Krapistan: Battle of Mirhadan

I had the opportunity to fight the first battle of the Krapistan project, the battle of Mirhadan. In the south of Kaput province, sit the twin villages of Mirhadan. Al Kebab felt the time was right to launch their offensive against these villages in an effort to establish a proper base of operations. The Nawab of Kaput was well informed of these plans and brought several of his clans and a detachment of Krapistani regulars to Mirhadan to thwart the fundamentalist assault. 

A view from the left side of the Nawab's position. In the center foreground is "Little Mirhadan" and in the upper right hand corner is "Big Mirhadan". In the center is a palm grove. 

"Little" Mirhadan sitting on the left flank of the Nawab's position. The Nawab placed clan fighters of his henchman Babak (8 infantry bases and 2 RPG bases) to defend this position. The Nawab decided to place himself with Babak's men  (which probably was a bad idea).

Uncertain of al Kebab's intentions, the Nawab placed his best and most mobile units (his personal armor and a detachment of Krapistani regulars in BTRs) in the center where they can provide support to either village of Mirhadan or the palm grove.  

The two aforementioned Krapistani army BTR-60s with lots of souvenirs strapped to the vehicles to bring back after their tour of duty in Kaput The Nawab placed his lieutenant Abdul and his clan fighters (8 militia infantry with an RPG team and a mortar with two trucks) in front of  "Big Mirhadan". 

Like the rest of the Nawab's army (with the exception of the Krapistani regulars), Abdul's clan fighters are rated as militia in AK-47 Republic. Abu Kebab's fundamentalist host is a bit more devoted to the cause and are comprised of hardened militia and clan militia.

Al Kebab's fundamentalist fighters approaching the Nawab's positions. To the left are the elite black-clad Bashi-Bazooka Brigade with the Martyr-Cycles and the Samaka Brigade in the center. To the right is the Hamal Brigade. The Samaka and Hamal Brigades were armed to the teeth with AKs, RPGs, HMGs, mortars and were supported by BMP IFVs.

The Nawab wasn't sure if Abu Kebab wanted either of the villages, the palm grove (which has succulent dates), the Nawab's head or all of the above!

The Bashi-Bazookas prior to mounting up in their Toyotas for their drive on Little Mirhadan. 

Close up of the Martyr-Cycles advancing on Little Mirhadan with the Bashi-Bazookas following in the background in  their Toyotas. AK-47 Republic doesn't have rules for motorcycles so I just basically made them infantry with wheeled vehicle movement and charged them army points as if they were in trucks.

Al Kebab's Hamal Brigade suffered heavy casualties at the hands of Clan Abdul  on the right flank. Despite heavy losses, the Hamal Brigade routed Clan Abdul, leaving the road to Big Mirhadan unopposed. In a desperate move, the Nawab ordered the Krapistani regulars to stop the Hamal Brigade. This was a mistake as it pulled his most competent unit further away from the crucial fight on the left flank

Al Kebab received timely reinforcements when the Farkha Brigade arrived. It became apparent to the Nawab that Al Kebab wanted to take Little Mirhadan. The Bashi-Bazookas, Martyr-Cycles and Farkha Brigades violently assaulted the village and after desperate house to house fighting, it appeared Little Mirhadan would fall. The Nawab chose to remain in the desperate hope that his friend Khan would arrive with his clan followers. 

View from the Al Kebab right as they launch their assault on the village. The fundamentalists may have lacked proper tanks but they had speed and firepower with multiple AA guns on technicals.

The Nawab's tanks, the pride of his warlord army, snuffed out a flanking attempt on Little Mirhadan by the Samaka Brigade and were attempting the relive the pressure of al Kebab's assault on the Nawab's left.

Meanwhile, on the right flank, the Krapistani regulars took time from picking dates in the palm grove to mop up the last remaining remnants of the Hamal Brigade.

With the Hamal Brigade in flames, the residents of  Big Mirhadan were safe from the repressive recipes of Al Kebab....for now.

Abu Kebab and his followers attempt their encirclement of the smaller village.

