S&S Models TPz Fuchs

 A while back a mate sent me a couple of S and S Models Fuchs to paint up for him.  A good while back...  So, rather than be embarrassed any longer with how with how bad a friend I am, I recently pushed these to the top of the ridiculously long paint queue and now they're done.

Here they are:

It's a good solid model which comes with a wide selction of stowage options - I've only used a few of those options here - and I think it comes up really nicely.

I also decided to try something different when painting them.  I airbrushed on the base NATO Green colour and then used make-up sponges to add in the NATO Black and Brown.  I think it came out quite well and was pleased with my first attempt at sponging a NATO cam pattern.  I think because they are fairly hefty/solid models, the sponge works well.  I'm not sure I'd use it on a plastic Revell Fuchs though.  I don't think it could stand the punishment of the way I sponged these.

Anyway - that's it for now.  Thanks for looking

Richard

Final UK Para Figures

Because I recently published a list for using UK Paratroopers in AirLand Battlegroup - my unofficial Cold War Battlegroup variant - I decided to finish off my remaining old Liberation Miniatures Paratroopers.  There wasn't many and they had been sitting half finished for probably a year or more, so if there was any time to do it - it was now.

Here they are:

Pretty sure the guy with the Blowpipe is not a Liberation Miniatures figure - maybe Platoon 20? - but he got a bit of an update as well.  Poor bloke probably has 3 different beret colours going on there!

Here's all my LibMin Paras together now:

If I add in a few standard BAOR infantry to the mix, a basic Para Platoon looks something like this:

And when you add some platoon support options it might look a bit like this:

So that's it for today.  A double dose of posts.  Next time I might go through the various Para Section and Platoon TO&Es for AirLand Battlegroup.

Thanks for looking

Richard

ZSU-57-2

 A few days ago I was contacted and asked about the ZSU-57-2 and if I planned on featuring it in the game. I don't think it's shown up in any of my previously published lists, although the AZP S-60 AA gun does show in at least the East German Paramilitary list.

I have looked at it ages ago and decided that it would not have been present in any Soviet Category A divisions and it looked like it was out of service in the WARPAC nations I've done so far. The plan was to include it when I got to the Category B lists of some odd bod nation that might still use them.

But... someone asked for it so I thought why not and so here is the data card for the ZSU-57-2.

Obviously this includes the stats of the 57mm Very Heavy Autocannon as well.

If you have an AFV that you think should be available in the game and the stats are missing - just let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks

Richard

Dispatch Riders!

 

Just the other day I was reading an old Armed Forces magazine from December 1989 which had a report of Exercise “Roaring Lion” which was a 5^th Airborne Brigade exercise on Salisbury Plain.  Towards the end of the article the CO states the following:

“Command and control generally came together reasonably well, including the use of an aircraft as a command post.  Imposition of radio silence worked especially beneficially and that, and the inevitable communication glitches illustrated the continuing need for dispatch riders and liaison officers to get round such problems”

It got me thinking about Dispatch riders in Battlegroup and that maybe they needed a few more options in AirLand Battlegroup

Here’s the WW2 Dispatches Special Rule:

If radios and telephones won’t work, send a messenger.  A unit with the Dispatch special rule automatically passes a Communications check, because they have gone in person.  Remove the unit from play once they have been used.  It costs one order to send a Dispatch unit.

Currently in AirLand Battlegroup a unit with the Dispatches special rule looks like this:

I’m thinking of increasing the cost of a Dispatch Rider by about +5 points and making them Unique. I’m also thinking of replacing the Dispatches special rule in AirLand Battlegroup with this:

If radios and telephones won’t work, send a messenger.  A unit with the Dispatches special rule is Unique.  A unit with the Dispatches special rule can be used once per game.  Remove the unit from play once they have been used.  It costs one order to use a unit with the Dispatches special rule.  The employing player must select one of the following options:

- Automatically pass a Communications check as per the standard Battlegroup Rules

- Re-roll an Orders Dice after a roll of +3 on a D6

- Re-roll a D6 to determine the number of units arriving from reserve after a roll of +3 on a D6

This gives the Dispatch rider more of a role in Command and Control, rather than just dealing with Indirect Fire.  It will cost a bit more, but gives you some more options – with dice rolls so it doesn’t guarantee outcomes.

What do you think?

Thanks for looking

Richard

West German Fallschirmjaeger Battlegroup Army List

 You wait years for a new paratrooper army list to come along and then suddenly two come at once!  This is another one of those lists I had "started" years ago and never quite got around to finishing.  By started I mean perhaps the first 5% was sort of done...

