Centis.

Very little done wargames wise these last few days, Well nothing I can talk about anyway.

So instead of posting nothing I have managed to paint up 3 Centurion tanks in 1/300th scale (or 6mm if you prefer).

These will be going to my Aram Israeli wars collection for cold war commander. In the rules no matter how big your army you can only have a MAXIMUM of 3 of these tanks. So no point in painting many more. I suppose I could paint another 3 as Jordanian Centurions! And that would be just to scare the Israeli player!

In the game it has a range of 100cm and a firepower of 5d6 which for the time period is pretty impressive. More so a it has 6 hits. I knew it was an impressive tank for the time after all in the Korean war not a single one was  knocked out despite one vehicle being hit (mostly by RPGs) over 90 times.

So in the rules I do Like the fact that a maximum of 3 are allowed in any one game. Which considering 3 Centurions would be nearly half your points in a 1000 point game! But we all know players who would want more "super tanks" in a combined arms game than anything else including infantry, artillery, command, recconisence, air support  or everything else put together. Which does not in anyway lead to a balanced game. And that is just because they want to win. Even if you played a 5 or 10 thousand point game you would still only be allowed 3 in the game MAX.

That's my very small post today as I have sickness in the family and my painting/hobby focus is elsewhere.

All the best Clint

Russian Cold War Platoon (The Zone) finished.

As I did actually finish these last week I though it about time to share them. All the previous comments about nice sculpts but poorly cast with lots of moulding lines still hold true and NO there is no Platoon Sniper and still too many LMGs, but enough phaffing around they are done and I can start the US/British/west German/ Canadian troops.

You can see in the first picture the platoon leader on the left then the platoon medic (Armband) and finally another (Spare) RPG heavy weapon specialist. All in all it was cheaper to buy them this way than to buy separate packs so no regrets.

 The last Picture is them all together, the force composition is a BMP Mechanised Platoon due to the number of LMGs  BUT I can make it a BTR platoon with little difficulty. Just a single pack of QRF miniatures will solve the issue and allow me to get a man portable anti aircraft missile at the same time.

The next thing is to get the US forces done and then start playing. What a shame I am getting sidetracked at the moment, following the Broadside show.

Thanks for looking, all the best and see yu soon.

Cheers Clint

The Zone Russians (Part 2)

Well not the largest amount painted, but here are the second squad of my Russian cold war Platoon. a few posts ago I was able to show the first squad, and this is the second squad. Similar issues with the figures and similar weapons as well. There is a slight difference in the weapons though as I am painting what was purchased in a single pack of Battle Front Team Yankee Russian Rifle platoon.

Because Team Yankee is based around BMP platoons and not BTR platoons there is 2 PKM in this squad and most likely the next as well.  So I may have to buy BMP -1 or BMP -2's as opposed to BTRs. This may not be a big issue at all as I have yet to settle on the transport that I would choose to start with. You Know me I will eventually get everything! (Well not everything but sufficient Variety to represent different vehicles in different regiments. I do know what I am intending for the opposing forces so I must try and get the forces to balance.

Anyway another picture of the Russian Uniforms that I have tried to replicate and like the first squad  I am happy with the outcome.

I am now cleaning up the third squad and will begin painting that soon. So expect the third squad and platoon command next week. I will try to get some 28mm VBCW figures done as well, IF I can tear myself away from "Minecraft!"

All the best Cheers Clint

Enough talk, time to start. (Zone Russians part 1)

 Yes Finally started. Here are my first squad for the Russian in "The Zone" . I knew I would need Russians so while I was figuring out the rest of my forces I thought I should start. The figures are Battlefront Tam Yankee figures. They are not absolutely ideal, but they are as good a figure as I can currently get for the price/effort, without either commissioning my own greens, converting or perhaps easier importing from abroad from a variety of sources. So for convienience It has to be Battlefront which are availiable from my local wargames shop (4 miles away).

Casting wise they are Ok but not brilliant as there was a lot of cleaning up to do in regard to mould lines where the moulds had slipped and also spare waste metal Left from the air vents. Also as they come from New Zealand they are not so very cheap as they have to be shipped half way around the world. Complaints aside they are the best I can get though and the sculpts are nice.

In a Russian squad (according to Osprey Publishing "Force on Force" rule book) there are 6 men armed as follows.

