Massed M113 Mob

I was about to post another entry of Cold war photos, but I thought It was about time I actually posted a real work-in-progress post, to show what I'm actually doing rather than some far distant project.

For a while now I've been collecting things for my USAREUR force.  I've shown a few infantry in the past and some MERDC ideas, but never actually psuhed on and finished some vehicles for the project.  So today I decided to get all my M113's together and start to stow them, and then stick on some cam nets.

Happily I think I've probably got enough M113's now so it's time to actually do something about them - so here they are

So based on the last photo front row - left to right:
Airfix M113 ACAV, ESCI M113 (with interior details and rear ramp down), S&S Models M577, Altaya M163

2nd row - left to right
Easy Model M113 Ambulance, 4 S-Model M113, ESCI M901 converted to be a M981 FIST-V

3rd row - left to right
ECSI M901, S-Model M113, ESCI M113, Easy Model M113, S-Model M113, S&S Models M106

Rear Row - left to right
ESCI M901, ESCI M113, S-Model M113, Easy Model M113, S-Model M113, S&S Models M106

Obviously some have had the stowage started while others have none.

Now to get cracking on the cam nets and other stowage items to these can go on the painting list.

Thanks

Richard

Here comes another one...

Yes another project, just to add a little more stress to my limited and extremely un-focussed wargaming time...

So after posting nothing for a month, I'm going to try and make up for it in the next few weeks and get this blog and my gaming back on a Cold War track after delving heavily into WW2 for a while now.

On with the new project: THE SOVIET INVASION OF SCANDANAVIA - 1986

To start the project I have written Army Lists for:

• Soviet Naval Infantry;
• Soviet Air Assault; and
• Norwegian Army

I'm in the process of preparing Army Lists for:

• Soviet Arctic Front Motor Rifle
• Danish Army
• Swedish Army
• Royal Marines (3 Commando - including Dutch Marines)
• US Marines (2nd Marine Div units)

and I haven't started but will need to do:

• Finnish Army
• Canadian Air/Sea Transportable Brigade
• Elements of Allied Mobile Force (Land)

I already have most of the stuff (including unmade kits) for the Royal Marines and USMC, and much of my Soviet stuff can easily have dual usage on the Arctic Front, so in some ways much of this is quite achievable  within a short timeframe.  However a ton of stuff will need to be done to represent the smaller nations, and work out a realsitic set of events or scenarios.

Now to the pics:  First up some Soviet Naval Infantry kit - including a load of photos of something I might even try to scratch build - something I have never done before.

Part of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet - including a Ivan Rogov class large landing ship in the centre of the photo, with a Lebed LCAC

Air Support - Forger's packed on the rear of a Soviet Carrier

Swimming PT-76's leading the beach assault.  BTR-60s bring up the rear

BTR coming off a Landing Craft

T-55 coming off a Landing Craft.  SNI appear to have stuck with the T-55 (I think because the more modern tanks did not fit in the landing craft and hovercraft) but extensively upgraded it, including using a small number of T-55AD1 which used the "Drozd" active anti-missile protection system and the T-55MV/T-55AMV which was equipped with Kontakt ERA.  More modelling (and scratch building options!

Another Landing Craft shot.  Note the black uniforms - guess I'll need to paint a bunch more Soviet infantry - in black this time...

Now my personal favs...

Aist Class LCAC - mega big - well-armed hovercraft - could hold 4 PT-76s or 2 T-55s or 3 BTRs all with varying amounts of troops.  Top Speed 130 kmh.  Can't see this appearing on my wargaming table anytime soon!

But this one...

 

 

 

Unfortunately no-one does a model of this in 20mm.  Best I could find was this Scotia Models Lebed in 6mm

 

 

 

 

Which is actually very nice - massive in 6mm, teeny tiny in 20mm so no use.  So I found some drawings:

 

 

 

 

So I think I'll have to have a crack at making 1 (or 2) myself.  No idea how to start so I'll keep looking into it.

 

Anyway, that's it for now.  Thanks to the wonderful internet and all those sites which offered up lovely hovercraft photos which I have borrowed.

 

Have fun

 

Richard





The Start of Another Project!

Or is that a sub-project?

Anyway, at MOAB a couple of weekends ago I came across a mate of mine who was off-loading some 20mm kit he had gotten for Cold war gaming (he always buys way too much!).  I knew he had previously purchased something I was interested in, and too my great happiness he was happy to on-sell these 3 Berlin Brigade Chieftain tanks:

I'm guessing you can pretty easily imagine the sub project...

This tanks are great for a bit of this:

But even better for a bit of this:

The little project won't happen straight away, but it will happen.  Just a small off-shoot of my BAOR force - these chieftains will be joined by a platoon of urban cam FV432s:

At least 1 FV432 with a Fox turret:

A Fox or maybe two:

And a couple of Landies:

That should suffice for a nice small urban warfare force.  Luckily the infantry will be painted just like the rest of the British Army so will double up nicely.

