Starting Bolt Action: (Ep6) - French Army Support Group - Unbox | Build | Paint

[@philRminiatures]

"C'est magnifique!"...Great painting and inspired work on the bases!

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Phil. I am glad to be back at it. I hope you are keeping well.

[@Bodkin_Ye_Pointy]

Definitely the best way to learn the rules is to play as you read. It engages the rule process and answers questions on the fly. Just kidnap a passing member of the public to game the other units. When watching the battle reports, do you find the gamers seem to lack the basic tactical awareness?

[@nheather]

As you have mentioned on several of your videos, white metal artillery can be a challenge. The problem is a combination of no instructions, imprecise parts, parts distorted on the sprue and lack of clear mounting lugs and holes. For the most part the assembly is pretty obvious, the challenge is things like the small parts (handles, sights, breech parts) that don't obviously fit anywhere and things like the gun shields, obvious where they roughly go but they don't fit well so the precise position and angle is unclear.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

This is so true! I am learning to get on with them, but not there yet!

[@jorgeparson7764]

Glad your feeling better and that you're continuing with this amazing project. I'm looking forward to what you do next.👍👍👍

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you! 😊

[@sophieclement8837]

As always its a great video and a good work GG !! ;)

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Sophie!

[@yodanoord]

Love your videos man!! Keep up the good work

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you! that is really kind

[@Swindondruid2]

Lovely figures. I find Warlord Games MMGs really hard to assemble - I am pleased to see you didn't. I don't think I have a Warlord Games MMG in any of my bolt action armies. Crusader and Great Eascape Games do really nice MMG teams with easy to assemble guns (some are one-piece castings).

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you for watching. I found them ok to put together, however, they are definitely very fragile. Care is needed, as they can easily snap. I will check out Crusader and Great Escape Games.

[@daddomgaming6472]

Forces are coming along nicely Gareth. Keep up the good work chap

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Dom, I am glad to be back at it.

[@TMillsMusic]

Another fantastic video! Looking forward to more! 👍

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you!

[@armchairfieldmarshal517]

👍

[@generalsquishy613]

When you finish all of them can u make a stop motion with them all or maybe a diorama?

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

That is a great idea. I will look it that!!!

[@Gilean80]

For shades, definitely check out Army Painter's Strong Tone wash. I've found it works much better than Citadel's and personally the brown vs. black gives a nicer effect. I am presently building up an interwar French force also using Wargames Atlantic for the troops, but adding bits of Eskice Miniatures' excellent 3D printed French minis as support/command/artillery teams.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

I will check that one out. Is that the one in a tin and you dip the models? I need to do something, Citadel's washes have really gone down hill. I haven't heard of Eskice Miniatures before. I will check they out.

[@Bodkin_Ye_Pointy]

By the way, Len Deighton's book Blitzkrieg presents an interesting view of the early war in France. Meanwhile, did you work out that the axles for the wheels were included in the baggy the wheels came in?

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

I will check that book out! I did get the axle issue sorted in the end. But had to email Warlord Games directly lol

[@beaushaver3779]

I prefer plastic too, I bought 4 boxes of Wargames Atlantic French infantry 1916 to 1940. That's 8,12 man squads with officers. Its a great deal.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

It really is a great deal, and they are very easy to put together.

[@MRaadesign]

Really great channel. As for the spray painting mishap..... Yes, we have all done that at least once. lol Myself included. ;) Keep up the good work.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you, it was so annoying lol But we live and learn

[@Bodkin_Ye_Pointy]

So for shading, try Agrax Earthshade if you have it to hand. It still darkens but is a brown tint which works nicely. I also have Battlefront shades, Rommel Shade and Monty shade which I got for my Flames of War desert forces. The Battlefront paints were developed in conjunction with Vallejo I believe, so there shouldn't be a huge colour shock.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. I have tried Agrax Earthshade before. I need to use it more, but still hooked on Nulm Oil.

[@michaelbach9426]

A wonderfull video, great to hear your voice again

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Michael

[@anthonysauls1446]

Good to see another video. So about the artillery, Pak 38s didn't see action for the first time till April of 1941 as although it arrived in 1940, it would be too late to see action in the west. For the battle of France a Pak 36 or even a Flak 88 would be more accurate.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you for letting me know! I had assumed, maybe wrongly, that the 36, 38, 40 was a reference to the year they came into production. A bit like the AK-47. If that makes sense. I will check out the Park 36 kits.

