6mm 1980's West Germans

Team Yankee seems to have captured the imagination of the Flames of War players at the club.  While most have built up 15mm forces for Russians and Americans, there has been a lot of interest in 6mm, based on cost, the ability to build larger and more varied forces and a better look to the game on the tabletop.  For me this is perfect, as I already have 6mm forces for US, Russian, British and French.  With the publication of the Team Yankee supplement Leopard, I decided to order enough vehicles from Heroics and Ros to build up a force - I can always add more later if I like them for use with CWC.  Infantry are from Mainforce.

I decided to paint these in olivegelb (yellow olive) rather than the later NATO three colour scheme.  Vallejo yellow olive wasn't grey enough for me, so I used it as a base coat, but dry brushed it mixed with mid-grey and then added a little white for a lighter dry brush.  Tracks are flat brown, tools are beige brown and flat aluminium, crosses are hand painted in black and white.  Vision blocks are azure blue.

So, without further ado, a Leopard 2 Panzer Zug.

A Leopard 2 Panzer Kompanie.  I suspect these could ruin a Russian regimental attack on a good day.

The panzergrenadier zug from the panzer kompanie, transported in three Marders, comprising two sections of infantry, each with Milan firing posts, and the command section.

A Roland air defence battery.

A Gepard air defence battery.

A Jaguar 1 jagdpanzer battery, HOT ATGM armed.

A Jaguar 2 jagdpanzer battery, TOW ATGM armed.

Not really represented in Leopard, a Leopard 1 ARV.

A Leopard 1 zug, from a panzeraufklarungs kompanie.  These are rather more brittle than the Leopard 2s, but cost significantly less point-wise, so you can have a lot more, and they pack a punch.

A LARS raketenwerfer battery, with OP in M113.

A fliegerfaust gruppe, armed with Redeye hand held SAM missiles.  The rules allow one stand for each weapon in a Gepard or Roland air defence battery.  Apparently these troops represent the two spare crews available for each battery to allow 3 8 hour shifts to cover 24 hour air defence.

M109G panzerartillerie battery.

A Luchs spah truppe.

A Fuchs panzeraufklarungs zug, three infantry sections and a Milan firing post, with three Fuchs transports.

So, I now have enough vehicles and infantry to field a panzer kompanie, panzergrenadier kompanie and panzer aufklarungskompanie, plus supports.  I still need to add flights of West German Tornados and Bo-105P PAH helicopters to complete all the functionality of the Leopard forces.  I'm hoping to get some or all on the table top some time in the next few weeks.

As ever, thanks for looking.

6mm 1985 British Mechanised (wheeled) battalion

Getting ready for the big Cold War Commander game (The Battle for Hannover) at Broughton in September, here is a Mechanised (Motor) Infantry battalion, mounted in Saxon apcs.  A and B Cos are left and right foreground, C Co. is rear left, Batt HQ is at the very back centre, with the 81mm mortar platoon in front and the Milan AT Co rear right.

A Co., three infantry platoons with Saxon transport at the front, Co HQ rear centre, Blowpipe MANPAD rear left and MMG support platoon to the right, all mounted in Saxons.  B and C Cos are organised identically.

Mortar platoon, two stands of 81mm mortars in Saxon apc transport.

The Milan AT Co., six sections of Milan, 2 in each Saxon transport.

The battalion HQ with command group, Saxon transport and landrover for extra transport capacity.

 

Just one more significant formation to complete, a TA lorried infantry battalion.  Thenit's on to the engineering support and some additional air defences.  All vehicles are Heroics and Ros, while infantry is from Mainforce (Magister Militum).

 

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!

Cold War Turks

I'm still testing the cammo scheme I want to use for the Cold War Turks.  These are Hummer Stinger carriers (Scotia UM025), these are painted in Vallejo US green with NATO black and orange brown cammo stripes.

A pair of M60A3s with dozer blades, one for each M60A3 battalion in the armoured brigade (Scotia UM046).  These look like serious pieces of hardware.

