From AlanD: 15mm WWII Soviet Armour (82 points)

From Alan:

Flitting butterfly-like from project to project, I have cleared some 15mm Russian vehicles from the lead mountain this week. These are all destined for Battle Group Kursk (best game ever), with the exception of the T34/85, which suggests that I will soon start painting things for Battlegroup Fall of the Reich.

The models are a real mixed bag. First up, here are a couple of Katyushas from Zvezda. As with all the 15mm Zvezda kits, the models fit together beautifully. As they are intended as gaming pieces some compromises are made with detail, such as only having rockets on the top of the launching rails, but they are nice little kits nevertheless.

At the other end of the model engineering scale, next are is a radio command truck and a couple of Gaz jeeps from QRF. These are very rudimentary metal kits, with the radio van in particular suffering from lots of mould lines and a reluctance from any parts to actually fit properly. The jeep base with the two pointing chaps will act as a forward observer in BGK, the other is a command base for a motorised platoon. The figures are all from Plastic Soldier Company. I like these a lot, but my army is starting to suffer from officers and NCOs all feeling the need to point at things.

Next up, a SU76 and White Scout Car from Command Decision. These are very nice models, and I particularly like all the stowage on the Scout Car. In BGK this will act as a Recce unit, carrying a squad of 6 men. I've modelled them on a separate base, complete with a tree demolished by an artillery shell.

Finally, a resin knocked-out T34/85 from Peter Pig. Despite obvious compromises with detail to mould it in one piece, I really like this model, which will act as an objective marker.

Sadly, the supplier had run out of T34/76s, so this is destined for Fall of the Reich. Being enormously pedantic I probably can't bear to use it in a Kursk game.

Great stuff! I particularly like the ungainly Katyusha trucks, the Gaz jeeps and the grim knocked-out T34. 

Alan, you are a one-man ad campaign for this game! You've done such a great job being a booster that I'm ordering a copy today. Mission accomplished.

This selection of Soviet men and vehicles will provide Alan 82 points to add to his growing tally. Nice!

From FranL: 15mm Modern Soviet Armour (24 points)

We have another dash to the finish line today with Fran seizing the win in the 600 point race.

From Fran:

This is a pre-emptive panic post to grab my 600 and flee.....

We have some 15mm QRF horrible castings of 3 BTR-80s and 1 T-72 for my Chechen forces to face off against the Russians but while they're suitable, these figures are less than stellar in there casting and quality, same Russian green colour as the Russian armour just to show who the former owners were?

A nice push for victory Fran! I've always liked the bright blue 'lens' colours you use for your lights and optics - they serve a nice contrast from the muted military colours. 

These four vehicles will give Fran 24 points and so enough for him to claim the race to the 600 point marker. Well done Mr. Lee! Now, what will be your next points target?

From FranL: 15mm Modern Russian Infantry & Armour (156 points)

Francis reports in with a passel of modern Russians in 15mm.

From Fran:

We have the guts of a modern motorised rifle platoon here plus some support weapons including mortars, HMGs and grenade launchers.

I made a bit of a bollox of this as I foolishly took certain helmet types as part of the Russian infantry and they turned out to belong to a different part of the Russian defence forces and 40+ Russian figures had to be done again but the others will still be used but are not shown here due then being done pre-challenge. The figures are from Eureka Miniatures.

I made a bit of a bollox of this as I foolishly took certain helmet types as part of the Russian infantry and they turned out to belong to a different part of the Russian defence forces and 40+ Russian figures had to be done again but the others will still be used but are not shown here due then being done pre-challenge. The figures are from Eureka Miniatures.

Below is some Russian armour for the period including 4 T-80s on the back row, 3 T-72s, a Tunguska AA system, 4 BTR-80s and a BMP-1 and all based again, the T-80s, BMP-1 and Tunguska are from QRF and the rest are plastic from Zvedza.

Great work Fran! Those Eureka models are very nice indeed. We never seem to see this stuff featured at Posties - do you put on games at your place? I think I've only seen one irreverent AAR describing one of your Zombie games posted on Ray's blog... 

This fine force of Russians will give Fran 156 points.

Guest Post AAR - Battle At Customs House - Yom Kippur War

IDF on the Golan in 1973 - nowhere to fall back to now...

