tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19023212459502281882024-03-06T17:12:06.487+13:00Wargamer on TourThe tales of a Wargaming Addict!Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.comBlogger210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-22369055469964369542019-04-23T17:20:00.001+12:002019-04-23T17:20:35.413+12:00Reading List for Team Yankee
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since the release of Team Yankee, I have pulled a fair
number of dust covered books off my shelves to read, along with buying a small
pile of new ones – thank goodness for the Kindle I say!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is my 2 cents on where you can start if you are looking
to get in the Team Yankee mood…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Team Yankee</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pretty much the book that started it all. If you are looking
for a fun read, that follows a single US Combat Team through World War III then
this is the place to start. If you are planning on playing US forces in TY then
this is a no-brainer to give you a little inspiration.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XCMi8G">Team Yankee on Amazon...</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Red Storm Rising</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tom Clancy was one of the most riveting writers of last century
as far as I am concerned. Red Storm Rising covers WWIII with a great mix of “in
the trenches” coverage mixed with the strategic concerns of fighting the war. Some
of my favourite aspects of the book include his coverage of the war in the Atlantic
onboard the USS Reuben James – needless to say it lead to me playing a lot of
Harpoon in the late 80s and 90s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNQoBLLrvWgREGlT_0rEL6B3wUFYDW93L24upLS3Rmn6HRmIPetwb8r3rdVFz5kttkq8IjfB7AjrX6gSZ1x5AaO7VUAicrh9cFM_RBPwttEZ1X_92UTF_u74JNihqKj-JtG1705iV0gw/s1600/RedPhoenix.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNQoBLLrvWgREGlT_0rEL6B3wUFYDW93L24upLS3Rmn6HRmIPetwb8r3rdVFz5kttkq8IjfB7AjrX6gSZ1x5AaO7VUAicrh9cFM_RBPwttEZ1X_92UTF_u74JNihqKj-JtG1705iV0gw/s200/RedPhoenix.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Red Phoenix</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Larry Bond worked on Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy and not
long after ended up writing a number of great books including Red Phoenix. In
this, his first solo novel, he explores a war in the Korean Peninsular. After a
domestic incident in South Korea, US politians seek to withdraw troops, leading
to the North Koreas taking advantage of the situation and rushing forth across
(and under) the DMZ.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XFlq7X">Red Phoenix on Amazon...</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spoiler Alert: there is a sequel that follows on from Red
Phoenix, called <a href="https://amzn.to/2ICqarf">Red Phoenix Burning</a>, but is set 20-something years later…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you want to read more from Larry Bond then Vortex, which
is set in South Africa is a good read. Sadly, I left my copy on a trans-tasman
flight about 20 years ago. Luckily there is a <a href="https://amzn.to/2GBkDPy">Kindle version</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last, but not least, is <a href="https://amzn.to/2UAo6S8">Cauldron</a>, where France and Germany
unite (you can tell this is fiction already right) to dominate Europe politically
and then militarily. Great if you are looking for a book where the French and Germans
are the “bad guys”. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Red Storm Series</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ve been devouring this series of novels by James Rosone
and Miranda Watson over the past few weeks. Set in Europe “now” these novels
feature the Soviet Union and China teaming up to take on the US “head-to-head” for
control of the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Set against an all to real backdrop of high tech social
media manipulation and quickly developing battlefield weapon systems this
series reminds me of Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising book – just longer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2Dt136e">Book 1: Battlefield Ukraine</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2GBcj2i">Book 2: Battlefield Korea</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2USOWdt">Book 3: Battlefield Taiwan</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2XzYjvq">Book 4: Battlefield Pacific</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2ZBEJ3Q">Book 5: Battlefield Russia</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2GExGA1">Book 6: Battlefield China</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Red Effect</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Set in the 80’s, The Red Effect (along with the two
follow-on books, Black Effect and Blue Effect) chart a similar course to Red
Storm Rising with the Soviet Union launching all-out war on the west. Unlike a
number of the other books of this genre it explores the use of battlefield WMDs
by both sides. I really enjoyed the coverage of the lead up to the war with
some interesting insights in to the work of the British Army Intelligence Officers
that were responsible for spying on the Soviet Army in Germany.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2DqTqgu">The Red Effect</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2DnaIv5">The Black Effect</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2XAm7zg">The Blue Effect</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Armageddon's Song</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This series of novels written by Andy Farman is a whole lot
more enjoyable than the cover art appears… As a series of novels I found it to
be more “boys-own” adventure rather than Tom Clancy accurate, but it is a good
roller coaster ride with plenty of action and adventure. Just leave your
rivet-counting to the side and enjoy the explosions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2DoGUOr">Pick up the whole series in one go on Amazon...</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So,
which one is my favourite? Good question... I've read Red Storm Rising
over and over again, so much so I have two copies. But I've also been
picking up some of Larry Bond's other books about submarine warfare -
you did remember how much I enjoyed playing Harpoon though. Right now I
am devouring the Red Storm Series on the train each day even though I
could be watching the final season of Game Of Thrones so that must tell
you sometime.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Check them all out, read the reviews and take a risk, you will probably enjoy them...</span></span></div>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-21465042395846199972018-11-23T09:47:00.003+13:002018-11-23T09:47:48.933+13:00Canadian Painting List?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxihnBKXrEI8SNtFmhEC3orFOSeQ8J3hrf6Y4nKF_7jgwf-TO5vF9-9fWpRAi3i8fYlOaKutnkKKghz0wJxt_dGV4LIbwyk7D31zUx7LGyenG8FqGVp28-YXpxXo03b7FCoTFP5aXbsk/s1600/FlamesCon2019c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxihnBKXrEI8SNtFmhEC3orFOSeQ8J3hrf6Y4nKF_7jgwf-TO5vF9-9fWpRAi3i8fYlOaKutnkKKghz0wJxt_dGV4LIbwyk7D31zUx7LGyenG8FqGVp28-YXpxXo03b7FCoTFP5aXbsk/s400/FlamesCon2019c.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I mentioned in a previous post I've found myself quite energised about Team Yankee after FlamesCon 2018. One of the outcomes of this is a desire to paint an expansion pack for my Canadians. Right now I have a solid 100 point Force but looking through some of my options about how to expand it I found a wealth of options that I have previously discarded, but now with a little game time I find quite desirable.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JddbVVdpkeH_xAkQz29Fg4FXPYhmnoBDmu9RnmBVOkstcNYhE7tJCISH0wZkln0oibJ8X-2lWpQZ5rtHyH0AQmRzUN36HMACp71xZy8627meaRMB0E3DriqIivA9ylRGTYyuPXxQ1Hc/s1600/CanadianPaintingList.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1055" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JddbVVdpkeH_xAkQz29Fg4FXPYhmnoBDmu9RnmBVOkstcNYhE7tJCISH0wZkln0oibJ8X-2lWpQZ5rtHyH0AQmRzUN36HMACp71xZy8627meaRMB0E3DriqIivA9ylRGTYyuPXxQ1Hc/s640/CanadianPaintingList.jpg" width="449" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>So what's has me wanting to pull out the brushes?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Infantry</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I really enjoyed how my single platoon performed in-game so adding a second platoon, and therefore a second Formation, is looking really good as a tactical choice. In fact a lot of my painting requirements stem from this. I have the Formation commander painted already, so this just means adding 4 M113s and the full strength infantry platoon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">SP Mortars and an OP</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Adding a cheap battery of M125s are a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. They count for the Formation morale, have smoke, and best of all I have two painted already (for some unknown reason).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The OP is as much about the hobby opportunity as anything. I figured I guy either crouching on top of the M113, or high up in the commanders station with some maps on front of him would be fun. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">TOW Launchers</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The ADATS is great (with a capital G) but also quite expensive. An infantry Formation can pack a lot of M150 TOWs and they are fairly cheap, but quite lethal vs most enemy tanks. Plus I get to shoe horn a few more M113s into my army.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leopard 2 tanks?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Canadians didn't get Leopard 2s till fairly recently but that is not to say they wouldn't have acquired a platoon somehow during a hypothetical WWIII. If I painted 5 I could run them as an allied Formation....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tornados</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have four F-18 Hornets at home assembled and ready to paint, along with some period correct (more or less) Canadian decals. Plus Hornets are cool.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More ADATS and Blowpipes?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not on the list, but very tempted to fill out the platoons. After-all if I am going to paint this many things, what is another 5.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There you have it, I just want to paint another 35-40 things to round out the Army... hmm, lets hope my newfound energy lasts long enough to even build all this stuff!</span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-43485618005326314362018-11-18T15:08:00.000+13:002018-11-18T15:08:45.749+13:004CMBG Canadians For Team Yankee - Finished?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not long before FlamesCon 2018 (9 hours before if I am being precise) I finished my Canadians Force for <i>Team Yankee</i>. I am really pleased with how the army turned out, especially since I experienced a few "speed-wobbles" during the painting where I thought that the Leopards were going to be way to dark and boring. Luckily a combination of a little remedial dry brushing and a decent matt varnish pulled them back.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To find out more about the vehicle numbers check out this <a href="https://www.team-yankee.com/Default.aspx?tabid=878&art_id=6108" target="_blank">excellent article by Dan McLean</a> on the Team Yankee website. </span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Scroll down past the images to find out why I say "Finished?" in the title.</i></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7JE8ynLNNu9rNjetoE-LcXLbNQgAdm_YkS65ow5q-wm-9GZ22wbLmko4ZClCzyEkcGThcYwuXEDSNBF9AytIgwRGiP4dvBEt4xHEEXYxu5KlHMTQjsLaEUSWgRozKHfZaytdK9IDC2s/s1600/LeopardHQ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="1000" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7JE8ynLNNu9rNjetoE-LcXLbNQgAdm_YkS65ow5q-wm-9GZ22wbLmko4ZClCzyEkcGThcYwuXEDSNBF9AytIgwRGiP4dvBEt4xHEEXYxu5KlHMTQjsLaEUSWgRozKHfZaytdK9IDC2s/s400/LeopardHQ1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The HQ Platoon (minus 1 Leopard 1)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOHvhIkFqw5tc5GT7li7suC6ksWRucbnbr5JYB5m3PV40H_2KPmk6OnknEJX8Xy_50jyw1IJKQ6Ag9q9B0pHtFXlFZlnUYH9csE3EV0HwPYO7LYThvOqbblW1hwDeWXJBuliOWbXqjsE/s1600/LeopardHQ2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1000" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOHvhIkFqw5tc5GT7li7suC6ksWRucbnbr5JYB5m3PV40H_2KPmk6OnknEJX8Xy_50jyw1IJKQ6Ag9q9B0pHtFXlFZlnUYH9csE3EV0HwPYO7LYThvOqbblW1hwDeWXJBuliOWbXqjsE/s400/LeopardHQ2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are another 16 more Leopard 1 tanks, all looking like this... so many tanks!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ppMm-I5v9_8JnYpneRcGcB08prAGe5CAXe1TqHoe9tK_xh9aXsUA4IsRoJP54mRb6t-DWWORbJAvc8HBrBZsti2cY8kE4jtDgnfJFzh34x3M3rzWR9kuisL1FRYapiiqj0PdydHvRrA/s1600/LeopardHQ9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1000" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ppMm-I5v9_8JnYpneRcGcB08prAGe5CAXe1TqHoe9tK_xh9aXsUA4IsRoJP54mRb6t-DWWORbJAvc8HBrBZsti2cY8kE4jtDgnfJFzh34x3M3rzWR9kuisL1FRYapiiqj0PdydHvRrA/s400/LeopardHQ9.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Company Commander with the "39" tank.</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVLO46uVUDlT0zZR9eVLwp5Sq3mkmvIlKgiKN6doUQ3jxWDwIJG8-TXFTgNHfRC4QXrWc2DgFQ4Gtoo4Ev09ziLmVEkbhX0eFNKPpIdXrVUP2j44JgjvvqpvFa7BLgW4crkPE8rRHd-A/s1600/M113Markings2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="1000" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVLO46uVUDlT0zZR9eVLwp5Sq3mkmvIlKgiKN6doUQ3jxWDwIJG8-TXFTgNHfRC4QXrWc2DgFQ4Gtoo4Ev09ziLmVEkbhX0eFNKPpIdXrVUP2j44JgjvvqpvFa7BLgW4crkPE8rRHd-A/s400/M113Markings2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the M113 APCs</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfQpL62AuApAAlLda3M08Nu_D_wBb2X68JXEtmseKczmCOW8So5cT7HfwQDeIqrRpfF-kTWHPCGM-_EATHr4Txsc19-12n4DQQ3m_RqywsC6eDTbL2ZGG_0UaFac6TbVzKWskBt26RSQ/s1600/M113Markings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfQpL62AuApAAlLda3M08Nu_D_wBb2X68JXEtmseKczmCOW8So5cT7HfwQDeIqrRpfF-kTWHPCGM-_EATHr4Txsc19-12n4DQQ3m_RqywsC6eDTbL2ZGG_0UaFac6TbVzKWskBt26RSQ/s400/M113Markings.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Canadian flag on the front, vehicle numbers on the side in low-vis black and high-vis white on the rear</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT_-nFbTlAm6ThN8CgAGWcMj4jF4ifyspbmngS0XZstEciiRsxe84qt65AKR06b6VL6oNTm_kNvCNs-Cedpa1DXKyuDVsVgkwuxAAdnbTjtzOIQnK8AoJj0gUlWCNqyqcOp1WvPpitl0/s1600/M150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1000" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMT_-nFbTlAm6ThN8CgAGWcMj4jF4ifyspbmngS0XZstEciiRsxe84qt65AKR06b6VL6oNTm_kNvCNs-Cedpa1DXKyuDVsVgkwuxAAdnbTjtzOIQnK8AoJj0gUlWCNqyqcOp1WvPpitl0/s400/M150.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">M150 TOW Platoon</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2smwaZvP5AtU_ZlOY7m0LlgBdvuQyMFWc3nAKDncGwfGu6kARlyn8-jvsNP2gN4K89F1Yrb8xg4iyClolWdyk_PvnJ98qbuAhczE1ntUhyphenhyphengDAWMwUXvgmuK2H0VPth1idbUMmp4u_08Y/s1600/M150Markings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="1000" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2smwaZvP5AtU_ZlOY7m0LlgBdvuQyMFWc3nAKDncGwfGu6kARlyn8-jvsNP2gN4K89F1Yrb8xg4iyClolWdyk_PvnJ98qbuAhczE1ntUhyphenhyphengDAWMwUXvgmuK2H0VPth1idbUMmp4u_08Y/s400/M150Markings.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And a look at some of their markings</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2q8FHQNUn3v9j88nAcxIX7BniqjK6AlI2dxt3Bo0mRlQ9aF27nRGJ3iWAdR0PGWghQe83c__FEZQq9CAoIIZKK2_SMhaSHCcTISuPXfQumGraTLvkwhnNFQRJXGx6p5ibknsZks5U9E/s1600/ADATS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1000" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2q8FHQNUn3v9j88nAcxIX7BniqjK6AlI2dxt3Bo0mRlQ9aF27nRGJ3iWAdR0PGWghQe83c__FEZQq9CAoIIZKK2_SMhaSHCcTISuPXfQumGraTLvkwhnNFQRJXGx6p5ibknsZks5U9E/s400/ADATS.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Crowd favourite, the ADATS</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYPcxM3EQ6I2DHmCZS2X2nYlkddVAhNYvKaqeYtwAfyk2QAfqV3B1y7X5iICASz69jBe8EsrmWpHXBNHublmwC1k5pZOrFej3bVoJZw4qMbvLOVsi-4zgn_j7Qio8MkYwd0p_QRoJTrU/s1600/Blowpipes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1000" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYPcxM3EQ6I2DHmCZS2X2nYlkddVAhNYvKaqeYtwAfyk2QAfqV3B1y7X5iICASz69jBe8EsrmWpHXBNHublmwC1k5pZOrFej3bVoJZw4qMbvLOVsi-4zgn_j7Qio8MkYwd0p_QRoJTrU/s400/Blowpipes.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blowpipes, for a little extra AA support</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw1uRjqe9pnJhuxc639mYQ10hAuyhnC8XmRXoef8ih91hijc2rnxEkN6g2Iv-JJnpFLqWvsah4Qxei0pz1-Qw2ocrpEEX7zE7rHg1dCcXhbm66DWZ17TkOn3PvXZ8Ps3hQvIUBn3VTOs/s1600/Lynx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="1000" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyw1uRjqe9pnJhuxc639mYQ10hAuyhnC8XmRXoef8ih91hijc2rnxEkN6g2Iv-JJnpFLqWvsah4Qxei0pz1-Qw2ocrpEEX7zE7rHg1dCcXhbm66DWZ17TkOn3PvXZ8Ps3hQvIUBn3VTOs/s400/Lynx.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two units of Recce Lynx</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTuJsQg0MbEo1S3dt3Wcq1k2KyTFyU3DcEpokuEDjBRi8YVODw2tdHv-QJ2UZsBmR-kMGaMSv0L63I4FBkrmz45Rn3hfi1U5alAcWIIKjDHxZ1EaEAjtVqtoX_Bs-NXxXNhZin7vQj1s/s1600/LynxMarkings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1000" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTuJsQg0MbEo1S3dt3Wcq1k2KyTFyU3DcEpokuEDjBRi8YVODw2tdHv-QJ2UZsBmR-kMGaMSv0L63I4FBkrmz45Rn3hfi1U5alAcWIIKjDHxZ1EaEAjtVqtoX_Bs-NXxXNhZin7vQj1s/s400/LynxMarkings.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And a closeup of their markings.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oC-E5V7o7njPJIlLK4C7pLb9I1DsuxVp2N3ZWHpakmK6IpmppiebZNoWRpxdsORZSFIablcMzRf3sbFzrbQCrYnLHbfEg62yHYCKg4jtXMFHyd_qnEcOqOyUIhsWptBBZOU8M4gCMnI/s1600/InfantryFreeNations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="1000" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oC-E5V7o7njPJIlLK4C7pLb9I1DsuxVp2N3ZWHpakmK6IpmppiebZNoWRpxdsORZSFIablcMzRf3sbFzrbQCrYnLHbfEg62yHYCKg4jtXMFHyd_qnEcOqOyUIhsWptBBZOU8M4gCMnI/s400/InfantryFreeNations.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And some of the infantry (as used in <i>Free Nations</i>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why did I say "Finished?" A couple of reasons really. </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly, I found that even though I applied fresh gloss varnish under my decals, and then put two coats of DecalSol on them I still got quite a bit of silvering. I did a little experiment where I used a very sharp blade to pop a few small holes in the decals, as well as cutting them along panel lines, then reapplying DecalSol and this seems to have helped. 4 vehicles down, now I just need to do the other thirty-something.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I really enjoyed running this army at FlamesCon and so now I found myself wanting to add a bit more to the force, just to round it it. Stay tuned for more on this topic.</span></span></li>
</ul>
Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-39563291981083064752018-11-13T12:47:00.000+13:002018-11-13T13:27:49.392+13:00Unboxing BSG: Starship Battles from Ares Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LHduEKg4cT9JMc5HvYF9ZLJ8w-980rDcIQatyXB6XRa4mGClDfTvzwCPEAc85QsDLelqkppx-r_V_twzSP6c1i_py1jUZlpTU5tfoAg90G6TurVbE7pDYQ7uKskWIWuBKsZkPqsMLXE/s1600/battlestar-galactica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LHduEKg4cT9JMc5HvYF9ZLJ8w-980rDcIQatyXB6XRa4mGClDfTvzwCPEAc85QsDLelqkppx-r_V_twzSP6c1i_py1jUZlpTU5tfoAg90G6TurVbE7pDYQ7uKskWIWuBKsZkPqsMLXE/s400/battlestar-galactica.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Battlestar Galactica (or BSG) was one of my favourite TV shows growing up as a kid. When it returned to the small screen in 2004 I was pretty excited - I can still remember watching the Pilot whilst my nephew fell asleep on me (he was a pretty small toddler at the time). The combination of outstanding story lines, brilliant "WW2 gun camera" style space cinematography and deep characters made it a must-see each week for me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward some years and the FFG Board Game came along and it was equally brilliant. I've played many games, lost more than I have won, and been excited to play it each and every time. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now we get a chance to scratch that BSG itch again with a new spaceship game (from Ares Games) that promises a lot! Best of all I've managed to get hold of a copy thanks to some friends that went along to Essen SPIEL last month..</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HIwvr9a_dZT92D7v39ho1Z6ecLrlILS3kX1Otv7AsnL_XQT31427HKejYx_l9d91SZugvZ4Hl9jmEhTs3Eagr4GvSPy-WLJ0sAgZhKHtTfsm2HvZL4lL6NeU3je2R9uv5qcdwpPzsKs/s1600/Box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1000" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HIwvr9a_dZT92D7v39ho1Z6ecLrlILS3kX1Otv7AsnL_XQT31427HKejYx_l9d91SZugvZ4Hl9jmEhTs3Eagr4GvSPy-WLJ0sAgZhKHtTfsm2HvZL4lL6NeU3je2R9uv5qcdwpPzsKs/s400/Box.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The box.... it is just a box.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fEK8Nehid0DCZrusNLzjKCMpOfAOKo74vaZ03SCVqMQRryOA50dniWSnYeXyr5ZJMqt6XFOYYWIFb64AF6Fn1Fl4PA2gFkKYVVv4ZUPn40MGPluN0PJRsQ1P7YaUCgsV1w6adW7fGNw/s1600/TrayInsert-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1000" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fEK8Nehid0DCZrusNLzjKCMpOfAOKo74vaZ03SCVqMQRryOA50dniWSnYeXyr5ZJMqt6XFOYYWIFb64AF6Fn1Fl4PA2gFkKYVVv4ZUPn40MGPluN0PJRsQ1P7YaUCgsV1w6adW7fGNw/s400/TrayInsert-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lifting the lid we find... some amazing ships (more on this at the end), flight dials and stands</td></tr>
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</b><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE08NAv_Sm-kilTejMiDIrzIswT3pJMRnf9maSTLhxnrMdo2tW2rKIZ-Oys8P6NmXnicpDpcStYnAvBXdHH60uvE_dt11wMESWINRJlRi3Dqi0zdQ35c1mmw_XemBsyRld-IyjltTTs_Q/s1600/FlightDetailsAndStand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE08NAv_Sm-kilTejMiDIrzIswT3pJMRnf9maSTLhxnrMdo2tW2rKIZ-Oys8P6NmXnicpDpcStYnAvBXdHH60uvE_dt11wMESWINRJlRi3Dqi0zdQ35c1mmw_XemBsyRld-IyjltTTs_Q/s400/FlightDetailsAndStand.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flight dials are pretty cool and give a little heads up on the complexity of the game</td></tr>
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</b><b> </b><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyIYMykt6TRkHgX1grDAYCD4-kNkW5ADSo9OJqNnWnqWCYp7KADhv49aXOb06xHZwQ21t_J5ZPYd-wIRDWaY9_pO5TZ4xBQc0ornQoP8FFe8c_yg4KcrTjXI_BI8O5Vyu8q0nHj_Bwro/s1600/Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyIYMykt6TRkHgX1grDAYCD4-kNkW5ADSo9OJqNnWnqWCYp7KADhv49aXOb06xHZwQ21t_J5ZPYd-wIRDWaY9_pO5TZ4xBQc0ornQoP8FFe8c_yg4KcrTjXI_BI8O5Vyu8q0nHj_Bwro/s400/Books.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next up we find the rule book, scenario book and ship ID tokens</td></tr>
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</b><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmOKcJbKqBbgVzA4uwZhF4cm4LlmmoeteaG6IKEphd3DQ-IX3CeB3IUgM1UsLgSX-UFRsU5l2ttXN4MzO4watGpxI78LgHjGba3D4YNJIoQ8k0vQY0FhYGn0TU9qp7Kz_nECo7Mc4Kn4/s1600/RulebookContents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmOKcJbKqBbgVzA4uwZhF4cm4LlmmoeteaG6IKEphd3DQ-IX3CeB3IUgM1UsLgSX-UFRsU5l2ttXN4MzO4watGpxI78LgHjGba3D4YNJIoQ8k0vQY0FhYGn0TU9qp7Kz_nECo7Mc4Kn4/s400/RulebookContents.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A quick look at the Index. I've got some early thoughts to share (in a later post) about the rules</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhNEY0Nq0YK5EbfRUMN_p58jL4Lm_dpG_Gez11yvS46eOO0MGrMUoRHywxcmy0V2S8yvm8xvrHnyYb4FI0BsXsIUxiq3CppdVu8Zab-EOU0HUnMNBO7TZLFt0HVQqhAMMIDM3kfYIAKc/s1600/CardSheets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzhNEY0Nq0YK5EbfRUMN_p58jL4Lm_dpG_Gez11yvS46eOO0MGrMUoRHywxcmy0V2S8yvm8xvrHnyYb4FI0BsXsIUxiq3CppdVu8Zab-EOU0HUnMNBO7TZLFt0HVQqhAMMIDM3kfYIAKc/s400/CardSheets.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tokens and templates. I wondered why the Asteroids were on a thinner cardboard stock. Presume it is because of the movement mechanics?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtZw0iu_RJiCvJVUq4uMY5iBWXNT98rTXaYZ26FxOsSO9IN3LJAOovQbmf5fjGBHfcGQlKkJ5o08yF8UAmcQ1TH998Ib6hdfyq__NXeWqpeYsyglv6mTyy0-tmfTFW1zVgC_9ZyK9pjk/s1600/TrayInsert-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtZw0iu_RJiCvJVUq4uMY5iBWXNT98rTXaYZ26FxOsSO9IN3LJAOovQbmf5fjGBHfcGQlKkJ5o08yF8UAmcQ1TH998Ib6hdfyq__NXeWqpeYsyglv6mTyy0-tmfTFW1zVgC_9ZyK9pjk/s400/TrayInsert-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom layer is filled with movement cards, pilot and ship cards and upgrades. Not a single square piece of paper in sight...</td></tr>
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</b><span style="font-size: small;">And now what you have really been waiting for....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>The Raider:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A surprisingly impressive paint job. I expected much less detail if I am being blunt.</span><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdrPTDMr69DmO7kFCGmCDzfQOGf1CqMu1Gx9xnYkjZKexi-uVXFXeXkQZG2ethyyNZpunOws9j-5neatdqb4lKlfzED30ek9Sm9Wa2hRAkPMiaZJbk7YvwaYuYcuuputoufleXKB1qYE/s1600/Raider-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1000" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdrPTDMr69DmO7kFCGmCDzfQOGf1CqMu1Gx9xnYkjZKexi-uVXFXeXkQZG2ethyyNZpunOws9j-5neatdqb4lKlfzED30ek9Sm9Wa2hRAkPMiaZJbk7YvwaYuYcuuputoufleXKB1qYE/s400/Raider-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SI-TzPbyghImt4CVrlQrAAGYCXiMU718P_bWdRWcn5bfOgOY4_V8XQVw9NC66OomLsHmNea9f2k_1Aj-XKu9tKnpCSWzGMIy__2F_dphkL48fXqnkYd3XD57EJ9_NyOMaGTx1k8lm-w/s1600/Raider-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="1000" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9SI-TzPbyghImt4CVrlQrAAGYCXiMU718P_bWdRWcn5bfOgOY4_V8XQVw9NC66OomLsHmNea9f2k_1Aj-XKu9tKnpCSWzGMIy__2F_dphkL48fXqnkYd3XD57EJ9_NyOMaGTx1k8lm-w/s400/Raider-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CJU_btOe4XHE8gHpUMkNtDtde3uoRsztwh4xoRETMuTODZRlIjWeATKvpZuNVm3sd2Em4UMeQCyNCLC9D7gdPNyR1l3aBSqsjzTxwkRqR-CoCDWnlH4ZPjEeaLZq5ZJCt8SruzYLxLA/s1600/Raider-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1000" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CJU_btOe4XHE8gHpUMkNtDtde3uoRsztwh4xoRETMuTODZRlIjWeATKvpZuNVm3sd2Em4UMeQCyNCLC9D7gdPNyR1l3aBSqsjzTxwkRqR-CoCDWnlH4ZPjEeaLZq5ZJCt8SruzYLxLA/s400/Raider-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ__Cjf2WntKlfdrcy335IdvG55iG3w-a7m5hsAUChqTAP33k-tF3jJ1LDxDZj4fsM58ZcuPSGrv1t1W3tda4kCokDrAGdXvtRWllk34JmKQIWtnYfegsD572pVrPCDtZ6A37nR6tFyh8/s1600/Raider-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="800" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ__Cjf2WntKlfdrcy335IdvG55iG3w-a7m5hsAUChqTAP33k-tF3jJ1LDxDZj4fsM58ZcuPSGrv1t1W3tda4kCokDrAGdXvtRWllk34JmKQIWtnYfegsD572pVrPCDtZ6A37nR6tFyh8/s320/Raider-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Apollo's Viper:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Apollo's ship looks nicely battered and weathered. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I didn't even see s</span></span>ome of the detail till I took these photos and looked at it at 400% size on my screen.</span><b> </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6g4W91l7A9q-X2LkUioqtPLyHFJ2fD3YC-FqgI6K5yqOuwEACUl8jFE__Ue3Curm9BoNRFI3e2n_RwlR5-JYx9lpB8yorD3fHzoB1J01o5bHJWTNBdfmqn2vujgIu777RkpWcK8z9So/s1600/2220NC-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="1000" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6g4W91l7A9q-X2LkUioqtPLyHFJ2fD3YC-FqgI6K5yqOuwEACUl8jFE__Ue3Curm9BoNRFI3e2n_RwlR5-JYx9lpB8yorD3fHzoB1J01o5bHJWTNBdfmqn2vujgIu777RkpWcK8z9So/s400/2220NC-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bit blurry... sorry.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65UOerzQl0wD9luNvLuZbtYnyr0AlGPxRD8NzzW6nc6iGxKaIo94BrlDKi86ezLh6tfVn0PV0WGu8qxfkQ3KhyN1s5mHJwFbkLr0zMfslJMAxQBafMRBCPJSDtoQ_jxTjoPVMR9qM2t0/s1600/2220NC-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="1000" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65UOerzQl0wD9luNvLuZbtYnyr0AlGPxRD8NzzW6nc6iGxKaIo94BrlDKi86ezLh6tfVn0PV0WGu8qxfkQ3KhyN1s5mHJwFbkLr0zMfslJMAxQBafMRBCPJSDtoQ_jxTjoPVMR9qM2t0/s400/2220NC-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Hardball's Viper:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hardball's ship is much cleaner, but no less detailed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMW1SmOz0zD-yZDVm9qTTvQQ0djiAHmEEoyJJdOvmiyW9mbxL-nF74h-L2nTu0j4EXBFvP9ZtbQfzrAaWyoFW1CLAHIYL_rA2aK7wSVBnMKVH-9BZpQT8_EynqKvxNPaRihUZJMcnNh8/s1600/2221NC-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMW1SmOz0zD-yZDVm9qTTvQQ0djiAHmEEoyJJdOvmiyW9mbxL-nF74h-L2nTu0j4EXBFvP9ZtbQfzrAaWyoFW1CLAHIYL_rA2aK7wSVBnMKVH-9BZpQT8_EynqKvxNPaRihUZJMcnNh8/s320/2221NC-1.jpg" width="221" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR1mq-nmEOpatzlhkvNsS35HoGguhiINTZ-SlOSwW3zaSPKSGVUROqus3-ULLL9eTrpyV_au2PDAqbqvzqYNomWEasmM2b-BfoybitF9L67cEzaQ98BiaXXjSLio15SOOWCszSDHBmrQ/s1600/2221NC-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1000" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR1mq-nmEOpatzlhkvNsS35HoGguhiINTZ-SlOSwW3zaSPKSGVUROqus3-ULLL9eTrpyV_au2PDAqbqvzqYNomWEasmM2b-BfoybitF9L67cEzaQ98BiaXXjSLio15SOOWCszSDHBmrQ/s400/2221NC-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS0OjxOFWuY1yvQSHsAgg9h8LDMcOFnC4xyBacIKEl70ZWDHuMj69VZ5vJWHLWGvxw-XcOA4oQQ8-NZuvHke7HsTKzqCfSa-AcbH5BJD_-c_CGb7J5u4MonNeVjwiV0Lb0hJ9XJIwzAg/s1600/2221NC-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="1000" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS0OjxOFWuY1yvQSHsAgg9h8LDMcOFnC4xyBacIKEl70ZWDHuMj69VZ5vJWHLWGvxw-XcOA4oQQ8-NZuvHke7HsTKzqCfSa-AcbH5BJD_-c_CGb7J5u4MonNeVjwiV0Lb0hJ9XJIwzAg/s400/2221NC-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Viper Comparison:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A top down view of the two ships to see the major differences.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDxEbynpDm8idYRhaiXN4mgxzApfu5xU1pe4VsPZjt_YBEtr2rXF4ZLUzX5rYxLI3ptVFRttwlurzVhL34JYb7U0sNokN2Fk545doC2qdiw-4s4cNZuSZxUpkIhr4Az1ztwmPcG2UFGs/s1600/ViperNewVsOld-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1000" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDxEbynpDm8idYRhaiXN4mgxzApfu5xU1pe4VsPZjt_YBEtr2rXF4ZLUzX5rYxLI3ptVFRttwlurzVhL34JYb7U0sNokN2Fk545doC2qdiw-4s4cNZuSZxUpkIhr4Az1ztwmPcG2UFGs/s640/ViperNewVsOld-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thinking about the components (excluding the ships) they are nicely printed, stored in some useful vac trays, with really high quality pieces. You can see why the game has a higher RRP than X-Wing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ships however are where the game truly shines, and shines brightly for that matter. They are absolutely fantastic. I don't mean that in a "oh these are mass produced so how high a quality can you expect" kind of way. I mean it in a "these are painted better than I would paint them" kind of way. By comparison they are as good, or better than ANY FFG X-Wing model. I guess I should have expected this high level of quality given their Wings of War aircraft, but I was still blown away.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now for the rules.... stay tuned. I've read them once, didn't quite "get" them and watched a couple of the GENCON videos to help.</span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-51690289173303836082018-11-10T15:29:00.001+13:002018-11-10T15:29:47.970+13:00FlamesCon 2018 Report<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well another FlamesCon has come and gone... and this one has left me really buzzing!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Turnout:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year was (I think) the beginning of a resurgence for Flames Of War in New Zealand. Going back a few years we could comfortably count on 45-50 attendees to a FlamesCon, but as V3 became more convoluted and bogged down with contextual rules and clarifications the numbers began to drop.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymwlthP5UpB4_mcFdLeAw0IOQtjy9jIMxGgMqetGFU9Mt28_MdS_ttzQ8_TlVHEJcQ0M7pDzVOCLXIPkQrlMmOe3nnh1GQoT5BaUY8fL9uj6yM1ZD5djNw91PPh2yf63WTyqDiSRkOKk/s1600/FlamesCon2019a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymwlthP5UpB4_mcFdLeAw0IOQtjy9jIMxGgMqetGFU9Mt28_MdS_ttzQ8_TlVHEJcQ0M7pDzVOCLXIPkQrlMmOe3nnh1GQoT5BaUY8fL9uj6yM1ZD5djNw91PPh2yf63WTyqDiSRkOKk/s320/FlamesCon2019a.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The release of V4 certainly saw the event (last year) take another hit, much like other events around the world as there just wasn't enough Mid War lists to make the period interesting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year the organisers decided to run Late War, with (hopefully) an eye towards Mid War next year. It was really heartening to see so many players coming out of the woodwork to see what V4 was like. Best of all, everyone had good things to say about the new version. The numbers were still down on the days of old (with about 30 players across Flames Of War and Team Yankee) but I finished the weekend with a good feeling about the turnout for FlamesCon 2019.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Gaming:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAedD7bBYiVy0XTMdKHEvamvBMwH08qjRusnOQsYZGeY28xq7mwSl88IGzg-Pb15hwUJCVSxQ2ZSrscOrpFtcZ1Hu8_0un24UK25gEyl1MHykjsN3P2Hpz6_Os_sUIqaKhh3qHUbCbOtI/s1600/FlamesCon2019d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAedD7bBYiVy0XTMdKHEvamvBMwH08qjRusnOQsYZGeY28xq7mwSl88IGzg-Pb15hwUJCVSxQ2ZSrscOrpFtcZ1Hu8_0un24UK25gEyl1MHykjsN3P2Hpz6_Os_sUIqaKhh3qHUbCbOtI/s320/FlamesCon2019d.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Team Yankee is taking its own good time to build up momentum in New Zealand (looking forward to Panzerschreck 2019!) as there are plenty of people with armies but not as many coming out to play. One positive of this was that with an 8 player event, I got to play everyone except the eventual winner, Andrew Duncan. It was quite nice to face off against almost everyone over the course of the event.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can say without shadow of a doubt it was also one of the most enjoyable events from a gaming perspective. I really enjoyed all my games, felt like I had a chance of winning, felt like I had a chance of losing, and thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with my opponents. I cannot recall the last time where I finished an event and could honestly say that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two thumbs up!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Army:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4X7ndiyvkRGGBguj-QUt8bYWiQE0TScJpmwqxmBidSLI3q9HJEB_-0q78ZzdBjqYcoKF1F4mE_qjZ0554bZ5CJnhUP4ou0TvTbuMVEprDnNIJKAoaA-fHB-8irZlvriQudKPkx_Vr4A/s1600/FlamesCon2019e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1046" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4X7ndiyvkRGGBguj-QUt8bYWiQE0TScJpmwqxmBidSLI3q9HJEB_-0q78ZzdBjqYcoKF1F4mE_qjZ0554bZ5CJnhUP4ou0TvTbuMVEprDnNIJKAoaA-fHB-8irZlvriQudKPkx_Vr4A/s320/FlamesCon2019e.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I starting building my Canadians before they were cool" was my catchphrase for the weekend. Long before Free Nations was on a writers schedule, I was planning to build the army. Sadly, is an indictment on how long it takes me to finish an army these days that I was doing the final painting and varnishing at 11.30pm on the Friday before the tournament. My list was simple (click the image for a bigger version) and built around a lot of Leopard 1 tanks, some infantry and anti-tank assets. It was a blast to run!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Leopard 1 tanks were awesome at killing things and burnt so brightly when they got lit up by anything (Carl Gustavs, Milans, 120mm AP rounds, as well as the odd HESH round from a Scorpions 76mm gun). The ADATS was fun, but tended to be targeted quickly once people realised how good it was! My star performers were probably the infantry, mainly because;</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I like how they turned out (paint job wise), </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">they are fairly useful on the table, </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and they are great for taking (and holding) ground when the Leopards couldn't brave the enemy RPGs and Charlie G's! </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi_RSu_jgJVaPL11gZM6aWmn-kwDF2bmEgtalaZuxLHVYeAgPQs2V2XAToOYNAsqGePAAHp0k7YQ2b0snXUV-MorUnrzVc-biLrDf-fjAah29y8ZJVydGKfyHx0XHfG7BIokd3fb3RAQ/s1600/FlamesCon2019c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi_RSu_jgJVaPL11gZM6aWmn-kwDF2bmEgtalaZuxLHVYeAgPQs2V2XAToOYNAsqGePAAHp0k7YQ2b0snXUV-MorUnrzVc-biLrDf-fjAah29y8ZJVydGKfyHx0XHfG7BIokd3fb3RAQ/s640/FlamesCon2019c.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Final Word:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizJVnDxJN5OEBj_JnpsIUwKdfKoPlBIZPDVsIvYLMFwpC-UzW1dbBM3ScmEszOqWQWK-vumvh7e4K_A5HjEbKO9hXl2VQ6vhkdFKU3vVNuxoxLrDZy6nfLGMZQnqwDHxoKvsgEeGLPXc/s1600/FlamesCon2018f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizJVnDxJN5OEBj_JnpsIUwKdfKoPlBIZPDVsIvYLMFwpC-UzW1dbBM3ScmEszOqWQWK-vumvh7e4K_A5HjEbKO9hXl2VQ6vhkdFKU3vVNuxoxLrDZy6nfLGMZQnqwDHxoKvsgEeGLPXc/s200/FlamesCon2018f.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Great event, great opponents, middling result (5th, I think, out of 8), but with a Best Painted award! <i>Believe me when I say that has been a topic of much good-natured abuse around the office.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roll on FlamesCon 2019 I say!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you want to check out my photo dumps from the event, including army shots click the links below.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WargamerOnTour/posts/2304303939598202?__tn__=-R" target="_blank">Team Yankee Armies...</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WargamerOnTour/posts/2304427452919184?__tn__=-R" target="_blank">Flames Of War Armies...</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WargamerOnTour/posts/2303183909710205?__tn__=-R" target="_blank">Day One Gaming Shots...</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-14050744751813130102018-10-01T05:00:00.000+13:002018-10-11T11:39:49.901+13:00The Czechoslovak People’s Army (ČSLA) in Team Yankee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Team Yankee has really captured my gaming imagination over the past couple of years and
whilst I started with World War II and Napoleonics, the passion for WWIII has always
lurked just under the surface (much like a Los Angeles submarine hunting
its prey) waiting for a chance to burst out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a few armies on
the painting table and for the past few months I've been slowly putting
together a plan to add a Czechoslovak force to that list. I cannot really explain
why this particular force has captured my eye other than perhaps a
strange liking of the Vz.61 Skorpion thanks to playing Twilight 2000 all
