This week there is one less member of the 'Band of Brothers'. Major Richard Winters who lead E company from the the landings in June 1944 through the end of the war. The New York Times reports he died on January 2 in Campbelltown, PA at the age of 92.
While I never met him I am sure the world is poorer for his departure and that his wife and two children have the commiserations of our community.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Revell Bundeswehr WIP
As I noted back in May, I have been looking at putting together a Bundeswehr force for Cold-War gone hot type gaming (although a force built for 1990+ wouldn't need much changing for more current operations), recently though money has been tight and I've been feeling the need to do some small scale armor modeling. Compromise? Buy some Revell and Dragon kits on the cheap and put togeather the beginning of a Jäger platoon with supporting aufklärung and panzer elements (light infantry with reconnaissance and armor elements). While the heavy armor and mechanized infantry will have to wait (ridiculous how hard it is to find Marder ICVs in 20mm/1:72 scale), luck was with me earlier in the week when I visited almost every hobby shop I could find until I stumbled upon the now out-of-print Revell SpPz 2 „Luchs“ reconnaissance vehicle and a couple boxes of Revell's Modern German Infantry. Here are some WIP shots:
Top: Assembled Jäger squad and SpPz 2
Bottom: First attempt at a fireteam in Flecktarn
Top: Assembled Jäger squad and SpPz 2Bottom: First attempt at a fireteam in Flecktarn
By the way, if anyone out there knows somewhere that offers 20mm or 1:72 scale Marder ICVs please let me know. Preferably a place that has a price list and online ordering (seen way to many places lately claiming to have them but offering no clear way to order them).
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Review: Sierra Foxtrot One Five, first issue
My friend Panzerfaust 150 and his writing/editing partner George Grealy have managed to get the first issue of their new 15mm Sci-Fi magazine out the door(take a read here).
The first issue puts them off to a good start. Reviews, how-to's, interviews and scenarios are all there and are on par with most of the stuff the pros turn out. The scenarios and interviews are top-notch and the reviews sound like they were written by a customer instead of a salesman, you'll have a hard time finding a better written and more reader oriented gaming magazine, especially for 15mm SF.
In addition to the model reviews and a solid setting and system agnostic scenario you get a very interesting interview with Shawn Carpenter of Ambush Alley Games. And you get all that (and more) for the low, low price of absolutely free!
Give it a read and let them know what you think (and if you can, send them an article or ten).
The first issue puts them off to a good start. Reviews, how-to's, interviews and scenarios are all there and are on par with most of the stuff the pros turn out. The scenarios and interviews are top-notch and the reviews sound like they were written by a customer instead of a salesman, you'll have a hard time finding a better written and more reader oriented gaming magazine, especially for 15mm SF.
In addition to the model reviews and a solid setting and system agnostic scenario you get a very interesting interview with Shawn Carpenter of Ambush Alley Games. And you get all that (and more) for the low, low price of absolutely free!
Give it a read and let them know what you think (and if you can, send them an article or ten).
Monday, September 27, 2010
Review: QRF Sci-Fi aliens
With my hand finally absolutely, completely healed from a modeling related injury (might be a good jumping off point for a piece on modeling tool safety) and the obscene heat that has been hanging around since mid-summer has finally broken I can end my largely unintentional hiatus. I have a few kits backlogged for reviews so I'll start with two that Ambush Alley's newly released Tomorrow's War got me working on this week, specifically QRF's Large Alien Bipeds (pack SF06) and Skullhunters (pack SF08).
The large Alien bipeds are Geiger-esq aliens which are pretty large for 15mm. Standing beside QRF's Deep Space Marines the Aliens do look quite menacing with the marines (and most other non-power armor humans in 15mm) standing about as high as the creature's shoulder. Details like big nasty teeth, claws, long spiky tail and crenelated chitinous hide are clean and well defined and the poses are dynamic and appropriately menacing.
The Skullhunters are, like Khurasan's "Vacation Alien" excellent stand ins for the classic Schwarzenegger alien baddie the Predator, QRF's offering has at least two advantages over the Khurasan figure in that for the price of 2.8 Vacation Alien figures you get a pack of 8 figures and while there is only the one "Vacation Alien" sculpt the Skullhunters pack contains 7 different sculpts with an assortment of equipment and poses including two with strange alien spears and one quite ferocious unmasked hunter roaring it's victory at it's vanquished trophy.
