Finally a bit of modelling

Now that I've graduated from Uni(!) and got a new job (!) time for some hobbies! Got a bit of modelling done. I decided to finally have a hack at this very interesting kit that my wife got me in Ukraine years ago. The SB-2, also known as the Tupolev ANT-40, was the most prolific and advanced bomber of the mid to late thirties. It saw service with the loyalist forces in Spain as well as against the Finns in Russian use. During Barbarossa, many were destroyed on the ground and in the air they struggled against the modern German fighters. Shifted East in order to survive they provided the bulk of the medium bomber support in the early Great Patriotic War years. They were however quickly replaced by the more powerful Pe-2. Interestingly, many SB-2 were sold on to the Kuomintang/ Communist forces on China.

This kit was bouncing around my garage for years!

Don't confuse these with the slightly later Ilyushin DB-3 of "Torpedonostsy" fame. (This movie is highly recommended from me!)

I went with the boring yet ubiquitous Soviet dark green paint scheme.

 The kit itself was very tough for someone like me! Brittle plastic, poorly fitted castings, some very small pieces and rubbish decals. Ugh, at least it's over now!

It really makes the red pop!

That said, it will be a nice complement to my 1/72nd scale collection that is slowly growing in my garage workshop!

Some Republic of China Air Force schemes.

I toyed with the idea of doing the KMT markings but couldn't find any on short notice. Now that I've seen how terrible the decals look I may go ahead and replace them at some point. (That picture is from a museum in Wuhan, China and taken on my crummy old phone a couple years ago. lol)

Bolt Action Plastic T-34/85

For my birthday I got a very useful kit for my Soviet Army, (thanks Colin!). The Bolt Action T-34/85 isn't one that would have picked myself but it will be very handy for future BA games where some German player just must have his kittys. (Panthers or Tigers). I've heard there is a T-34/76 turret available on its own somewhere. Anyone?

Everything fit nicely but I got a good tip about bogging the surface.

I did some butchery of the mudguards as it's a lot easier with platic kits vs resin.

Waiting on final detail and tank riders!

Soviet Naval Infantry and SU-76M

Finally got some completed Soviets to show after months of back burner work. I also have some completed pics of the SU-76 I got on Poochs suggestion. Very cool model as I mentioned back a bit. The Naval Infantry models are a mix of all of the Bolt Action ones and a few Black Tree Minis as well I think.

1st and second squads will be joined by a third and costed as tank riders. The partizans are the free conscript squad. I also have a Maxim and a 82mm mortar in the works.

1st Squad

2nd Squad

Partizans

SU-76M

SU-76M crew compartment

Bolt Action Armour WIP

I've been doing some modelling between writing and enjoying the summer. I obtained a couple very useful models for my lists, one you've seen already. The other is Warlord Games' very nice resin SU-76M. It has a quality of resin that I like quite a bit, it's softer and more pliable, perhaps to help remove it from the mold. Most resin kits that I've used in the past are very brittle and require a huge chunk of material to be filed away. As the resins are supposedly very bad for you I am loathe to do it every time. My imagination I'm sure.

Warlord Game's SU-76M. Copper wire mods look great. 

An easy mod that really helps is replacing the corners with wire. I had some laying around from another resin kit, the Verlinden V-100. Which incidentally had a ton of flash to get rid of. Anyway quick work with the pin vise and voila. (For you completeists, the observer's periscope and radio are missing. No big deal for me, I doubt that they all had them.) It does come with two very good crewman, but no head for a driver.

Tamiya and other stowage. The plastic Soviet box is very useful!

 One other bonus of the Verlinden V-100 was the excellent stowage. Very nice tarps. How is that for a line? I also had a bunch of Tamiya stowage from the very handy 1/48 Jerry Can kit. The icing on this cake is probably the weaponry assortment in the Soviet Infantry plastic box. Very useful and fun to help craft your crewmen's gear with. I plan to grab a twig to use for an extraction log on the right side of the assault gun.

Rubicon M5 with random stowage and M1919 MG. Note missing empty case hatch.

The Rubicon model needed a ton of help as far as I was concerned. I am used to better detail with Tamiya and felt the need to compensate. The Tamiya Jerry Can kit helped, as did the leftovers from the V-100. The SU-76M freed up this multi-use M5 to focus on the Pacific. Goaded on by other former Marines I am going for a 1943-44 camo scheme as well as a katana and a ton of stowage. I've also modified a Warlord M1919 to fit along with a TAG infantryman to serve as a veteran TC. (This kind of thing rarely happens in real life...) I may make a tarp over the M1919...

Mostly Tamiya with some random bits from Pooch. Hmmn , needs paint.

