AKULAs After the Bomb project 1980s imagination - pg34 - Bloodhound Missile

[CapnJim]

Those sure look good.  It'd be interesting to see all the figs you have done up so far in a group shot...

[AKULA]

Thanks everyone for your comments - I’ll see what I can do about a group shot.

Quick update today - a two-seater Chipmunk trainer.

The civil defence contingencies of the day talked about light aircraft being used for reconnaissance/communications in a post-attack environment, and the chipmunk fits the bill. Will also be useful for a Soviet “attack the airfield” type game.





Not painted by myself, rather a product of my excessive eBay habit.

[dadlamassu]

Excellent addition! 
Now how about the Spitmunk?  Or a Scottish Aviation Bulldog?

[carlos marighela]

Aha! Now I see what you meant. Great minds think alike and all that.  Looking good!

Still waiting on mine to arrive. When it does it will be painted up as RAF Gatow station flight version, the ones that did the BRIXMIS ‘spy’ flights around Berlin. As my late grandfather taught a fair few people how to fly in Chippies at CFS, I will surely get a second to paint up in his honour. Just have to find the serials in his log book.

If you want a painless chopper to go with that, there’s a decent Solido Gazelle that scales out to about 1/50. Dunno if anyone makes a Bulldog in scale but there is at least one 1/48 DHC-2 Beaver out there and I think that the AAC still had them on their books into the early/ mid eighties.

[commissarmoody]

Getting a pretty extinsive air force going on. Next you need one of those Tamiya HAWKER SEA HARRIER kits. 
Will you be adding any late 80s kitted out troops as well? Such as armed with SA80 and Minimi in the future? Or keep it all SLR's. 

[AKULA]

Thanks everyone - plenty of ideas for more aircraft, as my initial idea continues to spiral out of all control 

Will you be adding any late 80s kitted out troops as well? Such as armed with SA80 and Minimi in the future? Or keep it all SLR's.

No plans for late 80’s...but then I didn’t plan on any of this 


While I eagerly await the new Empress Soviet Airborne, I thought I’d have a play about with a few existing figures to come up with some troops in snow suits. The following are a combination of Artizan WW2 Soviet Scouts & Underfire Mini Cold War Soviets, in some cases with green stuff to create the 2-piece suit, and or with an Anvil Industry balaclava head added.

From Left to Right

RPK Gunner - Underfire Mini (Green stuffed suit)
Radio Operator - Artizan Designs with Anvil Industry head & WF weapon
Officer kneeling - Underfire with Anvil Industry head & trimmed down weapon
Officer standing with map - Artizan Designs (Green stuffed suit)
Sniper - Underfire with Anvil Industry head (Green stuffed suit)




Having reread the Team Yankee novel recently, I like the idea that the officer with the map could be a Zampolit Political Officer




Plenty more to add while I wait for Paul’s new figures ... the Underfire minis arrived only yesterday, so these are just the advance party.... 

[dadlamassu]

Lovely work.  I remember seeing the videos of Soviet Army exercises making massive assaults in the NBC environment with the soldiers in their Shlem Maska Shm-41 and the officers in their, obviously gas, bug and nuke proof, ushanka.

[AKULA]

Another addition to the flying circus...an AN-2 Colt for the VDV



Only room for a dozen passengers ....

[carlos marighela]

Nice.

 It’s as well you went with the Colt, I suspect a 1/48 Il-76 would take up a fair bit of shelf space. 

Did you know that the Hawk trainers at RAF Brawdy and Chivenor were double roled as emergency air defence and of course were also used for air to ground weapons training?

Did you also know that the rather natty Airfix Quickbuild Hawk, the lego like construction one that comes with the Aden gun pod, actually scales out to 1/56? Just sayin……

[AKULA]

It’s as well you went with the Colt, I suspect a 1/48 Il-76 would take up a fair bit of shelf space. 

Yeah...that would be crazy...out of interest, does anyone make one? 

Did you know that the Hawk trainers at RAF Brawdy and Chivenor were double roled as emergency air defence and of course were also used for air to ground weapons training?

Funnily enough the Tactical Weapons Unit is on my list 

[CapnJim]

They planes look good, and those Soviet winter boys look the business, as well!

[carlos marighela]

Yeah...that would be crazy...out of interest, does anyone make one? 

Funnily enough the Tactical Weapons Unit is on my list 

Nearest I could find was a 1/72 Il-76 from A Model. 

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby /kits/amo/kit_amodel_72012.shtml

It’s big enough that the manufacturer felt the need to make the fuselage from fibreglass. 

By my calculations it would have a 2 foot wingspan, so yeah, that’s an industrial sized shelf. Of course that’s just a puppy compared to another of their Soviet transports.

https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/amo/kit_amodel_72009.shtml

I have no real use for a Hawk but having discovered that I have spare, albeit oversized, Matra pods from a Hunter kit, I feel compelled. Looked for the one I made with my son a few years back but it seems to have been binned.   Still, it’s cheap enough that new decals and a tin of spray paint will probably cost more than the toy itself.

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

Love the snow suit figures.  Check out our chechnyan range for some other usable figures. 

[Dags]

No one point Akky in the direction of the Caspian Sea Monster 

[carlos marighela]

No one point Akky in the direction of the Caspian Sea Monster 

There is actually a nice Zvedza 1/144 kit that I keep steeling my self to resist. Might make an interesting corner of the table, ‘forced perspective’ bit of scenery.

Oops there we go, putting temptation in the poor lad’s way again. Soz!