• Squad leader (AK74)
• Assistant Squad leader (AK74)
• Gunner (RPK-74)
• Grenadier (RPG)
• Assistant Grenadier (AK74)
• Rifleman (AK74)

 For a BMP 1  squad change the squad composition to 2 gunners with RPK-74s and loose the Rifleman with AK47) . So not a huge difference in squad composition. And one I hope to adjust in different games.
3 Squads to a platoon so there will be more of these. Colours taken from the same Osprey Publishing book mentioned above and the picture on the right has been my main guide.

Each transport vehicle has 3 crew (Commander, Driver and Gunner) all of whom stay with the vehicle and do NOT dismount in combat situations. I have not as yet finalised my transport choice they may be in BMP1s (A TRACKED APC with a 73mm gun and antitank missile), BTR 70's or BTR 80s (An 8 wheeled APC with a 14.5mm Heavy machine gun)  or perhaps something less ordinary like a MT LB ( Also tracked and also armed with a 14.5mm HMG, ).  The joy of the Russians is that the infantry could be transported and any of those 3 vehicles and I am sure once I am fully up and running with the project I am equally sure I will get them all so I can field a greater variety of units, although the basic foot figures will stay the same but with different squad load-outs to suit the different regiments!

I suspect I will be starting with either BMP-1s or BTR 70's though. But most importantly I am now off the mark and started.

Just on the VERY last parts of the Morris Dancers but the dark clouds are thickening the sky and I will finish them tomorrow. Oh yes I will. But Rather than let today pass without a blog trace. I thought to let you in on my current project, which I am only just starting 3 years after I said I would (Ok It might be 4 years!)

At present I am in a bit of a pickle on how to start. If you have not read the books it is set in a fictional Cold War with the heat turn up to full. Yes Chemical, Biological AND Nuclear warfare has broken out in Europe (All pretty bleak but not a bad wargames setting.) There are some "New" equipment like the hovercraft shown on the novel but generally it is all in a 1980's vintage.

So I know one side will be the Soviets (and Allies) so I will start by painting a platoon of them. I only want a platoon size table wargame as that is the size that I prefer to play in most game settings.  3 Squads and a bit of support that should do me.

So in preparation of my toy soldiers arriving I RE-painted a couple of vehicles from my AK47 army, namely 2 Landrovers. The figures are 15mm QRF models and now painted to represent BAOR (British Army On/Of the Rhine). These will MOST likely not be part of any finished force so do not get excited and suggest they will be easy kills for the odd wandering T72. They were only painted to get me in the MOOD! Nothing more.

But they have gotten me in the mood for some Modern wargames. At the Club tomorrow I hope to chat with a couple of like minds and first determine should I use BTR 60's or BMP 1s or even MT-LBs for my main soviet APC. AND what force shall I use to oppose them. Could be British, Canadian, American, West German, Dutch it could even be French! As yet no firm ideas. But It will happen and happen soon I think!

There is very little in my AK Army that I can re use so I may be starting with a blank canvas.

Thanks for dropping by and I should have another post on Monday, probably an AAR of VBCW that has previously been mentioned.

All the best Clint

Compulsory troops

Despite the requests for zombies, I have none finished to a stage where I am happy to share them. It's like I am having to learn how to paint all over again. So excuses aside I have started to re-paint and base my 1/300th scale cold war figures. I have no soviet infantry so you'll have to look forward to them another time (which means when I buy some).

In the mean time I thought I would start painting and see where that gets me. Starting with a Soviet Airborne Desant Battalion circa 1986. According to the Bruce Rea Taylor & David Shepherd "Digest No:4" the compulsory troops for this force are:

• 1x Bmd 2-Ksh (To act as Battlegroup Head quarters)
• 2x UAZ469 each with a half section (acting as HQ security)
• 1x Brmd 2 u (Acting as an artillery observation post).

You have the BMD (back left) the Brmd (front left) and the two Uaz 469s on the right. You can find lots of videos online should you want to know what they are like in full size and real life but these will do to represent my Headquarters for my Desant - Russian airborne force. I have studied Russian camouflage and am pretty sure the colours are close if not exactly the same as seen in the picture below. Maybe I should use a little more "tan" Paint so I will try to in by next batch. They are based on 2mm MDF bases with the rear edge painted white to identify them as part of the command section.

Thanks for looking today, I will be continuing with more of these today as well as the zombies so with a game report on Monday I predict zombies by Wednesday with a chance of gore and blood splatters.

Have a GOOD weekend folks and hope to see you soon. All the best Clint.