Next up is very fun stuff. Camo painting the Stuart to match some photos. Shading the SU-76M to the proper green, or I may camo it up as well! Now I need a Tamiya M4A2 next to convert into one of the very cool looking, specialised USMC tanks from Operation Detachment or Iceberg.

28mm WIP Partisans and others

Just to let you all know that I have got some things done. Or rather that I've started on a few things.

I still need decals for my M10, whereas my Stuart just needs some non-denominational numbering and stowage so it can be Russian or American depending on who shows up.;-) Because I just got an SU-76 I may make the M5 more recognisably Yank. (ie with the M1919 AA MG)

This is my partizan recce team

My Black Tree partizans are looking pretty good and are nearly done now. They will do double duty as well, being part of my Russian WW2 list and the Nemesis RPG I'm running now.

Partizan demolitions team

There are some cool personalities in their sculpts. Some could be from further west.

Partizan overwatch team

Delta Green, thanks Keane!

Generic agents in macintoshes. One hard man with a shotgun. Not sure of manufacturer. I have a few more to go of these as well as some Hasslefree armed civilians to go with them. Skirmish Zombie?

Wizard for Frostgrave

I found this in my pile of very old RPG minis. I think it's an old Reaper mini, but not sure. Welcome to my new Frostgrave army, as yet unnamed, selected or played.;-)

Getting some Game on Board

Trying to get some gaming back aboard.

Actual gaming has not happened yet. But...

Tamiya M10 is a very nice model

The M10 was a complicated pleasure to build with very few boondoggles involved. Even with approximately thirteen pieces of track for each side. The inside of the hull contains plenty of hints for those viewing from the outside, including ammunition stowage, seats, traverse crank and gun details. I love these Tamiya 1/48 kits and only wish that they made, and I could afford, more.

Fully assembled and base coated, blocked and first dry brushing. Ready for decals.

Uh, decals...

Rubicon M5 Stuart comes with an M8 Scott deck and turret

The Rubicon model is more brittle plastic than I’m used to with my favourite Tamiya kits. It also has a bunch of cheats to make it a simpler model to build. However, most of these simplifications leave plenty of detail for war-gaming purposes and on my desk it still looks very good next my other models. I chopped off the mud guards to  make it look more like pictures I have seen of Stuarts during the Pacific campaign. My main list that it will be used for is my WW2 Marines.

Helpfully my mate Jamie pointed out that the Soviets used some Stuarts as well, they was even an amphibious raid involving a dozen of them. We won’t get into the results of this attempt, yikes*, but this historical fact is enough for people like me to run with it.

Yes, really. Do not look at the bow gun...(force suggestion).

The Rubicon model has quite a trick up its sleeve however. A M8 Scott option! Pooch pointed this out about five minutes before I clicked BUY. It is possible to build it to have a swap-outable hull deck and turret. Voila! So now this double duty Stuart just turned into; the heavy support section for an American WW2 Cavalry Recon or Armoured Recon Squadron or Troop, as well as part of a Colonial Cavalry Squadron in French Indochine (Group Mobile 101?)! All three of these options pair with the M8 Greyhound that I have mostly sorted out below, and two of them with the M10 tank destroyer above.

Base coated with Zandri Dust, my latest fave for minis.

*Soviet Naval Infantry, the term should be understood to imply stalwart bravery in the face of certain death and fighting to the last man. In contrast to the eventual victory implied in American Marine narratives. Perhaps because the latter were purposefully raised as infantry whereas the former were pressed into service from their suddenly less important shipboard roles. Please note my American conceit may be coming into play here.

[Sangin] Radio Dishdash Taliban minis

My aggressor forces have been sadly lacking for some time. I recently however got these three 'leftovers' from Pooch. These are by Radio Dishdash and are very cool sculpts by Ebob, the same sculpter who has done their excellent modern ANZACs. Like those minis his experience really shows with excellent scale and proportion. Perhaps more important is the sense of action in the poses, even the walking sculpts have a very good animated look to them.
The details are great as well, with appropriate clothing, weaponry, and accessories.;-)
The costumes are the usual mix of shalwar kameez, woolen vests, sandals, turbans, beards and light weaponry!

With an armored tactical vest underneath his woolen vest.

He is usually going to be the boss. Need to finish the base as well.

The PKM is always around as well.

I have repainted this turban, don't worry folks! Got it, basing required...

This is what I am talking about. Action shot!

He will be a tactical leader type, just look at that pose! Great sculpt!
They have ten different models so far and I will be getting more.

First batch is done, working on the second.

Note black boots and lighter mattock handle were both corrected.

[Fallout Skirmish] 'The Reavers are Here for Their Pound of Flesh.'

I have always loved this genre. I guess growing up in the cold war this was our pressure release. "We're all gonna die! But the survivors will be really screwed. Cool."

