Category Archives: Aircraft & Vehicles

Speaking of Vortexes – Pt 3, or Vortex Subsiding

Aircraft & Vehicles, Miniatures, World War II

The photos at the end of the post sum up my latest gaming efforts.  Finished the initial batch of tanks, and getting deeper and deeper into Advanced Squad Leader (ASL).

Managed to find a helpful article for painting the late war Pz IV and Pz V.  Also picked up a tip here on gloss coating the painted tanks, and then applying a black wash to bring out the camouflaged model’s highlights.

The early war Pz IVs were a piece of cake, with most of the effort involved in dry brushing mud and dirt.  I’m looking forward to this low effort painting for the early-war German and Russian tanks that are on the way.  I really like the Zvezda tanks.  They have some detail and are easy to assemble.  The plastic Flames of War/TANKS are great, but a little more fiddly then initially reported.

Not content to simply play the damn game, I downloaded a bunch of David Graffam’s  paper buildings over at WargameVault.  At a buck each, it’s money well spent, and there’s a free guide to help with assembly.  Never worked with this medium before, so another learning curve.

Speaking of learning curves, the TANKS page over at Boardgamegeek has a tank card template file for download.  Works with the “GIMP” graphics program, which always get me thinking about Pulp Fiction.  Haven’t got that up and working just yet….kinda afraid.

The best part is that the whole project has calmed down and I can start enjoying it rather than spinning around.

 

Speaking of Vortexes – Pt 2, or Dancing on the Head of a Pin

Aircraft & Vehicles, World War II

So much for the master plan cited in my last post.

Had some extra cash, found the Zvezda models cheap, with low shipping, at The War Store.  Couldn’t resist.

Continued my research on how to paint the tanks, and ran into this and this.  With the cheap tank savings, I paid a premium to get the “right” paints.

More research on painting led me to not only the FOW website, but also Warlord Games.  The Warlord site was really helpful with articles on painting the Sherman, and German tanks.

Started painting the Shermans.  There is literally no difference in the colors so hotly debated in my research.  Jeez, what am I trying to do?  All of this shading, washing, dry brushing etc?  Does it really matter?  Nice coat of olive drab, light dry brush, paint the tools, get some dirt on the damn thing and DONE.  Are the “right” paints really going to make a difference?

The right and left sides of my brain are screaming at each other.

Speaking of Vortexes….

Aircraft & Vehicles, Miniatures, World War II

Last post I described the descent into ASL.  Not content to stop there, am in a controlled free-fall into another gaming vortex.

Just like the aircraft fetish described earlier, I have developed one about armor skirmish games using interwar/early WW2 tanks. This has been about 6-12 months in the making.  First thought about ASL, but that was too complicated.  The Infernal Machines module for Landships has interwar armor, but it is also a complicated board game.  The old SPI Kampfpanzer has flaws and can be spendy.  I really wanted miniatures, not cardboard.

Then I started messing around looking at  Shapeways’ 3D models, which come in a variety vehicles and scales, but are not cheap.  Here’s a link to one provider. Lots of possibilities, but I was having trouble finding rules that were fast, fun and in no-way -shape-or-form like Tobruk.

Somehow, someway I found Tanks.  The game is a late war, 15mm,  skirmish-game offshoot of Flames of War (FOW), but uses plastic models that are easy to assemble.  The starter pack is relatively inexpensive, and you can even read download the rules from their website. Also, the scale (more about that later) is compatible with all the FOW stuff that’s out there.  Here’s the Boardgamegeek page with reviews. I’d summarize it as a miniatures, tank skirmish, version of Heroes of Normandie (HON), without some of the hyperbole.

Each tank has a capabilities card, which can be augmented by crew-members with varying skills.  The components are first class, and even include some good quality (again, think HON) 2D terrain pieces.  As earlier mentioned, I found assembly very easy, with plenty of painting guides at the Tanks homepage.   You can even build different versions of each tank.  The Sherman was a little more problematic.  I wound up going over to the FOW website for more , especially when in comes to peripheral items.  The basic instructions are, well, basic.

For earlier tanks it will be a matter of making up my own cards.

My initial purchase included the Starter Set, which has two Shermans and a Panther, as well as a M10 Tank Destroyer and PZ IV. The individual tanks (which come with cards) are about $10.00 each.  The folks at Amazon offered Zvezda PV IVs at $4.95 each, so I grabbed a couple.

I discovered that Zvezda offers a number of early war British, German and Russian tanks and at a lower price than their FOW counterparts.  Fantastic!  Ahhhhhh…..but there’s scale. The Zvezda tanks are 1/100, which is a little over 16mm.  The Tanks models are supposedly 15mm.  OK, not very much difference, right?  Take it from me, the Tanks models are noticeably larger than the Zvezdas, and they should be smaller!

Now to the controlled descent part of the post……..

Step 1:  Finish up Starter Set and the two Tanks models.  Start play in a late-war mode. Gauge enjoyment (it’s not a simulation).

Step 1a:  Download paper building models and/or use HON terrain buildings.  If all of this is fun, go to Step 2.

Step 2:  Buy Zvezda models.  BTW, they are “snap fit”, with few pieces, good fit, and detail enough for me.  Mess around with cards and enjoy France 1940 and Russia 1941 skirmishes.

Step 3:  Shapeways for Japanese tanks (vs. Russians 1939 or Chinese), as well as fictional interwar fights using early British tanks/tankettes.

