Nice wings comrade!

 

Another quick Zvezda diversion, a 1/144 LaGG 3, Pre-war colours to match the red leather outfits and the pointy hats with red stars on them. They were hastily scrubbed over with green paint at oubreak of war in 1941. The cowling, air intake, cockpit frame and stabilisers were in red brown undercoat (957 Flat Red), fuselage and wings are silver grey (989 Sky Gey). Elevators in bare metal (997 Silver) and rudder in red (817 Scarlet). I like the flat metal plates on the fuselage to stop the exhausts from setting fire to the pilot.

The LaGG 3 was a bit of a dog, so probably a good job that Lavochkin ditched his co-designers at this point.

Lift off...

 

The Fairey Battle is completed at last! I am very pleased with it. I have been learning some scale modelling tricks on this one. It is a lot more complicated than it used to be in the olden days. You might detect some panel lining (even tho its not really a panel lining sort of kit). I have also used Vallejo Decal Fix. Even Captain Beefheart couldn't get these decals off!

I have also done some research on colours. This is K9353 from 218 Sqdn in 1940. Painted in bomber scheme with black undersides and Dark Green/Earth upper sides. I used Vallejo 894 Cammo Olive Green and 921 English Uniform. It looks OK to me, even if a little dark.

I found a couple of useful resources:

• an on line copy of British Aviation Colours of WWII which gives the official RAF instructions on colour schemes and also includes facsimile colour chips;
• a site dedicated to Luftwaffe Camouflage Schemes, this includes some excellent diagrams showing the development of scehemes over time with RLM colour references. 

Over Xmas I also got a Spitfire, P40 and Cromwell from the Aldi's range of Airfix starter kits. These kits are really nice and I'm looking forward to making them. Panel lining here we come!

Christmas catch-up

 

I had originally intended posting this some weeks ago but real life has meant that I now have an accidental festive edition.

I have been collecting some reading for the mid-winter. Looking forward to getting to grips with these. At first glance Blood and Ruins looks to be outstanding.

I have seen Brazen Chariots discussed elsehwere in blogland. I bought it and read it in one go. For an old book (slightly younger than me) I'm surprised that I hadn't come across it before. Nevertheless, a real eye opener from a command and control point of view. Much of the activity involving buggering about on a compass bearing until you find something to shoot at. Not something you will see reflected in Flames of War.

As foreseen in my last post, I have finally finished the Hs126 and tidied up the Stukas. I have also refurbished my one and only Bf109.

I have really enjoyed painting these and can't wait to start on the Brits next.

Well, it is time for festivities including Norm's very excellent annual Christmas post tomorrow. So, on that note, Happy Christmas one and all!

More Zvezda airforce

 

Room for a run up here!

Shakey Hans!

Multiple projects causing severe confusion about what to do next. So, time to finish off some aircraft. Two Stukas today. Perhaps the HS126 tomorrow.

Then, oh dear, a Blenheim, a Battle, a Tempest MKIV (Revell) and a U2 and a LAGG 3. That might be a plane too far. Let's see.

Blimey, that's really small!

Well, blog posting has been limited this last few weeks due to ongoing WiFi problems which I aim to resolve tomorrow, fingers crossed. In the meantime I have finished a couple of Zvezda kits which have been on the go for a long time. 

First up the Hind (Yellow 5) suitably finished in completely non-descript cammo. This means it can be friendly or otherwise and is intended for my Ground Zero rules somewhere very dusty. It comes in at a respectable 13cms.

Second is the I-16 (White 9). I really enjoyed the challenge of painting this, even though I'm not a good painter. You can measure this one anyway you like but it doesn't much get past 4cms. I was chuffed I could paint the goggles on the pilot! This one will be air support for my Plan B rules Soviets.

I have done some more modelly-painty stuff over Easter and will report results when I have finished (sometime in 2020 at my usual rate).

One new purchase has been the latest Squad Hammer rule set from Nordic Weasel. 

