Stuff from Shapeways.

One of the CP scenarios that I have wanted to run for a number of years now, has been the Battle of Goose Green. I have been quietly acquiring the bits and pieces needed to run it. So far I have the British forces - bar the Harrier air support - all painted (bar the final basing), and with the Matchbox NATO Paratroopers set being reissued this year I should be able to produce the Argentinean forces by using these and figures from other sets.

But the most elusive item has been finding Pucara ground attack aircraft. Originally I was going to try and find a 1/72 scale model, but since I have moved to 1/144 scale for modern fixed wing aircraft I have opted to use a model produced by 3D printing.

This is how it shipped  from the Netherlands to NZ. Of course it was in a bag surrounded by bubblewrap!

 I ordered them here from Shapeways - a site that contains quite a great deal of interesting items for gamers. I am sure that i will be purchasing more items from them in the future.

I ordered two as I figured it was a useful number. One suffered a minor breakage  of a broken prop blade. 

I also decided to purchase some ships to add into my existing 1/1800 scale fleet. I decided that this time I would get ships and boats that would increase the amphibious capability of my US fleet.

Two Bayfield class APAs. Both models still have runners attached that are  not part of the finished model.

I don't think my photos give justice to the detail of these models, nor how hardy the material they are printed out of actually is.

12 LCIs still attached to their runner.

Once I get these painted up I will post pictures of my current USN fleet.

The view underneath showing the runner frame.

Of course, if I am getting LCIs, I had to get some LCVPs too. These are also a very nice clean and crisp model. In fact, none of the Shapeways products had any imperfections as a result of manufacture that I noticed. I guess 3D printing eliminates flash and  lines!

LCVPs - four bases of two craft. APAs included to give a sense of scale.

The various models - all 1:1800 scale with a 20mm square GW base to  give an idea of  actual model size.

I am very happy with my purchases from Shapeways and will be looking to put them up on the tabletop soon.

Gun Trucks, Technicals, and Humvees.

Since I have finally managed to finish a technical that I started some time ago in the distant past, I figured I should post the finished product here, along with some other bits and pieces that I have been working on.

As you last saw it.

And now with added paint and wash! The crew is quite the mixed bag  - Esci driver, with the figure with the M16 being a Mars  kitbash clone of Esci figures, while the Arab is of unknown make.

The view from the other side. Is it wrong that I like the Mars Mujahideen figures?

I also gave the finishing touches - a driver and a brown wash - to another diecast. This time it was a Matchbox Field Car that had survived from my childhood - although it had taken a few hard knocks in the process.

The folded down canopy at the back is a bit from a Battlefront 15mm  model. I think it works well  here!

I am rather tempted to put a passenger in the back. I am also  tempted to put  in a nice recoiless  rifle

The next diecast repaint was a Jada Toys Battle Rig from their Battle Machines line. I bought this in a Walmart sometime in 2008 thinking that I could use it in a game of Dark Future, but I am tempted to use it as technical gun truck in either AK-47 or CD 3. Of course, I would have to field a force that matches it in all its silliness glory....

Behold the beast in its original paint job! Big boomer is a very shiny  Battle Rig!

 I gave it the usual treatment of disassembly, undercoating with primer, repainting, assembly and then a wash. However I did add a gunner to the main armament as it looked somewhat empty.

I added a gunner using the driver from the Airfix Matador.

The truck is labelled as 1/87 but i think it can fudge as being 1/76.

Of course I gave it the usual brown wash.

And last of all some Johnny Lightning Humvees that I purchased second hand in around 2007. One was from the Military Muscle range of vehicles, while the other was a civilian Hummer H1. They were badly painted so I disassembled them, put them in Simple Green, and finally many years later have undercoated them with grey spray primer.

Disassembled and ready to be sprayed.

And now sprayed in Dulux grey primer!

The Johnny Lightning Humvees are meant to be 1/64 scale, but they size up fairly well to both my 1/72 scale Dragon premades, and my Matchbox diecasts, so I think this could be another example of the stated scale not always being correct. I should probably do a post comparing diecast Humvees at some stage....

Northern Khand 1997 Part 2.

As promised in the last post here are some more pictures from the game Frank and I had the other day.

GDI M113s run afoul of some Noddist T-55 fire from the woods.

GDI infantry move to clear out the woods.

A Noddist TOW takes out a GDI Abrams with a flank shot.

GDI Hammerhead is taken out by Noddist fire.

GDI infantry deal to a Noddist Sagger team.

Noddist troops are eliminated by GDI troops while T-55s burn in the background.

Noddist Su-22s arrive.

Noddist armour knocked out by GDI helicopters.

GDI F-18 on CAP.

Another GDI F-18 arrives.

GDI had CAP on table for the entire game.

Noddist forces are caught in the open by a GDI airstrike.

Noddist BMP-2 is pinned after another GDI airstrike.

yet more Noddist armour pinned due to GDI airstrikes.

GDI F-14s bounce a Su-22.

A Noddist Su-22 makes another attempt at an airstrike on GDI forces. This attempt is also a failure.

Noddist armour and infantry swarm into the woods to counterattack GDI forces.

And that's all Folks!

Northern Khand 1997 Part 1.

Many weeks ago Frank and I decided to have a game. I wanted this game to be a test of some of the different rules options we have for gaming with aircraft under Command Decision rules. The only official CD complete moderns set is Combined  Arms (CA), and while we have used its methods to fudge out stuff in moderns CD games, it really isn't up to the task. CD 2 does provide rules for moderns, but it lacks the data sets required to make them work.

GDI F-15s running CAP. 

The better part of a GDI Mech Infantry battalion and some attached armour.

The vehicle for this rules testing was going to be a rather target rich scenario that would pitch a GDI Mechanised Infantry Battalion - reinforced by two tank companies, and lots of air support and off board artillery, take on a range of Khandist and Noddist troops and equipment.

All Frank's GDI had to do was wade into the meat grinder and start dealing out pain. This is the point where the first of my assumptions came undone, although I didn't know it at the time. The assumption in question was that Frank knew what everything in the US CA TOEs was, what it did, and how to use it under the rules. In actual fact, Frank did not, and was thus _very_ hamstrung in the scenario due to him not being able to use his off table artillery in the most effective manner. The GDI airpower was able to fill the void, but not in the same happy way artillery can resolve situations.

However, this did lead to a number of post game revelations and discussions that has lead to work on a CD Moderns airpower handbook - consisting of Moderns stats for aircraft, their ordnance, countermeasures, and SAMs, and also for Frank's agreement in using the CD 2 Aircraft, and Anti Aircraft rules. The data set for these rules have been adapted from Harpoon.

A Noddist supply convoy.  Avery tempting target.

GDI airpower dominates the skies, while Nod stays under cover.

GDI armour rumbles forward.

Nod regulars stay hidden in the woods.

 The game itself was interesting, but hampered by the lack of smooth rules to handle airpower. Fortunately it has provided some nice pictures of Frank's GDI forces.

While Noddist militia wait at the treeline.

GDI Infantry on the advance.

A GDI Patrol stand or possibly a FAC.

Frank uses black helicopters for his UN run GDI forces...

More GDI armour.

GDI HQ elements - note the Humvee TOC.

GDI airpower owned the skies during the game.

GDI TOW armed helicopter which proved very effective against  NOD armour.

The Noddist convoy burns after getting hit with an airstrike.

GDI on the advance.

A Khandist MiG 21 conducts an unsuccessful airstrike. To even  get this far it had been extremely lucky!

GDI Abrams hit in the flank by a Noddist AT-4.

I should post more photos in a day or two.