Nice work, I like your choice to depict different police departments.
Love it mate, top quality
...I never knew a small town could have soooo many different types of Law Enforcement Officers...
Reminds me of 'Heat' and '21 Bridges.' ;)
Is that a Mantic/TWD:AOW based Technical?
I ordered one of those BTR's from China to see if the scale was right, but couldn't find any more as they were sold out. :( Should've ordered 3.
What a great collection!
You can quickly turn any cheap diecast toy car into a serious looking model with two eary steps:
-do the panel lines with black oil paint
-minimal weathering on the lower parts- even if just a drybrush with brown
Nice looking civilian figures. Might have to get some of the Specter line.
I must have missed an update or two…. :o :o
Really impressive collection !
Very clever and good looking conversions! 👍
Really great collection here fella. Pretty inspiring.
Great work - thanks for the reminder… I’d forgotten about the MASH minis… exactly what I need to add for my own project :)
Next up are Empress' modern "Auf Wiedersehen" civilians (both armed and unarmed). They are currently being painted, and should show up here next week!
Bomber has got a bit grey in his old age and Oz has decided to go underground with a dye job but excellent work all the same.
Thanks, fellas. Dare I be committing heresy, I'm not binding myself to replicating those characters. :o
But I do like how the "Bomber" figure turned out with his grey hair and cigar...
Love the civvies…look forward to seeing the rest :)
Great looking bunch of civilians!
Nice painting on the AWP figures.
If you want some more medical staff, the Crooked Dice Scientists are worth a look (though two will need hand modifications, but they all have separate heads).
Damn, you keep reminding me to do the conversion on my Power Wagon. I plan to turn mine into a generic Soviet truck for the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Good finds.
Nice finds......but I've only seen a smattering of the other versions.
Thanks, fellas. @Carlos - you see a LOT of green farm implements around here...
@has.been and Paul - that light string belonged to my wife's niece's ex-husband, and that divorce was considerably less that amicable. Those lights were emphatically trash-bound - I'm lucky I saw them prior to their intended disposal and got the one I did (fortunately, I'm her good uncle :D )...
as with the bloke who fell off the Empire State Building was heard to say
as he past each floor, 'Ok so far'
lol lol lol
Looks like a great game, Jim! Is this in the plans for Advance the Colors this October? I think it sounds like a great scenario. Thanks for the report and all the photos... :-*
Only FFofL can do this, I enjoyed that AAR muchly!
;D :-* ;D
A great finale :)
Apologies if you’ve mentioned if previously but where are the buildings with the tin roof from?
Excellent
Great game. I need to pick up a copy of Fistfull of Lead.
A mighty fine Batrep Jimbo :-*
Gotta paint the US platoon and the VDV platoon, but I have everything else done...
the back story is full of colonial doings, uprisings, the War of Independence, coups, rebellions, civil wars, insurgencies, foreign interventions...
Looking forward to the battle report...
Mike Demana
As always Cptn Jiml lots of interesting things going on in the background to your games.
This sounds like a hum dinger of a fight and I'm looking forward to reading it.
The scenery looks pretty damn good, up to your usual standards. In the first picture, can you remember who makes the building on the left hand side. The one with the thick but very irregular walls?
Thanks for sharing, looking great love the miniatures, vehicles and scenery!
Yikes! That's worse than a Black Hawk Down wounding for the rangers. Was Ted rolling for them or something? Haha... lol
Great AAR and love your tabletop, Jim!
Great thread. Love the town and battle.
Let us know the name of the manufacturer please so I can see if I can track one down locally.
Unfortunately, my Menards here as stopped carrying all those goodies. They have only a much smaller scale line, instead. Maybe I'll duck over to the other Menards in town.
Mike Demana
Tee-time is 1100 hrs. Friday.
You had my interest for a second, then I realized you hadn't just misspelt, 'Tea' :'(
Thanks for another thrilling AAR. Keep up the good work.
Another great game, love everything!
The awesome miniatures, nice scenery and after action report
Wow, that was indeed one-sided! :o
What was the mechanism you used to call in the mortar fire? Could you do it on any card for the U.S. side? Was it automatically available? Just curious...
Sounds fun...for you -- not so much for Ted! lol
Mike Demana
Another GREAT AAR :)
That's a superb looking bridge Jim. May I enquire as to its provenance? I could do with something like that.
The die-cast stuff is super helpful and I love the fact it doesn’t require painting just a bit of weathering usually
Nice looking forward to seeing the 80s US on infantry as well.
Indubitably. I keep an eye out for diecasts wherever I go. I have found them in less-than-anticipated places, such as a sidewalk market in Lisbon, and an antique/gift store here in my little burg.......
Thanks! I will post pics as soon as they are done...
