Icebreaker

YET MORE REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE FOR THE RUSSIAN COALITION... AND A LITTLE BREAK FROM THE GREY 

This week I have been hard at work painting (yet more) ships for the Russian Coalition - specifically the Khatanga-class Heavy Battleship, a squadron of Nikel-class Heavy Frigates and a Pesets-class Submarine. This marks a break for the Russian Coalition from the more traditional ships, the Heavy Frigate being the first of the circular (or at least pill-shaped) vessels to grace my painting table.

This particular batch were painted because I love the models, and because a future game for the Hunt for the Markgraf campaign will feature the bombardment of a port-city - and for that, I need some ships with mortar weaponry! You may have seen the Khatanga in a previous Battle Report, where it performed very well indeed. 

Unfortunately this will signal a short break from the Russian Coalition and Dystopian Wars (painting-wise, anyway) as I have yet another Infinity tournament coming up, and need to add a large number of new troops to the team. Hopefully I will return to painting ships soon, and perhaps have some aerial allies for the Russians ready to show off!

KHATANGA-CLASS HEAVY BATTLESHIP

One of the first Russian miniatures to really get my attention, the Khatanga is visually striking and brutal in the game, though somewhat confused in its roles with a close-range drill (perfect for ramming) combined with longer-ranged mortar batteries more suited to staying at the back. This duality has led me to favour the Borodino-class Battleship in most games, but following the great game last week, I might yet give it another chance. 

Painting wise the Khatanga is a highly detailed model, with Glacier Generators and pipework all over the superstructure. These pipes interfere with the lines of the hull and make it seem very "busy," unlike the simple brutality of a ship like the Borodino. The lack of a sharp prow (a feature on all other Russian vessels) also breaks the outline of the ship, and makes the first impression somewhat underwhelming. It is only following close inspection that you appreciate the awesome power of the drill, and realise how ridiculously cool a ship this is! 

PESETS-CLASS SUBMARINE

Medium Submarines with fair-sized Fore Cannons, The Pesets-class Submarine are a valuable addition to the Russian navy for one thing - the Target Painter. Positioned well and with a successful roll, the turrets or mortars on the rest of the fleet will cause untold havoc to the opposition. 

I painted the Pesets-class Submarine a brighter grey than the rest of the fleet, but concentrated on weathering it heavily (as I have done with all the Submarines I have painted over the years). Brutally simple in colour scheme, the Pesets-class Submarine may not be the most striking vessel in the fleet, but will look good alone or as a pair.

NIKEL-CLASS HEAVY FRIGATES

Curious, pill-shaped vessels, the Nikel-class Heavy Frigate feature a battery of Light Mortars and better defensive statistics than their smaller cousins, but lack the Main Turrets that give the Novgorod-class Frigate real punch. Nonetheless, I like the miniatures and found them interesting to paint. It was a relief to see the stark grey colour scheme I have chosen for the Russian fleet looks good on the round-hulls.

SOMETHING FOR NEXT TIME

The Polish-Lihtuanian Commonwealth will get their time in the sun soon enough - I'm tired of painting grey and want something that flies to go with the expansive Russian fleet. The Zamiec-class Sky Fortress is the first step on that road, and will be painting in a similar manner to the studio scheme - red, white, brass and brown. I have already completed the Support Aircraft, painted red and white to contrast with the blues, greys and whites of the Russian Support Aircraft. 

Credit to KaruN for the inspiration for the colour scheme of the Polish-Lithuanian Support Aircraft

Thanks for reading,

George