These packs along with QRF's SF03 "Alien Facehugger" pack are some of the cleanest cast sets I've recieved purchased in a long time. Both the "Facehuggers" and the Skullhunters only really need some light work with clippers and file to smooth out the underside of the integrated bases, the Large Alien Bipeds need only slightly more work to clean them up as I have found a slight propensity for light flash between the legs and under the arms but this is thin and easily removed with a #11 or #20 blade. None of them have any noticeable mold lines.
If you want to do some classic sci-fi action movie gaming these miniatures are great choices for stand ins for these classic movie aliens. Both sculpts scale well with each other and with QRF and Rebel human figures; they also have just the right look for your Alien and Predator themed war gaming.
The large Alien bipeds are Geiger-esq aliens which are pretty large for 15mm. Standing beside QRF's Deep Space Marines the Aliens do look quite menacing with the marines (and most other non-power armor humans in 15mm) standing about as high as the creature's shoulder. Details like big nasty teeth, claws, long spiky tail and crenelated chitinous hide are clean and well defined and the poses are dynamic and appropriately menacing.
The Skullhunters are, like Khurasan's "Vacation Alien" excellent stand ins for the classic Schwarzenegger alien baddie the Predator, QRF's offering has at least two advantages over the Khurasan figure in that for the price of 2.8 Vacation Alien figures you get a pack of 8 figures and while there is only the one "Vacation Alien" sculpt the Skullhunters pack contains 7 different sculpts with an assortment of equipment and poses including two with strange alien spears and one quite ferocious unmasked hunter roaring it's victory at it's vanquished trophy.These packs along with QRF's SF03 "Alien Facehugger" pack are some of the cleanest cast sets I've recieved purchased in a long time. Both the "Facehuggers" and the Skullhunters only really need some light work with clippers and file to smooth out the underside of the integrated bases, the Large Alien Bipeds need only slightly more work to clean them up as I have found a slight propensity for light flash between the legs and under the arms but this is thin and easily removed with a #11 or #20 blade. None of them have any noticeable mold lines.
If you want to do some classic sci-fi action movie gaming these miniatures are great choices for stand ins for these classic movie aliens. Both sculpts scale well with each other and with QRF and Rebel human figures; they also have just the right look for your Alien and Predator themed war gaming.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tomorrow's War "Pre-Release" Available NOW!
Shawn over at Ambush Alley Games has announced that the PDF-only release of Tomorrow's War is available for purchase as of today.
The PDF looks great and includes a ton of material for great Sci-Fi gaming with all of the fun, fast paced action of Force On Force. This version does require a copy of Force On Force to play but right now they are offering a great deal on a bundle of both the PDF-release of Tomorrow's War and Force On Force for only $5 more than Tomorrow's War on it's own. If you have been looking for a solid Sci-Fi rules system for almost any setting you can imagine, check it out. It's a great value for the fun you'll have with it and it's a good bit cheaper than many of the 'bigger' Sci-Fi games out there (and I'm not just saying that because my name is in the play tester list).
I'm you're interested, head over to http://ambushalleygames.com/TW.html
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Last Patrol
Something I hadn’t expected to see is happening tonight. As I type this the 4/2 Stryker Brigade is driving through Iraq on it's way to Kuwait. Tonight marks the official end to Operation Iraqi Freedom with the withdrawal of the last US combat units from Iraq. While I had heard that it was planned to happen soon I hadn’t truly believed it would be this soon or this significant.
While the US will still have some military personnel in country they will be operating in non-combat roles (ie training, administration, etc). [Something about the nomenclature and caveats being used here makes me want to draw some parallels to the ostensible mission of MAC-V but I feel that would be inappropriate right now and I don't want to bring political concerns into this.] Let us all hope that this change in deployments, posture and mission will be accompanied by an end to casualties for our troops that are still there.
So, as we all watch OIF move into the realm of history tonight let's prepare to welcome those that are returning home and keep those that are still in Iraq in mind as we await the eventual end of their mission and their (hopefully) safe return.