I have a charity shop lady looking out for diecast vehicles for me
Happy Birthday! Seems we are a day apart.
Nice looking mats and something I need to make.
They look very nice, now you have populated them.
Those are very nice mats.
Nice thread! I'll be checking this out in detail for inspiration.
Love the new mats... wide open spaces = kill zones :D
Your buildings look excellent as wel.
Nice! :-*
If you ever change your mind about the Humvees then Tamiya do nice ones in 1/48. Currently on my list for a future Panama 1989 Just (Be)cause scenario.
PS: Knowing you to be a fellow creative with plastic figures, the Rubicon US army figures with AKs swapped out from their NVA box make very acceptable PDF. Just need a few Kpots. Actually they make pretty good 'anyone with a mix of surplus Soviet weapons and BDUs' which covers a wide variety of folk both past and present.
Good job on the vehicle camo Jim.
great looking urban terrain
I have never seen an M202. Not even in storage. It's my understanding, though, they were somewhat less than reliable. And I don't recall seeing any minis out there with one. Good luck with scratch-building one (and coming up with a rule for it!).Well, one appears in Commando (comedy moment when the lead female fires it backwards).
Surprised and then after I thought about, not surprised. They did have jeep mounted TOW but I suppose in urban terrain, the M67 probably has more utility than a Dragon whilst being about on par for the drawbacks. Seen a vid of a range practice with the M67, they were engineers too. I can see why you want to be prone. Overall it seems a lot more craptastic than the Carl Gustav.Probably for the same reason the Berlin Infantry Brigade kept their BAT after Milan entered service.
It's almost as if armies do this stuff with an eye to pissing off gamers in the future. lol
Given who he resembles.... perhaps not. lol
Really nice AAR. You've really hit your straps with this retirement bizzo, you seem to be having a ball. Green with envy.
More stuff to show off today.
First, I made it to a Menards, and bought 3 1/48 diecast trucks (Edit: these were $5 each...). First up is a Ford van ambulance (figures are included to show scale)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223013235.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223013205.jpeg)
Next, is a small older dump truck. This one will likely eventually see some weathering added.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223013135.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223013105.jpeg)
Last is a older fuel truck. I'm thinking of eventually possibly re-painting this one, and definitely weathering it.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223013018.jpeg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/61/16550-061223012955.jpeg)
..
Great Menards finds! Your pics are making me regret not picking up the Tanker and dump truck. They would have been great repaints for WWW2 vehicles.
I think the dump truck back could also be a great kitbash onto the Menards Duce and a half to make a soviet style dump truck.
If you fancy an even older, bigger and articulated tanker in Sinclair livery then Atlantis Models do a Fruehauf tanker in 1/48.
https://atlantis-models.com/white-fruehauf-gas-truck-sinclair-us-army-plastic-model-kit-1-48/
The Menards one would make a great airport tanker. Good for Tan Son Nhut to Timbuktu.
These next 6 pics show 12 guys with various rifles (a bunch of AKs, a couple G3s, a couple bolt guns, and an XM177).Do you mean Gyrojets or womble guns?
Nicely done. :-*
Very versatile those Eureka figures. I've used them for everything from Khmer Rouge and VC (with head swaps) through to cartel members and one of them even made it to a CIA agent working for CORDS.
Nice. The tee shirt logos are a nice touch....Do you mean Gyrojets or womble guns?
Quite a collection 👍🏻
That's a great collection, the Eureka figures do paint up very nicely.
They look great, Jim! Love the Playboy bunny t-shirt... lol
Mike Demana
a great looking collection - those vehicles were a good find!
The African gunmen look great, a proper mix of civilian clothing.
Cool looking scatter terrain! :-*
Looking good mate!
Lovely ambience!
Nice.
Interesting about the Reaper Container and Dumpster kits.
And I'm working on that scenario I mentioned as we speak. Hope to have that lead-in and scenario info posted by tomorrow. It's gonna be a Spec Ops "Grab-n-Go" mission in Northern Gambola...it'll b the first pouting for this scatter terrain, those gunmen, and those Gambolan "regulars"...stand by for further information...
Nice job on the scatter terrain :)
Excellent report.As always with CapnJim... :)
Great report as usual.
Sounds like a blast! Was it a roll or did you have planned that the HVT was the wrong guy? The Gambolans reacted very quickly, and things looked like they'd go Black Hawk Downhill quickly...!
Looks great....they guys are lucky to have you running scenarios for them!
Mike Demana
Great stuff!
Terrific and inspirational. 👍👍👍
Great work on those
Cheers
Matt
Nice new additions mate 👌
You are fleshing out the forces quite nicely there, Jim! I especially like the mix of uniform styles to give them an irregular "regular" appearance... lol
Mike Demana
Great AAR’s, and fun by the sounds of it.