Plenty of stuff in here (in 45 pages) including ski troops, commissars, FT17s and snipers. Available for less than your favourite monthly wargames magazine!

A small detour....

1/72 that is!

With my pocket money the other week I picked up a Zvezda Flak 38 gun and crew.  I bought it because I liked it. I have assembled it and painted it for Normandy as I may do a version of "Song of...Bullets and Bombs" in 1/72.

My painting is very poor but I was pleased with how these came out. Just for the record, I have decided to use Vallejo 830 German Uniform for the er... uniforms. This was after trying Russian Uniform as had been suggested somewhere in the interweb. It looked plain wrong. I have also discovered my favourite Dunkelgelb. I used 914 Green Ochre. It looked great especially with a wash of Gryphone Sepia. A really good base colour for 15mm tanks.

By the way, I got some great feedback from Brian Train on the Ramadi game (see the game page and Brian's own blog). Remember, this is THE Brian Train of "A Distant Plain" fame! I'm very encouraged so I'm now off to Fallujah!

Ambassador, you are spoiling us....

or you must need the box for something!

A slight bit of R&R today with just enough time to catch up with my Zvezda backlog. Well, not all of it but at least the vehicular element.

Spot the new guys.......

Nice new Matilda I and II by Zvezda to join my A&A Miniatures Matilda II. Quite a good match. Arras era heavy tank platoon.

Another A13 for the  cruiser tank platoon. Again, for Arras. A Crusader hiding at the back and pretending to be a cruiser.

A good job I got some Ferrero Rocher for my other half at Xmas. Especially since I have also acquired 2 KV1, 1 KV2 and a new Tiger I. All of these for my Plan B rules.

Tank park nicely installed. 
  

Hey, there's room for more. Quick, pass the credit card!

Personal self-satisfaction announcement 

Well, I don't make many of these so I must be due one about now! This weekend, after a year of on-off staggering around the countryside trying to get fit I have passed a personal milestone. I have successfully run two 5ks, one yesterday and one today. Due to a major bit of uncertainty about plans I did not manage to do the Sport Relief 3 mile run today, although I had assumed I would not be ready for it just yet.

The satisfaction lies in the fact that I am nearing 58, have had a serious back operation and developed diabetes type 2. I'll now celebrate with four pints of Stella and a nice curry. The best thing is that I enjoyed both runs, I had got my pace right, breathing spot on and my brain in the right sort of neutral (which doesn't happen often). I'm therefore very chuffed. Will I give up wargaming and take up sport? Not bloody likely. However, I think the exercise should be just the ticket to keep an old bastard on the road to Moscow for a good few years yet. Hurrah! 

Inspiration

Not that I need any extra....

I seem to have inspiration coming out of my ears lately. Well, that's what I'm saying it is!

Currently on the stocks are some early war British tanks and stuff. These may or may not be entirely related to the KISS My Arras project. My slight hesitation in allocating them to this game is that my original intention was to use 6mm toys, the following are, of course, 15mm!

My painted up Zvezda dingo, bigger than real life

A&A Miniatures Matilda II repainted

Nice new A10 from Zvezda with A&A Miniatures
Crusader cunningly disguised as an A10

I am experiencing some excitement at the prospect of receiving the PSC Great War game shortly. It may even arrive next week. This, plus my recent re-reading of Volley Fire has caused me to take another look at Square Bashing (first edition). Just look at these great photos from the RFCM Yahoo Group....

These were posted by cycleman572004 and show his use of some great orginal Airfix Germans and some Hat French. The inspiration here is that he has used single 1/72 figures in place of 15mm bases. Lots cheaper and allowing a smaller battlefield size. I'll be giving this some more thought. Check out his other photos because they are fantastic.

I'm hoping not to make any more random Zvezda purchases, excluding the U-2 and Blenheim that happened to just pop into my rucksack the other day, so I can get round to sorting out the rest of the Firestorm Neuve Chapelle.