Greetings again to the visitors at Analogue Hobbies.  I'm sorry to interrupt the steady stream of entries to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (well, not sorry if it interrupts Ray), but I'm sure many of you have noticed your recent entries to the competition have been slow to appear on the Blog.  That's because I have rocketed out to Regina for a wonderful visit with Curt and Sarah, and we have been gaming our faces off!  Here is the first of a few AARs from the trip - a tank battle set in on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. 

View of the table - the Syrian entry is at the top of the photo, and the river section in the bottom is meant to represent the Jordan river

Those of you who visit the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts pages will have seen the Golan Heights in 1973 appear as one of my not-infrequent "new insane projects" back in the summer of 2012. I have painted a good sized pile of 15mm Syrian and IDF tanks and infantry since then, and it was fun to kick off the gaming here in the centre of God's prairies with a Yom Kippur game.  We used the Bolt Action rules engine for the game, with the platoon-activation modifications our Fawcett group has used previously for 15mm WW2 games. 

Syrian T-62s advance - these particular models are from Old Glory

IDF Centurions hold the line - the one on the right has taken damage already

In the 1973 surprise attack on the Golan Heights a small number of IDF tank battalions, spread thin along the "purple line" at the frontier, held out heroically - and at very high cost - against several Syrian divisions.  Many Syrian units broke through holes in the IDF lines during the first two days and tried to find their way to the bridges over  the Jordan River. If they had succeeded, it would have been game over in the north for the IDF. This scenario imagined an action involving of one of those units - a company of Syrian T-62s approaching the "customs house", a very old bridge and collection of buildings that straddled the previous border with Palestine. 

The effects of IDF gunnery - one T-62 out, a second immobilized

Historically the Syrian spearheads approached this location, met some resistance, and turned back - night was approaching and they were not sure what defences were in place.  If only they had known at the time there was practically none, the 1973 war might have turned out differently.  So this scenario is a "what-if" of sorts - what if the Syrians were more aggressive?

Syrian reinforcements arrive - these are QRF models 

Centurion Sh'ot arrives to bolster the defence - model by Peter Pig

The table was 6'x4', with the Syrian force - a company of 13 T-62 MBTs - entering at one edge, and having ten turns to get at least two tanks across the old bridge representing the crossing of the Jordan river (I think the actual bridge was a Bailey bridge, but I found the stone piece evocative of the age of the place in question).  

Pin markers accumulate on a Centurion

Syrian mass builds - but it just doesn't move fast enough

Opposing this tide of armour was a small force of IDF tankers composed of reservists coming up into the fighting - two Centurion Sh'ots behind some improvised defences, and three more arriving from off the table during the game.  The old buildings represented an orchard and farm area near the "customs house". The IDF mission was to stop the Syrians at all costs - if they could knock out or disable eight of the Syrian tanks, it would halt the attack.  But would they last?

Syrians detour around the wreck on the road

Centurion Sh'ot knocked out of action

Curt took the IDF side and I plated the Syrians. The Syrians started with one 3-tank platoon already coming down the road, and would arrive in platoon-sized batches over the first three turns, while Curt would receive another Centurion on each turn starting with the first until all five were on the table. 

Curt positions a last defence on the bridge, just in case

I tried to split the difference between moving and firing, thinking I could put enough fire on the IDF to to knock them out AND overrun them. I mean, I had a 13 to 5 advantage, right? No such luck! Soon T-62s were burning on the road, causing a traffic jam and causing the tanks to detour. The Bolt Action rules model the movement of tracked vehicles very well, limiting the turns of the vehicles.  You need to think ahead a bit - sure you can turn and move, but will your flank be exposed? Will you be able to move again from where you end up? When you are trying to get 13 tanks moving, this is a challenge.   

Syrians struggle to advance

As more T-62s arrived the battle heated up.  The Syrians managed to knock out one of the Sh'ots.  For good measure Curt parked one reinforcing Sh'ot on the bridge over the river, and moved the other Centurions forward aggressively.  Tank shells criss-crossed the battlefield as both sides blazed away. 

One gutsy Syrian crew makes a charge - but is taken out 

I had one platoon which managed to stay relatively pin-free, and they cause some trouble for the IDF - immobilizing a second Sh'ot and putting some heavy pins on a third. It was the opening I had hoped for.  But I was not able to get the other tanks moving consistently - I had one fellow zipping down the flank, but he got tagged by the Sh'ot on the bridge. 

 The table is filled with wrecked tanks - my kind of game!