those years ago?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0HFEfKM9GLc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0HFEfKM9GLc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Czechoslovak People’s Army in Team Yankee is much like the other Warsaw Pact nations in that they have 2nd line tanks with the T-72M and T-55AM2, along with a few other (super cool looking) locally built vehicles like the DANA SP Artillery and OT-64 APC. They lack the really first line gear that the Soviets have but make up for by just being cool.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_Q43AvMP0NbySfmkxTzPJhzSMcstQqRdkifjw6K1sccZtroiZ3sr3uXzrit_XJt5em2w8FryHk3NIo817CL1fyhOik0YvqW6G88SOJvNwsHiM6vTTaFElU1FBtj8bpS_NQSkB2P4GQE/s1600/OT-64-Czech-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_Q43AvMP0NbySfmkxTzPJhzSMcstQqRdkifjw6K1sccZtroiZ3sr3uXzrit_XJt5em2w8FryHk3NIo817CL1fyhOik0YvqW6G88SOJvNwsHiM6vTTaFElU1FBtj8bpS_NQSkB2P4GQE/s640/OT-64-Czech-Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other than gear, where the Czechoslovakians differ from their allies is their Courage and Skill ratings. They have a base Courage of 5+, whereas the East Germans have a 4+. This represents a little less commitment to the cause than their allies and some long memories going back to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Pact_invasion_of_Czechoslovakia" target="_blank">1968</a>. They also have a slightly lower Counterattack (1 point less). This means that for a company of T-72Ms you are paying 1 point less at the bottom end with 3 for 6 points vs 7 points (for the East Germans) and 27 points for 10 tanks, vs 35 points.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When it comes to T-55AM2 Companies it is a similar story with 5 tanks costing 1 point less and 10 tanks being 3 points cheaper (at a total of 13 points).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My current plan is to finish building two T-55A2 Companies, each of 16 tanks. These would be supported with integral (min strength) infantry Companies in OT-64 armoured personnel carriers, small scout platoons with BRDM-2 and perhaps (depending on points) some AA in the form of some SA-9 Gaskins. Each of these companies come in at 28 points (or less depending on how I support the infantry). </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Gsv_M2MdMyDYxgp8YOxxmSwMv788-6dFyLP95TpcnKAzZ2zV4KGJgwn-1wUrn1CjUR8I-_p_2ML2L0cztBMczXXXUhfqivLNBcMOnnYfxOHkUGdt7HzE2DPlt4JSe8elCwm5KpMgqGI/s1600/T55-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="1024" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Gsv_M2MdMyDYxgp8YOxxmSwMv788-6dFyLP95TpcnKAzZ2zV4KGJgwn-1wUrn1CjUR8I-_p_2ML2L0cztBMczXXXUhfqivLNBcMOnnYfxOHkUGdt7HzE2DPlt4JSe8elCwm5KpMgqGI/s640/T55-Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They would form the aggressive core of the force, pushing forward to get up close with the enemy and hopefully causing some casualties to the enemy support elements or even their tanks if I can hit the flanks. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To give the Force a little more punch I'd add some T-72M tanks. Ten of these backed up with some infantry in BMP-2 APCs and BMP-1 Scouts are 35 points. In a 100 point game this doesn't leave me with much left over for support units, however I can either chose to play a bigger game, or drop a Tank Company (either the T-72Ms or T-55AM2s) or merge them by swapping the 3rd platoon in the T-55AM2 Companies with some T-72Ms. Assuming I get everything built and painted I'll have plenty of options to choose from!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To support the Force, I have a wealth of very nice options.</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hinds - yes please.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DANA SP 152mm guns - wait till you see what they look like.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RM-70 Rocket Launchers - oh why not!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Spandrels - because I can.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SU-25 Frogfoots - it would be rude not too as the Czechoslovakian Air Force was one of the few (in addition to the Soviets) that used them.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4r4JAFVHih1WE_v5MUmzIMZgdhe5TBb_34FoBZqTJggacc0z5kVsisKdEBUpbuPTXUdmp4dVQmrxNBtb4OCF_tettaWWmU6Cte1cvDjm2__es8lt_bSkQoIwjhz6pq3DeR72MZBhB6wM/s1600/HindPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="1024" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4r4JAFVHih1WE_v5MUmzIMZgdhe5TBb_34FoBZqTJggacc0z5kVsisKdEBUpbuPTXUdmp4dVQmrxNBtb4OCF_tettaWWmU6Cte1cvDjm2__es8lt_bSkQoIwjhz6pq3DeR72MZBhB6wM/s320/HindPhoto.jpg" width="320" /></a>Hinds helicopters are problem solvers in my opinion. Their Spiral AT missiles are more than capable of knocking out enemy tanks whilst their save means they have a good chance of ignoring enemy ground fire. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because they are airborne they can move around the table with far more freedom than my ground based anti-armour assets and unlike all other helicopters they can move and shoot their missiles. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plus, they look cool, and there are specific Czechoslovakian Hind decals! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm589hHEq33f5MT6-EzT5ZyZpxLTZU2M0AtmhkHwbyb2e9-qpKkEbBXUah0EJU-HCKZokR76HVwvlFSbn9Re3422w23fYH7DVVJaUa_ASQx7fofCzjvNyQh0nDFaJfaGjbcC5A4xugbM/s1600/DANA-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1024" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFm589hHEq33f5MT6-EzT5ZyZpxLTZU2M0AtmhkHwbyb2e9-qpKkEbBXUah0EJU-HCKZokR76HVwvlFSbn9Re3422w23fYH7DVVJaUa_ASQx7fofCzjvNyQh0nDFaJfaGjbcC5A4xugbM/s320/DANA-Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up are the DANA </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Self-propelled 152mm guns. As </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Leeloo said, "Big Badda Boom!" </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">These look phenomenal and pack some fairly serious firepower with AT 4 vs top armour and 2+ Firepower. They also have the Autoloader rule which means you reduce the score to hit teams under the template by 1. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Oh, and did I mention the words Smoke Bombardment? Just another tool in their arsenal.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmSseKoT0XClqs_j-6S90TyN_fOPrGmissI_qk21OXIgdNV2YmkgTnm3MFSmuzFjxl5U2DT0THukvssRaJ3rdMxM9-9Y-fRQCmumLHXRQLu5WHCjHlL0njD64h4GysFleVZg-wn2a1NQ/s1600/RM-70-Rocket-Battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="512" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmSseKoT0XClqs_j-6S90TyN_fOPrGmissI_qk21OXIgdNV2YmkgTnm3MFSmuzFjxl5U2DT0THukvssRaJ3rdMxM9-9Y-fRQCmumLHXRQLu5WHCjHlL0njD64h4GysFleVZg-wn2a1NQ/s320/RM-70-Rocket-Battery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">RM-70 Rocket Launchers are what you get when you take a Hail (or Grad) rocket system and put it on a much better-looking truck.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Thanks to their nice large Salvo template they should provide a useful option for taking on British Milan teams.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">The addition of some Spandrels to the Force is a bit of a no-brainer to me as they come in at a very affordable 2 points for 3 vehicles and their AT 21 missiles are quite potent on the battlefield. Plus, they have wheels and in this force anything with wheels gets a look in.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfMlsWseo2m_W8MwYCOFUvC-Am1B-RVgjqkmIU81O9E2aCD00hINr9c9Jm3GCTxGZ0l_byNwpHrcnUApik1f3VZaG1GnCTuxfANpzNivwNRcARfIgDIY6u7kso38CS5-DXUbooXRdwlk/s1600/Frogfoot-Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="1024" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfMlsWseo2m_W8MwYCOFUvC-Am1B-RVgjqkmIU81O9E2aCD00hINr9c9Jm3GCTxGZ0l_byNwpHrcnUApik1f3VZaG1GnCTuxfANpzNivwNRcARfIgDIY6u7kso38CS5-DXUbooXRdwlk/s320/Frogfoot-Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Last, but certainly not least is the crowd favourite, the SU-25 Frogfoot.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">Much like the Hind, they benefit from the ability to target models that think themselves safe hiding behind terrain. Their Kh-25 missiles are deadly with a capital D thanks to AT 27, Firepower 2+, and just to finish it off, Brutal, Guided and HEAT.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">They will find you, and they will kill you. Of course, they only turn up half the time so a bad series of dice rolls could result in 21 points and 6 Frogfoots never turning up... so don't roll badly!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st">With so many projects that I want to work on I had better start planning my Christmas holidays!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="st"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-38537734573454300372018-09-29T15:20:00.001+12:002018-09-29T15:20:30.090+12:00Returning To The Seas Of Dystopian Wars<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Long-time readers will remember that many years ago (when it first came out even) I dived into Dystopian Wars by Spartan Games. In the designers words...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The year is 1870.<br />
The World is at War.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The world of Dystopian Wars is similar to our own but subtly
different. The year is 1870 and the Industrial Revolution occurred
decades earlier than in our own world. Technology is far advanced, and
in many cases, unrecognisable, which has led to the development of
fantastic naval vessels, hulking land ships and terror from the skies in
the form of airships and war balloons.</i></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUupYGoUqlRy3oZq-lg6V6mQH_8YfGZ9TvCp8An44A_fPmH2qQ9awa3cvJRK-SKDekeJChGg8xoNTmwth3Y6T4wl3MimHbItX8gggMP4GTMmcCeeEPiIucq7NtFqIeM4tSzVu944JPA4/s1600/Intothedistance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUupYGoUqlRy3oZq-lg6V6mQH_8YfGZ9TvCp8An44A_fPmH2qQ9awa3cvJRK-SKDekeJChGg8xoNTmwth3Y6T4wl3MimHbItX8gggMP4GTMmcCeeEPiIucq7NtFqIeM4tSzVu944JPA4/s400/Intothedistance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's recap</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ships</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cool Technology</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Really Big Ships</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">War Balloons? </span></span></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQTgE222t_o7A7CeVm8kF-2Ma0CSOLk0qehE6rZc5R7bjeiYSHCsGtGvQ4VIuMStZWmcliYvjZAkhPH0fvJNkKVwREAwXEp7zX3Y7TqI76iph2rJTTlcARzbgECXqhScM-5VVuMjbIys/s1600/IceMaiden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="639" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQTgE222t_o7A7CeVm8kF-2Ma0CSOLk0qehE6rZc5R7bjeiYSHCsGtGvQ4VIuMStZWmcliYvjZAkhPH0fvJNkKVwREAwXEp7zX3Y7TqI76iph2rJTTlcARzbgECXqhScM-5VVuMjbIys/s320/IceMaiden.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Needless to say, it ticked many boxes for me and in no time had I picked up a small pile of ships and even painted up a decent chunk of them. The story gets a little less happy from here.... over the years the designers kept making outstandingly cool models, which I of course kept buying and stashing away. Unfortunately, I never played enough games to really bed the fundamental mechanics in my head and over the course of a relatively small number of years we saw V1, then V1.1, then V2 and subsequently V2.5 of the rules published. So, with a small number of games and so many improvements to the rules happening I ended up just putting the game (and the models) on the shelf. As I said I still kept picking up models along the way (very happy to have the Ice Maiden! <i>above right</i>) but without a whole lot of desire to do much more.<span id="goog_1872465304"></span><span id="goog_1872465305"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately the story gets even worse here as a little over a year ago <a href="https://www.beastsofwar.com/spartan-games/spartan-games-cease-trading/" target="_blank">Spartan Games ceased trading</a>. I was fortunate enough over the years to have traded a number of emails with the folks at Spartan and found them to be a great bunch of passionate people. Seeing the company close the doors was an obvious loss to those of us in the community as well of course to the staff that had poured their heart and soul into the business.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So this is where the worm turns a little. Warcradle Studios (a subsidiary of Wayland Games) <a href="https://mailchi.mp/waylandgames/warcradle-studios-announcement?e=553619b481" target="_blank">bought the rights to Dystopian Wars</a> along with some of the other Spartan Games properties. On a personal level this was great as it meant that the game would continue to live on but I still had very limited reasons to play or paint my models.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And now the happy ending... (for me that is). Recently an old colleague, and once again colleague, <a href="http://victorpesch.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Victor</a>, dusted off his old ships and challenged me to a game. Armed with the "new" 2.5 edition of the rules and the Fleet Action 'fast play' version we sat down to a game one evening. The Fleet Action rules are...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span class="ILfuVd">...the new fast play game engine set in the world of Dystopian War<b>s</b>,
which will allow you to take your existing forces and, with no change
to what you already own, play a faster, leaner, deadlier game of the
world's leading Victorian Super Science Fiction Wargame.</span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="ILfuVd">I'd say</span><i><span class="ILfuVd"> </span></i><span class="ILfuVd">it</span><span class="ILfuVd"> is 90% of the best bits of the game, with only 10% of the complexity. Within 90 minutes we managed to fumble our way through a small game, but we got to use our ships for the first time in probably five years. Even though the rules abstracted a number of the ship details compared with the full game, they were all different enough that the flavour of the full game seemed to still be there and most importantly, we got to use our ships!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span><i><span class="ILfuVd"></span></i></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="ILfuVd">Time to dust off the old ships and perhaps start painted up some of the backlog?</span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDmi-6k9aVTiaCaWJKni5uxdAacyhdVRUC7PET3wpwHdO9zRFTyH9gQg-tfcdfmeIosEps1OJ9aUB6W7arKbna7vUm6hL3mEbG_r0fgRyRa7kIue1SdJg1SOyiKsoKrZXZJdbuO-dLhQ/s1600/ChrisVsVictorSept1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDmi-6k9aVTiaCaWJKni5uxdAacyhdVRUC7PET3wpwHdO9zRFTyH9gQg-tfcdfmeIosEps1OJ9aUB6W7arKbna7vUm6hL3mEbG_r0fgRyRa7kIue1SdJg1SOyiKsoKrZXZJdbuO-dLhQ/s400/ChrisVsVictorSept1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two fleets line up</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFV4M0ik0ShK4UYrEUeIbjEqv16upfl78O2M3r7yrHWZw2piCFhyxVI3VgPXbt2HM2SDZim382M_Yysf0I1QR0EorJnWJNZD4_N0lzvWuUy_n5U6OyqQW6qnQdxq6gHEfzBOtUeMuxDM/s1600/ChrisVsVictorSept2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="1024" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFV4M0ik0ShK4UYrEUeIbjEqv16upfl78O2M3r7yrHWZw2piCFhyxVI3VgPXbt2HM2SDZim382M_Yysf0I1QR0EorJnWJNZD4_N0lzvWuUy_n5U6OyqQW6qnQdxq6gHEfzBOtUeMuxDM/s400/ChrisVsVictorSept2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Battleships clash</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="ILfuVd"><br /></span><i><span class="ILfuVd"></span></i></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-8440464412926774472018-08-03T17:11:00.000+12:002018-08-03T17:11:00.875+12:00Army Planning For FlamesCon 2018<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgq16_wnezwHAH4i3hJHHUalkR5hqpU-usd-IfuY0NDEvxE2F7vCw9UEnItgnM4IBkm8Zyjxb2JAcMXiEg_v1oOsysbFEf1xJPZElwM_VfpGfup0sMsljiV5vq5GroJKtir5ORijvE68/s1600/FlamesCon-NZ-Logo-wide.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="640" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWgq16_wnezwHAH4i3hJHHUalkR5hqpU-usd-IfuY0NDEvxE2F7vCw9UEnItgnM4IBkm8Zyjxb2JAcMXiEg_v1oOsysbFEf1xJPZElwM_VfpGfup0sMsljiV5vq5GroJKtir5ORijvE68/s400/FlamesCon-NZ-Logo-wide.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">FlamesCon
is just around the corner, which is to say it is still a few months away but I
need to nail down which army I am taking and then finish painting it. I have at
least nailed the very first issue which was <i>Flames Of War</i>, or <i>Team
Yankee.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Right now,
I have two competing options (plus a 3rd wild card) that I am debating</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Canadians: lots of Leopard 1
tanks, supported by some infantry and anti-tank guided missile vehicles.
This army is almost finished and I just need to paint some crews, apply
decals, paint machine-guns and do final airbrush dusting and varnish.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Czechs (masquerading as East
Germans): lots and lots of T-55AM2 tanks, with plenty of in Formation
support so they won’t break, and plenty of high altitude support. This
army is largely assembled but otherwise not yet started.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">French: these are my wild
card as the army is assembled, but otherwise not started. Given the fact
they would be significantly easier to finish than the Czechs I am not sure
why they are relegated to wildcard.....</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Canadians:</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Simple
list, as many Leopard 1 tanks as I can fit in (given the points level), some
infantry, recce and plenty of M150 TOW and ADATS. The Leopards can rush the
enemy and either flank them or just try to overwhelm them, whilst the missile
carriers do much of the heavy lifting as the Leopards 105mm gun is a little
underwhelming.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am keen
to finish the army, but I have built it as a 100+ point force so cutting it
down to 75 points hurts my soul. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZKPnZHRnqJ4sTaoxc2R6nTbtxHjM40TQ_shrAnVJw_G6LkbNKRodTr4Jku-w5Fmtil23wAcRCcOe5mYze-Bc64V74PueXMZsthE0Efd1NSPeLvAWPEIRZzm02NB9w_5IiY6hKQQe2Gc/s1600/FreeNationsCanadiansFC2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1265" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZKPnZHRnqJ4sTaoxc2R6nTbtxHjM40TQ_shrAnVJw_G6LkbNKRodTr4Jku-w5Fmtil23wAcRCcOe5mYze-Bc64V74PueXMZsthE0Efd1NSPeLvAWPEIRZzm02NB9w_5IiY6hKQQe2Gc/s400/FreeNationsCanadiansFC2018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click the image for a bigger version</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Czechs (East Germans):</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Best way
to beat MSU spam is to play it and see how it works? Also, I am thinking of
using part of this force next year at Panzerschreck where Casey and I are going
to team up again so painting this up kills (or wounds) two birds with one paint
brush.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plus, it
is a pile of cool models... and I am being cunning and using my Syrian infantry
that I carefully based up on a fairly brown/grassy basing style to be my
generic Warsaw Pact infantry teams. So, painting these means I get to progress
two projects at the same time. I know the figures are not quite right but they
are close enough.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKAoVkXWAY16yS6VWDkCrHRdIf1ucAJWg6weDzqyeaYjgH34PgQ4MVDwOZBl6J2K_e0tlZUpThCE-hlIDN9jj2ivdyW5dvLJGWqdDz8m90RVF7SqydivwmznTHQi77RAI4pXJbK9HOVs/s1600/VolksarmeeFC2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1265" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKAoVkXWAY16yS6VWDkCrHRdIf1ucAJWg6weDzqyeaYjgH34PgQ4MVDwOZBl6J2K_e0tlZUpThCE-hlIDN9jj2ivdyW5dvLJGWqdDz8m90RVF7SqydivwmznTHQi77RAI4pXJbK9HOVs/s400/VolksarmeeFC2018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click the image for a bigger version</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
French:</span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've been
chipping away at this project as a fun, spare time, when I want too project.
