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.

Wartime Miniatures - Modern Australians.

Sometimes I get very tempted by metal figures......

At the beginning of last December I purchased some figures from Wartime Miniatures and was intending to post them up on the blog once they had arrived. They arrived very quickly and the customer service was outstanding. One of the figure packs I had ordered was out of stock (Civ02 Male Afghan Civilians), but they added in two figures from the pack at no cost, and refunded me the cost of the pack.

Civ03: Afghan Trader and goods.

Civ03 Female Civilians in Bhurka.

The free male Afghan civilians.

The Afghani civilians will be useful  as Haradi civilians, but I plan to try and paint up the Modern Australians as New Zealanders. While the figures do have the wrong webbing and the placement of equipment is not quite right, I think they will serve as a good basis for conversion.

MA10 Australian Infantry section.

MA12 Australian MST.

MA13 Australian MST Support Weapons.

MA11 Australian Specialists.

So having taken three months to post these figures, I still haven't put any paint on them - sadly that is not even close to being a record for the lag between purchase and painting!

Building more Planes.

Since I made the decision to start using 1/144 scale aircraft for moderns games, I realised that I would have to start building some - especially since I had a mountain of 1/144 scale kits to build.  First up were this pair of Academy SU-22 Fitters.

The assembled kits and a Skybusters diecast.

The kits are undercoated.

Painted and ready for action!

 I based the paint scheme for the Su-22s on pictures I have seen online of Libyan aircraft. I think it looks ok, but I am resisting the urge to put a brown wash over them, as I don't think it is the right look for these aircraft.

 I did decide to put a black wash over the Skybuster diecast Learjet. The model is probably meant to be a Learjet 25, but it scales out better as a Learjet 35, which is a very similar, but slightly larger aircraft. I painted it in a two town grey colour scheme and used a GW Citadel Colour Black Wash (that was at least 15 years old!) on it. I used it as it was handy, and I had forgotten how thick it is compared to the modern GW washes. I wiped off much of the wash as it was making the model look much darker than I had intended.

The repainted  Matchbox Skybuster Learjet.

The  dewheeled underside, complete with black smudges.

I have also continued assembly of my 1/144 scale C-17. It has had its gaps filled with greenstuff, and has been undercoated with grey primer. All that remains now is to mask the canopy, spray it, put it on the model and do the final paint job.

The C-17 is not a small model. 

Building the C-17 was quite challenging, but it is a neat looking aircraft, and it can deliver quite a large amount of equipment onto the table.

The next group of of planes, two MiG 21s, and a MiG 29.

I also started work on some MiGs. Once these are finished I have a pair of MiG 23s, a MiG 25, and a Su 25 to assemble. Then I can start work on the pile of kits of western aircraft....

I also have to work through the backlog of photos of painted stuff, new stuff, and last Sunday's game against Frank's GDI forces - so hopefully I will make time to post stuff over the next few days!