1/72 Scale T-34/76

In a previous post I mentioned that I had acquired a number of 1/72 scale tanks and AFVs that had originally been offered with Combat Tanks magazine; some of these would be suitable for my Nuts! WW2 skirmishing games.

Here it is, as found on the magazine and prior to new paint job; all very nice, but there were a number of issues that needed resolving. Firstly, I felt the camouflage scheme had to go, to be replaced with a battle-worn, 'rough-and-ready' appearance; it had, after all, been slugging it out on the eastern front. The radio antenna, too, needed to be removed as my Red tanks would have no electronic comms...

Here it is, following its various priming, washes, highlighting and basing etc; I had a go at re-painting (badly) Soviet propaganda slogans  on the turret which I'd lifted off the 'net, but, which I think adds to the vehicle's crude appearance; the effect I was after.

I'm happy with the overall result and the scale too, which fits in well with my PSC troops - not bad for a freebie - just got hold of a Panzer Mk4, so that will get a similar treatment in time...eventually ;)

That's it for now,

Monty

Judge Dredd - The Bod TV special

My favourite comic hero of all-time mashed with another since-childhood icon...bizarrely...

;)


That's it for now,


Monty

Close Combat

Of all the video games I've wasted my life on, without doubt, the Close Combat series of Real-Time Strategy titles remains the best; despite its 15-year vintage. Developed by Atomic Games back in '96, its top-down  World War 2 action set during Operation Market Garden, remain largely unsurpassed in their ingenuity and tension.

A true tactical strategy challenge, it is still my favourite online game, despite the arrival of newer, more technically advanced rivals. 

The original box art following the game's original launch back in '97 when it was published by Microsoft.

The action is viewed via a rudimentary non-scalable screen, with units - squads, tanks and artillery etc. handled by sprites. Morale, unit cohesion and experience levels are all modelled and play an integral part in the battle.

The deployment screen where the player can select reinforcements and force composition prior to, and after, battle where surviving units are carried over with increased experience levels. 

   

The game is now published by Matrix Games, but still retains its fundamental mechanics, despite various tweaks and is laptop -friendly, so can go anywhere - perfect. It has now moved into the modern area of conflict, but has never been better than when slugging it out against the Hun.

So, if you've never had a blast on this classic, give it a go and see how compelling it (still) is...

That's it for now!

Monty

Two Hour Wargames

Everyone has their favourite set of rules that they usually spend most of their time on in one way or another and for me it is, far and away, those offered by Two Hour Wargames or THW. 

Created and developed  by Ed Teixeira, they are constantly expanding their range and cover everything from fantasy, gladiatorial combat, WW2, pulp, zombies and colonials - to name but a few!   For those that haven't tried them, here is a brief resume from their website:

'Welcome to Two Hour Wargames makers of entertaining games playable in two hours or less. All THW games can be played solo or same side (cooperatively) as well as head-to-head. With THW you can play with your friends as well as against them. Customer satisfaction and support is our goal and our 4800 member Yahoo Group is available to answer all questions'

Just a few of the titles on offer, giving an indication of the range available.

There are a number of things that stand out that for me, make THW the system of choice:

Firstly, and not least, the system is intuitive, flexible and lends itself to real-world tactics, rather than 'gamey' mechanics. Players can use any figures they already have and it doesn't rely on specific basing or scale conventions.

THW's ethos is unpretentious, friendly and open to user input at every level, with Ed on hand to answer questions daily via the enthusiastic Yahoo Group.

But, for me it is the unorthodox and ingenious 'chain reaction' system used by all THW games that allows solo, co-op and multi-player games with equal ease that set it apart. Quite unlike any other on the market it offers a challenging and unpredictable game every time you play.

When I returned to the hobby 3 years ago, my playing habits and the time available to me had changed since my last incursion back in the 90's; I now don't have the time or inclination to learn multiple rules sets or paint endless specific figures for each game system and quite often play solo due to work constraints. Therefore, THW is perfect - once you learn the core system, you know 90% of all games within its range - perfect.

The core system 'Chain Reaction 3.0' is available for free download from THW's site and are well worth a look, who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised...

That's it for now,

Monty

Red Dead Redemption Gameplay Video Series: Introduction

I recently borrowed this the other day and can't recommend it enough; a fantastic source of entertainment, where, today for example, 3 hours simply vanished in its open-ended 'sandbox'-style game play.

It has it all - buckets of atmosphere, every western cliché under the sun, solid (non-linear) storyline, amazing graphics and an impressive musical score, all wrapped up in a major motion picture production where you carve out your own ending, rather than watching passively...oh, and there's no time to eat popcorn either...

On a miniatures gaming note plus, it has seriously inspired me to finally finish my Dixon 28mm stuff from last year and possibly look at 15mm western skirmishing; but there again, fickleness is one of my personal attributes...

That's it for now,

Monty

Plastic Soldier Company 'Cross of Iron'

Here is the latest of my Plastic Soldier Company stuff that I have (slowly) churned out since Christmas. The plan is to use them with my Nuts! rules and upon reflection I suppose I should have based them separately, however, they wouldn't have looked as effective IMHO. 

The MG42 team with 1 in 1 tracer loaded, I try to make my troops look suitably grubby and 'battle-worn'.

The Soviet DP-28 troops, my only real criticism with the PSC figures are their similarity of poses across all ranges, which I suppose keeps costs down on moulds etc... 

...and now, following a couple of head swaps, we have Sgt Steiner and Cpl Kruger from the classic 'Cross of Iron' film. These figures aren't finished yet, but I thought it was high time I posted something constructive...

I wanted to give Steiner a smock and tried to mould one with some Green Stuff, but wasn't skilled enough, so he he had to keep his M43 tunic, as worn at the start of the film...

Private Maag calls for reinforcements... the bases are yet to be (very sparsely) flocked as I intend these troops to be used in an urban, multi-level setting - due primarily to my lack of board space - and the fact that 'Cross of Iron' is mainly mud, mud, mud...

'Demarcation! Steiner coming in! Demarcation! Steiner!' Love that film...

That's it for now - more to follow...eventually,

Monty

The World at War

This beauty is now available for the bargain price of £20 from Tesco...

All 26 episodes, fully restored with upgraded soundtrack and a further 12 hours of documentaries - unbelievable value.

As we all know, the definitive study of WW2 - probably not a good idea to watch it if you are feeling remotely melancholic though...

(Normal slow painting service to resume shortly)

That's it for now,

Monty