I like the way you have used other sources for your scenario, and then adapted.
Lots more exciting fun to come by the sounds of it.
Way outside my comfort zone :o :o
Can I ask why mate, it’s not an inflammatory question I’m just generally interested why people don’t engage in modern wargames?Because it is too close (plus active conflicts can have opinions on both sides - hence the forum rules on 21st Century conflicts).
Can I ask why mate, it’s not an inflammatory question I’m just generally interested why people don’t engage in modern wargames?
Jim, sorry about this, I know you will have taken my comment as it was meant and not as has been infered by others.
Tiny Terrain has indeed closed up as the owner has had a change of career.
There has been at least one tentative approach to buy the figure range off him that I'm aware of, plus some additional unreleased sculpts. I'm hopeful one of them will pan out.
Keep up the good work Capn.
Looking forward to it.
Yeah, missed that somehow. :)
Tell me, did you do some surgery or did yours come with a droppable rear ramp? I have the New Ray CH-46 and the ramp is a solid piece and definitely not hinged. At least the blades fold, which is a boon for storage.
Talking of surgery……I still have this to finish off and paint before installing a gunner…may ge5 to it some day! lol
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/b76/DigitsDavid/IMG_4653.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Keep up the good work fella…sterling stuff here!
Well, the mission got scrubbed. Ted called in sick...
We'll re-schedule for early April...stand by...
Bloody hell Jim, I’ve been waiting for this all day 🙄
Real life missions get scrubbed. Shit happens. Disappointing but maybe you could build the delay into the scenario. Hope Ted recovers and the game rolls on.
Looking forward to the report here too.
Thanks, guys!
We're going back to Northern Gambola this coming Friday. It appears that reports of Gen. Isgood's demise have been a bit premature....details to follow...
What a rollercoaster ride this is. :o
Might I make a suggestion? Civvies are not always that good at predicting speeds and distances, especially if the target is moving at any pace. Even experienced guerillas like the Viet Cong were known to prematurely detonate command initiated mines. Might be worth rolling to see if the Gambolans initiate at the right moment.
Built the tension nicely there Jim.
Now, if any of the aid trucks contain the members of Band Aid, could you please ask the Gambolans to make sure they kill Geldoff, Phil Collins, Sting and Tony Hadley?
Hands off ! ;)
Sounds like the things are going south quick for Ted and Gene! Looking forward to the Capn Jim sitrep...ha, ha! lol
Mike Demana
Great thread!
I'm totally going to steal lots of it for games set in my own fictional African counrty.
T
Come on, leaving us in suspense is so unfair.
Very good AAR so far.
Come on, leaving us in suspense is so unfair.
Very good AAR so far.
X2 and you killed my favourite armoured car. :'(
Exciting stuff. Looking forward to the next episode.
Good luck on the suicide bomber car, but not so much on the rolls immediately after, I imagine! Sounds like it is going to be a heck of a fight! :o
Mike Demana
Very cool!What he said.
Possibly 'promoted' to heading up the motor pool. ;)
Ahh, you've done it again!
Leaving us on edge waiting for the next episode.
You cad. lol
What's not to love Jim
Very good.
Awaiting the next episode.
Great AAR.
Five will get you ten that a US Navy Captain will cover his own arse and leave our hero out to dry...... ;)
Great AAR, Jim. I was feeling the Black Hawk Down vibe the whole time. And speaking of which, when you said that the Black Hawk got damaged, I'm thinking, "Here we go..." :o
Mike Demana
They look the part, good job.
Like this line;"The Gambolans do as they see fit, good idea or not."
great AAR and love those Saracens 8)
Jim,
Fantastic write up! I love the inclusion of the dairy herd. Clearly Kentucky bourbon agrees with you.
Amazing how many toys we seem to have in common too.
Only seven bottle?
Great AAR.
Ted will be given full intel on what's what and who's where (except the bit about the random shift change that is. Intel can't be 100% right, after all...). He may plan his mission accordingly.
Looking forward to the AAR, looks like a fun set up and I'm curious as to how Black Ops works.
Damn and after I was starting to like the General. Nice AAR Jim!
I bet Gene and Ted were flying high at this point in the game... lol
And you were probably feeling a little frustrated!
Mike Demana
Stealing the general's Mercedes was the exfil plan? lol Or was that an improvised thing? I detect Ted's sense of humor at work there... :D
Otherwise, wow! That worked a LOT better than the rangers and marines were able to do...ha, ha! Great AAR, and appreciate the hard work on the "dark" photos and blow by blow of the events!
Mike Demana
Classy team. Anyone who chooses a Hi-Power as their sidearm and steals a Merc as their getaway vehicle has my admiration.
Great AAR.
Love the photos, so atmospheric.