In the end, Clan Khan never arrived on the table to save the Warlord of Kaput province, as the Nawab fell with his men to the last as Al Kabab captured Little Mirhadan. Al Kebab was victorious having achieved two of their three goals (Little Mirhadan and the Nawab's head on a skewer). 

Abu Kebab secured his base of operations and destabilized the province. Rumor has it that the skewers of meat were slow-cooked on the smoldering ruins of the village buildings.  Meanwhile, back in the capital, the Krapistani government pulled the Nawab's eldest son from his harem and informed him that his father had fallen and it was now his time to become the new Nawab. Will Al Kebab continue their advance? Surely the (new) Nawab call for a counter-offensive and seek revenge? Only time (and my chaotic schedule) will tell...

 

Krapistan and it's Al Kebab Problem

On the eve of HMGS Fall In, I am preparing for my first battle of Krapistan, my AK-47 Republic imagination. Let me introduce you to the primary principals of this fantasy land:

Krapistan: a poor, backwater country plagued by tribal factionalism. The corrupt central government is at the mercy of corrupt tribal warlords. 

Kaput: Our campaign follows one of the more volatile provinces of Krapistan, Kaput. The province of Kaput is run by it's not so friendly local Warlord, the Nawab. The Nawab of Kaput enjoys the backing of the national government. 

Al Kebab: a fundamentalist religious movement centered around the preferred ways of cooking various meats on skewers. Al Kebab does not tolerate blasphemous methods of grilling skewered proteins and veggies. The mysterious leader of Al Kebab goes by his not so original "nom de Guerrero", Abu Kebab Al Kebab. 

Everyone likes flags so they know who and what to rally behind. Symbols mean so much in the world and Krapistan is no different. For the flag of Krapistan, the reds represent the meats to be enjoyed, whereas the green represents the veggies and the brown represents something entirely different in the process. This flag means little to the Nawab of Kaput, or any other Warlord, but they fly the flag nonetheless to ensure that they receive the support of the central government.

Above you will find the flag of Al Kebab. For the followers of all Kebab, all of those who refuse to honor the time-old cooking traditions will be smited...for them these grilling blasphemies are a black and white issue, thus the colors of their flag. 

Rumor has it, as a young boy growing up in the dusty back alleys of Kaput, Abu Kebab was horrified by the improper seasoning and cooking methods of grilling meats and veggies. These traumas pushed him to form a movement and that movement now threatens the establishment. The Nawab of Kaput has vowed to snuff out Abu Kebab's growing insurrection and thus we have war once again in Krapistan. 

RavenFeast Vikings and Krapistani Fighters

With my Texas sojourn behind me, I can home to a mouse infestation in my home. Apparently they made probes and found my dogs dry food in the kitchen pantry. 

While I've been waging a full-time  war of no-quarter on the rodent hordes, I've managed to squeeze in some painting time. I finished up some Krapistani Warlord fighters and some vikings for Big Battle RavenFeast. 

So far I have 7 bases of rank and file Bondi, 4 bases of axe-wielding Hirdmen and two command bases. The center right base with the red banner has my attempt at a raven symbol for Harald Hardrada's "Land Waster" flag. Still need to paint up Tostig, some Saxon rebels (traitors?), berserkers, archers and Scottish mercenary spear. Looking forward to getting my armies done so I can wage war on a 4'x4' tabletop and provide the Ravens with some 10mm casualties to feast upon!

And now on to Krapistan...

Managed to finish up 19 bases of Krapistani Warlord fighters. 13 bases of AK, RPK and PKM armed fellas, 3 command stands (look for the inspiring chaps pointing fingers in random directions) and 3 RPG bases. When I first started this project, I opted to go two figures a base (as per the rules-recommended 3 figures) to make it a bit more manageable and decided to include 2 RPGs on each RPG base. It allows me to visually identify the RPG bases a bit easier than if it was just one gent with an RPG and another with a small arm. 