As if I didn't have enough to do already...

Oh well...

Richard

More excuses...

I took a few (very yellow) pictures of the commission I recently finished that took up most of my free time in the last few weeks.

Basically consisted of a large bunch of Elhiem West Germans, a couple of Israeli's pretending to be West Germans - including 1 headswap - and 2 Esci M48A2GA2s.

I was quite keen to build the M48s as I had always wanted at least a couple for my own West Germans.  However... after building these two I've pretty much decided against it.  Until someone brings out a decent diecast version of these guys, I'll be avoiding them.  I didn't like the odd way the undercarriage went together, or how various bits attached to the turret.

Anyway - all done now so back to my own stuff for a while - until I start on a couple of WW2 commissions.

Thanks and hace fun

Richard

Wargames Illustrated - Issue 324 - Modern Warfare

I've been incredibly busy lately - both at work and at home, so have had literally no time for my own hobby work.  However I did see that the next issue (or current issue) of Wargames Illustrated was to be on modern warfare - with at least some coverage of the Cold War Gone Hot theme.

As I knew I'd have difficulty finding it in Oz, and I've been relatively impressed with how they are putting together their ipad versions of the magazine - I decided to download.  In Oz this is also a cheaper option.

Like most wargaming magazines, Modern Warfare is a theme - so amongst the other articles there are about 5 articles that have somethingt o do with that theme.  They are:

1.  Whatever happened to 20mm Moderns? - This is quite a clever photo-spread article covering 1 wargaming club in the UK and their various 20mm modern collections/games.  It provides a little commentary, plus lets the reader know what manufacturer vehicles and miniatures are used etc.  It covers a Yom Kippur battle, a standard Soviets vs Brits CWGH engagement, Russians vs Georgians in South Ossetia and another Israeli led skirmish in 2013.

The article has loads of pics - which somewhat annoyingly continue to scroll through whilst you are trying to read the blurb.  I found that a little distracting - but like most WI articles - beautiful pics. Interestingly the bottom line from the article is that 20mm moderns are alive and well and are a great to game in.  Totally agree!

The article also includes an outline of a new game Third Generation Warfare - more info about it can be found here.  It looks very interesting.

2.  Setting the scene for the Cold War Turned Hot - This is a kind of two part article.  Part 1 is a small article by Harvey Black - author of The Red, Blue and Black Effect trilogy.  It talks about why he is facinated in the CWGH period.  The second part is the outline(?) of a Soviet river crossing scenario.  It is not for any particular game, and on my ipad it has no map, force list etc etc.  In fact I kept swiping this way and that, trying to find the rest of the scenario....

3.  Missile Away! - This is an excellent article on Modern Naval Warfare - including rules and miniature choices.  Modern naval gaming holds a special place in my gamer heart so I very much enjoyed this article.

4.  Converting a 15mm M113 to a M113A3 - I've only briefly looked at this article as I don't operate in 15mm, however it would certainly be useful for anyone who does (and could be bothered doing the conversion).  The end model is lovely - so he does a great job.

5.  20 Years From Now - Not exactly what I expected, but again an interesting article thinking about how to wargame a conflict around 2040 or so, going into what figures, vehicles and rules you could use.  A good read.

So all up - it was great to see so many of the vehicles and manufacturers I support in another wargaming magazine - so more and more gamers can see how good their products are.  As I learnt from the previous magazine I reviewed, you're not going to get a comprehensive, everything you'll ever need to know look at a CWGH in 1 magazine.  But I see it as spreading the good word so I'm all for it.  It still had some articles that I was a little disappointed with - like the scenario - how hard is it for magazine to publish a playable scenario with maps etc for CWGH!!??

Anyway - I rate it 7 out of 10 (again) but consider it well worth getting.

Thanks

Richard

S&S Models - Spartan MCT

Right - time for a bot of a change from the Bundeswehr - back to the old BAOR.  This time I've finished a couple of S&S Models Spartan MCTs.  Essentially these were CVR(T) Spartan's with a Milan Compact Turret added.

The S&S Models are have resin bodies and tracks, while the MCT turret is metal.  Metal smoke dischargers were also included.  Very simple to put together - and straight into the painting.

These are painted in my standard BAOR paint jobs.  Sprayed black, rolls of blu-tack added, then sprayed with PSC British Armour green.  Pin-washed with Vallejo black wash, and dry-brushed up from there.  Are are the finished vehicles:

That's it.  Weathering again is standard using Vallejo pigments.

That's it - thanks for looking

Richard

Another Marder.... and the rest!

Another update with another Marder (with more coming over the next few months...)  This too was painted for the afore mentioned game and I think the only newly painted AFV to survive!

Straight into the photos is probably the best way to go:

Now all the recently shown Bundeswehr AFV's together:

That's all for now - next time - back to the BAOR.

Thanks

Richard