The sidewalks, the dustbins, the scatter, all lovely.
Beautifully done my friend
I agree with the others. Well done. :)
Everything about this is terrific. 👍👍
Brownings are really nice to shoot and very reliable. Dead simple to strip and clean and I can't remember ever getting a stoppage on the range. I'm buggered if I know why anyone bothers replacing them.
I'm sure, your Austrian and Swiss space age polymer gats have their advantages (weight mostly) but given it's still just a pistol not sure that's worth the $$. Besides having a 13 round mag, they have a nice heft. Whacking someone or throwing at their head as a last resort/ fit of pique is definitely going to remove teeth and do serious damage. I know people have whined about hammer bite but service issue guns don't have that issue.
I loved shooting the Browning and if I was to ever own a pistol, that would be the one I want. Canada's greatest export. :-*
Very inspiring 👍🏻
Love your photo map technique 👍
I'm more impressed by how he gets 28mm drones to lug a camera phone over the terrain. Presumably it's a quite few of them flying in close formation :DThanks. No drones, though. In 1990, it was probably aerial photos from a low-flying fixed-wing...
Nice teaser btw.
Looking fun! Is the new recruit coming to be indoctrinated in the wacky world of Jim's modern games?
Looking forward to coming up for our visit at the end of this month!
Mike Demana
"Thanks. No drones, though. In 1990, it was probably aerial photos from a low-flying fixed-wing..."
Twas thinking more the Vietnam era Ryan Firebee jet powered affairs or whatever replaced it in the 1980s rather than quad copters with a Ukrainian and a joy stick. Come to think of it by the end of the Cold War it was probably a satellite or SR-71, even the venerable old U-2. Low flying planes rather tend to advertise upcoming unpleasantness.
I see what you did there, calling the BFF the er, BFF. lol
Frantic…love it !
Yikes...bad day for the Special Forces! Sounds like Capn Jim was doing some great rolling there. Or wait...was it your tactical genius?? lol
Looking forward to coming up your way at the end of the month and gaming with the boys! :D
Mike Demana
Outstanding !
Terrific photos . Lots to inspire there. 👍
Great AAR Jim! :-* :-*
Rescue effort upon rescue effort. It's like Bat-21 all over again but minus Gene Hackman. lol
Another fun game it sounds like. Well done Capt.
Not a good day for those Spec Ops boys…or the ambassador :`
Great game, and great write up Capt.
Keep it going.
Another great batrep Jim, you are smashing it buddy
Excellent!
Great level of detail in these scenarios Jimbo 👍🏻
Thanks, chaps.
As for carlos' pun, ugh... ;D
Just a bit of ribbin' from one pun-wielder to another... :D
You worked the Borscht Belt too?
OK, so two wargamers walk into a bar......... :D
There's probably some sort of probablity curve to explain all of that. :D
Is it tomorrow yet?
Great looking battle, lots of urban fun!
:-* :-*
Luvverly stuff! Choppers saved the day again.
Bhamfuhk sounds like it's the arse end of the universe but clearly Zhankopat is beyond even that.
Great game report, Jim! Sounds like the rules and your adaptions for the various weapons worked out great. I would say the U.S. got its revenge. One KIA for U.S. forces is probably an acceptable number at the State Department considering who was rescued. The local forces who assisted may feel differently, though... :D
Mike Demana
Actually, I'd go with basic Soviet green and some white buzz numbers. That way it can see service under any number of owners. Everyone loves Soviet Green.
Just found and caught up with this thread: as you said, your ambassador seems to have the same misfortune as mine, stuck on Ascension...
Looking forward to seeing these
Sounds like quite the slugfest! Close game, though. Congrats to the Balczakis for conducting a successful rescue operation. They may have lost the game, but the main mission objective was notched off as a success. I am enjoying reading these reports…
That was quite a gripping narrative! Realy enjoyable read, it mst have been a fun game. :-* :-*
Another exciting AAR, sounds like a good game.
Very good read but the BFF crowd don't appear to be as 'on the ball' as regards media manipulation. As soon as the troops have left, they should have stashed the weapons and any incriminating insignia and put on white helmets - then got a local rent-a-mob to pretend to be casualties whilst filming the "atrocities caused by the government" - crying, screaming and shouting that the tank fired its guns into a hospital/school/place of worship! If it gets picked up internationally there's always a few idiots that'll believe 'em, no matter how outrageous the lies! lol
Cracking stuff and great photos.
Very atmospheric and you’ve painted a great picture with all the supporting scenario info. 👍
Or Alexi Jonaski? lol
Mike Demana
Or Alexi Jonaski? lol^__^
Mike Demana
Office of Media Relations or Ministry
Office of Media Relations or Ministry of Truth ^__^.
Looking forward to the AAR.
