Send in the SEALs!

Whether it is a covert smash and grab or a kill or capture high value target mission behind enemy lines, who do most Americans think of? The Navy SEALs. While they are no longer officially called SEAL Team Six as an organization (They're called DEVGRU, now), there are few military units that garner public awe and attention. This is why we see half of the retired SEALs these days writing books that people gobble up like candy.

And here they are:

I think I will go for a little more contrast on the camo next time I do the desert pattern as the colors don't really show all that well. You live and learn I guess!

And the painting template:

Item or Area	Color
Base Coat, Boots, Helmet and Uniform	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand
Skin	Vallejo (VMC) Basic Skintone
Rifle	Vallejo (VGC) Black
Brown Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Tan Earth
Full Figure Wash	Agrax Earthshade
Full Figure Drybrush	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand

Army Mules

While I personally feel that the true Army Mules are the logistics branch (Who make everything the grunts do possible), the US Army infantry carries the largest burden in kinetic operations while on deployment. The Marines get all the attention and, arguably, the hardest work, but the Army does the most of it. When America wants light shock troops focused on quickly subduing an enemy through sheer hoorah and infantry training, they call the Marines. When they want the most versatile and resilient troops, they call the Army. Though overall slower to react when called up (Besides the Rangers and 82nd Airborne), the Army can bring the fight.

These guys were my first attempt at painting multi-cam and as such I was not super happy with them. However, I was not unhappy enough to repaint. Rest assured that my next Army squad will be much closer quality-wise to my Brits.

Here they are:

 Full Squad

 Alpha Team

 Bravo Team

 Squad Leader

 Team Leader

 SAW Gunner

 Grenadier

 Rifleman

 Grenadier

Rifleman

 Team Leader

SAW Gunner

Here is the color template:

Item or Area	Color
Base Coat, Boots, and Uniform	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand
Skin	Vallejo (VMC) Basic Skintone
Rifle	Vallejo (VGC) Black
Brown Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) English Uniform
Light Green Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Golden Olive
Black Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) German Camo Black Brown
Dark Green Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) US Dark Green
Full Figure Wash	Agrax Earthshade
Full Figure Drybrush	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand

Little Green Men

Today I bring you guys another squad of Empress moderns. This time it is a squad of mechanized Russian infantry. I do not have the vehicle for the squad yet (I'm not sure that I will even get one any time soon). This squad is what would constitute the dismounted element of the whole unit. There are another 2-3 men in the BMP that functions as a flanking/support element. Unlike the US Army, the Russians use their vehicles independently of their dismounts and they would often not be close enough to the infantry to even be on the table.

So here they are:

Full Squad

Squad Leader

RPG-26 Team

RPK Gunner

Rifleman

Rifleman

Item or Area	Color
Base Coat	Vallejo Pale Sand(90)/Golden Olive(10)
Skin	Vallejo (VMC) Basic Skintone
Rifle, Boots	Vallejo (VGC) Black
Brown Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand
Green Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Russian Uniform
Black Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) German Camo Black Brown
Full Figure Wash	Agrax Earthshade
Full Figure Drybrush	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand

Three is a Crowd: USMC Squad

This time I have a unit of US Marines for you guys. Once again they are Empress miniatures. I am not as pleased with them overall as the Brits and PLA, but I can't be bothered to correct the issues I have with them. I will make sure I fix things next time. Here are the mistakes I made: Vest should be Coyote Brown and the camo should be more brown (I covered the brown too much while stippling them). I know some may say that the woodland uniform was not used in Afghanistan, but they would be incorrect as command allowed them use the woodland camo in the Green Zone so they blended in better. While the desert camo is more versatile for Afghanistan and Iraq, I plan on using these guys for post Afghanistan and other things, so I wanted to do woodland.

Also, before anyone attacks me, they have the M27 rather than the M249 as they are meant to be current.

Here we go! Here is the full squad:

 Alpha Team

 Bravo Team

 Charlie Team

 And the Squad Leader

Let me know what you think! I will have a new post up in a day or two.

Item or Area	Color
Base Coat, Boots, and Uniform	Vallejo (VMC) German Camo Orange Ochre
Skin	Vallejo (VMC) Basic Skintone
Rifle	Vallejo (VGC) Black
Tan Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand
Green Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) Golden Olive or GW Warpstone Glow (I used Golden Olive for these guys, but I think I may switch)
Black Splotches	Vallejo (VMC) German Camo Black Brown
Full Figure Wash	Agrax Earthshade
Full Figure Drybrush	Vallejo (VMC) Pale Sand