6mm Shakleton updated

Having updated my 1980's Lynx and Gazelle helicopters with Hurlbat rotors, I've ordered enough to update my US Marine helicopters.  I also ordered some of the 1cm diameter tail rotors as I thought they would be useful as propellers for piston engine aircraft.  So, I upgraded the Shakleton model that I did for Crisis Point Arctic Strike back in 2013.

As with the helicopter, I think the addition of propeller discs seems to make the aircraft come alive.

The Shakleton makes a high flypast over the lines during last week's first outing for my 1985 British battlegroup.

Thanks for looking.

15mm Soviet Motor Rifle Co dismounts

I've finished the infantry for my BMP Motor Rifle Company.  Each platoon comprises three 6-man sections armed with AK-47s and an RPG, plus a 2-man command element, allowing the entire platoon to be transported in 3 BMPs.

The entire company, three platoons, each of 3 6-man sections plus a 2-man platoon HQ, plus a company HQ of 5 men.

Attached from the battalion AT platoon are two teams of AT-4 ATGMs (These from QRF).

Three AT-3 (Sagger) ATGM teams (again QRF figures).

A pair of 75mm recoilless rifles, used as SPG-9s, with 2-man crews.

A larger 105mm recoilless rifle (B11 or equivalent), with 3-man crew.

A pair of medium 82mm mortars with 3-man crews.

A 120mm mortar (actually from the WW2 range) with 4-man crew.

Extra figures forming 2 5-man scout teams or dismounted crew figures from the BMPs.

 

Nice figures from Peter Pig's AK-47 range.  These are all helmeted regulars (except the ATGMs and crews from Quick Reaction Force).  The medium and heavy mortars and small and large calibre recoilless rifles are generic heavy weapons from the AK-47 range.

 

 

These figures will serve as Soviet infantry from the 60's through to the 90's. They will also see service as Arab troops in the Middle East (Syrians, Egyptians, etc.) and even Cuban advisors in Africa or Latin America.  Together with my mercenaries (Regulars in berets) and US Marines, they allow me to play a variety of periods and settings.  I'm trying to resist adding the "hardened militia" and militia figures, but can feel my resistance waning.  I've also got some modern French Foreign Legion troops to finish and that's before I succumb to Peter Pigs Vietnam US and NVA/VC range.

 

I'll post some pictures of the BMPs, together with armour support shortly.

 

Thanks for looking.

Lunchtime surprise

Well, I was surprised this Tuesday lunchtime just gone.  Was at CJs butty van in Deeside (the one in Flintshire rather than Aberdeenshire) when I looked up and saw this parked up.  The passenger got out and ordered some food.  He even smiled pleasantly when I pointed in a random direction and suggested "Afghanistan was that way"!  I couldn't decide if it was a WMIK or a Defender that had been cut down to look the part.

Thanks for looking.

Another AK-47 battle in Tonkistan

These are some pictures that I grabbed early on in last weeks big club game of AK-47.  The legitimate government of Tonkistan, mainly represented by Aiden's hodge podge of infantry and scratch built vehicles, bolstered by US aid in the form of my US Marines, Ian's US army and Phil's Israeli infantry and armour took on the communist backed insurgents of Pete's dictator army, Mark's ?Jordanians and Ben's ?Syrians.

Here my US Marines M60s cautiously advance to gain good firing positions in the fields on the right of the picture.

Israeli infantry occupy the town, while their heavy armour take up good firing positions in the side streets.

A convoy of ?Syrian technicals advance somewhat incautiously.

Pete's superbly painted Peterpig dictatorship army - had to get some pictures of these as they were fantastic.  Here a unit of Buffels, loaded with militia, with an AML-90 on point advance on my marines.

A unit of Pete's T-55s supported by a bewildered group of militia (bewildered as they wondered where the tanks were heading off to in such a hurry).

A units of Mark's infantry starting to become entangled with Pete's milita as they both make for the wheat field in front.

