Burma 1944. What scale?

[Legion1963]

That's right my dear fellow LAF'rs and LAF'ttes, Burma 1944. I am considering a third project and a choice would be Burma, 1944. WHAT! A third project. Is this the man that readily and on numerous occasions states that', "he does feel the need for another project". Indeed, that same man.
Now don't get all excited and please hold back the saliva as there are no yummy pictrues to drool over or in fact any AAR to be envious about. It is just a plan.
But before i head of into the unknown, i need to decide what scale. Of course i have some idea about that too and naturally 1/72th scale is an obvious one. But some input of the more experienced or insightfull members here on LAF is much appreciated. Thanks.

[robh]

15mm at the smallest (and as a dedicated 6mm fanatic that is hard to write!) 20mm would work well, 28mm would be great but cost a lot more. The very close terrain and heavy degree of "overhead" scenery will make getting fingers in to move smaller stuff around a nightmare.

My choice would be the (imho) lovely, if somewhat caricatured, Platoon 20 range from ERM:
http://shop.eastridingminiatures.co.uk/burma-campaign-94-c.asp
One of the love or hate ranges unfortunately.

Also do an excellent selection of Japanese.

[Slayer]

Im gonna use the plastic Perry's Brits as Aussies, so Id go with 28mm

[Legion1963]

Okay gents, thanks for all the info so far. To be clear, it will be a skirmish game (as with my Vietnam project) so i do not need large numbers of miniatures or great amounts of hardware (tanks, planes and such). As for the jungle, it will set up as a modular enviroment, iow no fixed terrain but a series of modules that can arranged accordingly. Works a treat.
As with my Nam Project i run into difficulty getting the right stuff in the right scale (for example trucks) i feel that on this one i will go for a scale that is more affordable and has more stuff available. So i am leaning ever so slightly towards 1/72th scale.
That said, i do like my 28mm Americans and NVA very much so nothing is decided.

[Elk101]

I have stuff for 28mm Burma as a side project to my Vietnam project (largely looking at maximising specialist terrain). The Japanese are Brigade Games with some Brigade US marines, Artizan Australians, TAG chindits, and Artizan Sikhs.

[Elk101]

Ha! I posted as you did. Interesting to see that we're both looking to reuse terrain. I have no vehicles for Burma but may pick up a Lee.

This really is a background project and I've picked up every single figure on sale so I don't feel bad about not pushing it on!

[Rob_bresnen]

In 28mm, always...lots of choice.

TAG and Bolt action make Chindits (which are also good for 14th army brits)
Wargames foundry do some nice ones, but they only have SMG's...a mix of tommy guns and sten guns- and you don't need that many smgs- they also do some royal marines for Burma- not sure how useful they would be.

http://store.warlordgames.com/collections/british-chindits
http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=62
http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/worldwar2/burma

The one thing you have to remember is that by 1944 the army have switched over to Jungle green (JG) uniforms, and not Khaki drill (KD). Now in 1943 the JG was just the KD dyed green, but it wasn't really up to the rigours of jungle combat- as the first Chindit expedition found out- most of the guys who made it back were dressed in green rags. The 1944 JG was a tougher affair- and generally the pictures show them with long trousers. If you want to do 1944 you can't just use the perry desert rats, as they have the earlier KD.



of course the Chindits all tended to wear the bush hat, but a good number of the 14th army wore the normal tommy tin hat, so you could press some of the 8th army into use, painted JG, especially if they have long trousers- some of the Black Tree Designs 8th army would be suitable.

http://www.blacktreedesign.com/uk/home.php?cat=2520

Sikhs- Pulp miniatures do Sikh in the earlier uniforms, and Perry do heads for their plastics- and Artizan designs do some Sikhs in Battle dress (BD) which if painted right I think could pass for JG (although they tend to wear their sleeves long and not rolled up, as you would normally do in JG. It's rather a case of beggers can't be choosers.

http://pulpfigures.com/products/category/16
http://www.artizandesigns.com/list.php?man=15&cat=101&sub=109&page=1
https://www.perry-miniatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_74_75&products_id=2881&osCsid=biogug78okc4n0d3altnihgpd7

For Indian troops other than Sikh in the 14th army then by 1944 most just wore the same uniform as their British colleges, including the tin hat. I would just use the same mdoels as teh brits but just paint their skin different (obviously). You might want to add the odd moustache with greenstuff. 

