VBCW: She-Wolves of the BUF

When I started building VBCW forces, I bought some BUF troops in side cap and jodhpurs. It struck me how much they resembled a bunch of troops I already had: The Pulp Figures She-Wolves.

I already had many of these figures, and they were painted to match the police in a SF campaign I was running. Rather than repaint them, I chose to put my BUF troops in blue uniforms.

I picked up enough figures to make a unit. They are armed mostly with MP38s. This SMG is just outside the VBCW period, but I just ignore that fact.

The unit has an officer and an NCO, and several extra figures not shown – There are several packs of She-Wolves, including a unit builder.

The figures are well sculpted and cast, and the service is great.

I have a few extras from other manufacturers. Left to right:  A converted Moonraker Future Warrior, a Hinterland trooper, and an Artizan Designs miniature.

Space 1889: A German Landship

First of all, let me say that this was not an original idea: It came about as the result of a conversation with the Major General himself. He suggested that the GI Joe ‘Cobra Imp’ might make a good Steampunk tank. And so it does.

This vehicle started life as a GI Joe kid’s toy, with four rockets on it’s back and a Cobra crewman sitting in the front. I got lucky on ebay, with a seller apologetically throwing in a second vehicle because it was missing the rockets and launcher.

I covered the open compartment at the back, leaving space for a grille to show the inner workings. (They look a lot like steam turbines) I placed a tall smoke stack just in front of the grille.

I closed the front of the seating compartment and put in a floor suitable for 25mm command crew. I use 20mm bases, so it was the perfect size for two crew.

 

The hull front received a view slit and a limited-traverse cannon. The vehicle may be big and impressive, but it isn’t particularly effective.

 

There were platforms at the back with pegs to fit the feet of GI Joe soldiers. I removed the pegs so the platforms can still carry a couple of troops. I suppose carrying an MG and crew would make the beast far more effective..

For very little work I got two impressive-looking steam tanks The Imps can still be found on ebay, and without their rockets they don’t cost much….

The crew in these photos are supplied by my Hinterland Miniatures Trench Raiders: https://gisby.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/hinterland-miniatures-trench-raiders-hun-honeys/

Hinterland Miniatures Trench Raiders – Hun Honeys

A while ago Hinterland Miniatures released a set of ‘Trench Raiders’ – A set of female soldiers in an approximation of 1914 German uniforms. They were lovely, delicate figures, but were equipped with gas masks and with late war automatic weapons that (I felt) did not ‘go with’ the early war look. (Despite the fact that nowhere was any claim made that these were ‘fantasy 1914 Germans’ or anything of the sort)

Being a gamer on the internet, I could not let my shrill complaints go without being voiced. I wrote to the manufacturer, who answered me quite civilly that they were fantasy figures, not 1914 Germans. I tried to explain that my wants and opinions far outweighed any logic in the matter, and generously offered to shriek loudly until my concerns were met.

 

Several months later, Hinterland released a 6-figure set ‘Trench Raider Unit Builder’ containing 2 each of 3 poses, without gas masks and armed with rifles, exactly what I had asked for. They also added a ‘Trench Raider HMG’ with a MG08, 2 crew, and a third figure with a bare head and a Bergmann SMG.

Having made such a stink over the first releases, I felt I should put my money where my mouth was, so I ordered 3 sets and a HMG pack.

They arrived in about a week (I’m in Canada) well packed and complete.

(The figures above are: Princess Cecilie on foot, the NCO from the HMG pack, and a converted Trench Raider officer: None are from the Trench Raiders pack)

The figures are beautifully-detailed, flash-free, and the bottoms of the bases came pre-sanded so they were flat.

They are a small 28mm – They are small and slender women, in a smaller 28mm scale. They do NOT mix well with my RENEGADE 1914 Germans. The picture below shows in order, a RENEGADE German, a Hinterland Trench Raider, and a Ral Partha 25mm Zulu War Briton.

The uniforms are an approximation of early war German uniforms: They wear y-strap suspenders, puttees, and jodphurs. One of the poses has a grenade at her belt, and two carry bags of them. I can live with this.

 

The machine gunner is the only figure wearing a pack: It’s sort of low-relief, and the mess kit is a flat indication rather than a solid piece. The loader  seems tinier than most, but that’s mostly her pose. She lacks her MG drag straps. The HMG was a nice little model, but I replaced it with one from the spares box just for uniformity’s sake.

 

The figures were a delight to paint. As I said, they are delicate, crisp, and well-detailed. I happily recommend them to anyone wanting female sort-of-German soldiers.