. I think my local gaming group might be okay with it, too.  But we don't have much luck getting 28mm WW2 games to stick, so I'm not holding my breath. However, my experience with the game plus the potential to play it more than once sent me on a shopping spree.

I quickly realized that you still need a lot of guys to fill out squads, unless you want to play with all elites.  Then you need a good range of specialist figures and weapons or you'll just have three squads.  In other words, my collection of 28mm WW2 was lacking.

A few weeks ago I ordered a bunch of reinforcements to beef up my infantry squads.  I have mainly Crusader figures, but they are sadly not available to US customers any more (unless you are willing to mortgage your home to pay for them).  So I had to find a suitable match, and found that West Wind models fit in great with the Crusader models. I purchased two bags of infantry, one of command, one of BAR gunners, and one 105mm howitzer and crew.

Now I can add in two more full squads of twelve. I won't actually need that many but it works out fine. I have a bunch of leftover BAR and leader models that can fit in here and there. I painted up everything whether or not I planned to use it.

 They did give one prone model in the rifleman bag and the BAR gunner bag.  What a complete waste, and I didn't bother with them.  I guess I could be a douche and make a completely low profile squad... just to irk all those guys who love true LOS games.  Of course I couldn't see anything either, so maybe not a hot idea.

The models fit in nicely. But as I started to paint them, I became aware that these models have some serious proportion problems. Some forearms are really stunted while other arms rival those of an orangutang. The poses range from nice to confusing, to totally fucking queer. Check out some of this strangeness.

During WW2 US soldiers asked unfamiliar soldiers pass phrases to which there were predetermined answers. This NCO figure demonstrates the pass phrase "Skip to my lou" for which the answer was "My darling."

I'm not a firearms expert. However, I'm fairly certain holding a BAR to the face while firing might not be the brightest idea.

If the guy on the left is expecting that grenade to go off in his buddy's hand, he should do more than strike a "turn and cough" pose.

These NCOs are ready to boogie on down to Funky Town.

I know you can't see it in this photo, but let me gripe for a moment. The crew of this 105mm howitzer has got to be the ugliest bunch ever assembled. What happened at artillery school? For one, you've got Stephen King on the gun team, glasses and all.  The other two hunchbacks look like cannibals. The model inexplicably striking the "talk to the hand" pose looks somewhat normal. Then you realize he is all jaw and no face.  Wow.  The dude with the field glasses comes from the command pack, and I'll use him as a spotter.  He actually looks normal.

But despite all this, I'm really satisfied.  As I mentioned, they do mix well with Crusader models. I forgot to take a picture of them together. So I quickly set up a two Crusader and two West Wind models for comparison.

Now that these infantry models are done, I've got vehicles.  That's the part two implied in my subject line.  I've got West Wind models for a Sherman tank, M10 Tank Destroyer, and an M3 halftrack with crew and passengers.  I also have another HMG team to add in as well. Then my US forces will be just about completed.