Other than infantry and AMX-10RCs I have no idea what the force might look like
other than having lots of wheels!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where to from here????</b> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Short answer, no idea! I will be getting the Canadians finished in the coming weeks (stay tuned for photos) now that I have some extra decals to complete them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Czechs have been progressing as a relaxing evening hobby project. It is too cold to paint out in the garage but assembling some tanks in front of the fire whilst watching some TV has been nice.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For now, lets assume the Czechs are option 1, whilst the Canadians are a fantastic back-up option when I inevitably run out of time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stay tuned.......</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
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<![endif]-->Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-55929572875438896432018-08-01T16:52:00.000+12:002018-08-02T13:19:56.327+12:00Syrian Tanks: Strengths and Weaknesses <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s1600/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1000" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s640/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last week I took a look at the Israeli tanks and how I think they match up against their Syrian opponents. This week I thought I'd do the reverse. Quick disclaimer, I've been generous with what I consider a tank when it comes to the Syrians as they just don't have the variety as their opponents.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tank X vs Sho't</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQw9dEKXilBRkSAYG8fSfcWULC_TxRlCvlGhHh9_Ng1JhqQZ4y_jlkcpjWnAx1uRt8bjJ_3kepBTqwwpJHM-ydtl2FPLULfBzcXFnouPi96Coev8Uyi49k2xRlFMpbX55s_nuXAfadKYg/s1600/ShotCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQw9dEKXilBRkSAYG8fSfcWULC_TxRlCvlGhHh9_Ng1JhqQZ4y_jlkcpjWnAx1uRt8bjJ_3kepBTqwwpJHM-ydtl2FPLULfBzcXFnouPi96Coev8Uyi49k2xRlFMpbX55s_nuXAfadKYg/s320/ShotCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just like last week I think we need a baseline and in this case it will be the good old Israeli Sho't (105mm) tank. Coming in at 9 points each the Sho't (105mm) is a solid mid-range tank. You can field a reasonable number in a 100 point game, along with some support elements. With fairly average movement numbers and a Cross of 2+, paired with an excellent long range (40"/100cm), high anti-tank (18) gun that is Accurate (ignores long range penalties to hit), counts as Brutal (great for killing soft targets), and can fire Smoke. Finish it off with sold crew stats (Courage 4+, Morale 3+, Remount 3+, Skill 3+, Assault 4+ and Counterattack 3+) and good all-round armour (Front 13, Side 6 and Top 2).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other reason for picking the Sho't is that it is a common opponent for the Syrians in the Golan Heights. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>T-54 vs Sho't</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The T-54 is possibly one of the most ubiquitous tanks ever designed. If a conflict happened in the years following World War II, there is a pretty good chance the T-54 (or T-55) was there, somewhere.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0cb0if5qG3jnA-fAQiO6cdI9IDPeTXYEY0Kd4fSHhR4MmpXdnredld-AMIxGU3sdgiJmkJ0kyPUeC8tmtWC9nm5p4qXyjVSDOkdstrW7nSiAKpV5i6yippKzkARyPmKkRKqNLT9L6WQ/s1600/T54Cardimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="712" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0cb0if5qG3jnA-fAQiO6cdI9IDPeTXYEY0Kd4fSHhR4MmpXdnredld-AMIxGU3sdgiJmkJ0kyPUeC8tmtWC9nm5p4qXyjVSDOkdstrW7nSiAKpV5i6yippKzkARyPmKkRKqNLT9L6WQ/s320/T54Cardimage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First up, let's take a look at the crew. As expected this is one of the areas where the T-54 does not compare favourably with the Sho't. They are just as keen for the fight with good motivation (Courage 4+, Morale 3+ and Remount 4+) but are let down by their lower Skill (6) and Assault (5+). However, their Counterattack is pretty solid and comes in at 3+.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One area where the T-54 shines (perhaps being a little generous here) is the armour, having Front 13, Side 9 and Top 2. Next up is the 100mm gun that has good Anti-tank (16), Firepower (2+) and access to HEAT rounds (so no long-range penetration penalty). Unfortunately, it has Slow Firing and only Rate Of Fire (ROF) of 1. Moving and shooting is not one of this tanks strengths. Speaking of moving the T-54 is pretty average cross country, but pretty quick on roads (24"/60cm) and terrible moving through rough terrain thanks to a Cross of 4+.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a stand-up shoot out with the Sho't, the T-54 tanks should lose every time as they have had a hard job hitting and a difficult job penetrating the Sho'ts front. Conversely (like all Syrian tanks) the T-54 is hit on a 3+, more than likely to be penetrated by the Sho't (105mm) and probably knocked out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>T-62 vs Sho't</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The T-62 represents an evolutionary step in the design of the T-54 / T-55 tank, pairing a tried and true design with a larger 115mm gun. In Fate Of A Nation each T-62 comes in around 5 points, making it a fairly cheap upgrade option from the T-54.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bMFJClNMR4mBNLJFCOnXfIKwciBRr30Fs1RbAMlKcqUJV_tXnGUcvF0FqHA6ACBW6RYRejkW3b1YmBKil6AQbIK6rmRw33SBGWhK3PDEy432BTlJlNZ17I40fAnBcMe8WG1WlA4gnZY/s1600/T62CardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="669" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bMFJClNMR4mBNLJFCOnXfIKwciBRr30Fs1RbAMlKcqUJV_tXnGUcvF0FqHA6ACBW6RYRejkW3b1YmBKil6AQbIK6rmRw33SBGWhK3PDEy432BTlJlNZ17I40fAnBcMe8WG1WlA4gnZY/s320/T62CardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The T-62 has the same movement, crew stats and armour as the T-54. This makes the tank a solid option, but certainly not star performer. Where that point cost really goes is the 115mm gun. And it is well worth that extra point!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 115mm gun has AT 19, making it more than capable of penetrating the Sho't (with Front armour 13) even at long range. Like the T-54 it suffers from Slow Firing thanks to its cramped turret and a ROF of 1. Coming back to a stand up fight, this one is going to be interesting folks as the two tanks (the Sho't and the T-62) look pretty even to me when you match 1 vs 2. I'd put my money on the Sho't at long range thanks to having 2 shots, a higher To Hit number and the Accurate rule, but if the T-62 tanks are allowed to close then that thin line of Israeli tanks will be under some pressure.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>T-34 vs Sho't</b></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jvLZUFbDBMIhapL_qlW9rpTYfK0a3_iRkh41Q1xXt-6geBkHwDnNEdQFOtxmou7H0CoWQ1CE_u3buFGhq14sGMe4I7ogYZm9QWySMF4gKztRZyqCebxV-p2g1cNRqrPC2pMcyfCgNa8/s1600/T34CardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="629" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jvLZUFbDBMIhapL_qlW9rpTYfK0a3_iRkh41Q1xXt-6geBkHwDnNEdQFOtxmou7H0CoWQ1CE_u3buFGhq14sGMe4I7ogYZm9QWySMF4gKztRZyqCebxV-p2g1cNRqrPC2pMcyfCgNa8/s320/T34CardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are starting to work the lower end of the Syrian armour barrel already here. I won't go into too much depth about the stats of the T-34, but we can agree that it is worth it's 1.2 points per tank. It's armour is only 6 (making it about as good as an Isherman) and has a ROF 2, AT 12 gun.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This means it cannot touch any of the larger Israeli tanks, but is useful for hunting down light armour and support vehicles. Finally it is a threat to the Sho't (and Magach) if it can get around the flanks. Whilst I won't be painting any for my army, if I ever really wanted to drop in a company to act as armoured skirmishers I might borrow one from my Late War <i>Flames Of War </i>army.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SU-100 vs Sho't</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0rhl4uOgVOtwax8pstCdtKeGsGrnjiKI0DUuJOGHiDjTdE3GM59wmvCf-VBuRFI0T9WCegAt5m7DVwx4ybYYh3_1KyQ9jFJVSwCwCoWlV6brP8ME0juSGqUKR6pQc7IrvcpLesWaAf8/s1600/SU100CardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="580" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0rhl4uOgVOtwax8pstCdtKeGsGrnjiKI0DUuJOGHiDjTdE3GM59wmvCf-VBuRFI0T9WCegAt5m7DVwx4ybYYh3_1KyQ9jFJVSwCwCoWlV6brP8ME0juSGqUKR6pQc7IrvcpLesWaAf8/s320/SU100CardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The SU-100 is another venerable ex-WWII design that is still serving a purpose (and it won't be the last) in the Syrian army. Like the T-34 these are not exactly top-shelf but do have a powerful 100mm gun that chalked up its share of Panther and Tiger kills on the Eastern Front.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It will have no problems knocking out light armour (like Isherman and AMX tanks) but at AT 15 will struggle to kill a Sho't (with armour 13). However, at least<b> </b>it does have a chance. At approximately 1.2 points per vehicle they do have a place in the force as some static 'covering fire' for your other tanks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Panzer Bunker vs Sho't</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP8W1NS-KanfqqMArH3aPjQFzw5_z58iFb7LvwWe_iNx6bXBUDIAMA_F7CUAca0TMsixGktknJGRpWo0M-DfOT7eNOw7DJkzW0FkQxpFxNmBEoB4nCBvN8pdVxvEj4OMXnfgIMaPr990/s1600/PanzerBunkerCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="553" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxP8W1NS-KanfqqMArH3aPjQFzw5_z58iFb7LvwWe_iNx6bXBUDIAMA_F7CUAca0TMsixGktknJGRpWo0M-DfOT7eNOw7DJkzW0FkQxpFxNmBEoB4nCBvN8pdVxvEj4OMXnfgIMaPr990/s320/PanzerBunkerCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've included this in the list because I think it is interesting, not because I think it is useful. The Syrians had a number of ex-WW2 German vehicles in their inventory<b>. </b>These were no-longer useful as tanks so found themselves turned into bunkers. Realistically they are not much of a threat, unless you choose to let them be a threat by forgetting about them. They are slightly harder to kill than a normal Panzer IV or StuG would be, however they are still easy pickings.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So... do I have a conclusion? It turns out that overnight I've found myself going from a big fan of the T-54 to thinking that I really don't have enough T-62 tanks. Five T-62 tanks are only 3 points more expensive than five T-54 tanks and they effectively have 2-3 points of extra AT. These couple of points will be the difference between penetrating a Sho't or Magach, or just being targets moving up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, I think the T-54 still has as solid place in my army, especially if I don't want to play a strictly '73 game as the enemy has to treat it with respect so whilst they are shooting up my T-62s, the T-54s can be dashing across the table getting in close.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is also important to remember that whilst the vehicles listed above represent the Syrian armour, you cannot forget the BMP-1 and Sagger teams. These are going to provide some really good tank killing ability for a lot less points than a platoon of tanks. The downside is that they are just a bit less mobile and (potentially) a lot more squishy! <b><br /></b></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-64259148506205124522018-07-25T14:59:00.000+12:002018-08-02T13:20:21.962+12:00Israeli Tanks: Strengths and Weaknesses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s1600/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s640/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Fate Of A Nation</i> gives players a wide range of tank options for building their Israeli force. Because of the variety, trimming the list down might be harder than it seems depending on your preferences and criteria. Right now I have a little of everything painted, but these lists will require me to add some extra models if I want to maximise the performance of the Formations.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For now, I am using history to guide me as I want to paint more Sho't tanks (Centurions) and Isherman (105mm) tanks as I am going for a Golan Heights based Force. However, I am going to want to paint a bit more of everything in time so I can do whatever I want, or just play really big games!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To help guide me with my painting prioritisation I thought I look at each of the tanks that the Israelis can field and share my thoughts. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tank X vs T-54</b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgZKO6P3og6zAOQBmPCOskCX89Jz0DCTIHj5cWBtd_Fl3ZvKm_imSGZhjEBMm1_wLEtYH_0VKGPNg0lF7rRhuTNSizHqdSKHa-cIgCdm8XGRQ4efQ2mUKnpHbjK3rLmtWiDSO2r-6qpc/s1600/T54Cardimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="712" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgZKO6P3og6zAOQBmPCOskCX89Jz0DCTIHj5cWBtd_Fl3ZvKm_imSGZhjEBMm1_wLEtYH_0VKGPNg0lF7rRhuTNSizHqdSKHa-cIgCdm8XGRQ4efQ2mUKnpHbjK3rLmtWiDSO2r-6qpc/s320/T54Cardimage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going to use the good old T-54 as my baseline enemy tank. Whilst the Arab nations can field other options I think the T-54 provides a good enemy for comparison and is likely to be the most common tank that players will face. A Syrian T-54 comes in a little over 4 points per tank and has a Courage and Remount of 4+, with a Morale of 3+, whilst the Skill is a base of 6 with improved Assault (5+) and excellent Counterattack of 3+. Finally, it is Hit On 3+.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The T-54 has good armour with Front 13, Side, 9 and Top 2, whilst the gun is average with a Range of 32"/80cm, Rate Of Fire (ROF) 1 across the board, AT 16, Firepower (FP) 2+, HEAT (no long range penalty to the AT value) but Slow Firing (+1 to Hit when moving). Rush to a position and then concentrate fire is the order of the day when playing with T-54 tanks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sho't vs T-54</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sho't comes in two varieties, the original 20pdr version (8pts each) that was fairly uncommon even in 1967, or the much improved 105mm version (9pts each). What differentiates the two versions in terms of stat lines is that the 105mm has a higher AT (18 vs 16), Firepower (2+ vs 3+) and has the Brutal rule which means infantry, guns and so on need to re-roll successful saves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0f9Tq54n6VL5uBh5pxU0rHwcMuW39D8wxu-cjv7Jt3H3EckX3acUJrAZuRMicp-gI3xc0ZnHM6ndqZzZkXY5btHbif1nDNtvKpjZ7f_s2M61PUeWoMmd731C9yGk0oCDc6fc-6B98Bk/s1600/ShotCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0f9Tq54n6VL5uBh5pxU0rHwcMuW39D8wxu-cjv7Jt3H3EckX3acUJrAZuRMicp-gI3xc0ZnHM6ndqZzZkXY5btHbif1nDNtvKpjZ7f_s2M61PUeWoMmd731C9yGk0oCDc6fc-6B98Bk/s320/ShotCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Comparing it with the T-54 we see that the 20pdr gun is slightly better than the T-54s 100mm gun, with better Range, better ROF, and the Accurate rule (no long range penalty). However, the T-54 does claw a little back with slightly improved Firepower and the HEAT rule. The 105mm version is clearly superior on all counts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Turning to the rest of their details, they both have the same Front Armour (13), whilst the T-54 has slightly better Side (9 vs 6). The T-54 is slightly improved in terms of its Dash speeds but the Sho't has an excellent Cross of 2+. In terms of the crews it comes as no surprise that the Israeli crews have equal or better Courage and Skill across the board.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the points I think the Sho't (105mm) is easily the best buy. They should out shoot a pair or T-54 tanks every time, whilst I think a pair of T-54 tanks vs a Sho't (20pdr) is a much closer match up. Forcing the T-54 tanks to come to you, even if they get off the first shot should still result in you winning the firefight. Just remember though you don't have many so each loss is costly.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Magach vs T-54</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Much like the Sho't, the Magach can come with a 90mm gun (7pts each) which has the same stat lines as the Sho't 20pdr, or the upgraded 105mm version (10pts each) that has the exact same gun as the Sho't (a British L7 105mm gun).</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIcecejbSqi2gBsXzpZwmIEGlNKSUzGS7liLvQdH5rJ5Lgyz607Q5GwRWiJ6gYXEkqXRxbNaET8h0baOiwdeVPOAMOInKL_GuvoWilz7dhyphenhyphend8s5-b03NMurQxlp_1t-GZJYmGA89wlsM/s1600/MagachCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIcecejbSqi2gBsXzpZwmIEGlNKSUzGS7liLvQdH5rJ5Lgyz607Q5GwRWiJ6gYXEkqXRxbNaET8h0baOiwdeVPOAMOInKL_GuvoWilz7dhyphenhyphend8s5-b03NMurQxlp_1t-GZJYmGA89wlsM/s320/MagachCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the guns are the same, the differences in points is driven by an increase in Side Armour on the Magach (8 vs the Sho'ts 6), higher Dash speeds but slightly lower remount (4+ on the Magach vs 3+ on the Sho't).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frankly all of these changes are bad news for the T-54 as it means that in the areas where the T-54 eclipsed the Sho't, the Magach narrows the gap. In terms of battlefield performance I think it comes down play style, although the Magach (90mm) does look pretty effective for its points.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Magach 6 vs T-54</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Magach 6 is the Israeli designation for the US built M60 tank</span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Israel had a relatively small number of these at the start of the 1973 war and received emergency shipments from the US stocks in Europe. The tank is armed with a 105mm gun and the stat line is the same as other Israeli 105mm armed tanks, but it has even more armour (Front 15) making it impenetrable at long range when engaging in firefights with T-54 tanks. However, Sagger </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIDwkaDKXU9PNtuHpWDg0vi0ve5IoMkB-YEZiih9m6fmpzi1zTKLQRUTJCTrHzJoTpv2kISAqpanakSOfCDfvi2_jYbKREY7Ep4bzPSDW6JSeoY8CNBcEb6kO0aQiskaFoZ4nIK0slFQ/s1600/Magach6CardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIDwkaDKXU9PNtuHpWDg0vi0ve5IoMkB-YEZiih9m6fmpzi1zTKLQRUTJCTrHzJoTpv2kISAqpanakSOfCDfvi2_jYbKREY7Ep4bzPSDW6JSeoY8CNBcEb6kO0aQiskaFoZ4nIK0slFQ/s320/Magach6CardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">teams will still cause some consternation thanks to their AT18 missiles.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So why would you even bother with the other tanks if this is the wonder weapon of the IDF? Two reasons jump to mind; they are 12 points each making them very expensive and whilst I feel they are worth their points it means you are not going to have many of them on the table and if you start rolling 1's you might find a tank or two dead and (assuming you are playing 100 point games) then the relatively small platoon sizes will start causing you to take tests to stay on the table. The second reason is simple history. They weren't there in 1967 if that is where your interest sits.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sherman (75mm) and Isherman (105mm)</span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Putting my cards on the table here, Isherman (105mm) are the absolute best looking tanks in the game. End. Of. Story! </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sherman (75mm) tanks are good old fashioned World War II Sherman tanks with an upgraded French made 75mm gun that was influence by the German Panther 75mm gun. With 36"/ 90cm range it is more than good enough, ROF 2/1, AT14 (bit low for killing T-54 tanks) and Firepower 3+. Great for hunting everything except front line Arab armour.</span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EP4jHZmhqsAoon4cW7X2rP_rKt4lG9uMNonnwpMsCGSK3bDos5VpMXnmvN_udKb5_tNiSQon7gbPiaqL-7qgYrsGRfAOeR5k9t0QrZo2qFE0kxUENcgii6K40_E5pCBBJ-aVHJx870Y/s1600/IshermanCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EP4jHZmhqsAoon4cW7X2rP_rKt4lG9uMNonnwpMsCGSK3bDos5VpMXnmvN_udKb5_tNiSQon7gbPiaqL-7qgYrsGRfAOeR5k9t0QrZo2qFE0kxUENcgii6K40_E5pCBBJ-aVHJx870Y/s320/IshermanCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Isherman (105mm) tanks are the same Shermans but with a few upgrades, starting with a very long 105mm gun that bumps the AT up to 17, Firepower up to 2+, adds HEAT (so no armour penetration penalty for long range) and Brutal which is great for killing enemy Sagger teams.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both tanks have average Courage and Skill ratings (identical to the Sho't) of 4+/3+/3+ and 3+/4+/3+ but thanks to their heritage have terrible armour ratings of Front 6, Side 4 and Top 1. Both versions have a Cross of 3+, with the Isherman (105mm) mitigating its overly long gun with HVSS style suspension (think Easy 8 from WWII).</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Where they truly shine though is that they come in at 3 and 4 points respectively. A 10 tank company, with support platoon and integrated mortar battery will be around 55 points making it a great foundational Formation for your army, or a cheap backup Formation if you strip back the numbers.