GHQ Models Forums

My NATO forces for Cold War have mostly been acquired and collected via gifts from friends, swap meets, Ebay and other second hand sources, with a few models bought new and painted by yours truly. Some of these have nice camo, some are sprayed just from the top. I have touched up and based them as I've needed them in games, but i think I need to give them a major refit so my Soviets have someone to fight.

Anyone else ever tackle a big touch up / repaint / paint / organize project like this?

A airbrush. Are you planning to strip the paint? I brought stuff off ebay before that had so much paint it covered up all the fine details.

Stripping will be a case by case basis. I can't airbrush I have no place to do it (I live in a condo and no place to vent anything). A lot fo the stuff will just get based and grouped in to units, with paint as-is.

The sorry state of the current collection:

That's a fun looking project! Keep us posted on your progress! Are you organizing your NATO forces into specific units?

I'm in the middle of reorganizing my ACR and putting my DD-214 project together. I have a pile of micro armor that needs to be repainted so it can join a specific unit, but it's taking me a long time. And then I keep adding new purchases to the mix so my existing pile just sits there, glaring at me. I have a spreadsheet with what each unit needs to be at 100% strength, and I'm updating it as I put the vehicles into the correct box.

Get a airbrush spray booth U can vent out window or not at all since it has a filter.
About $75 on eBay or make one with just a fan and cardboard box.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Folding-Airbru ... 632-2357-0

@Redleg:

No, I just build "parts" i.e. platoons and companies. Some times a battalion, but then I just grab what I need for the game in hand. The Soviet project is an exception to my normal practice.

@Nashorn88:

I always thought you'd need a window to vent outside. Didn't realize there were filtered ones you could use in an enclosed space. Definitely food for thought there. Now, where in the house can I deploy it that my wife won't kill me? I assume the fan "sucks" all the paint and air so there's no danger of spraying the dining room table (I'd use a drop cloth regardless)?

Fold back into a nice box when not in use. If you use acrylic paints then hardly any smell. I use the Tamiya ones so more of a smell. You also pickup some charcoal filter too. You can use all in one airbrush then just need to charge it.

I don't worry so much about collecting entire units by the TO&E book.

First of all I was never in such a unit.

Second, since generally Cold War and later games are hypothetical battles, it doesn't matter.

"TO&E? No, this scenario is set 2 hours AFTER the start of the war."

Seriously. In 1973, after the first hour, the Israelis fought the war with whatever ad hoc units they could piece together. Units did not wait to form up, they headed for the front in companies, platoons, and sometimes individual vehicles and as they got close someone told them where they were needed. I have no doubt any WWIII scenario would work the same way.

I use a rattle can for white primer and maybe the primary coat. The rest of te camo and detailing is brushed. Sometmes I am reduced to a company at a time, or I just have to push through to finish the battalion. I find the consistent pattern is easier to keep up in one sitting.

Yes, I have a LAARGE project in my near future... about 20 battalions, some to be stripped firat, as well.

TO&E... Depends on what you do with your stuff. I think Chris keeps boxes, usually by vehicle type. I organize by battalion and collect for peacetime - everything is in the motor pool and it's always in between field exercises. Everything is lined up nicely by company, collected in battaions.

When I game WWII, it tends to be with Bolt Action or a similar skirmish style in 28. But I like the TO&E aspect in smaller scale for the educational aspect it can bring, like using them at the museum as a display. It’s pretty cool watching kids light up and ask questions. They don’t care if it’s 1:1, or 1:5, as long as gets the idea across as to how things were formed and sparks the interest that can last a lifetime for at least a few of them, and inspire them to learn more on their own, that’s makes it worth painting for me.

I think I'll start with some M60s. This is an org chart for a combat team for Team Yankee. Not my favorite rules but I can get players. Easy enough to use the same formations for other rules though.

If I press some Starships in to service, I can field a full four M60 combat teams.



And of course I can swap out the M60s for M1s....

If it's any consolation or makes things easier, it's highly unlikely all four company/teams would have all three tank platoons. It seems you have a four-company battalion in transition from H to J series TOE because you have 4 teams. And, it's somewhere around 1980, since some M60A2s are still lingering. 1-37 AR was one of two battalions in 1st Armored Division that was tank pure M60A2. More commonly, 1-37 would have traded off at least one company to a mech battalion and further swapped tank platoons for mech platoons to get a better mix, depending on the terrain. Scouts are a battalion asset. As there are only 6 of them, 3 scouts and 3M901 TOWs, it would be very unusual for them to be working for a company, although they may be working in the vicinity of a company.

Of course, I don't play Team Yankee, but I did read the book. While some aspects were interesting, I didnt agree with the tactics or task organization. Yeah, I know it was written by an active duty officer. One reason I don't wargame...

Otherwise, I like the diagram cards - really great way to organize and display your stuff. Nice paintwork, too.

I know the Team Yankee TO&E is highly suspect. It's designed to sell toys, which is why artillery is on table LOL. That's also why there are so many support units available - to sell more toys. I normally prefer Fistful of TOWs but that's hard to find opponents for.

As for the A2s, they were part of a job lot off Ebay I think. If I actually needed the 4th company I'd just field them but stat them as A1s. At some point I'll pick up some A1s and swap them out.

I love those unit cards, Mark!