Spring 2016 Update

It would seem the buzz over Team Yankee has died down somewhat.  Considering I pre-ordered the rulebook from a store a few hours away in December, but it is almost four months later and I have yet to even read the rules, I will admit my own interest in waning.  I still plan to work on the models I purchased in 6mm, so hopefully actually getting the rules in my hands will get me motivated.

Though, I have to admit, I am somewhat glad it went this way.  Battlefront just announced the new rules set for the Afgantsy Air Assault Battalion which is how I had wanted to run my Soviet force anyway.  Of course, this means I need more Hinds.

Flames of War is on a semi-hiatus as well, at least with playing.  One player moved, another found a new hobby (that I also share), and another is on a different shift.  Makes scheduling games fairly difficult.  Still, work is proceeding along, just at a slow pace.  I would like to make this the year I FINALLY finish an entire army, and I have fairly high hopes of accomplishing that.  My Soviets are all in the beginning stages of painting, with the infantry almost done, and the tanks moving along.  If I can just keep from adding any more units, I should be fine.  Also, by the time I get it done, maybe the tournament points will return to a higher total so I can run the horde I had planned.

The Heavy Gear Kickstarter is showing some progress.  It was supposed to be delivered last November, but they are being good with the communication on status, and the delays are understandable.  The Living Rulebook (Beta) looks to be pretty solid as well.  I played a game about a year and a half ago that went fairly well.  Since then, I have been content to just continue working on the figures I have, planning lists, and watching videos.



I have some rough ideas of how I want these figures to look.  Basing is pretty much set, I decided to go with the Privateer Press 'lipped' bases, and I am heavily pinning most of the models.  My Southern force has been worked on since I started buying them up in 2013.  The Northern figures I have are coming along much more slowly, I had to re-plan the whole force with the Beta rules.  I still have the Peace River models unopened in their boxes, I wont even get into that until at least one of the other ones is finished.

Recently I decided to get back into X-Wing Miniatures.  There are a few local players, and it seems to be a much better casual play game, so I have been able to play it much more easily.  I am amazed at how much it has changed since I played last.  New faction, several new waves, and a fairly active organized play structure.  A friend and I started a cinematic play campaign using his Rebel Transport, and that has been pretty fun.  I wont go into a lot of detail on that, but felt it was worth mentioning.

I want to try and keep this updated, but the time I spent writing, I am not using to finish projects.  Still, I imagine a few people still read this, so I want to make it worthwhile.  As I can, I will update projects, post photos, and have some resources available for those that are interested. 

German Camo - WW2

So far, I have not been terribly ambitious with regards to camouflage with my 15mm figures.  For moderns, with ACU I went with a ‘generic’ look as the digital pattern is all but impossible to do at that scale.  The attempt at multicam worked out fairly well I think.  Still, not a fan of camo at this scale.  For WW2, maybe I should of gone US (who only briefly used camoflague) or Soviets (who did not use it, as far as I am aware). 

The Germans made use of camo on every level it seems, and my early attempts at painting them totally ignored this.  This time around, however, I decided to give it a try.  First, I had to figure out what models should be painted appropriately.  Took me some time to recognize which models had helmet covers and camouflage jackets.  Once I did, I then had to figure out what pattern they used.

Most of the info I have on it came from “The Art of War” from Battlefront.  The Heer had their own version of the “splinter” pattern that was the most common.  So, I painted a few models up with that, and they looked… ok.  I have seen better and worse.  My rank and file will all have that pattern on their garments, as well as the rolled poncho attached to some figures. 

When I got started on my 2iC and Scouts, I went looking to see if the Heer ever used other patterns, such as what the SS had.  From everything I read, it was not really common, but acceptable to have the odd figure in a pattern from another branch.  I decided if anyone was likely to have “better” camo (going on the assumption that the SS generally had the best in the way of gear) it would be the command teams and scouts.  I actually tried to find as many models as I could wearing camo for my scouts for that reason. 

Oak Leaf was the pattern I went with, based on THIS article.  I decided for Autumn colors since I did not do a winter theme.  I did the odd helmet cover in the pattern for the scouts, with the 2iC having a jacket in the pattern. 

The pattern was so much easier to make look right (to me anyway) than Splinter.  I immediately saw it, where I had to really play around with the splinter to get it to look passable.  Makes me want to try the Plane Tree or Pea Dot patterns for future models.  My hesitation to do a SS force was in part due to the number of other players playing SS at my last store, but also the supposed complexity of the camo patterns.  Should I ever get a foolish notion to do another German army, I could see it being SS now. 

Photos (to be posted later). 

12. Volksgrenadier (list)

12. Volksgrenadier Division (LW German – NUTS!)

HQ – AR/PF, AR/PF + PzShreck
Sturm Platoon – Full
Schutzen Platoon – Full
Mortars (8cm) – 2 Sections
MG – 2 Sections
Scouts – 2 Rifle Squads, Command AR/PF
3 StuG G (late)
Light Artillery – 3 10.5cm
Me 262 A2a Sturmvogel – Sporadic Support

1550pts – 7 Platoons

The biggest issue that this list will have is the lack of anti-tank guns.  I really wish I could get some PaK40’s in there, but as I only have 2 guns and no crews I decided to leave them out for the time being. 