Small and cute!

And nothing to do with Danish actresses!

I've had some R&R today, down the pub with my eldest children watching Sarries beat Saints. Top result and it looks set to be a great final against Bath next weekend.

In the fraction of time I have between rugby and Eurovision (afraid so) I have put together a recent purchase of a Zvezda 1/100 Dingo armoured recce vehicle.

A very cute little model. Almost dwarfed by a 10p piece. Other recent purchases include a Zvezda U-2 and a Blenheim which I might have a go at over the long weekend.

Plan B report from the front!

Nearly there..

I have been quietly getting on with the Plan B project. First on the list has been to paint my available tank forces. These now look like...

• German: 1 Pz II, 2 Pz III, 1 Pz IV, 1 Pz 38t, 1 Sdkfz 231, 2 Sdkfz 222, 1 sIG 33, 1 88, 1 Sdkfz 251, 1 beute Panhard 178, 2 Stuka, 1 Hs 126 and 1 Bf109. 

• Soviet: 3 T34, 1 BT5, 2 T26, 1 BA10, 1 T35, 2 Sturmovik.

Here is my medium tank platoon. Zvezdas apart from the A&A in the middle. All done in black undercoat, Fortress Grey, Codex Grey and finished with bolt metal and Nuln Oil (uuugh).

The recon platoon, all A&As.

The beginnings of my artillery platoon (sIG), Panzergrenadier platoon and light tank platoon. All Zvezda except the sIG.

My Soviet light tank platoon with extra BA10. All Zvezda and done in Bronze Green with dry brushed Green-Brown and Mid-Stone then covered in Earthshade.

On the stocks right now are my two Stukas and the HS 126. Being done together as they will all be in ground attack colours.

Time for a shopping list for the rest. I'm still keen on the Skytrex Command Decision models, although Peter Pigs also look good, if a little more pricey. 

The rules are coming on and I aim to get a draft on the Blog this week. A target to meet does me good. I had quite forgotten how difficult it is to design simple rules where there are armoured and non-armoured troops so this is a bit of a challenge. I have enjoyed re-reading Norm's Tigers at Minsk rules and I hope to emulate them.

Its got to be Plan B......

For Barbarossa that is!

I was so very pleased with myself for getting the Wurttemberg cavalry last week that I failed to realise the consequences of my Zvezda purchases (BA10, T26 and Sdkfz 251B). As I said in my last post, these would be used for an early war variant of Norm Smith's Russian front rules.

I have in fact sat down with Norm's rules, which are great, and pondered how I might use them. The main problem from my perspective is the scenarios are very much 1943 orientated. My toys are very much 1941. What I really need is a set of simple scenarios that I can use to play very short games. "Aha!" I said, how about this nice set of 30 scenarios in Neil Thomas' One-hour Wargames book. Ideal, job done then?

Well not quite. The scenarios are really good, for example, Scenario 5 Bridgehead. Blue forces have discovered a river crossing in Red territory and are seeking to take it before Red can get their defences in place. Sounds like the drive on Leningrad to me, even the Blue/Red forces might be a clue. The scenarios can be stuck together in an order, or randomly to represent the campaign. Easy to play solitaire and perhaps could be played as three separate advances by Army Groups North, Centre and South and could even be interlinked.

Great but what is the problem then? Its the rules. I have decided that I want hexes and also that Neil's rules will not do what I want from a WW2 perspective. I love the small forces, army lists and variable composition but what I really want is to be able to have some shooting and killing, not just grinding down the opponent.

The solution therefore is this:

• I use my new hex mat, six by six with each hex representing 6" square to fit Neil's scenarios.
• One unit per hex, which ties in closely with Neil's unit sizes.
• I want a wider force composition so instead of mortars lets have mortars or artillery, lets have AT Guns or heavy infantry (HMGs) and for tanks, lets have tanks or cavalry.
• The units' composition can be determined randomly as per the C19 rules, so tanks could be light, medium or heavy (KV2 anyone!) or even a reconnaissance troop.
• For order of play lets use a unit draw (six red and six black cards), perhaps with a random events card (Stukas spring to mind).
• Then some purpose built rules, taking some lesson's from Norm's rules.