Then there was "A Boy and His Dog", "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior". Digging deeper will get "The Omega Man", "Damnation Alley", "Soylent Green" and the Planet of the Apes series. It was thick as thieves and overlapped into reality, with real life survivalists as well.

Of course we ran tons of games, mostly RPG's, in this genre. The Morrow Project and Aftermath were both good. Often we went back to Traveller for the rules set and made up whatever we wanted to happen. Car Wars eventually provided vehicle vs. vehicle rules.

When Jason, Jamie and Andy mentioned this ages ago, I was like *lightbulb!* and began scrounging for raw material.

We're a happy family. We're a happy family. We're a happy family.

My idea was to have a gang of seriously depraved lunatics, the bad guys to foil the assorted solutions that the Brotherhood of Steel and the New Californians had come up with. Less control, more violence, more sex and more drugs. Equals win basically! Unless of course you mean tactically winning on the board, I mean't having more fun in your short, short life! They take more drugs than a touring funk band!

The Engineer and the Boss, one reeks of petrochemicals the other of too much perfume and petrochemicals.

'Siiid! What about the goodbye drugs!"

 Bad Music for Bad People. These represent a rotating cast of drug addicted manics ala Manson or Frank Booth. Re-purposed Shadowrun minis that I've had for over a decade.

'Loser' wants revenge for calling him a cannibal in high school.

 Nerdist, with Loser logo on shoulder and an autocannon!

'Vlad' has a ridiculous fake accent and a sword!

 'Vlad' the Impaler with a chain pistol and a sabre!

'Big Black' will frickin kill you. And you and you.

 The King, aka Big Black Soulstealer...

These maniacs should not have a weapon like this! Think  'killbot', 'Killy Killbot' in fact.

 I really like the idea of this gang having this hanging around, semi-sentient uncontrollable as yet.
They have no idea what it is or how dangerous it is. Neither do I, It isn't paid for in points yet so doesn't exist!

Nice old fashioned hovercraft. Somebody has access to petrochems! And a 'Ma Duece'.

 I love these old model hovercraft but I wish I had some Mad Max cars...sniff.

[Yes, I am all over Mad Max Fury Road like a bad rash. Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron et al, bring it!]

First Day of Gaming in 2015!

So during the break I've done a bit of modelling as well as painting on some old projects indeed.
First up is my long forgotten Autosaharianas. Nearly done!

These are coming along. Nearly ready Andy!

 Then my forgotten Fallout army. Need to paint my jump troops and finish basing the rest of my Reavers. They need to score really bad, it's been ages.

Fallout! What's Fallout?

 On the first Jamie came over for a bash at Infinity. (I had played it once before with Martin and company last year, or longer ago.) I had just read over the new 3rd Edition rules. Free at Corvus Belli btw.

Eye of Sauron beer cap is my Fiday (Ninja). Ghulam and Djanbazan Sniper cover the right flank.

Jamie's Akalis combat jumped into my deployment zone!

Wrought havoc on my Janisarie as well as a Ghulam, (my Lieutenant!) and hid!

Had a very fun game. Jason showed up to rules advise and provide terrain (and beer!) we had a great chat in between me fumbling around the rules. I got some good kills in revenge for my troops but Jamie rolled over me with four versus two objectives. He got some pics so hopefully he'll post up a better report. I'm studying!

Last One Out of the Valley...

Finally got a game in to try out my new tabletop.

First, the photo shoot.

Verlinden M1117*, Maisto Ford Ranger, Tamiya GMV*, Airfix Jackal

mumble, mumble unpainted... and a Tumbler!

Poochie I'm still waiting on stats...

This shoot was conceived as a scale comparison.

Now with Dish Dash's excellent ANZACs, verdict? All vehicles gameable. 

First game, Kiwis and ANA leaving a valley. IED threat.

Trying to get to the river through this choke point at dusk is hair-raising

IED detonates, then all hell breaks loose...

 I actually missed the Ranger with the IED and both Taliban fireteams with RPG's! Well, that is I hit but only degraded it's 'main gun' and forced bail checks which they passed three times!

Some ANA soldiers are hit, but the Taliban are getting caned.

 Got a serious and two light wounds on the ANA fireteam. They walk it off however...

The Ranger, driven by two Kiwi soldiers, runs the gauntlet!

Why am I using my FoW dice, they never work.

Second time around I play the ISAF, Kiwis and ANA. ANA stop and debuss.

Kiwis debuss and head straight for the compound on the right. Jackpot!

After dropping a few, brick A assaults and clears. Terry does a runner!

Brick B ready to clear the next ridge.

Very fun as usual Mr Simon. Table worked well with plenty of cover and open space, and it looked decent. Would love to hear from you guys during my break!
Huzzah!