Hope to finish up assembly/prime/black base coat  of all Step 1 models this weekend.

Entry Level And On A Budget

Aircraft & Vehicles, Miniatures

The Dollar Store is my favorite place to buy fun Christmas Stocking Stuffers.

Had an aerial combat fixation last December.  Don’t know how many hits on Tumbling Dice’s 1/600 aircraft fantasizing about a early WW2 campaign with all the obsolete/obsolescent planes of the late 1930’s.  Then became fixated on Wings of Glory/War for WW1 action.  Lots of time and lots of expense for a questionable solo gaming project.

Back to The Dollar Store….  While rooting around for goodies found (Yes, for $1 each) five piece bags of each of these whacked beauties.

The orange critter does look like a modern jet, while the “Blue Thing” reminded me of SuperCar.

“What the hell, it’s only $2, and it might be fun”.

Well, it was, and while not to everyone’s taste, the results are shown below.

I used an index card to fabricate horizontal and vertical stabilizers for “The Thing”, and then channeled an SS officer who was a Pointillist to come up with the modern jet’s camouflage.  Picked up a tip on the net (forget where) and used light blue with blue Vallejo wash for the canopies.  Works OK.

The next problem is toy-like jet aircraft rules to fit the models.  Cannot be serious with these guys.  Will mess around with that while painting up two more.

Poor Misbegotten Thing

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond

Well, it’s over.  The lengthy, frustrating, and unfulfilling process of building the BoB Gunboat has ended.  So many iterations, so many days lingering on the workbench.

Almost all wargame projects start out full of promise, the completed object so thoroughly pictured in the mind’s eye.  Ahh, then the harsh reality of actually building the damn thing.  In many instances the process is so painful that the object is put out of sight and relegated to a box.  Sometimes, it’s just a matter of stepping away, getting a break, and coming back with renewed energy and ability to see what needs to be done for a quality project.  Other times……it just doesn’t happen.

The Gunboat is about as close as I have come to an adult version of my Pinewood Derby car.  My Dad let me build it myself.  The finished project was bad even by 9-year old standards.  Dad tried to salvage things, but it was too little, too late.  The other Cubbies had cool looking cars.  Mine was not.  In a Disney movie, I would win and my ugly piece of child work would be admired.  Didn’t happen.

So it is with the Gunboat, a child-like effort unfortunately completed by an adult.  Oh Well….My, My.

Here’s a picture along with a link to GIF of its Captain.

Ughhhhhhh!

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Here’s the latest (and probably last) addition to my BoB air force. It’s an Avia BH-11. But, notice something missing? Windscreens.

Yes, it was trash day and in my frenzy to get out both garbage and recycling, as well as tidy up the war gaming room, I grabbed the box of the (I thought) now assembled aircraft and tossed it, with some other stray boxes, into the recycling.

This morning at 0530 I was thinking about the day, and finishing the model. Ooops…..the windscreens were in the ^&Y&^%*$ box which is now down at the Knott Road Landfill. I’ve dumpster dived, but never land fill dived. Ughhhhhh.

Oh Well, My My. Another stupid war gaming trick. I’ll wait and see how much this omission bothers me until I try to fabricate the screens (they were different and neat looking) or just eat it, and (this is insane) buy a new kit.

Here’s a link to footage of a  BH-11 in flight.

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More Progress

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

OK, now fishing is in the way of the Renaissance Skirmish, but I did finish up my Ford Flivver.  Check out the photo of how small it is.  Here’s the story on it.

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Saw it when scanning through E-Bay for planes.  So adorable I had to take it home.  Figure it will make a great personal aircraft for the Mercenary Commander.  Maybe use it to scare the locals, buzzing them and throwing hand grenades.  Again, hopefully adding some pulp elements to the Back of Beyond campaign (whenever that starts??!?).

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Biggie Rat and Itchy Brother – Final Installment For “The Rest Of The Story”

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

Finished the “Rest Of The Story” aircraft.  When I set it next to the plane featured in “The General Is Pleased”, I could only think of these  TV Cartoon characters.  Something about the two side-by-side.  Related, but definitely different.

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As generic and spurious as these planes are, what I like about them is that the are in-scale.  Just received a Fokker D-7 (which was a staple for both sides in the RCW), and it is way too big.

Now that these two are painted, have started hammering away (literally) at the RE-8.  Feel like a medieval orthopedic surgeon (Theodoric?).  Engine mount all messed up.  Didn’t notice it when purchased…..typical.  Should work,  despite the promiscuous use of pliers, files and screwdrivers.  More on that later.

 

The Rest Of The Story

Aircraft & Vehicles, Back of Beyond, Miniatures

With apologies to Paul Harvey……Two similar aircraft, a modeling Body Double.

My last post featured the second aircraft I had purchased at Hobby Lobby.  The first was featured earlier, but my clumsy attempts at removing the wheel spats and pilot head rest relegated it to garage purgatory.  The problem was that I insisted on using what remained of the metal landing gear struts for the new – more period appropriate – gear.

Well, after I finished the “spatted version”, I saw the landing gear problem differently.  Get rid of the metal struts and use the existing wheels (freed from the spats), and wood struts.  What kind of wood….matchsticks worked perfectly.  I drilled holes in the fuselage to anchor the gear, applied superglue to the cut-down matchsticks and..,…..

Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming

Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming

Keys To The Makeover - Superglue, Matchsticks & Exacto Knife
Keys To The Makeover – Superglue, Matchsticks & Xacto Knife