Soviet light, medium and heavy companies, on the kitchen table with optional cake tin

I have to say that I find this prospect very exciting. My current forces include:

German: 1 Pz II, 2 Pz III, 1 Pz IV, 1 Pz 38t, 1 Sdkfz 231, 2 Sdkfz 222, 1 sIG 33, 1 88, 1 Sdkfz 251, 1 beute Panhard 178, 2 Stuka, 1 Hs 126. 

Soviet: 3 T34, 1 BT5, 2 T26, 1 BA10, 1 T35, 2 Sturmovik.

Zvezda T26s and BT5, a light tank company in my book

I have mixed in suitable Axis and Allies miniatures (mainly from the second version) which look pretty good with the Zvezdas.

What about infantry? I only need four units per side. My first thought was to use some 1/72 plastics, similar to the Art of Tactic approach. Having reflected, I have now decided I want some 15mm chaps. This for me is a major departure. They would be my first ever 15mms and in metal as well. I have enjoyed having a quick look at Essex, P Pig, PSC and Battlefront. My preference is actually for Command Decision 15mm from Skytrex which are well priced and give me exactly what I need. I like the fact that the Soviet riflemen have all got fixed bayonets as was mandatory at the time. I'll stick with Zvezda for the vehicles, just on grounds of price.

So, another little diversion but one which will run alongside my Waterloo and Tanneberg projects, probably until Xmas. Once I have finished painting up my tanks, I'll be getting on with the Waterloo play test.

The cake tin contains a chocolate orange swirl cake which I'm planning to eat very soon!

Spoils of War

Derby Worlds 2014

A short dash up the M1 followed by a lengthy wait in the rain to get in. The Castle Donnington site is nothing like as good as the Derby University Atrium (I have said that before). This time round, with plenty of rain and low clouds, it was darker inside than usual. It may well be my eyesight, which is not good, but I found it very difficult to see what was going on. Being wet didn't help. Needless to say, I didn't stay long. 

I had a few things on my shopping list but perhaps the weather made me less inclined to purchase. I saw but did not buy Chain of Command and Crossfire. Nothing much else took my fancy until I got to the Parabellum stall where I found......

Joy of joys! A bit pricey but given that it is out of production I'm not complaining. Also, I found some useful chaps for a future Waterloo Dutch-Belgian contingent as well as doubling up for an 1812 US army...

Last but not least, some extra troops for my emerging Russian Front armies to play an early war variant of Norm Smith's Tigers at Minsk game.

I have had a poor year for the shows. I usually get to WMMS at Wolverhampton but this year was busy working. I also usually get to Claymore in Edinburgh but by good fortune I was there a week early at the Commonwealth Games. I think Derby will be my last outing this year, there is Birmingham Wargamer in late November but this is over by Stourbridge which is a bit of a hike. Never mind, I have some lovely Wurttemberg cavalry to play with!

Something for the week end sir?

I don't mind if I do!

I hadn't been expecting to spend any money on the way home from work on Friday but I just happened to go into my local Ian Allan shop and found some new Zvezda kits. I left furtively holding two small packages and without a haircut!

My little boxes contained one BKA 1125 armoured gunboat and one T35.

Today's activity has been to construct and paint the gunboat. It comes in two flavours, the 1941 version with a T28 turret in the forward gun position and two MG turrets or the 1943 version with a T34 turret, an MG turret on the conning tower and an 82mm rocket launcher frame. I've gone for the 1943 version.

The kit goes together really nicely, it only has a few parts and doesn't really need glue.