The game went well for me.  My tanks used the cover of the cultivated fields to good effect, shrugging off various tank and A/C shots and eventually knocking out both T-55s and keeping other units at a healthy distance.  The USMC infantry flank marched, taking Pete's Buffels in flank and breaking them before digging in against a couple of units of militia advancing on foot.  In the centre, the Israelis lost a lot of their armour to artillery, air strikes and other unpleasantness, while on the far left, my US Army buddy managed to let his M60s stray too close to militia in cover and were RPG'd out of the fight.

Still a bit slow, but we are picking up speed as we get more familiar with the rules and Pete and I enjoyed our own little private struggle on our edge of the table.

Thanks for looking,

6mm 1985 British miscellaneous supports

These are stands I've completed, but are not yet part of complete units.

First up, two FAO stands, each an FV432 and an FV432 with Cymbeline mortar location radar, plus a couple of individual prone infantryment and one of the tripod rangefinder deelies from the Rapier Heroics and Ros kit.

A pair of FV432 engineers vehicles, equipped with Ranger automated minelayer systems and a bar mine plough.

Three batteries of 105mm light howitzers.  These will be available to support the TA battalion that I am preparing.

Three batteries of FH70 155mm artillery.  These will be available to support the regular infantry battalion in Saxon apcs that I'm preparing.

Three batteries of Tracked Rapier air defence vehicles.

So, quite a bit done, but still a battalion of infantry in Saxons and a lorried TA battalion, plus some additional supports and some aircraft.

Thanks for looking.

6mm 1985 British Recce Regiment

Here we have a complete Corps Recce Regiment for a 1985 unit based in Germany for the upcoming Cold War Commanders game at Broughton in September.  the Regiment comprises three squadrons, each with a HQ, 4 Scorpion FV101 recce vehicles, plus a FV103 Spartan APC with scout infantry dismount and an FV102 Striker with Swingfire ATGM.  A squadron is at the front, with B and C squadrons behind and the HQ squadron at the back.

A squadron (B is identical), Scorpions at the front, Striker, Scouts and Spartan behind and HQ in Scorpion at the back.

C squadron is organised like A and B squadrons, but for variety I've put the HQ in a Ferret scout car.

HQ squadron, with an FV106 Samson LAD on the left, an FV105 Sultan command vehicle as Regimental HQ in the middle and an FV103 Spartan with dismounted Blowpipe or Javelin man-portable SAM on the right.

I suspect these might not perform too well against massed Soviet armour, but I suspect they could be pretty unpleasant for smaller units of armour or APCs, especially if terrain allows hit and run tactics.  One interesting tactic that Striker allows is to dismount the fire control system, which allows the vehicle to fire ATGM from concealing terrain.  This function isn't catered for in CWC, so might need a house rule.  This would help survivability enormously!!  They will be used as recce support within the rules system.

All vehicles are Heroics and Ros, infantry is Mainforce.  Paints are all Vallejo, except Tamiya British NATO green and Wilko Nutmeg emulsion pint for the bases.

Thanks for looking!

15mm Israeli infantry

To wrap up Phil's AK47 Republic force, he asked me to paint up some Israeli infantry from Peter Pig.  I painted them up as I did my Israelis for Force on Force (http://sedimentswargameblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/15mm-israeli-infantry-company.html), but they are based 4 figures to an infantry base (8 bases) and 2 figures to an RPG base (4 bases), plus two three figure command bases.  This style of basing will work well for AK47 Republic and also for the FoW Arab-Israeli war rules.

The whole group, four groups of three bases as used in AK47, plus command.

One of the command stands plus a three stand group (2 infantry and 1 RPG).

Another group plus command.

Detail of some of the infantry figures.  These are from the AK47 moderns range from Peter Pig and are superbly detailed figures which paint up really well.  There is a lot of deeply etched detail which really responds well to ink washing techniques.

Not sure if I like the basing.  The stands are painted using a Wilko sand house emulsion paint, with random splodges of Vallejo desert basing medium and some Gale Force 9 arid static grass.  I have to say that I hate this particular type of static grass with a passion - it is always clumpy and clogs up my applicator dreadfully.  Compared to the meadow green static grass that I use from Kallistra, which is a joy to use, it is horrible. Moan over!

Thanks for looking.