It is amazing that an obscure period like the Russian Civil War has taken off? Not really, the war is suitable for multi-sided play; it has cavalry, tanks, armored trains, and colorful infantry. It also no longer has any political overtones (Western culture "won"). We have been wargaming the RCW for over three years in 15mm, running convention games in Kansas City and St. Louis. Last winter, I ran a campaign that was great fun with the Reds in the lead when time was called. Figure availability is much better now, but many suitable figures can be found with minor conversions. The following list is manufacturers that I've used and basic paint schemes. Note - any WWI line will have figures you can use. MINIFIGS - The largest contributor to my collection. The WWI and The Sword and the Flame line have useful figures. Napoleonic Russian Guards can be converted also by cutting off the sword. The best figure is the WWI Russian in greatcoat and fur cap. YUCCA - WWII Russians in greatcoat and side cap are good and Cossack cavalry without SMG's. HORIZON BLUE - Tough to find, but Serbs, Austrians and Belgium figures are all sweet. Use Belgian figures for Czech Legion. Danish figures, 1913 uniforms, for Greeks can be used. ESSEX - Used Arab figures for actions in Central Asia. QUALITY CAST - WWII Cossacks, again watch for SMG's. Partisans with a flattening of the beret, add a bill to the resulting cap, change the panzerfausts to shotguns, and minimize the SMG's; and whew!, you have great Red Guard or civilian mobs. IRREGULAR - Japanese and Russian colonial figures. Also the Russian sailors mixed with Peter Pig and Frontier's Boxer Rebellion sailors. PETER PIG - A great line with useful figures. Some figures not in the RCW line are very useful, such as some Spanish Civil War figures, cowboys (for the 'wild' east in Siberia), and Belgians to use as Czech Legion, are my preferences. BATTLE HONOURS - Napoleonic Baskir cavalry and Janissaries with minor conversions (cut off sword) to make up Ukrainian special uniforms. FRONTIER - Boxer Rebellion range has suitable figures with the Marines in greatcoat and the knife and dagger brigade deserving special attention. CONVERSIONS - Scot Hansen and I did some for figures with buknovenia and czapkas. Now on to suggestions on which figures to use and basic painting ideas. JAPAN - use Colonial Japanese or WWI figures with cap. Japanese in summer dress paint khaki. For winter coats, use olive green. TURKEY - Use WWI figures with turbans. AMERICA - WWI with white helmets, or Marines in greatcoats. BRITISH - WWI In the north and Tropical or Desert gear (pith helmet and shorts) for the Caucass/Persian/Baku areas. GREEKS - Danish uniforms or Evzone (traditional mountain dress in olive green); French 1916 uniforms in olive or khaki with sidecap or soft cap for officers. FRENCH - Late WWI in horizon blue, colonial in khaki. COSSACK - Traditional dress. GERMAN FREIKORPS - Stalhelm WWI Germans. Austrian Hungarian Red Volunteers - WWI Pike Grey (blue) or late war slate greyCzech Legion - Russian with furaska and/or kepi, like Belgians; could have picklehaub or papaha, Adrian helmet. POLES - Horizon blue WWI French, Russian, Stalhelm German, some British soft cap or helmet; Austrian, Uhlans and hussars but the hussars wearing furaska instead of traditional hats; Austrian grey and Horizon blue French in czapka. WHITE RUSSIAN - Russian with furaska, soft side cap, WWI British, American, Picklehaub with Russian uniform, soft cap, cheese cutter, floppy hat (bush cap), Siberians in dusters. REDS - Russian uniforms and/or British uniforms with the folloyAng headgear: Floppy bush cap, picklehaub, British helmet, soft cap, civilian clothes, sailors uniforms, WWI British, WWI French and/or Buknovinka and shlem. Siberians in dusters. ANYONE'S CAVALRY - Could be wearing Russian Imperial and/or Uhlan and/or Hussar uniforms with or without dusters. LATVIA - British, German or Russian; Russian with Adrian helmet. UKRAINE - British, Russian, Austrian or specials in maa. SERBS - Use British WWI. Serb figures should be used for Russian irregular troops; Frontier and Horizon Blue. SWEDES - Use WWI Poles, even the same uniform color. I don't know who makes WWI Poles in 15mm however. ROMANIAN - WWI; there are no suitable figures. ITALIAN - Use WWI figures and schemes. FINLAND - Use Swedish, German or civilian with white left armband or grey tunic with dark grey pants with white armband. ESTONIA - Varied; khaki mostly with odd kepi, cavalry in 1910 Russian Hussar uniform. LITHUANIA - French in khaki, German, helmets mostly Adrian. RUSSIAN (Both Sides): Imperial Uniforms: no pogoni (shoulder boards) for Reds. Workers Clothes - long coat and shlem (buknovina) for Reds only. Sailor Uniforms. Imperial with tin helmet or picklehaub (Whites only for Picklehaub). Red Infantry cuffs & collars in deep brown on long coats, late war. TERMS.Czapka - Polish cap that looks like Uhlans helmet but in soft material on infantry. Kubanka - Cossack traditional hat. Purka - Cossack traditional cape Furashka - Sailor cap with bill Gymnasterka - Tunic with standup collar Papaha - Fur cap (white, grey, brown) Adrian helmet - French WWI Pagoni - Shoulder Boards Chereska - Stiff square shouldered coat for Cossacks Shlem/buknovina - pointed cap used into 1941, Reds only FLAGS - Yep, they still carried them! Volunteer Army (Markov) - black with white cross banners Kappal Shock Division in Siberia - skull and bones Social Revs (Siberian peasants) green and white Whites - Imperial Eagle, St. Andrews, Russian Tri-color, slogans 'On to Moscow', 'Russia' REDS - Revolutionary slogans on red banners, red star, hammer & sickle or hammer & plow, unit name, place of origin. Equipment: Paint schemes 1) Limbers and artillery in factory grey or Imperial green 2) Armored cars as above but mostly dark green. 3) Armored Trains, battleship 'dazzle' or traditional cammo. 4) Tanks dark green or possible British dark brown. 5) Cavalry pants - red, blue, khaki, cavalry lances dark green. 6) German tanks - dark brown with sand and red brown, or'5 tone'= field grey, red brown & frosty green (light field grey), lined in black. FIELD SIGNS Reds - shlem, red chevon, red armband, one shoulder belt. Greens - X green cross on hat. Whites - two shoulder belts, cavalry soft 'cutter' cap. Finns - white armband Poles - White eagle on helmet or cap. Denikin - Chevron on left arm blue/red/white Astrakan - Chevron on left arm red/black/white ludenich - chevron on left arm white/blue/red with white cross above. Latvia - red collar with white oblique bar Czechs - Red over white oblique patch on hat COLLAR PATCHES FORCE INFANTRY CAVALRY ARTILLERY ENGINEERS Reds 1919 crimson blue orange black Czechs crimson - bright red - Estonia black - - - Latvia (hat band) red orange blue black Lithuania orange white black - OFFICERS JAPAN - gold piping on hats and shoulder straps CZECH - red pants with yellow stripe, cavalry in red pants WHITE OFFICERS - black uniforms piped white on pockets and white stripe down pants RED OFFICERS - Shlem sometimes, black leather coats. Back to MWAN #102 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com