[@anthonysauls1446]

@@MercenaryMiniatures No no, you are correct. The Germans are very straight forward with the naming of guns. All of which being the type of gun and year (Pak standing for "Panzerabwehrkanona" which means "anti tank gun" and 38 standing for 1938), however, that doesn't mean that it is the same time they saw combat. For example the MP40 only saw limited, though increasing, service in 1940, many squad leaders were still equipped with rifles during the battle of France. The Pak 40 didn't make it to the front lines until November of 1941, by April of 1942 only foury-four Pak 40s were on the front, and it wouldn't be until 1943 that the Pak 40 was the staple of German anti tank guns Side note: "Flak 88" as it's often abbreviated isn't the using the year like all the other examples. It would actually be the Flak 36, however 88 stuck with the gun so much, and it was often even just referred to as the 88 or the acht-acht, that people will often simply abbreviate it as Flak 88.

[@Tanker1983]

This looks great! I would love to see you make a SD KFZ 222. I just finished my first bolt action Kubelwagon, I’m planning on getting many more.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Great Work, where did you buy the kubelwagon from?

[@Tanker1983]

@@MercenaryMiniatures I got it from Warlord games

[@ChrisS-fh7zt]

Those little ramp wedges at the front of the wheel wells might be for the axle to lean against the flat side. Look at it from the side and you'll see what I'm pointing out 2:51, try an axle with a wheel on the end (unglued/ test fit) and see if that is what those are for. Take it put it against the frame and move forward until the axel touches them then see if there is clearance for the tire.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Chris. Yes, I thought that about those wedges, but I still can't seem to make them fit. I will keep trying and I am awaiting an email from Warlord Games.

[@ChrisS-fh7zt]

@@MercenaryMiniatures I know what you'er going through as I have done about 4 Warlord resin, metal and all metal models and they have been less than stellar (Brummbar, KV-8, ZiS-3 and Pak-43. I had to actually dig up actual photos of the ZiS 3 and Pak 43 so as to see how the gun shields and firing chair was located on them, as all Warlord had was this is the front of the model and no back or side shots (which would of helped out greatly)

[@blecao]

If you want pure efectivenes mayby 1 105mm medium gun for the french would be recommended as they get up to a medium gun free but i reckon that the 75mm is way more iconic but i say it as you dont have the rulebook so you may not know it

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. Is the 75mm classed as a medium gun? and can be the second free choice?

[@blecao]

@@MercenaryMiniatures is classed as a ligth gun unfortunatly You could do a 105mm as the free choice and a 75mm as the paid choice For free choices you can have a ligth/medium he/at gun So basically anything that is not a heavy gun

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

@@blecao Thank you! I will look into the 105mm. I do want one 75mm, just for the classic look.

[@bobedwards7592]

Very nice, well done

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you bob.

[@timberry4709]

FYI: Your freebie is the Sycorax Leader from the Doctor Who miniatures game that Warlord no longer makes. They did not renew the license from the BBC and stopped selling them on December 31st 2022. Any unreleased models, like the Sycorax Leader, are being given away as promotional items as they can no longer sell them. The Sycorax appeared in "The Christmas Invasion", the first episode of David Tennant's tenure as the 10th Doctor.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Tim. I am not up on my doctor who so thank you for letting me know. He is a nice model so will use him eventually.

[@roha2317]

It's good to see another video from you and glad to hear you are all better now. I 100% agree on the choice of plastic, I find it so much easier to work with. If there is a kit which is only available in metal from Bolt Action, I will search around to find a plastic variant from another brand.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. I do agree, I am also searching for plastic alternatives to metal kits.

[@Castillo525]

Love to watch someone work from the ground up, specially if its a game from a period I enjoy this much. Great work, as always.

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you Sebastian. I am really enjoying it. I am looking forward to getting to play some games.

[@Arftard]

Welcome back! Glad that you are feeling better! Your frenchmen are looking great!

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. I am really enjoying putting them together.

[@melonboi927]

Glad to have you back, once again the models are very nice looking. Also personally I prefer the army painter for their shades I always highly recommend them

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. I am looking very seriously at the army painter range. This madness with Nuln oil can't continue!!!

[@melonboi927]

@@MercenaryMiniatures I highly recommend AP, I've completely switched over to using their products instead of citadels

[@mrV69]

Great videos. Where’d you get those files?

[@MercenaryMiniatures]

Thank you. I got them from Amazon.- - AZUNO 6 PCS Needle File Set, Small File Set, Mini File Set for Woodwork Metalwork and Plastic Sanding. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0972JWCQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1