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't have a stand up fight in the open against T-54 tanks as the disparity of armour values will result in a poor result for the Shermans.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tiran 5</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During the 1967 war the Israelis captured many T-54 tanks from the Arabs. Short of modern tanks they pressed these into service under the designation of <i>Tiran </i>(Tyrant). In <i>Fate Of A Nation</i> they have been significantly modernised adding improved weapon systems (the traditional 105mm gun and extra machine-guns), new engines, gun sights as well as crew comfort improvements.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko5372bPjwD_tkoVS5jMvSXpvsizUwyuBwbFcY-GrHl5ydVQgHkyCNEz9yd7eUtSXHIH81GLaP1teSrg2ofkDU4-O7UX1Xh4deMvwgQz5Qo2lZ3_UKHiSfIywLl3OpvLIJBtmIOdA71A/s1600/TiranCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko5372bPjwD_tkoVS5jMvSXpvsizUwyuBwbFcY-GrHl5ydVQgHkyCNEz9yd7eUtSXHIH81GLaP1teSrg2ofkDU4-O7UX1Xh4deMvwgQz5Qo2lZ3_UKHiSfIywLl3OpvLIJBtmIOdA71A/s320/TiranCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So how does the Israeli "T-54" compare with the Arab/Soviet one? First up the Tiran-5 comes in at 7 points each vs 4.3 each for the Syrian model. They both have the same armour values but the Tiran packs an AT 18 gun (with Brutal and Smoke) but still has the drawback of of the cramped T-54 turret leading to ROF 1/1 and Slow Firing. So mobile engagements are not going to be high on your list. However, since the Syrian T-54 has the same penalties but only AT16 it is still looking good for the Israeli player.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite a new engine both versions still have the same movement stats, but the Israeli version does still win out on the Courage and Skill side, although the stats are the same as most other Israeli tanks.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tiran 5 looks good, but this is a really close decision for me as to which is actually better. The Tiran should win the shoot-out thanks to the higher AT making it approximately twice as likely to kill the T-54 (at close range) than vice versa. However the Slow Firing and low ROF means it is less suitable for a mobile engagement that an Israeli force will have to be ready for against a much more numerous opponent. Either way a shoot out between the two tanks will be entertaining.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">AMX-13</span></span></span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocBrkD9odLSbLO7JIjUakmLer7Q4M9F7uUoFfK_7Y9PbgAqgS1_IFhX-_Si4todf9HiSQv7ef2ANK14pix2wvuAK00R_208U2kDFwkQSEoo_kmVV7f6umhhdmJ2t5kdivi5CSTXftTus/s1600/AmxCardImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="664" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocBrkD9odLSbLO7JIjUakmLer7Q4M9F7uUoFfK_7Y9PbgAqgS1_IFhX-_Si4todf9HiSQv7ef2ANK14pix2wvuAK00R_208U2kDFwkQSEoo_kmVV7f6umhhdmJ2t5kdivi5CSTXftTus/s320/AmxCardImage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another favourite of mine, the AMX-13 is (like the Sherman tank) outclassed by the T-54. With the same gun as the Sherman (75mm) and Front Armour of 4 there is no shoot out that these are going to win.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, they are only 2 points a pop and fairly fast when Dashing (24"/ 60cm Cross Country) which means that whilst they cannot win a head-to-head fight, they are a cheap support Formation (10 tanks for 20 points) that can harass all of the Syrian support units and if they get around the flank of a T-54 their guns will penetrate like a hot knife through butter.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So which one (or ones) are the best? Good question that. I think that it really comes down to how you want to play but you should really be looking at either some Magach or Sho't tanks, and in both cases it is hard to beat the 105mm armed versions thanks to their increased killing power.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I still love the Isherman (105mm) though and think they make an excellent addition for some cheap firepower, just don't let them get caught in the open.</span></span></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-47217507523562621452018-07-11T09:13:00.001+12:002018-08-02T13:20:26.218+12:00Syrian Army Shots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s1600/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFQ-dz3a1C7LZWQYMwZ77iDg4TdJOb-ZdqRp7zcj3LYiMEZZ_KRzzwK21YX2q5fDadlF4S-XG0sk0LatqBBxqmThSCTBZYJxnJk2TliEYKEZuFqO-EjNd0roUxYRMWQzmMVu0xUpUxws/s640/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the release of <i>Fate Of A Nation </i>I volunteered to paint all the models shown in the book. There is still a way to go before it is a complete army as I didn't manage to get enough of everything done to be ready for gaming, however I do have enough of a mix of models to start playing assuming my opponents are okay with most of my armour being unpainted.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm still working on a painting list of what to work on next to finish the army... </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKP_dsll0jNgns5ERhdNbekfuHTEk3XfEiJgZFfQkPa_99HvbxT4MyOnJGYndV0OPiHCjwkdIr-wuSvM1naBDFb4mFCEWWIBY6Fnc6kTFadt4leOJ7HYH8B6g7NJa1DtFvXeTKQluBUw/s1600/SyrianTanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="1600" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKP_dsll0jNgns5ERhdNbekfuHTEk3XfEiJgZFfQkPa_99HvbxT4MyOnJGYndV0OPiHCjwkdIr-wuSvM1naBDFb4mFCEWWIBY6Fnc6kTFadt4leOJ7HYH8B6g7NJa1DtFvXeTKQluBUw/s640/SyrianTanks.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of our new T-62 tanks next to a T-55. They look so similar yet so different!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQh9fMLn2wRjqQU-1RNQ0BcfiLWtpLh9kLC1c4YJlG2XKRaF7faiPiCO_Sv3hODLSSgOZXHYnOEIdjPRGOWaX9_HP135HDbvL0HB_QfRb-_xsi6C33GxxymY9oomKHc04vIwwXXO-sUYY/s1600/SyrianBMP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQh9fMLn2wRjqQU-1RNQ0BcfiLWtpLh9kLC1c4YJlG2XKRaF7faiPiCO_Sv3hODLSSgOZXHYnOEIdjPRGOWaX9_HP135HDbvL0HB_QfRb-_xsi6C33GxxymY9oomKHc04vIwwXXO-sUYY/s640/SyrianBMP.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A mechanised platoon backed up by BMP-1</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkWudIsfVi2wZbmxO15zkil0XOUMQF7ruBs3RcIS8QfRDnmsztpziA126vxKkh8MZsNfQBPzEcohJ0-xEY4Brhr6Hf6QAhc4H33iAuuXyAmaYxoPkjf4zbBeh3Ve-8_lfEMGOfCYCuA0/s1600/SyrianBTR60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkWudIsfVi2wZbmxO15zkil0XOUMQF7ruBs3RcIS8QfRDnmsztpziA126vxKkh8MZsNfQBPzEcohJ0-xEY4Brhr6Hf6QAhc4H33iAuuXyAmaYxoPkjf4zbBeh3Ve-8_lfEMGOfCYCuA0/s640/SyrianBTR60.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BTR-60 APCs with infantry</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRokBvAHv_2jFs6S1YCDThnNSR-KV7CvcvpcXM13mQH2HOgUJtUNSFcWAa2SGlIoilwntwiUbRwX_3KE8r4wQ2crPVcvP3zKmGEbahUFeCa2Zqf1zOFU2GlhCm6g0otHu9q22Te6E3rws/s1600/SyrianAPCs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRokBvAHv_2jFs6S1YCDThnNSR-KV7CvcvpcXM13mQH2HOgUJtUNSFcWAa2SGlIoilwntwiUbRwX_3KE8r4wQ2crPVcvP3zKmGEbahUFeCa2Zqf1zOFU2GlhCm6g0otHu9q22Te6E3rws/s640/SyrianAPCs.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A selection of APCs, a BMP-1, BTR-60, BTR-50 and BTR-152</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCV-aBrYqru6DnJgs781LNFawurN4c0OtaPcmbvXg5ECILlEQHqkgk3DpaNhsW3mm5vnq5YKPnurXStTYDUxKfu9lNVd6hSQY-C1lYlfSSfMkBO7Jjq-wt7PjMLNiJUjjHkWEec3evHc/s1600/SyrianAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVCV-aBrYqru6DnJgs781LNFawurN4c0OtaPcmbvXg5ECILlEQHqkgk3DpaNhsW3mm5vnq5YKPnurXStTYDUxKfu9lNVd6hSQY-C1lYlfSSfMkBO7Jjq-wt7PjMLNiJUjjHkWEec3evHc/s640/SyrianAA.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ZSU-23-4 Shilkas and the somewhat more venerable ZSU-57-2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeySuamgO70bXVi3hRO5K28Ewjsh0gZofCLHc1c8wbN3iQ9u-ahJt3FiO4-ovYdUbhn1DqJ8aAZxjet7vKG_41o3YpkzOZwGZ6MZOBNkQp4e2yHlzTzR8BxSBXqXqH69GR_J_yKQgwcwE/s1600/SyrianRecon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeySuamgO70bXVi3hRO5K28Ewjsh0gZofCLHc1c8wbN3iQ9u-ahJt3FiO4-ovYdUbhn1DqJ8aAZxjet7vKG_41o3YpkzOZwGZ6MZOBNkQp4e2yHlzTzR8BxSBXqXqH69GR_J_yKQgwcwE/s640/SyrianRecon.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two small recce sections of PT-76 and BRDM-2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-11866306453137152612018-07-04T12:49:00.002+12:002018-07-04T13:15:58.180+12:00A Brief Distraction? Returning to Battletech?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQdc33l6c_aUnyQf_k3WRJS6qn1NmDK94_omMr64Mv2Uvw6j-N1YYY40UWJWZiPcSfrjcWjnrxdcJbwYUGW59Ell9IqK7Eilws1KknhiceP2XQkBszopDIxRWNySc1xUimLv27ZdmTzA/s1600/BattletechBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQdc33l6c_aUnyQf_k3WRJS6qn1NmDK94_omMr64Mv2Uvw6j-N1YYY40UWJWZiPcSfrjcWjnrxdcJbwYUGW59Ell9IqK7Eilws1KknhiceP2XQkBszopDIxRWNySc1xUimLv27ZdmTzA/s320/BattletechBooks.jpg" width="320" /></a>Many years ago, perhaps more than I care to admit, I watched some of my club mates playing Battletech. They had lovely models, terrific terrain and it all looked like fun. It wasn't long before I headed down that particular rabbit hole. A hole I went down hard and stayed inside for many years.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even now, years since I picked up a book or miniature I still have all of my old Battletech source books sitting on a shelf in the office next to my computer and whilst the miniatures are relegated to the garage I know exactly where they are (and that is really saying something).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the years I've supported my enthusiasm with a variety of games, whether it was the original Crescent Hawks Inception (which I first played in Farmers, a chain department store here in NZ) as a much younger man, through to the most recent release, Battletech - Tactical Mech Combat.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Playing this most recent Battletech game over the past few nights I've found my original love for the game rekindled, so much so that I've been having silly thoughts about pausing all my other hobby projects to dig out some old and rather badly painted mechs, strip them off and attack them with the airbrush.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That is the problem with rabbit holes, they can be so warm and cosy you just want to try heading down them one more time to relive all the good memories... Surely it shouldn't take long to paint strip, rebuild and paint </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">the 24 mechs, </span></span>o that the Black Widow Company and Fox's Teeth can once again roam the battlefield?</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifehwTF3NHd8FoDu4caV5odUduI8zQ3PUGkNNTVsKQB_jPMb9p5AgeGyxIxH6vOnkv-XLGXXfYAAYOAkOtX4_kF7dTvtg5LO_U7x9PXHUbjAVyOXsK_3SR4VTYS32PAUr4ykEAk3XJRl0/s1600/BattletechBWandFTBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifehwTF3NHd8FoDu4caV5odUduI8zQ3PUGkNNTVsKQB_jPMb9p5AgeGyxIxH6vOnkv-XLGXXfYAAYOAkOtX4_kF7dTvtg5LO_U7x9PXHUbjAVyOXsK_3SR4VTYS32PAUr4ykEAk3XJRl0/s640/BattletechBWandFTBooks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-46384914449789463352018-06-29T08:00:00.000+12:002018-06-29T08:00:23.749+12:001967 vs 1973: So What To Field...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl2BH43Q6nwZcG7UOqzIh1pGBVdh7c-DdAQ0hNXdQbks57H5EETclxNqMJsrJB3CIpuXS5wC-WLW5N_qrh_-STRknIEo3JQUePiiIgeid9SqXSVGkSWIM4NWPaBPYdzv-VlVIu-ZzQB8/s1600/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBl2BH43Q6nwZcG7UOqzIh1pGBVdh7c-DdAQ0hNXdQbks57H5EETclxNqMJsrJB3CIpuXS5wC-WLW5N_qrh_-STRknIEo3JQUePiiIgeid9SqXSVGkSWIM4NWPaBPYdzv-VlVIu-ZzQB8/s640/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the previous weekend I spotted a few people asking about which models or units they should field, assuming they were planning on building a force based on either a specific battle, or for a '67 game vs a '73 game. I was tempted to start putting together a list based on a combination of my general knowledge and a little extra reading. Luckily for me <span>Michael McSwiney, one of the writers of the updated edition had been thinking the same thing and started work on his own version.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>From a rules perspective these in service dates are strictly optional and based on what I currently have painted at the moment I won't be getting too carried away with them as I'd rather keep working on the models for now rather than restricting my gaming options. However they do provide a great resource if you are looking to build a new army with some specific plans in mind.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The links:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Miniature Ordnance Review (Michael's blog)...</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2018/06/fate-of-nation-1967-1973-or-both.html" target="_blank">Israeli Forces...</a></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2018/06/fate-of-nation-1967-1973-or-both_73.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Jordanian Forces...</span></span></span></a><br />
<a href="https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2018/06/fate-of-nation-1967-1973-or-both_24.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Egyptian Forces...</span></span></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2018/06/fate-of-nation-1967-1973-or-both-syrian.html" target="_blank">Syrian Forces...</a></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Time to start planning on what to paint next. </span></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-78212973639632744662018-06-28T16:27:00.000+12:002018-06-28T16:27:01.647+12:00The Road To Panzerschreck (2016) The Marines Hit Early War<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Originally this article was posted on the Flames Of War website back in 2016...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next month is the annual Studio trip to Panzerschreck with the team jumping in a van and having an epic road trip / lads weekend away. This year I was planning on having a relaxed weekend and heading down to play some Team Yankee games with Evan. Thanks to a last-minute change of plans for Phil (James’ partner in crime for the event) I found myself subbed in to join up with James’ British Armoured Regiment. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">No doubt you are all aware of the famous battle somewhere in North Africa where a small Marine Expeditionary Force briefly found themselves siding with a Vickers Mk IV light tank company…</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Originally I was in two minds about what to take as I have a French Early War army that I really enjoy playing and need an excuse to finish painting up some Lorraine 38L Carriers. At the same time I have been plugging away with a US Marine Amphibian tank company for Gung-Ho and I saw this as an opportunity to push the army back to the front of the painting queue. After a couple of minutes thought the Marines (easily) found themselves promoted as it is hard to not go with something shiny and new, even if I do have to do a lot more painting to get it ready. Working out an army list that looked achievable on the painting front and fun to play I settled on: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7MalP5m-rET2GdOXAYA7uOYQuEQ1DNNRlVlfX-I7japabEJK_N-kxnW2TfefwevSedC_p52XSKPQdEliNftnGlQ8zSG4ogZAQ3rjhYp_vyknkedvO-b-38a5bxrXCsGMVXj4nvme8k0/s1600/ChrisArmyList.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="712" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7MalP5m-rET2GdOXAYA7uOYQuEQ1DNNRlVlfX-I7japabEJK_N-kxnW2TfefwevSedC_p52XSKPQdEliNftnGlQ8zSG4ogZAQ3rjhYp_vyknkedvO-b-38a5bxrXCsGMVXj4nvme8k0/s640/ChrisArmyList.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The core of the force is obviously the LVTs with 10 of them crawling
across the table, hopefully shooting up everything in front of them.
This should pair nicely with James’ Light Mk IV tanks which will be
light enough to respond to any threats as well as threatening enemy
objectives. If I am being honest the AA and Rockets are really there to
get me to four platoons, but it will also give us some decent AA
coverage (as James’ also has some Bofors guns) and rockets capable of
thinning out the enemy ranks of infantry.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NKP_VHfQn8oV-W1cNumdvr9Ykr5ff97RxWc4XU7decBwS9Lt4mWI6J6zb9PdkKYOcNJipyDFInpGlcRfMZ5vBkJvC79NFaGFsACjnkusD8ExolFZXEuMmQ2wAeNwvWNX9T-qJAqygN0/s1600/ChrisLVT-04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="1000" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NKP_VHfQn8oV-W1cNumdvr9Ykr5ff97RxWc4XU7decBwS9Lt4mWI6J6zb9PdkKYOcNJipyDFInpGlcRfMZ5vBkJvC79NFaGFsACjnkusD8ExolFZXEuMmQ2wAeNwvWNX9T-qJAqygN0/s640/ChrisLVT-04.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the experiment with the dark sand (in the previous article) I
decided to go back to pain grey vehicles and to make them look a little
more interesting I decided to put beach markings on the sides of the
hull (the two red vertical stripes you can see in the photos). These
were to help the LVTs stick together and get to the correct landing zone
– in this case Red Beach 2 during the Battle of Saipan. The theory
being that you just followed the vehicles with the same markings as you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next
I chose to go to town on the decals and whilst I was inspired by
historical markings here I chose to go a bit overboard to help them pop
on the battlefield. I chose tank numbers from a spare NVA T-55 decal
sheet I had, as well as US stars, serial numbers and names from the US Late War Decal Sheet (US941<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">)</a> I think these really help to make the models look interesting on the table.
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;">As
you can see from the pictures below I still have a way to go to finish
the army up but with a couple of weeks to go I think I am in good shape. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;"><b>The HQ Platoon</b><br />I've only painted the 75mm turrets for my HQ, but I plan to paint up the 37mm ones later to make sure I can swap these around easily. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-gQzE_y-WJZwnX024sr_AC4MGgcOyWcW2NoVQDAfPtpLlqs-MkpT8cYHb44aSbiyzcakp39Vcld0h2Mk7LhClk1Qd5lWpSn9NSSM_9N5pAwopIQjw5YJfhyphenhyphenlWMFDczJny3JT4UogFZo/s1600/ChrisLVT-16.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="690" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-gQzE_y-WJZwnX024sr_AC4MGgcOyWcW2NoVQDAfPtpLlqs-MkpT8cYHb44aSbiyzcakp39Vcld0h2Mk7LhClk1Qd5lWpSn9NSSM_9N5pAwopIQjw5YJfhyphenhyphenlWMFDczJny3JT4UogFZo/s640/ChrisLVT-16.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKoz6r0cRwzcuwoF6U27oDi2Axend6s2_HPHmcUqUUuiXzl5GG2hLqr248AaVLF8HmKf6h10pBEYrLdYBdAtQO1da_ZYvYCJDFlWpynnvhB9YXuLhdAAUBXNrORNKPYMPTNy510egddU/s1600/ChrisLVT-17.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="690" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKoz6r0cRwzcuwoF6U27oDi2Axend6s2_HPHmcUqUUuiXzl5GG2hLqr248AaVLF8HmKf6h10pBEYrLdYBdAtQO1da_ZYvYCJDFlWpynnvhB9YXuLhdAAUBXNrORNKPYMPTNy510egddU/s640/ChrisLVT-17.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;"><b>LVT(A)4 (75mm) Platoon</b><br />Other than a targeted wash, these just need their crew painted and machine-guns highlighted.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0wbkOR4aCpWSYSLpiPJxOjaWHXTQaTxf7kj9-lDLx97KRGyfREtkSvF5Pf_qWmHp5n7M57LuV8KUjGqQwReI0ziPrVpdOpsO1g4cyb_KaBA-_6d10M0J-FludI1tfL5O2wI9iX5rB4k/s1600/ChrisLVT-06.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="139" data-original-width="690" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0wbkOR4aCpWSYSLpiPJxOjaWHXTQaTxf7kj9-lDLx97KRGyfREtkSvF5Pf_qWmHp5n7M57LuV8KUjGqQwReI0ziPrVpdOpsO1g4cyb_KaBA-_6d10M0J-FludI1tfL5O2wI9iX5rB4k/s640/ChrisLVT-06.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftIySQHWy-dkt3h-vRTTCN6IhheFaniCnnjXY6-7aloZBXHcXX1hxkMd5M6XwQSAjhvOrLHe8Nae-_4o5Od5pMGwnYc3j5CraEVf8Ivhsb2L_Q7HZ2vujllZWhT-G8mnpuFORTIOhyphenhyphenx8/s1600/ChrisLVT-07.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="690" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftIySQHWy-dkt3h-vRTTCN6IhheFaniCnnjXY6-7aloZBXHcXX1hxkMd5M6XwQSAjhvOrLHe8Nae-_4o5Od5pMGwnYc3j5CraEVf8Ivhsb2L_Q7HZ2vujllZWhT-G8mnpuFORTIOhyphenhyphenx8/s640/ChrisLVT-07.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEMRXBPZK31SomP3DMOuFX3JY9Y1z7RxfwhNZr06gpGR5eo8x72_J_bNaTE7IqsO4aIZEFHAATXJdBFGLajH6IDZAKdz-SZ6Yos1nBJh8e0eZQoVIv8inJK1E27QoqHWHIf-dKG0ynTk/s1600/ChrisLVT-08.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="690" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEMRXBPZK31SomP3DMOuFX3JY9Y1z7RxfwhNZr06gpGR5eo8x72_J_bNaTE7IqsO4aIZEFHAATXJdBFGLajH6IDZAKdz-SZ6Yos1nBJh8e0eZQoVIv8inJK1E27QoqHWHIf-dKG0ynTk/s400/ChrisLVT-08.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJCPD7unN1ccDrt3nYl5QQ2jwU0uqKBJimymjxAjOTpunmtWzTMYo-v_XCtUfW4NwQf7XdZbsEDkmLcT_8toTRfK85r8uMnqpaul6kLGtoXPkcNzVdqCrO8KDuVz671DPc3GOgqLxg7w/s1600/ChrisLVT-09.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="690" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJCPD7unN1ccDrt3nYl5QQ2jwU0uqKBJimymjxAjOTpunmtWzTMYo-v_XCtUfW4NwQf7XdZbsEDkmLcT_8toTRfK85r8uMnqpaul6kLGtoXPkcNzVdqCrO8KDuVz671DPc3GOgqLxg7w/s400/ChrisLVT-09.