For infantry I tried an experiment.  I like the Mainforce infantry from Magister Militum, but these are mostly prone.  They are a bit chunkier than H&R or GHQ, but are more compatible with Irregular.  I wanted to model the Turkish infantry in a uniform more reminiscent of older US infantry, so picked up some from the Irregular Vietnam range while I was at Triples on Saturday.  On the right is a stand of US infantry (VN1).  In the middle is a US command stand (VN7) with a generic wheeled 120mm mortar from Scotia (NE008).  On the left is a Mainforce Milan team.  For me these work well together and I'm thinking of using Irregular for the standing figures - mainly regular infantry - and Mainforce for the more specialist stands (air defence, ATGM, etc.).

 

 

Thanks for looking.

More Cold War Turks in 6mm

I had a delivery from Irregular Miniatures last week.  Here are two battalions of USM52 105mm SPGs (Irregular MAF49), which I'm going to use as M44 155mm SPGs to provide arty support for a Turkish armoured brigade.

These are nice models, which come in two variants, one with stowage around the turret sides (on the left) and the other with commander's head and shoulders peering out of the turret hatch (on right).

Same from the rear.

Some Mainforce West German Stingers, which are going to double up as Turkish Redeye SAMS (whoops should have read Blowpipe).

Finally, some Irregular Miniatures recoilless rifles and crew from the Vietnam range (VN5).  These are going to represent 75mm M20 or 106mm M40 weapons for the Turks.  Have to say that as raw metal they don't look too spectacular, but they paint up really well and look fine on the table top.

Waiting now for deliveries from Scotia and H&R with some light French armour to complete the Daguet "Division" - 1st Gulf War, and the remaining vehicles for Turkish armoured, mechanised and infantry brigades in the 80's and 90's.

Thanks for looking.

French 1985 mechanised regiment

Here is the latest progress towards my French armoured division c. 1985.  It's an almost complete mechanised regiment, just lacking the three company 81mm VAB mortar carriers, which I have on order from Scotia.

Here's the full regiment.  At the front two HQs with a FAO on the circular stand.  Behind that are three mechanised companies, each of four AMX-10 stands with three infantry and one Milan dismounts.  Each of these companies should also have an 81mm VAB mortar carrier as well.  At the back on the right is an AMX-30 squadron, with a 120mm mortar support company and a single HMG stand, all mounted in AMX-10s.

 The various command stands.

 One of the mechanised infantry companys.

 The infantry dismounts.

 The 120mm mortar support company.

 The AMX-30 squadron.

Most vehicles are Heroics and Ros, except the command AMX-10s (Scotia) and the AMX-30s which are either Scotia or GHQ.  The figures are all Mainforce from Magister Militem and very nice they are too.

I've pretty much run out of suitable models now, so have placed orders for enough to finish off another mechanised regiment, a VAB infantry regiment and some attached engineer and recce companies.  I still have some Gazelles and Pumas to assemble and paint - I just find assembling the helos really fiddly.

Thanks for looking.

French Armoured Division 1985 - various assets

Continuing the French 1985 theme, I've managed to get some photos of last weeks efforts on the workbench.  First up, two AMX-30 GCT 155mm artillery regiments, each of three batteries.  Huge barrels on the models, I'll have to think about how to store these.  In front are a pair of AMX-10P command apcs, doubling up as FAO stands attached to the HQs of each armoured regiment in the division.

 The two FAO stands in more detail.

 Corps AA SAM battery, three stands of AMX-30 Roland vehicles.

 Two AMX-13 DCA AA stands for close-in air defence.

 An armoured anti-tank company - three AMX-10 with HOT ATGM.  There seems to be a general concensus that these vehicles weren't actually used by the French military and that they preferred the VAB HOT or Milan armed apcs.

 The 120mm mortar company from a mechanised infantry battalion, with their AMX-10P transports.

 One of the 120mm mortar stands in more detail.  These should give the mechanized infantry some useful indirect fire support.

There are still lots of things still waiting their turn for painting in the box, including the two mechanized regiments and a VAB infantry battalion, various recce and engineers, helicopters and fast movers.  I'll need to get some more of the Mainforce infantry stands to complete the various units, perhaps at Vapnartak at the end of the month.

Thanks for looking.