So here your first opportunity to officially run a West German Fallschirmjaeger force on the tabletop in my completely unofficial Battlegroup Cold War variant!

As I've said previously, please bear in mind that this is a first draft.  As much as I've read it 100 times there will be errors.  Various sources display unit sizes etc differently and I have had to make decisions which may be based in incorrect info, but I done as best I could right now.

Anyway - here is the list:

West German Fallschirmjaeger Battlegroup Army List

For future use you'll also find this list in the NATO Army Lists Tab above.

I only need to add a couple of versions of the Mercedes-Benz 250GD Wolf softskins to the West German AFV Data Cards.  That's a job for the future!

Thanks for looking

Richard

UK 5th Airborne Brigade Battlegroup Army List

I thought it was time to add a new British list - one I first started working on this list 6 years ago!  Oh - that's a bit embarrassing!

So, who doesn't want to be able to field a force of British Paratroopers!  This 5th Airborne Brigade Battlegroup list gives you that opportunity to do just that.  I've also included some assets to allow you to field them in winter in Norway as part of ACE Mobile Force.

Please bear in mind that this is the first draft, so I'd really appreciate some feedback.  Anything you can say that makes it a better, more accurate list would mean a lot to me, from my spelling errors to my outright factual errors!

Anyway here is the list:

UK 5th Airborne Brigade Battlgroup Army List

Based on this list I need to add a few more soft skin vehicles to the British AFV Data Cards.  I'll get onto that next.

You'll also find the list in the NATO Lists TAB above.

Thanks for looking

Richard

56 Wheels later.....

 Time for another model update.  Today I finished 7 OT-64 SKOT Armoured Personnel Carriers.  This was a Czech/Polish jointly developed APC that these countries would use in-place of the BTR-60, 70 and 80 series and were considered to be better in many ways to the Soviet designs.

The models themselves come as STL files from Matt Hingley (of Elhiem Figures) and can be found at MyMiniFactory for the very reasonable price of $8USD.  I can't speak highly enough of them.  They are extremely well designed, robust, hollow and simple to print.  They are also very versatile as I hope the photo's below will attest. 

Matt's files allow you to print the following variants:

SKOT-2A

This version of the SKOT is fitted with a BRDM-2 turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG.

SKOT-2AM

This version of the SKOT is fitted with the same BRDM-2 turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG but is also fitted with 2 AT-3 Sagger ATGM on the side of the turret, protected by an armoured plate.

SKOT-2AP

This version of the SKOT is fitted with a new high-angle anti-aircraft/helicopter WAT turret with a 14.5mm HMG and co-axial 7.62mm MG.

All the turrets fit the same vehicles - so by printing additional turrets you can get a variety of forces with the same models.  I printed 7 SKOTs and here's some combinations I came up with:

This is the simplest and probably most commonly field option.  2 Platoons of 3 SKOT-2A and a Company HQ in a SKOT-2A.

Similar set up to the last set, but in this case the Platoon CO's vehicles and the Company HQ vehicle are SKOT-2AP.  I understand they were typically limited to one SKOT-2AP per platoon.

In this last set I've replaced the Company CO's vehicle with a SKOT-2AM.  Again I understand that these were fairly rare vehicles and the Polish ARmy Lists allow you to take them as a Platoon Support vehicle.

Perhaps I need to print off at least 1 more of these...  maybe next summer.

Painting wise I took a slightly different tack to my usual approach and tried something new.  I sprayed them with a black undercoat, then gave them a base coat of Vallejo US Olive Drab froma spray can.  I like the fact that they are a slightly different green tone to my standard Soviet stuff.

I then dry brushed them with a couple of coats of VMC USA Olive Drab lighted more with each successive coat.  Now the new bit.  I then used AK Brown and Green Camouflage Paneliner as a kind of pin wash.  I then took much of that off with White Spirits leaving what you see in the pics.  Next time I'll ventilate the room better as I was left with a massive headache! I then applied a mud/dust wash with some pastels and again took most of that off with Vallejo airbrush thinner. Finally I gave the whole vehicle a very light drybrush with Citadel Zandri Dust.

I'm quite happy with the result and I think it took less time than my normal approach.

So I love these Elhiem SKOTs - they went from zero to complete in pretty rapid time for me and give my Poles a really unique look they deserve.  Now if Matt could design an OT-62 TOPAS my Polish dreams would be complete!