Yes.
Also looking forward to the report, it's becoming like a serial! "Tune in next week for 'Balczaki Blunders!' Heh."
Have fun tonight with the game! Looks like it'll be another good one.
Mike Demana
Capn, you certainly produce a top scenario outline. All the info and looks great as well. As does the table - I’m a fan of your tables, they always look like a layout I’d like to play on.
Looking forward to reading about what transpired.
Doug
Nicely done. :-* :-*Heh I guess it all depends on what sort of evidence gets out - obviously if there's no proof, then nothing untoward could possibly have happened...
I see a lengthy explanation of precisely what the yellow card allows you to do/not to do being in order with The Balczaki soldiery. :)
Nicely done. :-* :-*
I see a lengthy explanation of precisely what the yellow card allows you to do/not to do being in order with The Balczaki soldiery. :)
My word, that escalated quickly. Looking forward to part 2...
Heh I guess it all depends on what sort of evidence gets out - obviously if there's no proof, then nothing untoward could possibly have happened...
Great game by the looks of it - I assume the intention had been to get into the building much faster and catch them in the act of absconding with evidence?
Trigger happy folk, them Balczakis! Sounds like a lot of fun so far.
Maybe it has been in other games, and perhaps ones I have played in lol, but the triangular patterned sidewalk is very cool. Scratch built? Or where did you get it from?
Mike Demana
Nice work Capt!
I too have a 'Golden eye' tank. You & Lord Raglan might have inspired me to try a paint job. :)
They look great!
That second scheme, the grey/brown/green one appears in a Soviet manual on tank camouflage from the 1980s, so it's totally conceivable that a T-55 could be painted that way. The Czechs used a not dissimilar scheme in the late 1980s and they applied it to their T-55AMs.
Good job on the T-55s Jim
Just caught up on the latest AAR. Great stuff as usual - chaotic mayhem…! The campaign narrative is a joy (and an inspiration).
Is that the same BFF photographer that was wounded in the earlier action or is this a fresh one from the BFF media pool? Regardless, he got through this one unscathed and with some valuable propaganda photos. Balczaki officialdom aren’t going to like that.
Doug
Also, just caught up:once again, it felt like being a child in the 1980's watching news stories; the models are very atmospheric.
And those tanks came out very well; I like the "in combat" additions.
Great AAR, Jim! I thought the camera man was going to be rounded up and tossed in the back of the van. Was this a case of the players being so focused on shooting the enemy that they ignored the "civilian bystanders?" Or just Gene being Gene... lol
It was nice to see that building I'd sold to you put to use as the radio station! The photos all look great, as usual...
Mike Demana
Those are very cool. I like the turquoise trousers, very bold!
The right hand guy somehow still has a Wehrmacht vibe to him - not quite sure why, perhaps its the webbing?
Yeah to looks like he used some German warlord plastic to put these guys together
I like them, obviously unique and very characterful. I can’t see them up to their necks in Balczaki mayhem.
Doug
Well done and glad all the bits worked together.
Mongrel Miniatures had a Not Red Dawn (They call 'em "Scarlet Daybreak") set of figures, as well. Available through Badger Games here in the States.Underfire Miniatures has the Honey Badgers.
I'm guessing.... WHOOMPH!
Intriguing introduction and always great photos of your table! :)
Or: "Why did you shoot me...? I'm just recording audio for my Tik-tok feed!!" lol
Well, maybe not... :D
Mike Demana
I certainly enjoyed it…! Visually, a delight and the action was pacey and full of interest. The shenanigans round the BTR could have turned out very different. Looking forward to the ongoing action.
Doug
Badass game! Interesting, intense and enjoyable to read. :D
That both looks and sound like an awesome game.
Great AAR.
And the rules you were using was fist full of lead? Any add ones or home rules?
From Wiley Games. They have a whole stable of rulesets with Fistful of Lead. We've used them for all manner of periods and genres...I now got the Core rules and Galactic adventures in my shopping cart
Apologies for the tardiness CapnJim Sir! I just had a catch up on this thread and it's such good fun stuff, wonderful pictures and cracking stories! lol
I agree, Dimitri should get a medal of some sorts for his heroic actions!!!
If you end up liking them, and want to upscale a level, Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles activates groups of soldiers (a fire team or a vehicle, for example) at a time. Think the level of such games as Chain of Command, etc.I'll add that to the list as well.
I'll add that to the list as well.
A great game, and pretty intense. I agree: Dimitri deserves a medal, although sadly he's more likely to be reprimanded because... reasons.
This topic is sorely tempting me to break out the modern (well, it was modern 20 years ago) stuff I?ve got and set-up an imagination campaign. Like I need a new project?!