Since these guys represent fighters of a run of the mill Warlord, they have a mish-mash of drab colors: washed out greys, blues, off-whites and earthtones. The absence of black attire let's you know they aren't followers of al-Kebab. The figures are hodgepodge collection of Flytrap, Irregular, Flashpoint, Old Glory and Khurasan. As you can see that, once painted, they all mix well on the same bases. 

This batch of figures essentially completes my Krapistan project. I will probably add some bits and bobs: some ZSU anti-aircraft guns, perhaps some more mortars, BMPs, T-55s, trucks, (perhaps a BRDM?), etc. but the armies are pretty much finished and ready for gaming. 

al-Kebab's Growing Army

As previously reported, I have started my fictional country Krapistan for AK-47 Republic campaigns and battles. I initially called my rebel fashion al Jabar but have opted to rename them al-Kebab. I've had fun designing their flag but it's not quite ready yet. I have been slowly building the al-Kebab army. 

Here is a picture of the full army thus far. 

The grunts of the army form three units of infantry armed to the teeth with rusty AK-47s, battered RPKs a smattering of DShKs and lots of RPG-7s. 

Closeup of a command stand. You can tell it is a command stand because there is a gent pointing in a commanding nature. His friend is on his cell phone talking to a telemarketer. Khurasan sculpts.

A couple of al-Kebabis, you can tell who is a follower of al-Kebab because they wear bits of black clothing. Sometimes its just a vest and turban and sometimes its a completely black ensemble. Flashpoint and Khurasan sculpts.

More followers of al-Kebab. I believe both of these sculpts are Khurasan.

More black garb, the guy on the left is ducking and running although it is hard to tell from the angle. Flytrap and Khurasan.

Here we have an elite unit of diehard fanatical jihadists. The fact that they are in very serious-looking all black pajamas lets you know they are elite. These sculpts are CP Models with some Old Glory's FireForce range (command figures and DShK). All of these figures are enormous and don't really mix well with the other ranges in the collection. I was originally going to sell the sculpts off but I opted to paint them up and make them a separate unit.

Another command stand (see the guy pointing?) that includes the spiritual leader of al-Kebab. He's holding a small booklet with all of his favorite recipes for skewers of meat and veggies.

The al-Kebab MartyrCycles Brigade has been documented before but here's another picture of them.

Some of the al-Kebab technicals gathering for another "cars and coffee" event.

Toyota: the choice of warlords around the globe. 

Lastly, the armored fist of al-Kebab, a dusty, greasy BMP-2 aiming its gun right at you, the reader. I think I will add a T-55 to the al-Kebab army.  More to come. Now I need to finish off the Krapistan pro-government faction. 
 

The Birth of Krapistan

 One of the first projects I ever completed was my AK-47 Republic "The Lebanon" armies, complete with IDF, Syrian commandos and PLO forces. I've always had a soft spot for AK-47 Republic and a few years back was inspired by a fellow wargamer's "Dafuqistan" fictional Afghanistan. This brings us to my current AK-47 Republic project: "Krapistan"...the fictional country of Krapistan is run by a weak, central government and regional warlords of varying strength. Within Krapistan there is a fundamentalist movement called "Al Jabar Kebab" led by their enigmatic mufti Jabar. 

So far here are the forced of Al Jabar Kebab. Not much painted up, just a BMP-2 (more pictures here), three technicals, two Toyota troop carriers (with magnetized areas for sitting soldiers), an infantry unit and a motorcycle unit. Al Jabar's Kebab's military wing will be based on speed and mobility and firepower and lots of guys wearing black clothing...

Here are the motor bikes. This is the Al Jabar Kebab "MartyrCycle Brigade". These dashing fellas are basically just a truck-mounted infantry unit as far as the rules are concerned (since motorcycles aren't really addressed) but I think they look cool.

Here is another angle, showing off the Chinese version of the Honda CG125 dirtbikes. These sculpts are Old Glory of some kind and are a bit big and bulky but really paint up well.

And now we have some Krapistani government (or warlord) BTR-60s. These are also Old Glory sculpts and they weigh a ton. I wanted to spruce them up and make them more third world so I added crates, oil drums and gear and lots of grime and rust. The turrets and tops of the hulls have magnets embedded to allow tank (or in this case BTR) riders. The Krapistani government forces already have a T-55 previously showcased here.