Ultimately the IDF knocked out the eight T-62s needed in order to halt the attack by the ninth turn, but it was a close-run engagement, with the IDF having lost two MBTs themselves.  My early decision to try and engage hurt me in the end - we should have been running up that road for all we were worth, losses be dammed! 

The game was a blast - I love a table filled with burning tanks, and the Golan Heights in 1973 is a setting that obliges that preference for sure!

Following the battle we sortied for lunch in Regina and then re-set the table for our second game - the Sudan in 1884. Now let me see if I can find all of those entries from Ray here on Curt's computer and delete them...

From GregB: 15mm Syrian T-62 Tanks (12 points))

From Greg:

Back to my 15mm Golan Heights Project. Two more 15mm tanks, T-62s for the Syrians. These are QRF castings - again very, very poor casting quality, but still a lot better than any other options I've seen. 

The bases are from Warbases, a great outfit that is replacing Litko as my "go-to" for basing requirements.  They offer great quality, great service and super-fast turn around on orders.  

I just finished these recently - you can still see the glue drying on the groundwork. 

These raise my total complement of Syrian T-62s to thirteen tanks - a whole company, plus some command!  More than enough to threaten the IDF on the gaming table!

Wow, up to thirteen T-62s now? That is impressive. I can't wait to see them all arrayed on the table with the IDF as well.

These two tanks will give Greg 12 points.

From GregB: 15mm Syrian Anti-Tank & Support Weapons, T-62 Tanks & Israeli Infantry, Support Weapons & Journalists (80 points)

Greg sends us a bewildering selection of 15mm models which will bolster his '73 Golan Heights project.

From Greg:

This is a selection of 15mm infantry support weapons for the IDF and Syrian Army for my 1973 Golan Heights project. The figures are all from Peter Pig's modern range, with the exception of the Sagger missiles themselves - they are Command Decision castings.  The quality of the Command Decision Sagger crews was so low (basically cast rabbit turd plops that make QRF look like the Perry bothers in comparison) so I just used the missiles themselves, and used spare crew guys from Peter Pig as a bodge. 

For the IDF I have two .50 cal MG teams and one 81mm mortar team. These are likely to see action in the table for scenarios where the IDF infantry were defending their isolated bunkers along the Purple Line, or the desperate defense of the HQ at Naffekh.  For the IDF figures I swapped the heads, using the "professionals" from Peter Pig's modern line, but replacing the heads with WW2 US infantry heads.  Peter Pig's head swap system is quick and relatively easy to do.

 

For the Syrians I have two Sagger ATGM teams, two heavy (105 or 108mm) recoilless rifle teams and an 81mm mortar team. These would see action in scenarios involving the IDF counterattack into Syria - but the Saggers would see action in the initial Syrian assault as well.  The Sagger - a wire-guided ATGM weapon which the operators had to try and steer on to the target - was quite a surprise to the IDF tankers, but was very difficult for the Syrians to use in actual combat conditions.  Imagine trying to steer a missile toward a target while shells and bullets are falling and flying around you, over broken and challenging terrain.  Very tricky.  But the Syrians definitely gave it a go - I remember one anecdote from an IDF Centurion commander marvelling at the number of "strings" lying across his turret when he popped the cupola hatch open.  Then he realized the "strings" were guide wires from the Syrian Saggers, and realized how many close calls there had been...the Saggers to me really help "set" the period. 

The journalists are just done up for a lark - I like to have TV crews or journalists as objectives, to represent modifiers on the table, or just for pure fluff (propaganda crew or some other sort of battlefield ephemera).  These journalists represent a 70's era TV camera team. 

Peter Pig makes wonderful figures - I recommend them highly.  I do wish they would flush out their modern range more - particularly with a non WW2 soviet HMG team. Here's hoping! 

Finally, a platoon of three Syrian T-62s, 15mm scale.  These models will see action in the Golan Heights games on our table. 

These models are QRF - very poor quality castings. Lots of mould lines, tons of flash and tons of tags. Assembly was very hard, as the fit is very rough for the components. The cupola MGs are very thin, and I am concerned they will not last long. 

For all that, they are still much nicer than the models from Command Decision. At the end of the day there is not much to choose from when it comes to modern 15mm stuff. You hope Peter Pig has it, and if they don't, you make do with what is available.

Beautiful work Greg. You certainly made a silk purse out of a sows ear with those QRF models and at a blistering pace no less!

This collection of miniatures will give Greg a tidy 80 points. Well done my friend!