Terrain Tuesday - Hay Stacks

 Hay Stacks 

I have been meaning to paint these for some time, the first 4 are complete and I have 16 more to complete the lot. Quite happy with the result and they match my fields (door mat) much more to come 

Cheers

Matt

HYW Scottish Archers unit two

 I have finally commenced my Scottish Archers for the battles of Fresnay, Baugé and Verneuil. I have 30 to complete them before I start the MAA. 

Again from the Perry range of miniatures, I have painted them with the recorded badges of red field with yellow saint Andrew’s cross. I am planning a big anniversary game next year so

I had best get a wriggle on and complete some more foot. 

Scottish Archers

Cheers

Matt

Terrain Tuesday -modern courier station

 Courier despatch building 

Completed the first of my model train HO scale modern buildings, I am quite happy with the result, I would like to add signage from 1980s West Germany, I was thinking Hermes perhaps. Also thinking about a magnetic one so I switch it out for several locations . 

I commenced by painting the brick with red and and the concrete in grey. I then used a sponge to put splotch's with lighter colours. Then a ink wash to bring it together. I then use Tamiya weathering paste and made a heavy wash to push into the brick work, then wiped off with a QTip working in sections, the guttering, down pipes and windows then were done. Finally a green wash to show moss then some flowers and shrubs. I made the roofs removable for figure placement. 

I am considering also building a security fenced yard and carpark, plus add box’s pallets etc and a garbage bin. 

Onto the next lot, iconic WW2 DDay buildings next. 

Cheers

Matt 

Whiskey on the Rocks - Cold War Wargaming

Summer 1981 - “ Admiral Ivan Kapitanets was relieved the briefing was over, finally the commands to launch the offensive against the West. The political animal Major General Vladimir Platov's 11th Guards army is to take the Swedish mainland. The Naval Infantry to the island of Gotland; the key to the eastern Baltic. Then there establish the installation of Surface to Air missile batteries, controlling the skies over the Baltic and Northern Europe.”  The Russians are coming….

 A  weekend gaming scenario - “What if the invasion of Gotland circa October 1981? For those with long memories a Soviet Nuclear Whiskey class Submarine S363 grounded itself off the coast of Sweden in October 1981. The Swedes decided they wanted to keep the grounded submarine and stop it from departing until investigations were completed. 

The game plays out the scenario's: The Russians begin operations to recover the submarine and invade Gotland and Mainland Sweden. The game will concentrate on the Russian invasion of Gotland, with airborne and amphibious landings. The goal to take out the Swedish early warning radar, air assets, and the Naval gun 152mm locations defending the ports and channel. Capture the port, airfield and barracks of Visby, Närs coast guard base, the island of Faro with its anti shipping missile batteries and take out the Bunge airfield, all before the Swedish Marine and army reserve can arrive to tip the balance. 

I have researched available 1981 orders of Battle to create the game. To expand the scenario to a weekend game, some elements will take place on the board game 'Next War, Deadly Northern Lights'. This will track off table Air assets, naval combat and reserves before the game begins etc. The table top will fight the ground actions with or without air support as per earlier map movement.

Gaming across 3 - 4 tables, broken into three phases, the opening moves are VDV spetsnaz assaults on radar installations, electrical supply, communications and the air bases. Followed by missile bombardment of the air bases, the VDV parachute - air landing assault, and Marine Sea landings. Each will carry over casualties and losses so the order of battle will be fluid. Each phase has the possibility to include a reinforcement phase for each side.  

Stay tuned for my next article covering 

 # The breakdown of the Orders of Battle

 # The tables layout using Force on Force 

 # The order of Battle for the small element games

 # Rapid Fire Able Archer for the larger games. 

Cheers 

Matt Williamson 

Wip Wednesday

 Working on some bridges I purchased at Partizan and a building I picked up at a local Model Railway swap meet for modern gaming. 

A A shipping business, I will strip off the flower beds, base coat the brickwork and roof and add details 

Bridge will be painting to suit our area and western Normandy 

Cheers

Matt

VW 181 Kurierwagen 1/72 Germania Figuren build

  As I start to complete my Bundesgrenzschutz units I thought I would find a 1/72nd scale VW181 to complete my command platoon. 

The Germania Figuren vehicle is made from resin and upon inspection is a very nicely cast model. Hardly and flash and no bubbles. It comes with two options roof on or folded back, plus driver (which is a bonus) with four head variants. It was a little pricey at €16.50 plus shipping but I added some more pieces to my Swedes which reduced price per unit shipping. I will post the Swedes in the coming weeks after I complete my American ww2 airborne build. 

I hope to get it together this weekend and get some paint on it this coming week as we have rest before the next Wargame Holiday tours and Wargaming. 

Cheers

Matt