A while ago I started putting together my Bolt Action 28mm Japanese Army. See here for details. Over the last week or so I have been putting together the rest of the plastic models. This has limited my painting somewhat to the “vignette” WW2 Australians, although the research for these has also added much to the time taken. With the additional work on the Japanese I have more than doubled what I had previously to around 164 models.

Only 161 more to paint but at least they are all undercoated which doubles as there main colour!

I have three command units just in case I want to use multiple platoons or take the Kempetai political officer. All have an officer, two SMG ADC’s and a flag bearer in case I want to use one (even though only one can be used all three have one – just cause!).

Second command unit with two thirds of the painted figures in it!

Third command unit.

Medical and two orderlies. The extra orderlies help absorb casualties and spread the medics “zone of control”.

Forward observer team, all with SMG’s.

Anti-tank team.

Second anti-tank team. U[ to three teams can be taken as one selection aiding with bag control (more action dice than opponent means it is more likely that tour dice will come out at critical times).

The maximum number of four snipe teams.

Each infantry unit allows me to take any of the options allowed. The above team has enough troops to field the NCO and fourteen others as just rifle, but also has an NCO with SMG if that is what I want to use. There is also a Light machine gun team and a knee mortar team if I want to upgrade it to a dual weapons section. I have six metal antitank grenade infantry figures to designate they are armed with anti-tank grenades and a metal flamethrower if I want to upgrade one unit to an engineer section. Finally the unit has a flag bearer that will carry the rising sun national flag (red circle on a white background). This will count just as normal rifle armed infantryman and has been added just for colour (pun intended).

Second unit as above.

Third unit as above

Fourth unit as above.

Up to two units can be upgrade to Grenadier units including three knee mortars rather than just the one. This unit has the same as above but with the two additional mortar figures. The other one third of the painted figures!

A second grenadier unit.

Unfortunately the plastic box set of thirty plastic figures comes with 20%, or five of them as lying down figures. I have made these into a dual weapons unit with all of the options, as well as the sniper teams above.. Only one list option allows you to have more than six infantry units, but the figures could also be used to designate that a section has gone down.

I really object to the time it takes to put together multi-part figures. Time that could be used painting or playing games. Unfortunately budget means they are a necessary evil.

There are also the metal artillery teams, two cavalry units for early war Manchuria, and a few more vehicles to put together. I will finish the Late War Australian jungle platoon painting first, before I start painting enough of these to play against.

With all of this painting numbers have dwindled to the few a day, but with this finished I might, and I say might get some more done!