An army runs on its logistics and here are some of the Krapistani trucks, in this case three Old Glory M35 deuce and a halfs and a Peter Pig GAZ. The M35s can operate as troop carriers or objectives for games.

Closeup of the GAZ , carrying precious fuel and ammo. This will most likely be an objective for capture or destruction in games. A little about this particular sculpt...years ago on eBay, I made a bunch of purchases from an estate sale. I picked up lots of modern 15mm gaming stuff to include this GAZ. The GAZ was in bad shape with some structural damage and a partial paint job. I stripped it and repaired it. I imagine the original owner has either passed on, if that's the case I hope he is looking down and enjoying his lead getting some attention. 

15mm Afghan Warlords

 In a previous post, I showed some pics of a T-55 tank I painted up as an Afghan warlord battlewagon. I finally took some pictures of the other Afghan fighters and vehicles. I envisioned two competing factions: one a typical warlord and the other a religious fundamentalist faction. I am nowhere near finished this project and its pretty far on the back burner at the moment but here is some of what is painted up:

BMP-1 (courtesy of Battlefront's Team Yankee range) in the service of the religious fundamentalist faction. I planned on placing a flag for the faction draped on the front fender. I had intended to make the BMP look more ragged  and battle-worn than it ended up. I added random baggage, put some dings in the armor and removed some of the side skirt. Good enough...

Another angle of the BMP, showing the crewman and the other rider. The rider is in the black of the religious fundamentalist faction and is sporting some sneakers (trainers to you Brits). The crewman is a whittled down figure from Flytrap Miniatures and the riders are from the Old Glory modern range.

Peter Pig Toyotas converted to "technicals" with the addition of Old Glory heavy weapons and crewman. The red and blue technicals have .50 HMGs and the white one has a single barreled 14.5mm KPV.

Another angle of the technicals showing the Toyota emblazoned tail gates. The crewman for the KPV was a doozy, I had to perform some frankenstein-style surgery to get the gunner to fit on the seat. The gunner in the blue Toyota had a head swap to give a slightly different look.

Some of the traditional warlord faction fighters. These guys are a mix of Flashpoint, Flytrap, Irregular and Old Glory. I painted them up in off-whites, khaki, greys, reddish browns and grey blues.

Another angle, showing off the different poses and the assorted array of small arms.

Closeup of some RPG gunners. I think the standing guys are Flashpoint and the kneeling are Flytrap.

Some of the religious fundamentalist faction guys in their predominantly black kit and very serious disposition. I gave them a "dushka" HMG for a little extra firepower.

15mm Afghan T-55

I've mostly been working on my 10mm Punic Wars based for "To The Strongest" (which I will ultimately post pictures of once complete). A little side project has been 15mm Afghan warlord armies. I plan on collecting two rival warlord armies and using AK47 Republic with them. I have motley collection of Flytrap, Flashpoint, Fireforce, Irregular and CP Models Afgans. 

Anyway, here is my first vehicle for the project. Its a PSC T-55 with some Old Glory stowage. The two tank riders and the chap manning the Dushka HMG are Old Glory Technical crew. The pensive looking tank commander scratching his beard is a Flytrap civilian.

Same tank, different angle. I magnetized the turret which was tricky but well worth it. Once the tank was assembled, I primed it Soviet green and painted the non-green areas. Next came a diluted wash of Army Painter Strong and Dark shades mixed 50/50 with some GW Lahmian Medum. After it dried, I glued to the base and heavily drybrushed it with various shades of dirt colored paints. Final step was attaching the crew and riders. I might add some more gear and hit it with a final coat of matte varnish.

I have to say, I was really looking forward to this project. The T-55 is one of my favorite tanks, its so iconic and has been used in alot of niche and lesser known conflicts. I love the look of old, battered, 3rd World T-55s with various kit and loot strapped on to them. I feel like this model captures that look although I probably need to add more junk to the storage!