Two More Batches of 28mm Viet Cong

    My latest batch of 28mm Viet Cong from Black Sun investigate a U.S. chopper they've downed

By the time the humidity here in Ohio was low enough to spray coat my third batch of Viet Cong figures, I was almost done with the fourth group. I decided to wait and take pictures of the two batches together rather than do separate posts for each. As I type this, the final three packs of 28mm Black Sun miniatures from the Crucible Crush line that I purchased for this project are in motion. Barring any kind of disaster, I should definitely have everything painted up soon. The rules are pretty far along, too, so you can look forward to play testing reports at least by July, I imagine!

    A V.C. RPG gunner and his assistant carrying reloads in a wicker basket -- very nice touch!

I am continuing to enjoy painting these miniatures. This project has reinforced for me why I prefer to paint metal miniatures over plastic or 3-D printed ones. I feel the detail is carved (or raised?) more on metal figures, and I feel they accept washes and dry brushing better. Or at least, they do for my inexpert level of painting! I have seen some master painters take what I consider muddy detail on a figure and make it into a beautifully blended work of art! So, maybe I mean metal figures are more "journeyman friendly," if that makes sense? 

    I continue to be very happy with the character and details of these miniatures from Crucible Crush

These two batches included the RPGs and Support Team pack. It includes two figures holding or firing a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) and one carrying reloads in a wicker basket (not OHSA approved, I imagine!). One of the others is holding a light machine gun (LMG), which I noticed when finishing this batch that is the only Viet Cong LMG in the entire line of miniatures. This is probably an omission that I'll have to fix with figures from another line, unfortunately. Most games are going to call for a higher percentage of LMGs than the current 1:25 ratio I will have for my opposition forces. Maybe I missed one of the other figures carrying something that could be used as an LMG? Feel free to check out the photos of Black Sun's four packs of VC here.

    I began mixing things up for the V.C., as far as uniforms go, with these two batches of figures

As you can see, I finally started adding some variety to the way I painted up my V.C. Not all are in the traditional "black pajamas." I really like how doing a shirt or pair of pants in another color livens things up and makes a group look more interesting. Crucible Crush themselves painted the figures in a mix of colors for their website photos -- not all in black. So, I think my artistic license here is justified. The final batch of V.C. which is on my tabletop will have variety, too.

    The lone LMG armed figure for the V.C. in the Black Sun range sporting his black pajamas

As I begin to work on my rules -- which my readers will likely remember will be an adaption of Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers -- I think I may have underestimated how many V.C. that I need for my games. So, I am beginning to resign myself to purchasing more miniatures at Historicon this July. I need to take a look at which manufacturers or companies will be there that carry this period. I have to remember to bring along a mini with me so that I can compare sizes. As we know, not all figures from different 28mm manufacturers match! My friend Jim W has painted up figs from a number of different makers of Vietnam minis, so I will likely lean on his advice, as I did with this purchase.

    This shirtless RPG gunner was an interesting bit of variety, as was the squad leader with pistol

Since I am nearing the end of the painting portion of this project, it means I'll likely begin to mix in some more terrain for it, too. I purchased some Vietnam buildings from Miniature Building Authority at Buckeye Game Fest, and am looking forward to getting them on the table. They're a mix of 3-D printed and resin, so I think they will paint up quickly, as well. I'm also going to do some slightly larger jungle scatter pieces, too. I picked up the wooden disks to use as bases from the craft store the other day, so those will be coming soon, as well.

    Two V.C. check out the burning U.S. chopper that crashed into the jungle

Besides the last three packs of Black Sun Vietnam figures, what else is on my painting desk? I did finally finish the six pieces of Sci-Fi scatter that have been on my desk for three weeks or more. Now, I'm waiting again on the humidity to subside to clear coat to them! I have a handful of 3-D printed dumpsters for the flea market that are just about completed. I put together another MDF ruined building, also to sell. I have a plastic and styrofoam bridge waiting to prime, along with some Buddha statues on plinths, and more than a dozen plaster oil barrels. Those are all intended for the flea market at Historicon, too. My progress (when not impeded by humidity) continues to be going well, so I am satisfied with how retirement agrees with my hobby output!

    A final look at the 10 V.C. that I recently painted up

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 145
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 117 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 39

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 93
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 72