CORRECTION: The actual official end to OIF and the beginning of Operation New Dawn happens at the end of the month. This is the effective end of US combat troops' presence in Iraq. [Wed 20100819-13:32]
While the US will still have some military personnel in country they will be operating in non-combat roles (ie training, administration, etc). [Something about the nomenclature and caveats being used here makes me want to draw some parallels to the ostensible mission of MAC-V but I feel that would be inappropriate right now and I don't want to bring political concerns into this.] Let us all hope that this change in deployments, posture and mission will be accompanied by an end to casualties for our troops that are still there.
So, as we all watch OIF move into the realm of history tonight let's prepare to welcome those that are returning home and keep those that are still in Iraq in mind as we await the eventual end of their mission and their (hopefully) safe return.
CORRECTION: The actual official end to OIF and the beginning of Operation New Dawn happens at the end of the month. This is the effective end of US combat troops' presence in Iraq. [Wed 20100819-13:32]
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Review: QRF Stryker ICV
The heat wave has receded somewhat which means I can actually enter my work area again which means I can begin working through the rather large QRF order that arrived last week.
The first item on the block is the set of five Stryker ICVs.
Strykers are likely to be pretty important for Force On Force and Ambush Alley players as they are a major component of current US Army mechanized infantry and have been something of a fixture of combat in Iraq. Regardless of the problems and shortcomings of the real world Stryker, they are likely to feature frequently in most modern and near future wargames just as they will likely to continue as the Army's first tier APC.
As is usual for QRF's v
ehicles all components are white metal although there is less appearant flexability to these parts but that is likely down to the thickness of the parts relative to the generally thinner parts of the HMMWVs. Of the three of these that I have assembled so far none have shown any significant pitting as I have found on some of QRF's other large components. There seems to be a fairly consistent flash seam running along the mid point of the hull which is easily removed with a #11 and a fine file but must be done so carefully as it runs across several detailed sections. There is also a rather annoying plug section on the starboard side of the hull near the front of the sand channel racks; I found it easiest to cut away as much of it as I can with clippers and then cover it over with kneedite ("green stuff") stowage (visible on the vehicle on the right in the photo). Attaching the wheels to the hull is fairly easy and doesn't require much more than dry fitting and gluing.
Although it lacks the slat armor and ridiculous amounts of stowage frequently seen on current Strykers in the field the detailing is very good with clean edged hatches and the various protrusions. Scale seems good, especially compared to most 15mm figures in my collection; comparison with the other vehicles will have to wait until I can dig up the dimensions of their RL counterparts but they appear appropriately large next to most of the other AFVs I have.
The models are good, construction and assembly is fairly simple and the model offers a good base for a number of conversions. Given it's role in the US inventory and how iconic it has been in Iraq since 2003 most collections should be able to find space for at least one or two.
The first item on the block is the set of five Stryker ICVs.
Strykers are likely to be pretty important for Force On Force and Ambush Alley players as they are a major component of current US Army mechanized infantry and have been something of a fixture of combat in Iraq. Regardless of the problems and shortcomings of the real world Stryker, they are likely to feature frequently in most modern and near future wargames just as they will likely to continue as the Army's first tier APC.
As is usual for QRF's v
ehicles all components are white metal although there is less appearant flexability to these parts but that is likely down to the thickness of the parts relative to the generally thinner parts of the HMMWVs. Of the three of these that I have assembled so far none have shown any significant pitting as I have found on some of QRF's other large components. There seems to be a fairly consistent flash seam running along the mid point of the hull which is easily removed with a #11 and a fine file but must be done so carefully as it runs across several detailed sections. There is also a rather annoying plug section on the starboard side of the hull near the front of the sand channel racks; I found it easiest to cut away as much of it as I can with clippers and then cover it over with kneedite ("green stuff") stowage (visible on the vehicle on the right in the photo). Attaching the wheels to the hull is fairly easy and doesn't require much more than dry fitting and gluing.Although it lacks the slat armor and ridiculous amounts of stowage frequently seen on current Strykers in the field the detailing is very good with clean edged hatches and the various protrusions. Scale seems good, especially compared to most 15mm figures in my collection; comparison with the other vehicles will have to wait until I can dig up the dimensions of their RL counterparts but they appear appropriately large next to most of the other AFVs I have.
The models are good, construction and assembly is fairly simple and the model offers a good base for a number of conversions. Given it's role in the US inventory and how iconic it has been in Iraq since 2003 most collections should be able to find space for at least one or two.
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