I've kept the painting simple as well, although there is an option to have a three colour camouflage scheme. I really like the base, it gives a great impression of a heavy boat going through a swell on a river.

Some close-ups, possibly too revealing of the paint job!

T35 next!

Zvezda airforce (3)

Its getting bigger.....

Well, I don't know how people with real lives have time to blog. Its not even as if this is proper blogging at the moment, however, I still feel guilty that so much time has passed since the last post.

Anyway, some time has stolen from reality to complete the 109 model and here it is.......

I am really pleased with this and especially the use of Paint to remove the big black Zvezda stands from the photos. I'm learning and that makes me happy. Just a couple of Stukas to attend to now. Then I might have to buy some more. I wonder if Zvezda will turn their hand to the Pacific, I've always fancied doing some Zeros.

More Zvezda airforce

What colours to use for the Luftwaffe?

The next steps in the unplanned airforce expansion are two Stukas and one Bf109, all mysteriously acquired and sitting in the study ready for assembly.

Having spent some time looking at the illustrations on the front of the boxes and rummaging through my library I am pretty much at a loss as to how to paint them. Given that I already have IL-2s, I plan to continue with the Russian Front theme. So, time for some research....

Luftwaffe colours: I found the IPMSS site in Sweden which gives good detail on the colours used. Their website is great: http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_germany.htm.

For the Stukas I plan to use the standard ground attack scheme RLM 71+70/65. This is Dunkelgrun and Schwartzgrun over a Hellblau undersides.

For the 109 I'll use the 1941-44 day fighter scheme RLM 74+75/76. This is Dunkelgrun and Grauviolett over Lichtblau undersides.

That sounds as though I know what I'm talking about but in reality this stuff might as well be in Chinese. I haven't got the remotest idea what these colours actually are.

Colour matching: Luckily, Vallejo have a colour equivalencies chart which means I can match RLM colours to Vallejo Model Colours. The equivalencies chart is really helpful:  http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/es_ES/media/5b001b2cd9766dd8ca5eb1d045ba8c75.cms/vallejo-equivalence-2012.pdf. Also, their colour chart means I can look these colours up and get an idea what they look like http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/model-color/family/15.

Choosing paint: This is more about selecting the best match between the paints I have and the recommended RLM matches. For the Stukas I'll use the following:

RLM 71 Dunkelgrun: The match is 888 (92) Olive grey but I have 887 (93) Brown violet and will use this instead.
RLM 70 Schwartzgrun: This matches to 897 (102) Bronze green which is great because I have this.
RLM 65 Hellblau: This is 906 (64) Pale blue which I don't have. My best bet is GW Ice Blue.

For the day fighter scheme the conversions are:

RLM 74 Dunkelgrun: This is 867 (164) Dark blue grey. I don't have this one either but I have GW Shadow grey which looks similar.
RLM Grauviolett: This is 869 (162) Basalt grey. My nearest is GW Codex grey.
RLM 76 Lichtblau: The Vallejo match is 907 (153) Pale grey blue. My nearest is GW Fortress grey.

Funnily enough I have only three greys in my collection and the quickest way of selecting the colours would just have been to use the three colours to hand. Never mind, I think they will look quite good.

By the way, the numbers in () are the Vallejo position numbers, if you have ever tried to find a colour on their racks you will need this (or new glasses!).

Next time, some finished examples....hopefully.

Zvezda airforce!

Soundly in the arsing about category, yet another project

Now I can't remember why I have two IL-2s in my study. I certainly haven't been planning on building any sort of airforce for anything. However. I have built them and painted them up and I am very pleased with how they have turned out.

As I have a problem with colour blindness I always spend time trying to get a good colour match, even if I'm not always successful. For these planes I used Vallejo 924 Russian Green, GW Desert Yellow and GW Ice Blue. In researching the colours I came across some really interesting existing examples of the IL-2 on the internet. They are certainly big compared to other single seaters and dwarf the fighters that have also snuck into the study. More on these later.