I?m blaming you, Capn Jim?.. ;)
Doug
This topic is sorely tempting me to break out the modern (well, it was modern 20 years ago) stuff I?ve got and set-up an imagination campaign. Like I need a new project?!
I?m blaming you, Capn Jim?.. ;)
Doug
Glad FfoL is working out for you. The ranges, etc are meant to be tweaked for your individual genres. And yes, Ready can come in handy in the right situations.I actually just watched the video the other day. And ordered the main book. :D
commisarmoody, there's plenty of game examples on Wiley Games YouTube channel. We just did a playthrough with a modern Imagi-Nations game.
Modern warfare is where it's at Doug, WWII is just so last year.:D
Modern warfare is where it's at Doug, WWII is just so last year.
Love the AAR 8)
The terrain works really well - some games seem to be afraid to have an open space, but those cobbled streets look like a killing zone >:D
I actually just watched the video the other day. And ordered the main book. :D
:D
Well, most of my games are in the thirties so WW2 is positively futuristic for me :D.
I don?t have the depth of knowledge of equipment, organisation etc as many on this board so mine will be totally ahistorical and imagination?d
Doug
Ah but on LAF the future is the past. It all comes to a crashing halt 25 years ago.
The sixties through to the end of the Cold War is my favourite period. So much happening everywhere and the kit was so much sexier than it is today.
Streets are just fire lanes that some other bugger has conveniently set up for you. Avoiding them is the trick.
Capn Jim's set ups are always inspirational.
Interesting.
What was the motivation for the unarmed civilians to stick around once the guns started firing?
They also serve, those that only stand and wait. :)
Nice report.
Didn't bring guns to a gun fight...that's not the Chicago way. :D
Another interesting fight. I look forward to part two.
Aaah, now it makes sense why those unarmed demonstrators were willing to mix it up with guys with guns. Ted? Gene? Aggressive?? Nah... CapnJim definitely! Those guys, though... lol lol
Mike Demana
The Trabant rocks :) If it hit those 3 folks, it also would be seriously damaged- being made of cardboard :)
lol lol lol It's arguably worse than that. Resin impregnated cotton waste (Duroplast) for the body work. Not the original by a long chalk but one of the more enduring plastic cars. At least with a Trabi you don't have to worry about a mobility kill. ;)
Favourite East German joke is one about the Trabi (no doubt replicated for other car types in Hungary, Poland the USSR etc.)
A couple have saved for years and order a Trabant. They are informed that they will go on a list and that their car will be ready for collection in ten years time .
'Is that a Tuesday by any chance asks the husband?'
'Why?' asks the official
'Because we have a plumber coming in on that day',
I'm not surprised about the Dacia. My aunt had a Renault 12, the basis of the Dacia and it was a complete piece of shit. The gear box shat itself quite dramatically one day and it died an ignoble but inevitable death.And it is just the construction, Dacia factory was not famous about the quality control either. It was the marketing mistake of the century to introduce the new Dacias (Logan, etc) as Dacia in Hungary. In Russia they run as Renaults- they'd sell 3 times the amount if they sold them as anything but Dacia in Hungary too.
Gotta have some love for the Trabi Kubel, so beloved of the Grenzschutzen and Volkspolizei. Carrying on that fine German tradition of an underpowered jeep without four wheel drive.We used Ladas, and one of my buddies a Trabant as hunting cars back before the 4wd pickup era- far from ideal, but it worked. Three factors we often overlook from todays perpective:
Possibly anecdotally but the spec for the 2CV was to carry two peasants and a sack of fertiliser over a ploughed field.
Arguably an ambitious benchmark to set. Twenty-five years later, the Austin Allegro was designed with the more modest goal of transporting a middle-aged couple and a packet of Rice Krispies across a Tesco's car park. Typically it failed to meet this objective.Possibly because the factory was on strike.
Arguably an ambitious benchmark to set. Twenty-five years later, the Austin Allegro was designed with the more modest goal of transporting a middle-aged couple and a packet of Rice Krispies across a Tesco's car park. Typically it failed to meet this objective.It is quite a dangerous place though, with all the kamikaze pedestrians, ,,we do not care about minimal parking space design building requirements"-style structure and the ,,If I come here enough times, I'll eventually learn to park my car properly" type of folks.
It is quite a dangerous place though, with all the kamikaze pedestrians, ,,we do not care about minimal parking space design building requirements"-style structure and the ,,If I come here enough times, I'll eventually learn to park my car properly" type of folks.
Cries for a wargame lol Maybe a Gaslands expansion?
