Lead Legionaries: Adding 28mm Empress Machine Gunners to My V.C.

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Adding 28mm Empress Machine Gunners to My V.C.

Four 28mm light machine gun Vietnamese from Empress Miniatures to augment by Vietnam project

I have loved the Crucible Crush miniatures from their Black Sun Vietnam range, but one drawback was the lack of Vietnamese machine gunners. There were enough U.S. M60 gunners, I felt. However, there was only one VC with an LMG in the range, forcing me to look elsewhere to supplement my opposition force. I knew that Age of Glory would be at Historicon the previous weekend, so reached out to Steve to ensure he was bringing his 28mm Empress Vietnam figures. He said he was, so I looked through the website and made a list of what I wanted to buy.

I liked how the pack came with four completely different poses (wearing different uniforms, too)

Top of the list was this pack of four LMG-armed NVA. I'd brought along one of my painted Black Sun guys bundled up in a tissue and small ziploc bag. I pulled him out and yes, as my friend Jim W had told me, the Empress figs were significantly smaller. However, I bought the pack anyway and it was the first thing I prepped and got ready to paint upon returning home from the convention. I liked how there were four completely different poses and had noticeable differences in their uniforms. This would make it easier to use them as either VC, since my force so far is all VC.

This marching pose looked the most 'VC' of the pack, so I painted him in black pajamas

Looking back at the Age of Glory website picture in my last post, I just now noticed the figures in my pack did not come with the bipod sculpted on. That's odd, unless there was a pack with and without and I bought the latter? I didn't notice that, though. Hmmm. The bipod would have been a good way for the figure to say, "Hey, this is an LMG!" As it is, I will be using these figures in solo play tests initially. They will come on board as an LMG, so it should be fairly obvious what it is once on the tabletop. Still, I decided I needed a better indicator of the fact they are LMGs. So, I cut up pieces of brass wire and glued them on top of the flocking. I did this with my 20mm Modern Africa figures, and it made them easier to identify on the tabletop. The question is -- should I go back and do that with my Black Sun figures, too? Hmm, not sure on that one!

This pose has the gunner firing from the hip - similar to some Black Sun poses for the Americans

Of course, as if the size difference between the Empress and Crucible Crush figures wasn't marked enough, three of the four figures are either crouching, kneeling, or prone. That would make them appear even shorter! To help make up for the sized differences a little, I used the raised black plastic bases with a wide lip that came in each pack of Black Sun figures. This would boost the Empress figs' height a bit, since I did NOT use those bases for Americans or VC. To affix a 1" adhesive magnetic bottom to the hollow base, I flipped it upside down first. I gooped in (technical term!) two-part epoxy in the center and along the rim. I placed the magnetic circle on top and then flipped it back, right-side up. Luckily, the magnetic circle has a slightly wider circumference. So, the magnet should stay in place. I hope! Either way, the "high heels" I am giving the Empress figs will make their height closer to the Crucible Crush ones, which were based on flat bases I used instead.

Normally I am not a fan of prone poses, but I guess it makes sense with a LMG

After painting up these figures, I do have to say that I like the Crucible Crush ones better. I feel the detail is more crisp in the Black Sun range and the poses are more dynamic. If my solo play tests go well, I will eventually look at adding regular NVA forces to my collection of opposition for the Big Red One in Vietnam. If I do, my plan is to use Gringo 40s for those, as their size (according to my friend Jim W) are much more in alignment with the Crucible Crush. Plus, I really like their poses, too, and the breadth of the range. Honestly, the biggest reason I went with Black Sun over Gringo was I did not want to order from the UK in this era of tariffs and wildly fluctuating rules on international trade. You-know-who has not been kind to our hobby!

Final look at the Empress LMG figures as they take cover in a ruined temple complex

I'm fairly happy with how these LMG-armed figures came out. Not as happy as with Black Sun, but these will suffice for my play test games. Speaking of which -- I know I keep saying this -- I am very close to doing my first solo play test. The rules are pretty much written. I have only one or two small things I need to do, such as rules for throwing grenades. Otherwise, I have all the command and control, movement, combat, and cards written. I expect I will go to Office Max this week to print up my own version of the Event Cards I've created for this game. I even put artwork that I found on Google Image searches on each card. Of course, if the rules are eventually published by Ganesha Games, I will need to source artwork that is royalty free (or get Andrea to draw it -- he's a great artist, himself!).

So, what else is on my painting desk right now? I'm actually making very good progress on the on the 28mm Empress Miniatures Vietnamese civilians that I bought along with these machine gunners. I would say they are close to halfway done. And weirdly, I am painting all 12 of them as one batch -- something I normally don't do. Of course, with much less (or no) equipment, there isn't as much to paint on them! Terrain-wise, I am stalled. I really want to start the MBA bunkers and sniper positions that I bought, but it has been simply too hot and humid to trust spray priming them. It is finally supposed to cool off this weekend, though. Maybe I'll finally get a chance to spray something then! In the meantime, I'll probably do up another batch of the movement markers I showed you in the last post.

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025