Also Company B make a really Indian pattern Armoured car and crew- and it is out of stock on thier website, but here is a picture of it onteh Brigade Games site...

http://brigadegames.3dcartstores.com/ACV-IP-Armored-Carrier-Wheeled-Indian-Pattern-156th_p_1907.html

[Rob_bresnen]

I have jusr rememberd to add that there were two other allied forces in Burma in 1944- the US and the Chinese.

The US rangers- the so called Merrill's marauders- were a long range jungle warfare group- very similar to the Chindits,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill's_Marauders

no one really makes Merrill's marauders in 28mm- there are US marines in pacific theatre and their are northern European US Rangers, but as far as I am aware that it is... I haven't looked into that possibility yet.

The Chinese were the remains of nationalist who had been fighting in Burma alongside the Brits in 1941 and had retreated into India along with the British. They were nominally under the command of an american general- but it seems to all intense and purposes they followed their own officers. They were equipped by the British and the Americans, and photos show them wearing shorts and British tin hats (Pre 1943 KD surplus?), and carrying US weapons. in 28mm you could use the perry 8th army, with weapons swaps to the Bolt Action american weapons- possible but is it worth it?

[Gothic Line]

 28mm is the best scale to wargame...metal soldiers will fight better than the plastic ones IMHO!
 we produce WW2 Japanese and Dutch and more ranges suitable for the Pacific!
 www.gothiclineminiatures.com
 Best regards
 Gui

[Gothic Line]

 Here are the Japanese in color!!! We actually have more though...

 http://gothiclineminiatures.blogspot.pt/2011/09/new-release-ww2-japanese.html

 Our Dutch Infantry offers a pack with optional KNIL Colonial Slouch Hat heads,bare heads,helmeted etc.so you can have different versions ans so have real different kind of troops in you collection!
 Best regards
 Gui

[Cubs]

Plastic bamboo scenery is now available for much cheapness, so making those groves should be a relatively simple affair in any scale. For me it has to be 28mm, if only because of Paul Hicks' Chindits and Gurkhas.

[WuZhuiQiu]

28mm seems to be the way to go for skirmish gaming, but I'd game Burma in 15mm, simply because local club members have already ventured into gaming Vietnam and the Second Sino-Japanese War in 15mm. Besides, 15mm should allow for slightly larger actions, hence more unit variety, in the same table space.

[Legion1963]

Thank you very much gentlemen this is all very helpfull. Thinking of a skirmish wargame set in the Birmese jungle in the year of 1944 i would firstly think of the 5307th Composit Unit (Provisional) als known as Merrill's Marauders and secondly of Chindits (something like Morris' Force or Dah Force). For both have enough military history info to make a nice skirmishgame and leave plenty of adventurous materiel to enhance as i see fit. It has to be that way for the purpose of childhood memories as my father was the first one who told me about the war in Burma and we had many adventures as special operatives crawling through the 'Burmese jungle'.
The scale is still un-decided. The advantages are clear to me and TAG miniatures would a string favorite but not ruling out others at this stage in the process. The new boxed set of plastic pacific marines would make passable to good marauders IMHO.
There's still much to think about and decide. Cheers.

[dice shaker]

Hello,

 for a new Burma seting think for 1/76. Troops from Airfix and Matchbox, SHQ for metal. And full access for the 00 model railway things. All the nice Oxford ( oxforddiecast.co.uk ) or Classix by Pocketbond (pocketbond.co.uk ) cars & trucks. Or a steam engine perhaps? And houses, even paper kits in proper quality.
 Yes, think about 1/76.

Yours Sebastian

 

[Legion1963]

Hello,

 for a new Burma seting think for 1/76. Troops from Airfix and Matchbox, SHQ for metal. And full access for the 00 model railway things. All the nice Oxford ( oxforddiecast.co.uk ) or Classix by Pocketbond ( info@pocketbond.co.uk ) cars & trucks. Or a steam engine perhaps? And houses, even paper kits in proper quality.
 Yes, think about 1/76.

Yours Sebastian

 

Indeed Sebastian. That scale is definitely an option. There's a wealth of materiel but i wonder who makes the correct miniatures for my idea. Remember i do not need hundreds of soldiers and i have specific needs in that respect. Thanks for the info.