Interesting discussion. I have limited experience with Eastern European crappy cars, at east the real ones. I will say that one thing my diecast have over their 1:1 counterparts are their steel bodies...Collecting 1/43 diecast cars is (apparently) a very popular hobby in Russia, so basically the entire WarPac car catalogue is available in that scale, with much better coverage on the everyday vehciles than what is available from the western cars in general. (Car racing and super sports cars were not a common thing in WarPac though :))
Collecting 1/43 diecast cars is (apparently) a very popular hobby in Russia, so basically the entire WarPac car catalogue is available in that scale, with much better coverage on the everyday vehciles than what is available from the western cars in general. (Car racing and super sports cars were not a common thing in WarPac though :))
Great report as always.
So, apparently was (is?) collecting 1/72 diecast tanks and other military vehicles. I have bunches of them.Arent those H0 (so 1/87)? It is also really popular, and not just in Russia.
Multiple scales. Russia produces most of the 1/43 diecast military models I've seen as well as 1/43 multi-media vehicle kits. Although who knows, maybe it's really just 1/10th of an arshin or some such arcane thang.If we have to give something to the Russians: they are not the ones using weird mesures :)
In Russia, several series of "magazine" (model + magazine with historical review) models of various military and civilian vehicles were published:Yeah, most of these are running in Hungary too (there are even scalpers who buy up the magazines quickly and sell the models 2-3* the price later), I have some of their models despite I do not collect diecast stuff nor in 1/43 neither in 1/72. I just was not aware that their diecasts are actually made in Russia.
- "Autolegends of the USSR" (Deagostini), 1/43; passenger cars of the USSR
- "Tractors. History, People, Machines" (Hachette collections), 1/43; models of famous tractors of the world
[...]
There are a huge number of collectors of various models in Russia. The most popular scales: for cars - 1/43; for military equipment - 1/72.There is a huge selection of 1/72 military vehicles from Russian companies, a lot of stuff not even being available in the more popular 1/35 scale at all. But the ones I met were "classic" plastic models.
I always thought an alternative to the high octane car chase computer games would be a car parking one.
First level = parking a Mini on a mid-week shopping trip.
Top level = Trying to park a long estate car in the run up to Christmas, with things like what seems to be an
empty bay actually being filled with a short or low car. Other cars going the wrong way & stealing
parking spots just before you. lol
In this case, I wrote only about Diecast models. Very convenient for wargamers - the models do not require assembly and painting, and besides, they are quite durable. And relatively cheap (considering that assembly and painting are not required). There is one drawback - after the full sale of the manufactured edition, they become less accessible and, naturally, become more expensive, as rarities.
Interestingly, your regular Dave E. was playing in my Viking Raid game at Origins on Friday night. There seems to have been a mixup, and he brought Ted's luck with him. Bar none in the 16 times I've run the scenario this year at various cons, Dave had the worst luck -- losing two of his three Viking raiders! :D lol
Mike Demana
An air of mystery to this one. Nice storytelling, as ever.
I know quite a few gamers who would not have been so nice to the civilians as the Soviets were. :D
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/10_Soviet_Invasion_of_Czechoslovakia_-_Flickr_-_The_Central_Intelligence_Agency.jpg/500px-10_Soviet_Invasion_of_Czechoslovakia_-_Flickr_-_The_Central_Intelligence_Agency.jpg)/quote]
Send in the HINDS!!! :D
Who makes the OMON figures?
I wonder, if the Soviets send in the tanks, would it be like the Prague Spring?
Student protesters soon worked out that you could take a tank out,
some rags stuffed under the spare fuel tanks & a cigarette lighter would do it.
I wonder, if the Soviets send in the tanks, would it be like the Prague Spring?
Student protesters soon worked out that you could take a tank out,
some rags stuffed under the spare fuel tanks & a cigarette lighter would do it.Quote(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/10_Soviet_Invasion_of_Czechoslovakia_-_Flickr_-_The_Central_Intelligence_Agency.jpg/500px-10_Soviet_Invasion_of_Czechoslovakia_-_Flickr_-_The_Central_Intelligence_Agency.jpg)/quote]Quite a lot of people found out that a molotov cocktail onto the rear engine deck of a soviet tank would shut it down and cause the crew to bail out - especially those fitted with fire supression systems! lol
In fact, this hasn't worked for a long time. Since they started creating excess pressure inside military equipment to prevent radioactive dust from getting inside. The combustible mixture will simply flow down the armor... But you can burn the truck.In fact it has, but not in the way you intended. In the older Soviet tanks with a single fire supression system, the fire doesn't have to penetrate the tank - a fire on the engine deck was often enough to set off the fire supression system which filled the tank with CO2 (more recently, Halon - but that's usually in tanks with seperate engine/crew compartment systems), causing the crew to bail out. Even the US Army and the Mujaheddin were aware of that trick.
Even the US Army and the Mujaheddin were aware of that trick.
2014?
I thought we were talking about Soviet tanks in the 80's?