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJOP8__bI3HUwd4t56UrNppJm_HB0kRj9F7gb5ulAmuvK0MFhM-stP6hM2VlDMgS_jHo8Eoa2f0GtSKwvY2umr8USFmKNp-8B3pThP5vTtUL__1UAbIE8-0Dsj6nIXBldA14DgUEvDn0/s1600/ChrisLVT-10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="690" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJOP8__bI3HUwd4t56UrNppJm_HB0kRj9F7gb5ulAmuvK0MFhM-stP6hM2VlDMgS_jHo8Eoa2f0GtSKwvY2umr8USFmKNp-8B3pThP5vTtUL__1UAbIE8-0Dsj6nIXBldA14DgUEvDn0/s400/ChrisLVT-10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMuU7pYsfwtwO3T5ivSU2_JRTwNGLL4eh97J5sKeqfdgkUysMeUO4XMzybkNsw19KqdU9ew2-Gq4tvD8UVqjZDsM8fAbsiYynk63pU_o8kR-RJ0nWYtthUKHrL9ZFTo-c0L_YIezS0oY/s1600/ChrisLVT-11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMuU7pYsfwtwO3T5ivSU2_JRTwNGLL4eh97J5sKeqfdgkUysMeUO4XMzybkNsw19KqdU9ew2-Gq4tvD8UVqjZDsM8fAbsiYynk63pU_o8kR-RJ0nWYtthUKHrL9ZFTo-c0L_YIezS0oY/s1600/ChrisLVT-11.jpeg" /> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;"><b>Above:</b> Most of the army are still waiting for a shading pin wash, so they are currently shiny with gloss varnish. I've used the number '13' 75mm tank to test the oil wash, and I'm happy with the finished result.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>LVT(A)1 (37mm) Platoon</b><br />These are currently missing the machine-gun turrets, which will make them look a little more dynamic thanks to the crew sitting inside operating them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFW9SKb409fAWR2nGNMv8DEEXMlXfe_q45vJTSqD_dvMhpQQOKtfLYYa1yg9UV2YDgujV5W0cruhAxbsbNtDuqexWSpJs6Vtyyq-YBpM2AIBqu6FpcOZ_BA27wkDy9z2MpkFOo6KW1c6Q/s1600/ChrisLVT-12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="690" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFW9SKb409fAWR2nGNMv8DEEXMlXfe_q45vJTSqD_dvMhpQQOKtfLYYa1yg9UV2YDgujV5W0cruhAxbsbNtDuqexWSpJs6Vtyyq-YBpM2AIBqu6FpcOZ_BA27wkDy9z2MpkFOo6KW1c6Q/s640/ChrisLVT-12.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNAOCfQSMh1uJU_Q4sbTXRxGT7MrEMDPyfxdvKXBLEPSIvfmpLrLXivjHliAZdlWFn9Eg5lq2t2mdLLFeqhxrHvFhV9fwUMbuZvgoTrSrBXZAXpGnQH8GQaEXmI9B-l2tsUgiDY28neo/s1600/ChrisLVT-13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="690" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNAOCfQSMh1uJU_Q4sbTXRxGT7MrEMDPyfxdvKXBLEPSIvfmpLrLXivjHliAZdlWFn9Eg5lq2t2mdLLFeqhxrHvFhV9fwUMbuZvgoTrSrBXZAXpGnQH8GQaEXmI9B-l2tsUgiDY28neo/s640/ChrisLVT-13.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw8-NKpkIZgu1TVFtBKEGHGsCkl7XdgeZMyMoTBV8SM18SD_9mSZ6rollivceGWI1CBOiUGqCQKVTmDfbeFOw2WzgRHoNBVFFruzPKPyAGybshXQ-HA_sBnHijuoSM7NZtaxTc44Xbzk/s1600/ChrisLVT-14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="690" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw8-NKpkIZgu1TVFtBKEGHGsCkl7XdgeZMyMoTBV8SM18SD_9mSZ6rollivceGWI1CBOiUGqCQKVTmDfbeFOw2WzgRHoNBVFFruzPKPyAGybshXQ-HA_sBnHijuoSM7NZtaxTc44Xbzk/s400/ChrisLVT-14.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;"><b>Below: </b>To do the red markings on the side of the hulls I made a mask using some low-tack hobby masking tape, then carefully attached it to a model, airbrushed the red and carefully removed it again. Rinse and repeat 32 times as I decided to do the markings on all my LVTs and not just the ones for Panzerschreck to keep everything consistent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD75vNiqQNPylshraApigyOt4zmf8MrbPJxgcDGyrDeXYgvp2K8N70rw1acesUP95CxlT5YA8laIT4jIBq-pi59_7Tz5V_lyZvSMP_cK_IF3S143SJkjPU4u0cJmnL9kY5UbC518Kbthw/s1600/ChrisLVT-15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="690" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD75vNiqQNPylshraApigyOt4zmf8MrbPJxgcDGyrDeXYgvp2K8N70rw1acesUP95CxlT5YA8laIT4jIBq-pi59_7Tz5V_lyZvSMP_cK_IF3S143SJkjPU4u0cJmnL9kY5UbC518Kbthw/s640/ChrisLVT-15.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="normal10" style="font-size: small;">Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for painting your own LVTs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubTsgug5Iyj3o9pb0KaLwV_8IZYiEbG0h7PVtP5wIszsnrBT6VemleEBvqtEHY8nOq51nTj7Ekrkv0vtHvch8v7NISDI2iw4tF8e6EtV9gv6XlP0nCjkY8A4Sg771ULkG1dcnnKLlCZM/s1600/FirstFeaturedOnFlamesOfWar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="966" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubTsgug5Iyj3o9pb0KaLwV_8IZYiEbG0h7PVtP5wIszsnrBT6VemleEBvqtEHY8nOq51nTj7Ekrkv0vtHvch8v7NISDI2iw4tF8e6EtV9gv6XlP0nCjkY8A4Sg771ULkG1dcnnKLlCZM/s400/FirstFeaturedOnFlamesOfWar.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-27739065466421686942018-06-26T10:38:00.004+12:002018-08-02T13:20:35.953+12:00"Israel vs Syria: Fighting For The Golan", A Series Introduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwFjRH7qcX8GCU_CynMRW_d2yaYqBmUdZc8T7xG9MfdrG27hwuu5wEnN9SmoDtMyCdTA4wJ-TityUm88yQW-uAvZ7mgKOuLv9nfGT0I0gUKqiW7du0_uPV2_eQ3KKGrAaYnrDrgIOeCU/s1600/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="1000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwFjRH7qcX8GCU_CynMRW_d2yaYqBmUdZc8T7xG9MfdrG27hwuu5wEnN9SmoDtMyCdTA4wJ-TityUm88yQW-uAvZ7mgKOuLv9nfGT0I0gUKqiW7du0_uPV2_eQ3KKGrAaYnrDrgIOeCU/s640/FightingInTheGolanFinal.png" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This weekend will see the release of <i>Fate Of A Nation</i>, this time brought up to <i>Team Yankee</i> standard and with the inclusion of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bringing the Arab-Israeli Wars (AIW) in to <i>Flames Of War</i> was something of an obsession for me and I can happily take some of the credit for the initial inclusion after relentlessly and repeatedly reminding people that after the success of our Vietnam releases, AIW would be a great place to turn next. After all it was a period that many gamers recognise, it featured the worlds superpowers fighting over proxy battlefields, and when it came down to it, it was about tanks duelling it out. Perfect for a <i>Flames Of War </i>conversion!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfe2ge9snCZBN2Qput6tMbcb88zrBvGsDDyCoj9TL5HenEfkjqIRunbuZ_8-50IMZ9YrEotSuhWdR8DDXKKUgxNv9h2z0Lto5O3eC76G0SpBxFpbUNdmasvHOQKeHAop9oWAuCrHRQIkU/s1600/ValleyOfTears.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1043" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfe2ge9snCZBN2Qput6tMbcb88zrBvGsDDyCoj9TL5HenEfkjqIRunbuZ_8-50IMZ9YrEotSuhWdR8DDXKKUgxNv9h2z0Lto5O3eC76G0SpBxFpbUNdmasvHOQKeHAop9oWAuCrHRQIkU/s320/ValleyOfTears.jpeg" width="320" /></a>I've tried to pin down the root cause of my obsession or passion and I have no solid idea as to why. I have no recollection of the actual events, both wars happened shortly before my birth and the global impact never really affected me (that I remember). I do recall reading a series of magazines called "War in Peace" and being struck by the destruction of so many tanks as the Syrians pushed across the Israeli built anti-tank ditch in the Valley of Tears.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am sure that reading about the efforts of a relatively small number of tank crews fighting against overwhelming odds would have left quite the impression on a budding wargamer. The greater history of the conflict no doubt partially lost on me at the time.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BT0NjjrLf5mFLdd6NlbIzRGgDeh27Ql0__6qH_L2T4qs0li9KNu_8bFcnIJI-_jISW5goUvq9sZ0MaRmdDT8bDTgbio7lIASPcsb5nc6Z8bd3EoSBSwOtK-iGhs3Bwa-Q3hEh9OkZfQ/s1600/1967-M51Shemans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1500" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BT0NjjrLf5mFLdd6NlbIzRGgDeh27Ql0__6qH_L2T4qs0li9KNu_8bFcnIJI-_jISW5goUvq9sZ0MaRmdDT8bDTgbio7lIASPcsb5nc6Z8bd3EoSBSwOtK-iGhs3Bwa-Q3hEh9OkZfQ/s320/1967-M51Shemans.jpg" width="320" /></a>Once we received the initial go-ahead to write the very first version of <i>Fate Of A Nation</i> (obviously the name as stuck through multiple printings and revisions) we began to review what was actually required from a workflow perspective. We knew that it was going to be a big job, but so great was the passion to complete it that a number of us volunteered to paint the armies required for the initial photography. Casey stepped forward to paint the Egyptians (closest thing to the Soviets at the time), Evan took on the job of painting the Jordanian armour, whilst Victor took care of the infantry and guns, whilst I charged forward to do the majority of Israelis. Being involved in this original project was certainly one of my favourite experiences of my time at Battlefront.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://wargamerontour.blogspot.com/2013/10/painting-israeli-tanks.html">Find out how I painted my Israelis here...</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-oNm8g6nrS-YPJQhUBKuOA3Zwf1UWfaFbHevehmyTd9ywiNI43FaPgtAk8n37Rn9cgxATKXC7fyM_odbzNOBdN1tJEg3ma41hGkMdqBUX8Y7dUX6KiJijoOpepQ5ebTA0eimcxGfYls/s1600/SyrianT54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1000" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-oNm8g6nrS-YPJQhUBKuOA3Zwf1UWfaFbHevehmyTd9ywiNI43FaPgtAk8n37Rn9cgxATKXC7fyM_odbzNOBdN1tJEg3ma41hGkMdqBUX8Y7dUX6KiJijoOpepQ5ebTA0eimcxGfYls/s320/SyrianT54.jpg" width="320" /></a>Jumping forward 4 years and we found ourselves in a similar situation with a new version of <i>Fate Of A Nation</i> being put together, this time with much of the initial writing and editing being completed by Scott Elaurant and Michael McSwiney (two long time contributors to the <i>Flames Of War </i>community). Once again, we needed to add to the range of models. Luckily Aaron (our inhouse painter) had taken care of the vast majority of new releases since the original book and was on deck to take care of the extra items now for the Israelis and Egyptians, however painting enough Syrian models was a problem. It probably comes as no surprise then that I happily volunteered to start building a Syrian force - I say start as it still needs a lot of work to finish...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the coming weeks (or months) I thought I might spend some time taking a look at the Israeli and Syrian forces, then look at what I have painted and how it compares to some of the lists I have been dreaming up, and then review what I need to do to complete both armies. The jury is still out as to how much actual progress I will make as I have a few competing priorities on the go, not to mention some future Battlefront projects have been taking my fancy, but I am sure that I'll have something to share.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stay tuned...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-52021509513401102692018-06-22T16:34:00.000+12:002018-06-22T16:34:11.223+12:00First Featured On?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the past couple of years I've been writing a lot (by my standards anyway) of content that has ended up on the <i>Flames Of War </i>or <i>Team Yankee</i> websites that in the past would (if I got around to it) have ended up here. A couple of weeks ago I was browsing the blog trying to find a post about an army and couldn't find it. A quick Google search and I found it sitting on <i>Flames Of War. </i>I wasn't annoyed as such, but I was disappointed in myself that it wasn't here too. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubTsgug5Iyj3o9pb0KaLwV_8IZYiEbG0h7PVtP5wIszsnrBT6VemleEBvqtEHY8nOq51nTj7Ekrkv0vtHvch8v7NISDI2iw4tF8e6EtV9gv6XlP0nCjkY8A4Sg771ULkG1dcnnKLlCZM/s1600/FirstFeaturedOnFlamesOfWar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="966" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubTsgug5Iyj3o9pb0KaLwV_8IZYiEbG0h7PVtP5wIszsnrBT6VemleEBvqtEHY8nOq51nTj7Ekrkv0vtHvch8v7NISDI2iw4tF8e6EtV9gv6XlP0nCjkY8A4Sg771ULkG1dcnnKLlCZM/s320/FirstFeaturedOnFlamesOfWar.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kcVWEpFdZQR4xsqPAyyHI7NgnHY9C5jQc10YE8CYTe0oNofZLQ3kZRIHhDLVCD-4FBKjrvVLY6XY3lPrIn-5tStk3Ga44CJF0wEm0AEcHjVz8Uf060woNouBXnUPiOXKTOZ-qxwjwN0/s1600/FirstFeaturedOnTeamYankee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="980" height="47" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kcVWEpFdZQR4xsqPAyyHI7NgnHY9C5jQc10YE8CYTe0oNofZLQ3kZRIHhDLVCD-4FBKjrvVLY6XY3lPrIn-5tStk3Ga44CJF0wEm0AEcHjVz8Uf060woNouBXnUPiOXKTOZ-qxwjwN0/s320/FirstFeaturedOnTeamYankee.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since then I've been making an effort to transfer these articles over to my blog. To help differentiate these older articles from anything else I've been adding these images (above) at the end of the post, as well as putting the tag of "First Featured On".</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With a bit of luck I might even add some completely new content here first as well.... stay tuned.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chris</span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-17438105230958130102018-06-19T16:14:00.000+12:002018-06-19T16:29:30.100+12:00Building a Marine Amphibian Tank Company<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDAaU0_Nqq0G8n5EKiG2rvRx3NLfMO2ZSnKXT4CTerFso5UDPC7Vos1xRVsrxAwo4npB2wXn05LOKj0_O3RgqKzn_0UlKQMJJynESoNfM_cOsmtuyENNni3unM4EO3H29NzIckdV2W8o/s1600/AmphibiousTanks-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="490" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDAaU0_Nqq0G8n5EKiG2rvRx3NLfMO2ZSnKXT4CTerFso5UDPC7Vos1xRVsrxAwo4npB2wXn05LOKj0_O3RgqKzn_0UlKQMJJynESoNfM_cOsmtuyENNni3unM4EO3H29NzIckdV2W8o/s320/AmphibiousTanks-01.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ve made no secret of my excitement about the Marine Amphibian Tank Company. And with Andrew making so much progress on his Ka-Mi tanks I thought I’d better get my act together and push ahead with my painting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Luckily the LVTs are a breeze to assemble. With the hull and tracks being one piece, you are just gluing together the turrets and adding the optional hull machine-gun. A fairly relaxed afternoon saw them all assembled and undercoated.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The next problem was choosing what paint scheme I preferred. There are plenty of options and in the coming weeks I’ll have a short article talking about the most common options to choose from but in the end it came down to a grey or grey/sand scheme (like the Studio models) or a green/brown/sand scheme. The three colour scheme was just too similar to European paint schemes and nothing says the Pacific to me like tanks base coloured in grey!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfoRjvkkLuBcHwWq8n-COYcrfG6BARDQIJbEvlJPV-PlHx7kdJEtDRuiKM6sNbP4Tqz0WcdkqNAMkO8gAhl7o02JggQRBL-99G-Lu7eMUxj8ONStoB0Ck45mfczoExHzttStEcVp-sfw/s1600/ChrisLVT-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="690" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfoRjvkkLuBcHwWq8n-COYcrfG6BARDQIJbEvlJPV-PlHx7kdJEtDRuiKM6sNbP4Tqz0WcdkqNAMkO8gAhl7o02JggQRBL-99G-Lu7eMUxj8ONStoB0Ck45mfczoExHzttStEcVp-sfw/s320/ChrisLVT-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Using my airbrush, I started by painting a light coat of grey over the whole model. This was to lay down a base colour for me to start highlighting up. I then applied a little more paint in certain areas such as the middle of large panels, the top surfaces, and anywhere else that I wanted a slightly lighter colour. Working over a black undercoat, I was able to use the grey as its own highlight by slightly varying the density of the paint coverage.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZVkpZESUqRh82eumFdH2fB166KcsFHMAVVMWPnHQjZS5nNKbv5JEXqJ01AnOR0mOBRt4cMaSkxWYiw4U7GUytRpf5Xn27zMd5cDrTCOHNTS4j91HShTkEAp34LANBbklGkjqn1YZTeg/s1600/ChrisLVT-02.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="690" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZVkpZESUqRh82eumFdH2fB166KcsFHMAVVMWPnHQjZS5nNKbv5JEXqJ01AnOR0mOBRt4cMaSkxWYiw4U7GUytRpf5Xn27zMd5cDrTCOHNTS4j91HShTkEAp34LANBbklGkjqn1YZTeg/s320/ChrisLVT-02.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I decided that the grey alone was a little boring, so I thought I would
try adding the common sand-coloured camouflage pattern to give the
models a little more impact on the table. I also thought that the extra
colour would mean that I did not have to do as much work to make the
grey look good. So the next step was to cover the model in blu-tac.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In my paint collection at home, I didn’t have the <i>Colours Of War</i>
Dry Dust or Crusader Sand that Aaron used when painting the studio
models. So I improvised by grabbing a dark sand colour that I already
had and sprayed it on. The blu-tac worked as planned, leaving me with
nice hard edges between the grey and sand but I was not particularly
happy with the colour as the studio models just looked better.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPktOYrC-6-jEhRHWK3gR68YKzEF2iccyfvkcMdcmC29K34GGi2Oc5LMR0Y71orQg6wCSmRKAF1OKv649vcOY9GXecNAFMTYpj09XThDvhvIUuvAq9gZUZ3lEwPHjxlt15Qs88Qzxd3U/s1600/ChrisLVT-03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="690" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPktOYrC-6-jEhRHWK3gR68YKzEF2iccyfvkcMdcmC29K34GGi2Oc5LMR0Y71orQg6wCSmRKAF1OKv649vcOY9GXecNAFMTYpj09XThDvhvIUuvAq9gZUZ3lEwPHjxlt15Qs88Qzxd3U/s320/ChrisLVT-03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Looking at the images now as I write the article I find myself in two minds:
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I quite like the plain grey, and it is a valid historical paint
scheme, so I could just stick with that approach (saving me some
painting time!);</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Or I could “borrow” the studio paints for an evening and go with the grey/sand scheme.</span></span></li>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think will mull this over a little more and in the next few days
make a final decision – the more I think about it, the longer it will
take to finish them and get an army on the table. </span></span><br />
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<span id="goog_18023573"></span><span id="goog_18023574"></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-17654708926891086442018-05-28T12:38:00.002+12:002018-06-19T16:29:55.541+12:00Churchill's Wall Of Steel<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It probably comes as no surprise but there are plenty of good things about working for a gaming company, not least being surrounded by passionate gamers and hobbyists. The downside is that it takes a supreme amount of concentration and effort to not get swept up in the excitement that happens every time we work on a book.<br /><br />Sadly, one of the many things I have not been blessed with is the ability to stand my ground and say “Whilst I think this new book/project is very exciting, I already have too many things on the go, so I won’t be building anything new time time.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Instead I say......</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-ZrUW2A_N9TTAYIsOmcSGPXHQ49AOjJr8CJEF3XHpODMsHc_PTO_557TGNZS9b-QzbnOyFRgiekojrn652D_SYu6_J372-bTCqxTux15mNA-8WjJJEA-6RUHstuLBPuADBzdH0Rdk5c/s1600/ShowMeTheMiniatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="690" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-ZrUW2A_N9TTAYIsOmcSGPXHQ49AOjJr8CJEF3XHpODMsHc_PTO_557TGNZS9b-QzbnOyFRgiekojrn652D_SYu6_J372-bTCqxTux15mNA-8WjJJEA-6RUHstuLBPuADBzdH0Rdk5c/s400/ShowMeTheMiniatures.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this case there are two lists that have really called out to me and whilst I’ll leave the Death or Glory boys to Casey, I am sorely tempted to try to knock out a quick Churchill Armoured Squadron just because...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii76dfaGwnHCdfcvRZK9QNgaknJMCj_mscKNRUd0JmhgFKSki0TqiVrw9mLosn9q8qvOvpKwcD1yGUfXGkW9buRbgRlNccM1UaWOmn9HtAy8aQ3U2sBa3SVb8e8r-vowRa546aqu2E_mg/s1600/ArmyList.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="689" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii76dfaGwnHCdfcvRZK9QNgaknJMCj_mscKNRUd0JmhgFKSki0TqiVrw9mLosn9q8qvOvpKwcD1yGUfXGkW9buRbgRlNccM1UaWOmn9HtAy8aQ3U2sBa3SVb8e8r-vowRa546aqu2E_mg/s400/ArmyList.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The army list is so simple because I thinking more about models rather than just effectiveness on the battlefield, but in saying that I wouldn’t underestimate 99 points of Churchill tanks!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks to the Churchills coming in at a nice round 11 points each it would be very simple to tweak the list if I wanted something a little more robust by dropping a Churchill CS (or even both) which would give me plenty of points for recon, 25pdrs and infantry making it a much more rounded force capable of taking on a variety of opponents.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tMLC0OaIjFRu8ZvCd87tTsfzh5qd8B9mqJ6pphBEltY5gDuw0VHAjVB3fZamIO2YmFTJgIHKZmj2L6-IrkFqnw0F11KRhXWNjbp5eRSc9HEh6OdksVvDDDO-EystVUvM2XkVp7PA30/s1600/ChurchillAttacking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="690" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4tMLC0OaIjFRu8ZvCd87tTsfzh5qd8B9mqJ6pphBEltY5gDuw0VHAjVB3fZamIO2YmFTJgIHKZmj2L6-IrkFqnw0F11KRhXWNjbp5eRSc9HEh6OdksVvDDDO-EystVUvM2XkVp7PA30/s400/ChurchillAttacking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But let’s be honest, the real drawcard for this list is 9 (yes 9!) Churchills in one company!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-17210518553633537122018-05-25T11:47:00.000+12:002018-06-19T16:30:02.443+12:00Know Your Team Yankee T-55<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9PttcCNDX0wwjtNlXUUdpjWbM1mPwpivXeJxAxSIC1AwMjyowwSBDG5aeYAmkXqYk42HLP5G-zuXu5galPVcGoRlLb8S16WqobJlrNefjqLSIXE_Tr9zzpFdfJu8BEFmZc_QrM0Khf4/s1600/KYT-55-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9PttcCNDX0wwjtNlXUUdpjWbM1mPwpivXeJxAxSIC1AwMjyowwSBDG5aeYAmkXqYk42HLP5G-zuXu5galPVcGoRlLb8S16WqobJlrNefjqLSIXE_Tr9zzpFdfJu8BEFmZc_QrM0Khf4/s200/KYT-55-01.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Earlier this year Battlefront released the much-anticipated plastic T-54/T-55 tank, one of the most widely used tanks in the world. In Team Yankee you can currently field the T-55AM2 variant with your East German forces in Volksarmee, or the T-54 with your NVA (North Vietnamese Army) in ‘Nam, and very shortly the Syrians and Egyptians in Fate Of A Nation.