Tuesday, April 11, 2017

CP Models Second World War British Characters



I took delivery of these chaps recently.  They are some special Second World War British character figures from CP models and very lovely they are too.  They were painted by my pal Tamas and I think he did a fine job.


First amongst them is this diorama piece of a lightly armed commando killing a German sentry with a Fairbairn Sykes dagger. I haven't the faintest idea what I'll be able to use this for in a game, but it brought to mind all my bloody thirsty antics as a small boy reared on Commando, Warlord and Battle! comics. 

My father still tells the story of finding me, aged eight, in the grip of a high fever one night.  He had checked my bedroom only to find it empty and searched the house in a bit of a panic. He found me in the living room hiding under the sofa.

  "Dad are you crazy ? Get down - the Germans will see you."

Apparently it took some struggle to get me back to bed. 


I have a few military police figures - this chap is the latest addition. The redcaps are a much maligned branch and I've always wanted to do a game about them.

Possibly for traffic control? Or rear security. 

I've been reading through some of the war diaries of the Provost companies during the Normandy campaign.  It's a catalogue of points duty, dealing with looting and disorder and a steady trickle of casualties from shelling. I have been pondering how one might approach that in the context of a game. 



Another rarely seen figure on the wargames table, the army padre. 

Our own wargaming padre has written movingly about the experience of ministering to those in uniform.  He has also just posted a piece about the Canadian chaplains serving the Lord and the troops at Vimy Ridge which is well worth reading and which you will find here

Curiously enough, I have learned that a Kinch ancestor served in the Great War as an RC chaplain and paid for his devotion with his life. Something we shall have to dig into a little more deeply. 


This chap is described in the set as a despatch rider, but he seemed to be doing points duty here.  I shall have to scare up on the old Airfix motorcycle for him, possibly leaned artistically against a wall or some such. He may end up being inducted into the redcaps. 

This is a fine little set showing some of the rear echelon elements of an army. I would certainly recommend them and Tamas has done a fine job.  Hopefully Joy & Forgetfulness will be a little more active over the next few months - Kinchlets permitting. 


Getting a baby sitter is always such a chore. 

18 comments:

  1. Wonderful little figures marvellously painted.

    Perhaps a game where the players are trying to achieve various missions such as AWOL getting back to their unit from pub without getting caught, foraging expedition for supplies from the storeroom from the officer's mess, 5th column-er bent on mischief etc, breaking out despite all leave denied to rv with the bride to be and padre to get hitched before boarding ship to cross the channel? Or, I suppose you could make the Red Caps the good guys.

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    1. I might try to make the Red Caps the good guys...

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  2. An interesting post ending with a lovely photograph.

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  3. All wonderful, but the three figures in the last photograph are the best!

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    1. Thank you. Those last three took a lot of work though.

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  4. Now those are rather splendid and the last photograph is a delight.

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  5. Rather nice figures there , full of character ! , Tony

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  6. Great characters and I love that last picture, they both look so contented.

    Did those Russian chaps arrive?

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    1. Thanks Lee. They did indeed. I must take some pics of them.

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  7. ! hope you pay your babysitter appropriately. Another interesting group of WW2 Brits is the Field Security Sections of the Intelligence Corps (of which I was a a part time member in the Cold War). All sorts of small scale skullduggery could be gamed. Ave to the Kinch Tribe!

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    1. He is reassuringly expensive. Hmmm...I might pick your brains about that at some point.

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  8. As the painter of these minis, thanks for all the compliments, folks. They were really enjoyable to paint, and while I didn't really like the looks of the CP minis on their website, these figures convinced me otherwise - the Sten armed figure will be obtained with almost 100% certainity, he'll make a good Lt for my Bolt Action army.

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