Thanks, Rick. I appreciate that.Ah, they're probably not doing it right. ;)
Besides, the members of my gaming group would actually have to hit an armored vehicle with a Molotov for any of this to be remotely relevant. An accomplishment as yet not done....
This thing on Soviet equipment was called "Anti-nuclear protection system" (PAZ), part of it was "Filter-ventilation unit" (FVU). The principle of operation is to create excess pressure inside the vehicle body to prevent radioactive dust from penetrating into it in contaminated areas. It began to be installed on Soviet military equipment in 1957. The first tank where it was installed was the T-55, the first BTR-60. And then even previously produced models were equipped with it (I don't know in what quantities), for example the BTR-40B. And most of the subsequent equipment - of course.I'm sure you're correct cuprum but it still has nothing to do with what I'd originally mentioned. We are talking at cross-purposes so shall we just drop it, perhaps?
https://web.archive.org/web/20090307205118/http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jnbc/jnbc0734.html
In fact it has, but not in the way you intended. In the older Soviet tanks with a single fire supression system, the fire doesn't have to penetrate the tank - a fire on the engine deck was often enough to set off the fire supression system which filled the tank with CO2 (more recently, Halon - but that's usually in tanks with seperate engine/crew compartment systems), causing the crew to bail out. Even the US Army and the Mujaheddin were aware of that trick.
I do not know how your choice of US scale relative to Empress ARVN, but an alternative for your GNP are the ARVN by Gringos 40.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=121220.msg1845739#msg1845739 (https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=121220.msg1845739#msg1845739)
Empress V100 is a good choice, I have one
The great thing about the Commando is it's versatility - it can be used as a 7 man apc, or with different support options up to a 20mm or 90mm cannon. It was a LAV before the US developed the LAV.
Several. Between Northern Gambola, Bakczakistan, and what's coming in El Perdomo, we've used/ will use such rules as Wild Geese (and its variants, all by Wayne Bollands), Fistful of Lead and its Bigger Battles brother, Black Ops, and Xenos Rampant. All have produced good games...Not tried Ffol, I've got Black Ops but wasn't taken with them, they seem like a computer game simulation more than a wargame. I've got the Chris Peers 'At Close Quarters' and 'A Corner of Hell' I was thinking of using and I've got Xenos Rampant if that doesn't work out.
Hmm. As it turns out, I have At Close Quarters. Never played it, though. Methinks I'll take another perusal at it...It's not a bad set of rules really - it's very much a cold war set and requires a good set-up or scenario to get the most out of it; a bit of research on appropriate organisations is essential but it has definite potential there. The 'A Corner of Hell' set uses more or less the same rules but for WW2 games so I'm wondering whether to put modern weapons from ACQ into ACoH or some of the WW2 vehicles and set up from ACoH into ACQ - lots and lots of potential!
This project just gets better and better 8)
It's not a bad set of rules really - it's very much a cold war set and requires a good set-up or scenario to get the most out of it; a bit of research on appropriate organisations is essential but it has definite potential there. The 'A Corner of Hell' set uses more or less the same rules but for WW2 games so I'm wondering whether to put modern weapons from ACQ into ACoH or some of the WW2 vehicles and set up from ACoH into ACQ - lots and lots of potential!
Those Mongrel minis troops are looking really good - might have to look into those!
Great work on the ranger, I think that OG uniform's going to be a godsend for anyone not wanting to paint camo on the REFORGER figs
Game-wise, the Soviets are hitting back in Balczakistan next Friday (08 August). I'll post scenario info, likely yet this weekend.
I say
I don't like cricket, oh no
I love it
I don't like cricket, no no
I love it
Very nice! :-* :-*
More great figures.
Has anyone mentioned https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_(1985_film) (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_(1985_film)) and to a lesser extent https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_Paradise (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_Paradise).
Those Mongrel minis blokes really look the part. Very versatile packs of figures.
And I, for one, and am looking forward to it...! Yes, it is time for the Columbus crew's annual trip up to Blisffield, MI, for a gaming weekend at Jim's Toybox. It's going to be fun...! :D :-*
Mike Demana
I'm wondering if the Balczaki's need those 5 extra turns to get into place before the Soviets turn up. lol
I believe I mentioned Water and Carlton-Browne of the F.O. as inspiration films on Cap'nJim's other post. Well worth a bit of a look.
Guerillas are always fighting the 'long war'.
Meanwhile the Soviet CinC will have said 'this limited military intervention (definitely not a war) will be over by turn three'. :)
Definitely staying tuned for the next instalment.Me too.
FYI, in the pic on Mike's blog, of a few of us standing around in front of it, I'm the guy with the green T-shirt that says "Front Toward Enemy"... 8)
Judging by the Toy Box alone, I incline to the view that Mrs Jim is a gem. Lucky chap!