<br /><br />The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a result of the continuing development process for the T-34 (and T-44) during the closing years of World War II. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A series of developments and improvements saw the design go into production in the late 1940’s. Over the intervening years the T-54/T-55 would be continuously updated and upgraded with improved engines, NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection, sights, radios and so on.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From a Team Yankee in-game perspective, the majority of these changes had very little or no impact however in the late 1970’s operators began upgrading some of their tanks to the new T-55AM version.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEL729itWXRRxtiEpcQOoG0tC1n4uTUNnJVmQoT98wOtDOxvb1F-7Tj2ciHRHKRFtTVuFwwjjXl6JfGTNkcMXLF9SJcL_OK7qJaKhZ3Cn1jzHuXLckuI3NEbNoZeY0OeHaCnYBTvrHv9U/s1600/KYT-55-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="690" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEL729itWXRRxtiEpcQOoG0tC1n4uTUNnJVmQoT98wOtDOxvb1F-7Tj2ciHRHKRFtTVuFwwjjXl6JfGTNkcMXLF9SJcL_OK7qJaKhZ3Cn1jzHuXLckuI3NEbNoZeY0OeHaCnYBTvrHv9U/s200/KYT-55-02.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T-55 tank at Panzermuseum Munster</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From an external perspective there are some very obvious ways to tell the two models apart. The modernised AM tanks have (in my opinion) a very interesting looking turret as the addition of BDD armour adds extra bulges around the cheeks, whilst the laser rangefinder above the gun barrel adds another very visible element.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The hull has also seen some additions which make the two versions easy to tell apart, first up the front of the hull comes out a little further due to the addition of extra armour and rubber skirts have been added to the side of the hull to provide protection from RPGs (and similar weapons) after experiences in Afghanistan.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfaiids5V49d-eX_USKcWQ_TRnxJwCClEIcvhiyEXt70yJhCHKR_JtdB3_vHy6gVjZmzgpt1_3Qw3Z7XTghAvw8XyRp_PoLeM5sXxzCQrFvrWU9bJVaW_wqMJostpzGtq3Ewt2TcEnF0/s1600/KYT-55-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="690" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfaiids5V49d-eX_USKcWQ_TRnxJwCClEIcvhiyEXt70yJhCHKR_JtdB3_vHy6gVjZmzgpt1_3Qw3Z7XTghAvw8XyRp_PoLeM5sXxzCQrFvrWU9bJVaW_wqMJostpzGtq3Ewt2TcEnF0/s200/KYT-55-03.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T-55AM2 tank at Panzermuseum Munster</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Below you can see the T-55 plastic sprue and I’ve highlighted the hull front or glacis plate, turret tops, skirts (for the T-55AM2) and gun barrels so you can see the differences. Highlighted in red are the T-55 components, whilst highlighted in yellow are the T-55AM2 specific pieces.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RV-hNqJ4w34kZpXhDPnm_gFMEgSPYdhyphenhyphen-8tK_J-MeMY6KnpVE_-Bqd5zrsPlOdWgC697_C7sQcG6IKNpvT3qLOibMdxc5x6ApAGUKH3avroveJMjHPx_PMnZXAbcLGu7LQbFIf8-tc8/s1600/KYT-55-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="690" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RV-hNqJ4w34kZpXhDPnm_gFMEgSPYdhyphenhyphen-8tK_J-MeMY6KnpVE_-Bqd5zrsPlOdWgC697_C7sQcG6IKNpvT3qLOibMdxc5x6ApAGUKH3avroveJMjHPx_PMnZXAbcLGu7LQbFIf8-tc8/s640/KYT-55-07.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Battlefront Miniatures T-55 Plastic Sprue</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>So What Do These Differences Mean In Team Yankee?</b><br />For this comparison we will take a look at the North Vietnamese Army K-2 (T-54 or T-55) from ‘Nam and compare it with the Volksarmee T-55AM2. Looking at the cards (below) we that:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iXmSlDFOff0TGivyGu7_Ovo3DYEa0aah3c7A9KSzu_kvIau0dQimaZ7QKaGAY87hyphenhyphenDQK2-JYmcvp0vmkTL1P1B9HIkXASrEUTs7keTsy8VRtEQc8tIE8ZPUVUmf6HYglX5Q-0xArRNI/s1600/KYT-55-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="1368" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iXmSlDFOff0TGivyGu7_Ovo3DYEa0aah3c7A9KSzu_kvIau0dQimaZ7QKaGAY87hyphenhyphenDQK2-JYmcvp0vmkTL1P1B9HIkXASrEUTs7keTsy8VRtEQc8tIE8ZPUVUmf6HYglX5Q-0xArRNI/s400/KYT-55-08.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The front armour improves from 13 to 14, whilst the side and top armour stay the same.<br /><br />The T-55AM2 has picked up Bazooka Skirts giving it side armour 10 vs HEAT weapons. This isn’t a massive improvement over the native 9 but when the American made LAW (which almost every US infantry team has) is AT 12, even 1 point makes a difference.<br /><br />We also see that the AM2 variant picks up one additional AT on it’s main gun, going from 16 to 17. This is more about the difference between the two time periods rather than any upgrade to the tank itself. The ‘Nam versions are firing older generations of 100mm gun rounds (from the 60’s and 70’s), whereas the East Germans have access to more modern ammunition.<br /><br />Lastly, (and sticking with the gun line on the unit card) the T-55AM2 picks up a Laser Rangefinder. This means that the modernised version doesn’t suffer a To Hit penalty for long range. This may not give much of a benefit when shooting enemy main battle tanks where AT 17 won’t do much, but it does make them a little more reliable when shooting up support vehicles as your tanks push in to close range to attack the enemy armour.<br /><br /><b>Why Use the T-55AM2?</b><br />On the surface the T-55AM2 looks like a suboptimal choice as it cannot hurt most enemy tanks in a head to head duel. When guided missile carriers like the M901 ITV, Swingfire and Jaguar have missiles quite capable of knocking out a T-55AM2, and thanks to their higher To Hit number and the likelihood of firing from cover are less likely to be hit by any return fire, especially if the T-55AM2 is moving.<br /><br />Of course, one of the advantages of a wargame over reality is that no real-world battlefield commander wants to fight a battle where the odds are not in their favour, while games have a points system to balance everything out and so this is where the T-55AM2 (along with other older generation tanks like M60 and Leopard 1 tanks) can shine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluLxXGp1jrkuVxAPDUip4dk0cRYpzF5xFCHCGn7T0YoPLdWQZ5Ho7gnESe9cGwU2IfoXGlDiS13ADlwbIUnocnGPO4ZP9CrpaHwG5wgP3MpzbB8lAQVR5n243daTSWmdI9CI8F3NyDp4/s1600/KYT-55-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="690" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluLxXGp1jrkuVxAPDUip4dk0cRYpzF5xFCHCGn7T0YoPLdWQZ5Ho7gnESe9cGwU2IfoXGlDiS13ADlwbIUnocnGPO4ZP9CrpaHwG5wgP3MpzbB8lAQVR5n243daTSWmdI9CI8F3NyDp4/s400/KYT-55-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A full strength East German T-55AM2 Panzer Company comes in at only 16 points, or 1.6 points per tank. This average points value actually drops quite notably when you look at the smaller platoon sizes . I won’t dive into the pros and cons of MSU because I don’t consider myself an expert on the theory but having found myself on the receiving end a number of times it is definitely an option as it is challenging for a force composed primarily of modern tanks (Abrams, Leopard 2, or Chieftain tanks) to kill enough before the T-55AM2 tanks start making their side shots count.<br /><br /><b>MSU And You!</b><br />For some people the acronym MSU will be something very new and depending on who you ask it means; Many Small Units, Multiple Small Units, Minimum Size Units, or something along these lines. The theory (in brief) is that a large number of relatively cheap units will overwhelm a defender’s ability to kill the attackers fast enough, resulting in the swarm killing the enemy, losing more models but less overall points.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>To Swarm Or Not To Swarm</b><br />This one really comes down to you. Team Yankee has a very diverse and growing range of list theming options for players making the days of one true list to rule them all less likely. However, I suspect that there will always be a place for someone that wants to put 20-30 (or more) cheap T-55 tanks backed up by some Hinds, infantry in BMPs or BTRs and a few specialist assets on the battlefield. I know I’ve already started creating a stash of models for a future project once I have finished my Canadian Leopard 1 Company and French AMX-10RC Companies!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAY1XxAsJnwFjLZAw3vbJnz0oESdrETNQpg5rxqknNSQtIDba3n3nHgznHz8R-6Ec2Zbz0MkCftvjFHy_lF7XIK9yYVd0qyTJ-GBVv2lLxv5U8EcbgqnAbYSc215V_iD7PHGbmvVI9r0/s1600/FirstFeaturedOnTeamYankee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="980" height="58" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAY1XxAsJnwFjLZAw3vbJnz0oESdrETNQpg5rxqknNSQtIDba3n3nHgznHz8R-6Ec2Zbz0MkCftvjFHy_lF7XIK9yYVd0qyTJ-GBVv2lLxv5U8EcbgqnAbYSc215V_iD7PHGbmvVI9r0/s400/FirstFeaturedOnTeamYankee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-46960579959171908492017-04-01T23:06:00.001+13:002017-04-01T23:06:34.365+13:00Flames Of War V4 Launch Weekend<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the Flames Of War V4 Launch Weekend I was pulling a little bit of double duty; hanging with most of the studio team assembling my DAK Panzers, whilst jumping back to the desk every now and then to web content. I thought it would be fun to shoot a little time lapse footage of what I was up to.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saturday was a lot of fun and whilst it looks like I spent most of the day assembling Panzer III's, it wasn't as time consuming as it appears. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunday was a bit of mess as the website decided to take a little break and all of our content dissapeared due to the quantity of content and massive amount of traffic generated by visitors coming by to check out the event.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The weekend was a blast and I now have (spoilers!) all of my Panzers and SP AT assembled for my Early/Mid War DAK tanks. Just need to get some recon and potentially aircraft or AA.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hope you enjoy the video.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-EtkVmcJuJE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-EtkVmcJuJE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-21309272666490136062016-11-27T22:56:00.005+13:002016-11-27T22:56:56.947+13:00INS Sumitra of the Indian Navy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next up after the Otago I was hoping to jump on board the KRI Banda Aceh (a Makassar class Landing Platform Dock ship designed for the Indonesian Navy) or the RSS Resolution (an Endurance-class Landing Platform Dock ship from the Republic of Singapore Navy). Unfortunately the lines for the Banda Aceh were long, and the Resolution were huge (rumoured to be upto 3 hours long!).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Instead I headed further down and too a look at the INS Sumitra of the Indian Navy. The Sumitra is a Saryu class patrol vessel, launched in 2010 and commissioned in 2014 making it a relatively new ship. Boarding the ship I was a little underwhelmed after visiting the Chunbuk and Otago as we saw relatively little of the interior, a couple of passageways, the hangar, the medical bay and that was it. On the positive side the line was relatively short and it turns out that thanks a little reading after the fact it is quite an interesting ship.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBdvaxo_ui7qjfyz6wafQv3CVAhUPFZQKzGDHbtYyYiGCHMN7OrxCmmsLloJ6Mz8ldAThEEdEX6VeH78LNZR2Kb48ThXSuyHWCQ25ncmTqesG5717zXDzhFzUj-8jH2NqRQj3qKVG1WY/s1600/Sumitra-00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBdvaxo_ui7qjfyz6wafQv3CVAhUPFZQKzGDHbtYyYiGCHMN7OrxCmmsLloJ6Mz8ldAThEEdEX6VeH78LNZR2Kb48ThXSuyHWCQ25ncmTqesG5717zXDzhFzUj-8jH2NqRQj3qKVG1WY/s400/Sumitra-00.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't grab a decent bow on shot of the INS Sumitra so "thanks Google".</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTUPwSmBSXIomneiJEewxMd5QRFvXDRVwTVilTzGb1XAZU1TYpBgGp662MbvwHzLlo5OYlKlQ1aGCe1tNZGiXmwcTfkVNllzx_joJefx3Er3hPsiAF_7FPpTSmifTOYZu74OoGP7TCoI/s1600/Sumitra-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTUPwSmBSXIomneiJEewxMd5QRFvXDRVwTVilTzGb1XAZU1TYpBgGp662MbvwHzLlo5OYlKlQ1aGCe1tNZGiXmwcTfkVNllzx_joJefx3Er3hPsiAF_7FPpTSmifTOYZu74OoGP7TCoI/s400/Sumitra-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A view from the stern. The landing pad as been covered - it was a mightily sunny day so a break from the sun was welcome.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIFdNR6Hm1Jk5UgAqlLyd0RWlmA93_Xc4jXJvP6KMJRxGQrXLwKMwNASyYnos2Auk-8mrBml9IanX1R0oeghhzPa3qrFs53AVhF-QW25uA3VLZWSBDhWQQUd-c3IhWBpHvxL-c7M8fG8/s1600/Sumitra-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIFdNR6Hm1Jk5UgAqlLyd0RWlmA93_Xc4jXJvP6KMJRxGQrXLwKMwNASyYnos2Auk-8mrBml9IanX1R0oeghhzPa3qrFs53AVhF-QW25uA3VLZWSBDhWQQUd-c3IhWBpHvxL-c7M8fG8/s400/Sumitra-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another view from the stern, a little further along in the queue. The hanger door is partially open.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgw4N-mlIGYWayrwXuR0ibW_NKkLrNb47clr2bLJHla11wKxgoHaeEGp89YZ_TcFLgNtTwY0YSUiBJ4oQSy_kyaVABZvhKBT6m_JTRTKYhLPnZqJAGlZRItAjsiz9v-NZ0fMqDwXzyLs/s1600/Sumitra-02a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgw4N-mlIGYWayrwXuR0ibW_NKkLrNb47clr2bLJHla11wKxgoHaeEGp89YZ_TcFLgNtTwY0YSUiBJ4oQSy_kyaVABZvhKBT6m_JTRTKYhLPnZqJAGlZRItAjsiz9v-NZ0fMqDwXzyLs/s400/Sumitra-02a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The midships area. Note the unit citation marking - presumably this was the Sumitra's efforts during Operation Raahat where it helped to rescue 350 Indian citizens stranded in Yemen.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6fyUQk_SP4pwIvMC_eyOWDzTO8Q_Z1W5F6pA90v_QmJExX3uJPUdbbwMMNnOYKUTJUOCJz7_Zq6WWe6J4ea9rpRM3OiPLiOx9yeI0GvJCoc17BvEhQa5xR5y_Fvkh6gH96wSW7OOetc/s1600/Sumitra-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6fyUQk_SP4pwIvMC_eyOWDzTO8Q_Z1W5F6pA90v_QmJExX3uJPUdbbwMMNnOYKUTJUOCJz7_Zq6WWe6J4ea9rpRM3OiPLiOx9yeI0GvJCoc17BvEhQa5xR5y_Fvkh6gH96wSW7OOetc/s400/Sumitra-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the ship now, looking into the hanger space. One (fairly minor) note that I found interesting. On the Otago the hanger was well lined with (presumably) heat reflective or fire retardant fabric whereas the Sumitra was just "clean".</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9p1EbaoJfaSBBv4cnMPX75JBrIj1CAR0fIKYHHttgYSe0GlH6YTAjFPeKBSlUlLANbgNZavO-KvQbW907FZk6yV8FIGD4hWUoKKEdKm5cmnAYQYS2T0z6JdMzOmSWbN32qaF91pW6eM/s1600/Sumitra-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9p1EbaoJfaSBBv4cnMPX75JBrIj1CAR0fIKYHHttgYSe0GlH6YTAjFPeKBSlUlLANbgNZavO-KvQbW907FZk6yV8FIGD4hWUoKKEdKm5cmnAYQYS2T0z6JdMzOmSWbN32qaF91pW6eM/s400/Sumitra-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A HAL Chetak helicopter parked up in the hanger. Walking past it I thought it had really jumped out of the 60's and was surprised to see such an old looking airframe.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRo4VQ8BuiOTPlaidY-yK7Y6AUVr0PS1kYYzhvuaN4Rh_iXmTVF8X_YC9G2njFhPvSpEDWh6TMIDEbpSuOoFJaIQRe2q_zFN73TBthuM7Ovi4YuzQJBsQjq0AkOCI-udJGe7OptQce-s/s1600/Sumitra-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRo4VQ8BuiOTPlaidY-yK7Y6AUVr0PS1kYYzhvuaN4Rh_iXmTVF8X_YC9G2njFhPvSpEDWh6TMIDEbpSuOoFJaIQRe2q_zFN73TBthuM7Ovi4YuzQJBsQjq0AkOCI-udJGe7OptQce-s/s400/Sumitra-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Turns out the Chetak is a pretty iconic piece of history (at least in my books) as it is an Indian built (under licence) version of the Aérospatiale Alouette III. Looking back I wish I had paid more attention to it at the time.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPxOhGnmyKXniiF7dXqvS7MfXz6aCHo56nrp57rwKVSaIsbrtkngcC5XUmsfgWztE9NBAEAXSx1s6li_mHbq7PLdrBvMLiVaEnHuFlsFrh5vUMqF-pz5qPR_JeuAf-kOunVd6yzXRChI/s1600/Sumitra-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPxOhGnmyKXniiF7dXqvS7MfXz6aCHo56nrp57rwKVSaIsbrtkngcC5XUmsfgWztE9NBAEAXSx1s6li_mHbq7PLdrBvMLiVaEnHuFlsFrh5vUMqF-pz5qPR_JeuAf-kOunVd6yzXRChI/s400/Sumitra-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a brief trip down two passageways we found ourselves at the bow of the INS Sumitra, looking down on us was the bridge.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApJcz4JZgUlgIrqUE_jDP_foQBGiAWXfOASLqdRSNSNI75WY-X8BxEIWVfCBQJIW5TFGZ8SWVhaPqVzTBJK9LSJH3FCf7SlKRcsCk0uPliWNvF8kv2CAnJnaJVbQkfa_h6k7N_p8QhA8/s1600/Sumitra-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApJcz4JZgUlgIrqUE_jDP_foQBGiAWXfOASLqdRSNSNI75WY-X8BxEIWVfCBQJIW5TFGZ8SWVhaPqVzTBJK9LSJH3FCf7SlKRcsCk0uPliWNvF8kv2CAnJnaJVbQkfa_h6k7N_p8QhA8/s400/Sumitra-07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An OTO Melara 76mm SRGM (Super Rapid Gun Mount) up front.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbEErb-KQxbi9RdTAQv6t8AwQbIKopQXsJCMJE-bDW0luvZJ28M9N0G03w4jHRp0b1-zkrOmgIOxJySFc3ZCY8A67Z6AkkreQaM_0-GqPXmg0qqj5bGWSAYnvrzq2Xw3BbdDIUF9qikc/s1600/Sumitra-07a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbEErb-KQxbi9RdTAQv6t8AwQbIKopQXsJCMJE-bDW0luvZJ28M9N0G03w4jHRp0b1-zkrOmgIOxJySFc3ZCY8A67Z6AkkreQaM_0-GqPXmg0qqj5bGWSAYnvrzq2Xw3BbdDIUF9qikc/s400/Sumitra-07a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another view of the gun. Keen eyes and those with an excellent memory will notice that it is not the same turret mount found in the first picture? The Sumitra now has this very rounded turret exterior whereas it appears to have a more angled version when launched? From a brief Internet search it seems like they are the same gun but who knows?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DStYH4K2MYeUWX3a5_sUjwyDEXCOrYAywhAgi494eouKt9rarERN-OLvf9AA0JenFTRMeVUlo8nOHF5-UFgYeH7BHM7kOmVVskVLTnz5HAgthtCGTkic0hj2FL6RNggYF6_rEelBwQM/s1600/Sumitra-07ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DStYH4K2MYeUWX3a5_sUjwyDEXCOrYAywhAgi494eouKt9rarERN-OLvf9AA0JenFTRMeVUlo8nOHF5-UFgYeH7BHM7kOmVVskVLTnz5HAgthtCGTkic0hj2FL6RNggYF6_rEelBwQM/s400/Sumitra-07ab.jpg" width="340" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This image, once again, stolen from Google shows the mounting system. It is a compact system designed for smaller ships and it's high rate of fire and availability of specialised ammunition make it well-suited to varied roles such as short-range anti-missile point defence, anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and ground support.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLTZYwp1j212ZUKeN6Qv8pDEmzY_EYIFnQLDUcUl1RyN-YDCaqeT5DvJjJn2UwuRrUJr-F741HZjhJnIuTlrsNgUnxJ6cX1XSe5OrRKMexgYauF_PREgXDKAa18mftHaQnqsStL6dkCI/s1600/Sumitra-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLTZYwp1j212ZUKeN6Qv8pDEmzY_EYIFnQLDUcUl1RyN-YDCaqeT5DvJjJn2UwuRrUJr-F741HZjhJnIuTlrsNgUnxJ6cX1XSe5OrRKMexgYauF_PREgXDKAa18mftHaQnqsStL6dkCI/s400/Sumitra-08.jpg" width="362" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Member of the Sumtra's marines/boarding party. He was a popular lad with a queue of people lining up for photo opportunities. He appears to be armed with an INSAS (an abbreviation of Indian Small Arms System) Rifle. A locally produced AK/FN FAL cross-breed that is not a reliable as either of the rifles that inspired it.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjwXx02HF-DKJA0wGbCu3GCf6md5Eg48RkczxdkZKB6u4qDbydO_jONIQb8KOLs0572bfmCVU5wOY8yZ-0RzSk4Cw3O9ZGQWEAVLIh3o6NVLxACNEEDZ4_pQ9J4llXcsQTGtRnTdFYww/s1600/Sumitra-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjwXx02HF-DKJA0wGbCu3GCf6md5Eg48RkczxdkZKB6u4qDbydO_jONIQb8KOLs0572bfmCVU5wOY8yZ-0RzSk4Cw3O9ZGQWEAVLIh3o6NVLxACNEEDZ4_pQ9J4llXcsQTGtRnTdFYww/s400/Sumitra-09.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One final shot from the bow of the INS Sumitra.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnmnQSold8n81qhi6YSXFWJYuDfjtaV1tGNzNJvJUZ38TNnCSoPnZARSclCGEphDazL74YKuS17h1xanaxbOMgUJKIWjrMXMS7FG0xPw4viwOPeGPwWVewroB9E75O61FEFL0NR11g6E/s1600/Sumitra-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnmnQSold8n81qhi6YSXFWJYuDfjtaV1tGNzNJvJUZ38TNnCSoPnZARSclCGEphDazL74YKuS17h1xanaxbOMgUJKIWjrMXMS7FG0xPw4viwOPeGPwWVewroB9E75O61FEFL0NR11g6E/s400/Sumitra-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wasn't sure what this little "turret" was so had to hit the digital books again. Turns out it is an AK-630, the Soviet/Russian designed version of the US Phalanx CIWS (Close In Weapons System). Designed to destroy incoming missiles and aircraft as well as other small "on water" targets, the INS Sumitra has a pair of these a six-barreled 30 mm rotary cannons. Google it, there are some cool videos!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the Sumitra it was time to meet the family and head over to the Japanese ship, the JDS Takanami and one of the New Zealand ANZAC frigates, the HMNZS Te Mana. Little did we know it was also time for an hour long wait...</span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-89052635999384160192016-11-24T22:11:00.001+13:002016-11-27T22:57:27.994+13:00HMNZS Otago (P148) of the NZ Navy<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After finishing up on the Korean ship, the ROKS Chungbuk I headed a bit further down the wharf to the HMNZS Otago. The Otago is a Protector class off-shore patrol vessel (OPV) in service with the Royal New Zealand Navy. For those of you that don't know (which included me) an OPV is usually
the smallest ship in a navy's fleet that are large and seaworthy enough
