Chocs Away, Chaps

Made an Airspeed Horsa Mk 1 troop-landing glider for my airborne to land in. It's an Airfix 1/72 kit. I hadn't reaised what a huge aircraft this was. I had a mental image of something much smaller. I knew they could land quite heavy equipment, such as 17pdr anti-tank guns, but I hadn't followed through on my thinking.

I got my airbrush out for the first time in years and had to remind myself what all the bits did. I hummed and hawed about fitting Normandy stripes but decided in the end to leave it as a more generic paint finish. I can always spray some on later.

War & Peace: The Waffen SS

Well, it wouldn't be a re-enactment show without the jolly chaps of the Waffen SS turning up for their annual defeat in the arena. Mind you, the closest they got to Kent in reality was in the POW ships. A nice Panther and note that the canny stormtroopers have got an AA cannon set up to chase off the dreaded Typhoons.

Some of the Waffen SS were a trifle 'portly'. I am not sure which unit is represented but it is clearly not the Hitler Youth.

Sig 33?

Okay, so its the Panzer Lehr.

The Kubelwagon.

They do seem obsessed with air defence.

OK, the least said about Villers Bocage the better. Not the British Armies finest hour.

London Welcomes The World

Even Mitt Romney; :)

Pictures from Mailonline (Daily Mail) and subject to copyright

War & Peace: Falkland's war

The Scimitar light tank, used for reconnaissance and colonial warfare. This was the first all-aluminium AFV in the world and you occasionally see them belting down the M3. Armed with a 30mm cannon firing from clips. This one is named Anzio, which immediately attracted my attention, given my family history.

The little boy is playing with a 'jimpy', GPMG. If you look closely it is based on an MG42. All modern general purpose MGs are based on an MG42. It is shown here in 'heavy MG' mode. It is also used on a bipod or sling as an LMG.

The rapier AA missile system. Very effective but can be temperamental when transported to the South Atlantic and used by Mr Average soldier. It was discovered that it can track stealth fighters using infra-red.

Light howitzer. Another effective colonial warfare weapon.

Gazelle light reconnaissance helicopter. Horribly vulnerable, especially when your own side shoot at it. Not suitable for the modern battlefield.

Fings Wot I Like: Textured Paint

I have just discovered textured spray paints by Rust-Oleum. This one is called Desert-Bisque, but there is quite a range. I tried it on some D-Day plastic beach defences. It creates instant beach/ desert/ rough concrete in two light coats.

Amazing! So darn easy. A lick o' paint and I will have two great beach defences.

War & Peace - Models

A Roman standard bearer won the gold medal for 'best in show'.

Guard Duty

Simples.

"Will you stop goddam moaning."

Mosquitos and Beaufighters.

War & Peace - Chieftan

   This is probably about as close as I ever want to get to  a moving Chieftan Main Battle Tank.

   War & Peace is one of the biggest military shows in the world. It is held at The Hop Farm in Kent and features a parade ring for mobile displays.

   My fellow Blogger, Zzzzzz, once owned a company of these - at least he signed for them.

   Below is a 'pig', a wheeled APC last used in Northern Ireland.

March of the Land Rovers

Crack Up - British Army Detachments

   In Crackup the regular British Army is quality level 'elite' so has Eight Tactical Units in each detachment. I have now finished two detachments. The first, led by a captain, has two Challenger MBTs, Two Warrior IFVs with 30mm chain cannon, and four dismounts: commander/rifleteam, rifle team, two rocket launcher teams.

   The second detachment has four Challengers (they are actually Ixo diecast Challenger Is that I could not resist buying at £2.99 each from Model Zone), two rifle teams (one of which is the command team led by a lieutenant) and two rocket launcher teams.

   One more detachment based around attack helicopters and the army is finished. Elite armies don't have many troops.

Battlegroup Kursk

   I heard a whisper a little while ago that Warwick Kinrade, who designed Kampfgruppe Normandy, was working on a Kursk game. I am delighted to say that it is true and that Kursk is available for preorder from The Plastic Soldier Company.

   You may recall that I reviewed KGN  a wee while ago and was very impressed. Kinrade was one of the designers shafted by the Evil Empire, who will neither sell his game nor release it back to him.

   There is another rumour doing the rounds that it uses D8s rather than D6s - Oh no, Warwick Kinrade, no.

Test of the Battle Medway Scenario

   The Battle of the Medway is one of the two great set battles in the Britannia source book, the other being The Battle of Watling Street. Actually the Medway Battle also took place on Watling Street showing the importance of this ancient road. I live on Batling Street so I suppose I could be said to be biased. :)

  The pic shows the starting positions.

P: main Roman Force unde Plautius
V: left flank Roman pincer under Vespasian
B: right pincer of Batavian Auxilliaries

T: Warbands led by Togodumnos
C: British cavalry led by Caractacus

   The scenario worked perfectly. I played the Romans and narrowly lost after Shaun rolled the dice of his life. No really. I know we all blame the dice but, honestly....

