Bolt Action Americans Part 1

Welcome back!

Today I am going to unbox and begin assembling the American forces for my bolt action 500 point list.

UNBOXING

These two pictures show the very helpful guide to the contents of this Bolt Action boxed set.

The first side of the insert in the picture below states all of the details of the weapons sprue.  This includes exact descriptions of every item in the sprue, helping you ensure that you are putting the weapon you intend to on each figure.  (This helps those of us who are not altogether experts on the various ground weapons used in WWII!)

The picture below shows the second side of this guide goes through and details the purpose of every part on the infantry sprue.  It details which hands and arms are defined to fit which weapons, and what components work well with each other.

Below is a picture of the weapons sprue itself.  In the American box set you get 3 of these.

Below is a picture of the infantry sprue.  It provides you with the components needed to assemble 5 complete infantrymen with a few extra bits left over depending on how you design your guys.  You get 5 of these.

List

To refresh your memories, or in case you did not read the other thread this is my first list for the Americans.

American
Veteran Captain with 2 supporting troops     151 points
Veteran Air Observer                                    90  points
Standard Infantry x11 w/BARx1, SMGx1    118 points
Veteran Infantry  x10  w/BARx1, SMGx2    141 points
                                                                =  500 points

My limitations with this list were the contents of the box as well as self imposed.  The box set only gives me access to 25 bodies.  That number cannot change.  I wanted both forces to match at 500 points.  With the Americans I felt it was a must to take advantage of the "Air Power" special rule.  I am not sure how devastating an aerial attack will be in this game, but getting two for the price of one just couldn't be passed up!

Next as the Americans I wanted to represent my perception of what a front line force would look like.  I decided on veteran leadership and support, all three armed with SMGs.  (In the HQ section they are free so why not!)  They will be an independent assault force.

The picture above shows glue I use for assembling all of my miniatures is Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel.  I have found that having a ball of gel that sits in place waiting for me to make contact between both pieces is perfect for assembling miniatures.  Additionally it fills in all of the voids providing a remarkably strong hold.  When necessary I use a sponge material (My favorite is the packing sponge in Flames of War blisters.) to dab off excessive glue.

Assembly

I started my assembly with the HQ section, having no idea how long each miniature would take to assemble.  With my trusty exacto knife in hand I cut the pieces free from the sprue, and then shaved off the excess plastic that joined the piece to the sprue.  Using this method prevents damage to the individual pieces, and is most appropriate when dealing with extremely fragile pieces. 

With the Captain I found the "Grease Gun" to be extremely fragile.

I used the "braced" pose for the torso, the right "Grease Gun" arm, and the left "pointing" arm.

I also elected to add a pistol and backpack to this miniature.  I must admit migrating from Flames of War this ability to customize my miniatures is very rewarding, even at the added cost of time.

Torso glued to base

Grease gun glued to arm

Final assembly

Captain Assembly
In the above pictures you can see that I first glued the torso to the base.

Next I glued the weapon to one hand.

I then glued both arms to the torso.

Finally I glued the head in a manner that seemed natural to the rest of the body.

The Support troops-I will refer to as A and B

Support troop A has the "Jeep Cap" head.
He is equipped with a Thompson SMG.
I used the "advancing" torso.
I applied the two "firing Thompson" arms.
I also gave this model the Thompson ammo pouches and a backpack.

Support troop A

Support troop B has a standard helmet head.
He is equipped with a Thompson SMG.
I used the "walking" torso.
I used the two Thompson "aiming" arms.  Notice I kept the arm position low to make him just carry the gun.
I also gave this model the Thompson ammo pouches and a backpack.

Support troop B

Support troops assembly


Air Observer Assembly.

Right Arm is the "Pistol or Thompson" Arm.  I glued a pair of binoculars to his hand.  Makes him look real "professional".

Left arm is the "Grease Gun" left arm. I put it in place to make him look like he was reaching for a radio or something.  I also decided to give this guy the 1936 Musette bag and a backpack.  Essential everyday wear for an aerial observer!

Aerial Observer

Aerial Observer

I must admit I am amazed at how precisely all of the bits came together.  There was plenty of room for a little personalizing even with the facing of the head, arms, guns, etc...but no matter the direction the bits came together perfectly.

I am in love with working in plastics instead of white metal, for several reasons: safer because no lead is coming into my home, easier to shave off flashing, precision of casts seem to be much greater than resin and white metal.

Check in for part two when I assemble the two infantry sections!

-PPS