to patrol off-shore in the open ocean.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Launched in 2006 but suffered from problems during construction and was not commissioned until 2010, two years later than planned. Costing around $110 million NZD she is not cheap, but her excellent indoor-outdoor flow, large deck space and sea views makes her pretty cheap compared with the Auckland house prices these days. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surprisingly enough the Otago was possibly my favourite ship of the day. Lacking the missile systems and "big-badda-boom" of some of the other ships I visited it still had a "kicking butt" charm to it. The ship (and it's crew) also exuded a quiet confident vibe. In terms of access to the ships internal areas it was second only to the ROKS Chungbuk and we were able to have quite a look around the ship.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mLPBZwFcMFbUJQFxsDp7bI0lxUjiC1FK7AN2alIOUp4LpI_sxF6eFL2P16DdV7xrWl-e7c91M62ePkafwQjEmQarw8DpD60NqyySjk4Dqny0h9L9sArSPCFwkfPzGyUjYpNwuVLqjqc/s1600/Otago.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mLPBZwFcMFbUJQFxsDp7bI0lxUjiC1FK7AN2alIOUp4LpI_sxF6eFL2P16DdV7xrWl-e7c91M62ePkafwQjEmQarw8DpD60NqyySjk4Dqny0h9L9sArSPCFwkfPzGyUjYpNwuVLqjqc/s400/Otago.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stolen from the NZ Navy here is a shot of the HMNZS Otago and the <span class="mw-mmv-title">HMNZS Wellington, HMNZS Pukaki, HMNZS Rotoiti, HMNZS Hawea, HMNZS Taupo and HMNZS Manawanui.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4geu6mrBOnqdZkkuV0BBZfbwmFooBsknGju0XFci6Zb6ptaCLrOQNM73gbxhkMhA3VmriD-BrYuZkXNlOfYI6-vqtm2KLKXR-HoKNjotxJoDufqWminvG5qDVIrQ_5AerXs0q54AFRg/s1600/Otago-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4geu6mrBOnqdZkkuV0BBZfbwmFooBsknGju0XFci6Zb6ptaCLrOQNM73gbxhkMhA3VmriD-BrYuZkXNlOfYI6-vqtm2KLKXR-HoKNjotxJoDufqWminvG5qDVIrQ_5AerXs0q54AFRg/s400/Otago-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst in line we got to have a chat to a couple of the members of the boarding party. They were sporting the new Benelli M3 semi-auto shotguns and SIG Sauer P226 pistols (soon to be replaced by Glock 17 pistols). These guys were happy to have a chat whilst we waited in the sun and handed their (unloaded) weapons to the crowd to check out.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4TTxGzXI_-MyLk9oyRNG_ljCPP_zEse7SN4RNtY5_f9wWfrTWC0FNmYcH4n_mWV0OOu2LtY3fxY_8NKc9L1hoZzwPNNdJbQjJXm0aM_EjPJG7g8DvWsdUt9Qgh7yjBz-YN7XuJNIaKA/s1600/Otago-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4TTxGzXI_-MyLk9oyRNG_ljCPP_zEse7SN4RNtY5_f9wWfrTWC0FNmYcH4n_mWV0OOu2LtY3fxY_8NKc9L1hoZzwPNNdJbQjJXm0aM_EjPJG7g8DvWsdUt9Qgh7yjBz-YN7XuJNIaKA/s400/Otago-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite being a relatively small ship, it is still a 'big' thing.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NRDGEE9Kn7cS4F0e5IyyOseidmALxRMWd6HXsktWDrJwPZcHQZZ21CiaudYceCDT7eUaBwOZv9pe86Z5I26s-qaurej7SoPWf_OhfB-MdYgtYO2JA8nOTpcH-lLATU8R2kBeQpyfMhA/s1600/Otago-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NRDGEE9Kn7cS4F0e5IyyOseidmALxRMWd6HXsktWDrJwPZcHQZZ21CiaudYceCDT7eUaBwOZv9pe86Z5I26s-qaurej7SoPWf_OhfB-MdYgtYO2JA8nOTpcH-lLATU8R2kBeQpyfMhA/s400/Otago-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once on board we headed up the side of the vessel</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbWKRaieEx4YEW7nv9Df-qLOICzH00wrObsatwjcbARVwsbMiLnowqRXoWfUFodQHV7kFmr92CB1tEK7OSug1jYSVu5e37LxI4u6m7_VrnMOu83qkMFwA1vdU-bRTTDU6H3hRq3mMuqQ/s1600/Otago-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbWKRaieEx4YEW7nv9Df-qLOICzH00wrObsatwjcbARVwsbMiLnowqRXoWfUFodQHV7kFmr92CB1tEK7OSug1jYSVu5e37LxI4u6m7_VrnMOu83qkMFwA1vdU-bRTTDU6H3hRq3mMuqQ/s400/Otago-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To the bow where could see up to the bridge</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZb_ni-xfN9w6WIv3qyAbXu6dpA5gTxJZnKZ_4lopvNvxx-3Bb_McbmERjVcCs7Dr4a044onk7Mf5YAUlaLL25nVhlcl2lK29MwUVafntZYwcweDdlfPR0qM-8c5eu4El-YNVmWM9CB3A/s1600/Otago-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZb_ni-xfN9w6WIv3qyAbXu6dpA5gTxJZnKZ_4lopvNvxx-3Bb_McbmERjVcCs7Dr4a044onk7Mf5YAUlaLL25nVhlcl2lK29MwUVafntZYwcweDdlfPR0qM-8c5eu4El-YNVmWM9CB3A/s400/Otago-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the main armament of the Otago, a single remote controlled Rafael Typhoon 25 mm stabilised naval gun. The gun can maintain groupings of 250mm on a target up to 1,000 metres away!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU-9MIi6A75gQpZTCkzNVBg-wy55gcdr8YnjtF4c9Z56q3YQ_xnhbTEOPuTQNS4CroBvvoI_I7KILKWbTR_NM7X7fdQXhE2l4x3wniziK306NUqqm5z2re9VJQis1cvnC89-dpsrgxWs/s1600/Otago-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU-9MIi6A75gQpZTCkzNVBg-wy55gcdr8YnjtF4c9Z56q3YQ_xnhbTEOPuTQNS4CroBvvoI_I7KILKWbTR_NM7X7fdQXhE2l4x3wniziK306NUqqm5z2re9VJQis1cvnC89-dpsrgxWs/s400/Otago-07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the bow we headed down the centre of the to the back end (checking out a few of the sights along the way including some fairly spacious crew quarters off "Castle Street"). Here some of the crew were showing off their damage control gear.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfEdvhsUyXyX4BdreRvCreKcJeoS7xYFQTxF5UPDTEZaY6rMPoBx9d5SruMN6d88SaFd4QI4FoJnDT_sGmh305KsKQW30LOkUjVC-iD_rK_83DeX0NBDId8cPqjqeEpl59IUV0hwT7vU/s1600/Otago-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfEdvhsUyXyX4BdreRvCreKcJeoS7xYFQTxF5UPDTEZaY6rMPoBx9d5SruMN6d88SaFd4QI4FoJnDT_sGmh305KsKQW30LOkUjVC-iD_rK_83DeX0NBDId8cPqjqeEpl59IUV0hwT7vU/s400/Otago-08.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then another wander around and back up through the hanger to the landing pad at the rear of the Otago where our Super Seasprite SH-2G(I) helicopters can land.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNe6c0bT0Hg6bJl_jOv4WWjWq7Eh6PUAGdmTiq4oO1Ww4NLhAau9BJgvTLLT0Zo3BGQZ26WB-vThKSOpr9gixZ2gCWr-8ogRlKmwLdl7visNO0HDoHLgGiv9jKNGmDpXO8RuI7nOSYoc/s1600/Otago-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNe6c0bT0Hg6bJl_jOv4WWjWq7Eh6PUAGdmTiq4oO1Ww4NLhAau9BJgvTLLT0Zo3BGQZ26WB-vThKSOpr9gixZ2gCWr-8ogRlKmwLdl7visNO0HDoHLgGiv9jKNGmDpXO8RuI7nOSYoc/s400/Otago-09.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just in case the chopper pilot isn't sure where he/she is landing....</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From here I wandered past a few ships checking out the queues - by now it was about 11am and it felt like all of Auckland had turned up with the Singaporean ship the RSS Resolution - an Endurance-class landing platform dock (LPD) - having a queue that was rumoured to be 3 hours long. Instead I headed on to the INS Sumitra, a Saryu class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-23020763591644725172016-11-21T22:03:00.000+13:002016-11-21T22:03:32.748+13:00Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th Birthday celebrations and the ROKS Chungbuk<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On 1 October 1941, His Majesty King George VI approved the designation “Royal New Zealand Navy” for the regular element of the New Zealand Naval Forces (with Reserve and Volunteer Reserve elements appropriately titled.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwkk8Cr5Ak7Mv1n-w4opcZwH93GbWYleJhKVvLEmQWmXKzWmEcGQq7ejonJ4WG6uBqTtGWnW0qShCqqApoH8gpiuZ8onhv3o4UdSjyBY-RLQnCy6yHJ_bjIK4NN1Iquik0PotyYV677U/s1600/75-Logo_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwkk8Cr5Ak7Mv1n-w4opcZwH93GbWYleJhKVvLEmQWmXKzWmEcGQq7ejonJ4WG6uBqTtGWnW0qShCqqApoH8gpiuZ8onhv3o4UdSjyBY-RLQnCy6yHJ_bjIK4NN1Iquik0PotyYV677U/s1600/75-Logo_web.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />2016 marks the 75th Anniversary of the foundation of the New Zealand Navy and the occasion is being celebrated with a programme of commemorative events and activities – collectively named Operation NEPTUNE.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />One of these events is an Open Day where ships from friends and allies were open to the public to have a walk around certain parts of the vessel. Unfortunately the tragic events of Kaikoura earthquake meant that a number of vessels scheduled to visit were providing support humanitarian support to survivors including a large number of residents and tourists stuck in the area and unable to leave. Two of the vessels that I was most looking forward too, the USS Sampson (an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer) and HMAS Darwin (an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate that is based on the US Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates) were amongst those that were diverted.<br /><br />The day itself proved to be a lot of fun with Auckland weather turning up and providing a beautiful sunny day for us to enjoy and I managed to get aboard 5 vessels. First up was the ROKS Chungbuk, Incheon-class frigate.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6kQ4TqrD6pmQ8hGXplZGMOf6zyhvAWy8h3jakRbRd_M6rI_qKVGngbjQk2I6QXkB0xoa-pjfkc3g4yC4uaIAFgts5NiMRU2hpeXtNOVNL49-_znBDPaf4yckX59f5YS7DbsXKjJc3wQ/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-01a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6kQ4TqrD6pmQ8hGXplZGMOf6zyhvAWy8h3jakRbRd_M6rI_qKVGngbjQk2I6QXkB0xoa-pjfkc3g4yC4uaIAFgts5NiMRU2hpeXtNOVNL49-_znBDPaf4yckX59f5YS7DbsXKjJc3wQ/s320/ROKS-Chungbuk-01a.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ROKS Chungbuk, Incheon-class frigate</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Incheon-class frigates are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. They will replace the aging fleet of Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The Incheon-class frigates main gun is the 127mm/L62 Mk. 45 Mod 4 naval gun. This was chosen over a smaller 76mm for naval barrage support in amphibious landings and superiority in ship to ship firing. Point-defense armaments include a single 20 mm Phalanx CIWS and a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 1 21-round launcher. The anti-submarine warfare armaments consists of K745 LW Cheong Sahng-uh (Blue Shark) torpedoes. Anti-ship capability is provided by SSM-700K Hae Sung (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship missile, each with performance similar to the U.S. Harpoon.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The ROKS Chungbuk is the fifth ship in the class and was launched in October 2014 and commissioned earlier this year in January.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MInGNELH2wKeBQTcZa48cpU2rcfw5qnwAv8glJvMVlRYZuCzNVMiomALOCO_3zBWwYmdIAe9akmyfTXyrZ-H8_IrmnzB70Bg97OE_Mo2byCSQIr8Eiowdf4Cdpsou_FMlkfbU1Szs2c/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MInGNELH2wKeBQTcZa48cpU2rcfw5qnwAv8glJvMVlRYZuCzNVMiomALOCO_3zBWwYmdIAe9akmyfTXyrZ-H8_IrmnzB70Bg97OE_Mo2byCSQIr8Eiowdf4Cdpsou_FMlkfbU1Szs2c/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another front on view of the ROKS Chungbuk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcCgkQJDKOxp2OOjULx_BAr543DCwbcQgUHBS2Ew5NW4uaaIHxxeKdl9CofWq11M5prYeKkXhIuj0Y6NnEY2MbtLcmUrxb9TdAat7KNadvAwlTYO7rFlpUdIJV5wmhrQDYTUE3gU7G0A/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcCgkQJDKOxp2OOjULx_BAr543DCwbcQgUHBS2Ew5NW4uaaIHxxeKdl9CofWq11M5prYeKkXhIuj0Y6NnEY2MbtLcmUrxb9TdAat7KNadvAwlTYO7rFlpUdIJV5wmhrQDYTUE3gU7G0A/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A view from the rear of the ROKS Chungbuk showing the hanger door open on the left</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZU7dF3f4e_Bk-qa25Q_JFmRGB5dddBSjEQhAhN-X5-s1LqPJYymc_Y6zm662f1Crj30Xgta-QtoOmDImCEXK7ErT8ABh4npNhOtKfbEgR0Ww9uzWzI6BcOHqECEzh0cOkQlvTkg3bQY/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZU7dF3f4e_Bk-qa25Q_JFmRGB5dddBSjEQhAhN-X5-s1LqPJYymc_Y6zm662f1Crj30Xgta-QtoOmDImCEXK7ErT8ABh4npNhOtKfbEgR0Ww9uzWzI6BcOHqECEzh0cOkQlvTkg3bQY/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 127mm gun mount</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKXxDXnPQNK1Kraa1hCzBM3Ieo1YGdRAvLvVgAdQpFsGQ1oRBMc1LMOCbMyQ_4rSicRoLWabRdRU8m_HxpQScckSfqDkImraLo39MM7H8AX24vp-ScJjOEdTIaZCwBFxcKw8Q1ZvjewA/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqKXxDXnPQNK1Kraa1hCzBM3Ieo1YGdRAvLvVgAdQpFsGQ1oRBMc1LMOCbMyQ_4rSicRoLWabRdRU8m_HxpQScckSfqDkImraLo39MM7H8AX24vp-ScJjOEdTIaZCwBFxcKw8Q1ZvjewA/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another view of the gun with the masts of the Bark Esmeralda (from Chile) in the background</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEARIiItVzzEbrPxw2QK4CPiiiqN0V_fLenHX0FdrE_BV7dRb2JeuDUoyH5ErZNxIUbTEsaZ2-H4Sea1n-tK-PBbjHY7voXiWUxvs625enj79PsUpk15bBGOu5jfg1gdVvMfgH5SMfwkY/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEARIiItVzzEbrPxw2QK4CPiiiqN0V_fLenHX0FdrE_BV7dRb2JeuDUoyH5ErZNxIUbTEsaZ2-H4Sea1n-tK-PBbjHY7voXiWUxvs625enj79PsUpk15bBGOu5jfg1gdVvMfgH5SMfwkY/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The business end of the ROKS Chungbuk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVBcHRuL1XX5999eow0vdJZP4tbQ2ezwhdidPML3DoNslzuLmaRYz8rw5CtEnS1mX5vjqliNyQFHjK2IMFkECFk3V2HIhto7rSnoZaX98kARD3lXM47QxvkZYwCQL-jljnC-H7zjCuSY/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVBcHRuL1XX5999eow0vdJZP4tbQ2ezwhdidPML3DoNslzuLmaRYz8rw5CtEnS1mX5vjqliNyQFHjK2IMFkECFk3V2HIhto7rSnoZaX98kARD3lXM47QxvkZYwCQL-jljnC-H7zjCuSY/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bridge of the ROKS Chungbuk</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7Yat2OdufT-GVpV38T8o_FvdtKUkz188aJ_1edKlCRcv3BDa_t0Jshiuxu9cFB5qHxbhQ2EocOz4LZjcU02lPJ-DquF4IuUXQTCqCdKlpTqwE14aQvUp_8MuzxTDNyNoA_SZ_MWdfTc/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7Yat2OdufT-GVpV38T8o_FvdtKUkz188aJ_1edKlCRcv3BDa_t0Jshiuxu9cFB5qHxbhQ2EocOz4LZjcU02lPJ-DquF4IuUXQTCqCdKlpTqwE14aQvUp_8MuzxTDNyNoA_SZ_MWdfTc/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A view from the wings of the bridge looking back down at the bow. Unfortunately we were firmly (be very politely) asked to not take any photos inside the vessel. The ROKS Chungbuk was the only ship where we made it to the bridge. It was smaller than I expected with no room for any unnecessary people or equipment</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkeLkZ1EefqoA4rroeNqMd7M4gxdZiHkWX9d8cVEclz8vhdS723dGXSgc2StLnHSwFWKwZdf0DwNxUHuYxvjqf_UB5sHv39-382uFz_f2FVlA3-BrDclifyB075nTSvgqOnUIxrblK2A/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkeLkZ1EefqoA4rroeNqMd7M4gxdZiHkWX9d8cVEclz8vhdS723dGXSgc2StLnHSwFWKwZdf0DwNxUHuYxvjqf_UB5sHv39-382uFz_f2FVlA3-BrDclifyB075nTSvgqOnUIxrblK2A/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-08.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 1 21-round launcher. This is a point defence missile system designed to target incoming cruise missiles.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth0Up9tA-4iGH0PhoG9y7Dgc9FtsZDcuWo6I6WT7ahdj0SPhQC8eHF0OhfiW-ePZC6ktIHxypmhZXM8A1eVBojN5pIdoKVcv0A0Xh4JHlBiidUvyhVr7g-vnz-TiRe58yZs4QgDa5jLQ/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-08a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhth0Up9tA-4iGH0PhoG9y7Dgc9FtsZDcuWo6I6WT7ahdj0SPhQC8eHF0OhfiW-ePZC6ktIHxypmhZXM8A1eVBojN5pIdoKVcv0A0Xh4JHlBiidUvyhVr7g-vnz-TiRe58yZs4QgDa5jLQ/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-08a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An action photo on display on the ship.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNOblUYrpE5cp-7zncbNcGyjV_mpAd6nm8O6IVatgsC-isGwCbhM_OoD_nkfSkVH_F0tjL0c1FbqF5vkCIMMhRWn8EBmOKp44xBZAxSpFnAj9tYsRWLeIj7rxh8QwOsxgIPI2qpEE5G8/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNOblUYrpE5cp-7zncbNcGyjV_mpAd6nm8O6IVatgsC-isGwCbhM_OoD_nkfSkVH_F0tjL0c1FbqF5vkCIMMhRWn8EBmOKp44xBZAxSpFnAj9tYsRWLeIj7rxh8QwOsxgIPI2qpEE5G8/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-09.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SSM-700K Hae Sung (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship missile launchers. Two sets of four launchers mounted amidships. We were able to walk around these and have a close look at the launchers themselves. Below are the K745 LW Cheong Sahng-uh (Blue Shark) torpedo launchers.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBq0DXFXTU3rW2AIfdmLS4zjRTEKDXWxmzcedbg8yK4Gmzm-VqO1sOiB2ZRNR2t87ucr-6MsqWv4GB4HtuU2Y5PD8-4HQqhe2SCFnunsTUO-9WMOhL4tVCaVo_epyuimQjIxpV89a_vk8/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBq0DXFXTU3rW2AIfdmLS4zjRTEKDXWxmzcedbg8yK4Gmzm-VqO1sOiB2ZRNR2t87ucr-6MsqWv4GB4HtuU2Y5PD8-4HQqhe2SCFnunsTUO-9WMOhL4tVCaVo_epyuimQjIxpV89a_vk8/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the rear of the ship above the hanger a single 20 mm Phalanx CIWS. Ever since my Harpoon gaming days this has been a favourite piece of technology of mine.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsL_ykxBQbX5wE-bKVRZX_SbwiVSOKeSIoIKACQubW6o3T_ItkHGGWA0SVDDArlHURivqNq2HuupALKF-Kodd-0l-K2Mz5wS3pn5xmZ3rtSSbQfs3RTrcxCbMKAAXEQKwKfPV2vQ6hQE/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsL_ykxBQbX5wE-bKVRZX_SbwiVSOKeSIoIKACQubW6o3T_ItkHGGWA0SVDDArlHURivqNq2HuupALKF-Kodd-0l-K2Mz5wS3pn5xmZ3rtSSbQfs3RTrcxCbMKAAXEQKwKfPV2vQ6hQE/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the landing pad, the CIWS at the top of the shot, the hanger door open on the right.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVZnC6fftnxGUONFn2suJj-68lHa_qiQsHFGUcFjFyHdMwmw7fDjJWoT01x_6YP4EZOFDr_dolLYxoB_qEtmQ33U1200JeVzjJKAb9CwJEv5aI64njBIXF8IR1X670MQtWzHgbUXMca0/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZVZnC6fftnxGUONFn2suJj-68lHa_qiQsHFGUcFjFyHdMwmw7fDjJWoT01x_6YP4EZOFDr_dolLYxoB_qEtmQ33U1200JeVzjJKAb9CwJEv5aI64njBIXF8IR1X670MQtWzHgbUXMca0/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-12.jpg" width="365" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another shot of the rear ROKS Chungbuk, taken from the HMNZS Otago</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH3NcoOL8nrmu1E_HDNs9BEFZEm8cvnxgb3DcDnsi1EGpVLkS54sU0Hoc-7kWBBu88fwJxJz5fgDOe1bRYWdf9PntqWpDcIUF2AFmBJAsWz_2Xgiqk4kzncohOYphNOPcrXc0IoWZeMc/s1600/ROKS-Chungbuk-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMH3NcoOL8nrmu1E_HDNs9BEFZEm8cvnxgb3DcDnsi1EGpVLkS54sU0Hoc-7kWBBu88fwJxJz5fgDOe1bRYWdf9PntqWpDcIUF2AFmBJAsWz_2Xgiqk4kzncohOYphNOPcrXc0IoWZeMc/s400/ROKS-Chungbuk-13.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the ROKS Chungbuk crew patrolling the vessel. Unlike the rest of the vessels these guys looked pretty serious about their patrol duties.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next stop was the HMNZS Otago, a Protector class off-shore patrol vessel.</span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-73673942837015641652016-10-22T08:30:00.000+13:002016-10-22T18:12:12.182+13:00Mid War Plastics At FlamesCon 2016<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Its pretty traditional these days for Battlefront to bring a few rapid prototypes of some of the new plastics we can expect to see over the coming months. This time was no exception and we had a few of the new Mid War plastics we can expect to see on shelves in early 2017.</span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The models are rapid prototypes based on the CAD data that will go to the toolmakers, assembled and then given a quick coat of primer. They are used to make sure that the model will look right and go together correctly. Much easier than staring at 2D printouts of components. </span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were also a few new goodies for the East Germans in Team Yankee. These are traditional metal/resin models and are looking awesome!</span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ahh, 2017 so many projects for me to start.... will I finish any of them?</span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902321245950228188.post-8489347237160821162016-10-21T16:06:00.002+13:002016-10-21T16:06:57.461+13:00FlamesCon 2016 is coming!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">FlamesCon 2016 is happening tomorrow! Whoops, where did 2016 go? I seem to have blinked and we are at the end of the year.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So... I picked up a Soviet infantry army off a couple of friends and it looks lovely. I've been wanting to paint one up for about 15 years since I first saw a massive Mid War Soviet Militia Battalion. I even thought I'd get it painted next year, but when the opportunity came to grab one that was already painted I took it. I'll put some pictures up another time but it is pretty massive! Maybe not massive compared to some Soviet armies but pretty big compared with any other FOW army I've ever painted.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Needless to say I thought I'd take it along this weekend and try it out. The list I am taking is a little static - I'm easing myself into the complexities of running a big Soviet horde by taking a small Soviet horde with plenty of guns!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With a weird number of platoons (7) and a lot of expensive toys it is probably not a traditional Soviet list but I've also wanted to try a Soviet Gun Line... I expect to come out in a body bag in most games but lets be honest as long as plenty of enemies die Stalin will be happy!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My plan is to leave each objective defended by some anti-tank guns and artillery, whilst the infantry hold the centre and one flank leaving me with some options when it comes to counter-attacking. Time will tell if it was a good plan or not!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good luck to everyone else heading to FlamesCon and I'll no doubt have some pictures from the weekend up sooner or later!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Wargamer on Tourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13995125366761435373noreply@blogger.com1