Urban Fighters

Urban insurgents by Caesar Miniatures in 20 ml polythelyne.

Incidentally, if anyone knows of a good supplier of modern 20ml urban guerillas please let me know.

New Olympic Events for London 2012

The opening ceremony.

Warship tugging. Who can be first to pull a warship up the Thames and launch a mass helicopter commando raid on Harrods.

Rapier missile firing on Blackheath.

Pot the public. The new marksmanship event from a hovering helicopter using a heavy calibre sniper's rifle.

Other events include: car crushing by main battle tank, bomb disposal, gas attack, grenade throwing and all-in bayonet dueling.

The event will close with RAF Tornados saturation bombing Hyde Park.

Pip, Pip

(pictures taken from the Telegraph)

Crackup!

British Troops, Mercians, in Helmand.

   The background to Crackup, the modern war rules I am designing with John Treadaway are starting to come together. The rules will be usable for any modern war scenario but it is helpful to have a timeline into the near future to give Crackup its own flavour.

   Please feel free to add your own suggestions below.

  

Timeline – early 21st Century

2000: The Real IRA, a regrouped Catholic terror organisations initiates new wave of bombings in London.

2001: Dot Com financial bubble collapse

2001: Western-trained Islamic radicals from al-Qaeda, a Saudi Arabian-backed terrorist organisation, attack New York and other targets in the USA causing multiple deaths.

2002: Nato invades Afghanistan and drives al-Qaeda into Pakistan.

2003: Afghan Tailban start major counterinsurgency in Afghanistan operating from safe refuges in Pakistan protected by Pakistan’s ISI.

2003: Anglic forces led by the USA invade Iraq.

2005: Islamic terrorists bomb London.

2007: American property bubble collapse followed by London and New York banking crisis.

2008: Intensification of American drone attacks in Pakistan.

2011: American troops leave Iraq.

2014: American troops leave Afghanistan.

2015: Franco-German Brigade (Brigade Franco-Allemande, Deutsch-Französische Brigade) sent into Greece to keep order by Eurocorps.

2015: American troops sent into Mexico to assist Mexican army against the drug gangs.

2016: Taliban re-occupy Afghanistan.

2016: Scotland votes for independence causing the breakup of the United Kingdom.

2017: Iran and Shia government in Iraq sign mutual defence pact.

2017: England & Wales vote to leave the European Union.

2017: Georgia invades Caucuses to secure oil; war spreads to include Ukraine and Russian Federation.

2018: Turkey invades northern Iraq to suppress Kurdish terrorism.

2018: China sends troops into various African countries to protect their mining interests.

2019: Taliban take power in Pakistan and Chechnya before collapsing into clan warfare.

2019: France deploys troops in Kent to secure Channel Tunnel initiating mechanised warfare across Kent, Sussex and Essex.

2019: Scots attack Northern England and Ireland invades Free Ulster causing general fighting across the British Isles.

2020: War declared between Turkey backed by Sunni oil states and Iran-Iraq alliance.

2020: Pakistani Taliban invade Kashmir and explode nuclear weapon in Mumbai.

2021: World first Nuclear War destroys Pakistan and many Indian cities destroying central governments on the sub-continent.

2021: Iran closes the Straits of Hormuz precipitating oil and economic crisis. American carrier is sunk attempting to force the Strait.

2022: Chinese economic bubble collapses precipitating civil wars between Communist Party controlled coast and various Marxist and Nationalist warlords in the interior, including nuclear weapon strikes.

2023: Lega Nord declares UDI from Italy and European Union for Padania.

2023: Violent storms flood New York and American East Coast

2023: Wessex New Model Army clashes with British army in Surrey; Reigate destroyed in the fighting with heavy civilian casualties.

2024: Overstretched Eurocorps battles independence movements in British Isles, Belgium, Northern Germany, Southern France and the Balkans, which are often backed by National armies.

2024: General Glutenburger wins US Presidential election for Republican Party campaigning on a platform of moral purification of America and declares storms to be a judgement from God and not Global Warming.

2025: New Model Army concept spreads across world with mixed results but always chaos follows in their wake.

2026: Mexican war spills over into southern US states as drug cartel mercenary units declare war on the USA.

2027: Glutenburger cancels upcoming election, bans political parties, mounts a nuclear strike on Mexico City, and declares America one nation under God.

2028: Glutenburger assassinated by Mexican Mictecacihuatl (Lady of Death) Drug Cartel.

2029: Northern US cities rebel with military support from Canada; Quebec succeeds.

2029: Russian and North American crop failures due to freak weather conditions: mass starvation.

2030: National and civil wars break into smaller and smaller ethnic conflicts across the globe; New Model armies collapse into mercenary militias as electronic communications degrade away.