The Liveries of Others Part I - Painting a few miniature for other guys

I'm not in the business of commission painting (obvious) but these days I kind of like the idea of painting miniatures for other gamers - simply as gifts, or to ensure guys' miniatures are table-ready when they don't themselves have time to paint, or just for myself to try out something different. There was also a 'Hobby Bingo' board I have been referencing that tasks you with 'Painting a miniature as a gift.' Task complete.

Skirmish Sangin Tryout

We tried a game of Skirmish Sangin. The rules were quite good for very low-level skirmish games with individual figure activation and no more than a fireteam or section per side in a scale that is not my usual.

US soldier in our game of Skirmish Sangin (Eureka Miniatures). (I didn't paint this one).

Eureka Miniatures 28mm - Afghan Mujahid and Somali Fighter

Following the Skirmish Sangin tryout and intended for future games, the below 28mm miniatures were loaned to me to paint. To do so was quite simple, requiring only a careful application of the brush ('colouring within the lines'). They were spray undercoated white and then coloured with Vallejo paints thinned with Citadel Lahmia Medium and a bit of water. Basing materials are from Woodland Scenics, except the sand, which is from the ground. I could have also coated the minis in Army Painter Quickshade but decided it wasn't necessary.

Somali militiaman and Afghan Mujahideen fighter (Eureka Miniatures).

A couple more Somalis (Eureka Miniatures).

GHQ Miniatures 6mm US Marine AFVs

I got these miniatures as a gift for one of my regular gaming mates who has introduced me to numerous wargame rules and brought a ton of great ideas to my gaming throughout 2023. His 6mm US Marine infantry company was restricted to airmobile operations, lacking any AFVs of any kind (not even HMMWVs - he had to reply on MUTT Jeeps as his only anti-armour support). Hopefully these vehicles will give his forces more options in games of Team Yankee, 6mm Force on Force, or anything else.

These AFVs are intended to represent USMC in the mid-1980s, and while almost all photos on the internet show Marine vehicles in other camo schemes (usually green-brown-black) I picked the scheme I thought looked best and was not too dark. While the vehicles were spray undercoated white, I gave them a Black Brown wash (Vallejo paint with Citadel Lahmia Medium) then used Vallejo US Uniform green, Flat Earth brown, Black and Buff, with a light drybrush of Green Grey. Unfortunately it turns out USMC LVTP/AAV7s didn't get the additional side armour kits until after the intended period for these miniatures, however hopefully they will do. I later discovered CinC actually makes LVTPs without the extra armour, so probably should have gone with them instead of GHQ in hindsight. Anyway ...

HMMWV and AAV7s (GHQ Miniatures).

LAV-25s.

HMMWVs with TOW missiles.

M60A1s.

The storage solution for 6mm vehicles - made with foam, with felt floor and cardboard backing.