Should I run into a tank heavy list I imagine I will try to move to a good position and dig my infantry in, then let the tanks come to me.  Somehow, I do not imagine they will, considering the number of Panzerfaust’s that are present.  My artillery and mortars can keep a smoke screen up for movement, while I can try to use my Air Support to hit high value targets.  The StuG’s will be there to defend against enemy light armor.  Still, parts of it look fragile. 

The scouts will give me the Always Attack rule against other infantry lists, as well as a Spearhead move for my Sturm and Shutzen  platoons.  That should work for getting them fairly close to their targets early on. 

This is a departure from any sort of force I have fielded before.  It has both offensive and defensive attributes.  I play armor, not infantry.  Having to play defensively will be a new experience, so I imagine there will be a bit of a learning curve for me.  Still, I am excited to try it.  I played a generic Grenadier list for the Infantry Aces campaign and did fairly well.  It should teach me things about infantry that I might be able to use when playing armor, which is good considering the trouble I usually have against them. 

For 1750 the only real change would be to add the 3 PaK40’s and a battery of 3 NW41’s, while dropping the Panzershreck team.  Not totally sold on that idea either.  If I can scrape the models together for enough PzShreck teams, I could just as easily drop the NW41’s in favor of 3 more PzShreck teams (I would have to change the StuG’s back to regular rather than late models).

An alternate for 1750 that would work much better has me replacing the StuG’s for 3 Panthers from the 12.SS-Panzerdivision (making them Fearless Trained instead), and dropping the MG Platoon for a battery of 6 NW41’s.  Guess I need to get the rest of my Nebelwerfers done up.

Nothing about this list screams tournament winner to me.  But, I am interested in playing it and it looks fun, so does that really matter?  It is a constant struggle with my inner power-gamer.  I want to win (who doesn’t?), and have been known to choose my armies based on that.  Going with an actual unit rather than a generic list is part of my attempt to get away from that, so I guess I will see what I can do with this.  It was cheap to put together with models I (mostly) already had and is from a battle I have a lot of interest in (the Ardennes Offensive / Battle of the Bulge).  PLUS, as a ‘reward’ to myself for getting this done, I can always expand into a US Airborne army in the form of the 101^st (specifically, E Co, of “Band of Brothers” fame) if I want to have an opposed force from the same battle.

Next up, I am going to go over my armored lists. 

(note - Since writing this, LW points have gone up to 1780.  I have work to do)

LW Germans - Volksgrenadier

At last, they released a sourcebook for a period of WW2 I have a strong interest in.  Specifically, the non-SS German units involved in the Ardennes Offensive.  I settled on the 12. Volksgrenadier list, a Confident/Veteran infantry list.

It features a heavy dose of Assault Rifle armed infantry, and it seems that everyone has a Panzerfaust.  There is a healthy mix of support weapons, not to mention armor and the Sturmvogel (the first jet aircraft used in the war).  All in all, I thought it was an interesting mix that would not require me to buy much of anything in the way of new models.  All I have to do is change a few things around and paint what I have.

I have not abandoned my armored lists.  I actually got the airbrush out and painted a few up for a friend at the LGS last week.  With that, I am setting myself up to be able to run either a generic King
 Tiger list, the Begleit StuG list, or possibly the Bake list (all from Grey Wolf).  In playing over the past few months I discovered that when playing armored lists, it needs to be all vehicles (or nearly so).  Infantry can work,  but taking non-mobile artillery was not a good idea.  That works out, because the Volksgrenadier list has no mobile artillery, so there can be a clear split there.

Back to the project at hand.  I scaled down my projects, working on 1-2 units at a time, at most.  Large units (like full 6 base + HQ platoons) get done one at a time.  This way I can go through the steps and (mostly) finish in a day or two of work, rather than spreading out the work and getting discouraged when game day comes around and they are all still on their painting sticks.  Since starting this method I have gotten the painting done on a Mortar Platoon, all the crews for the Panzerwerfers, and almost done with my Scout Platoon.  Moving on to the Assault Platoon next.  The 'finished' units need a wash of the Army Painter dip, then onto the bases.  From there, I can base them whenever.. they are ready to play.

Internet is extremely limited, which makes posting here difficult.  I want to do a walk-through with one of my platoons so I can document how I paint them, what paints I use, etc.  The camo especially.  I REALLY want to get back to writing here.  I said it a few months back, but taking the time to write this stuff down (and people responding) gives me motivation to post more, which gets me working.  Also, should something happen to my notes again, I will have a resource that tells me how I did what, so I dont have to guess.

I will post the list I plan to run at different point levels, as well as the 'to-do' list for the available forces.  Pictures will come as I take them.  Work will progress as long as I keep the shift I am on, having all night long to paint is a big bonus.  Getting caught up on Babylon 5 as well.. re-watching the whole series.  I get about a season every 3 days or so (while at work), so should be done by months end.  To that end, I should also have the core of my Volksgrenadiers done by then as well.

Late War German Armor Camo (test2)

After finding a second moisture trap in my parts box and putting it on, I decided to try another test model. I had a looted Sherman from the starter box primed in the Army Painter FOW LW German Armor color (so, Dark Yellow), and I tried a different shade of green (the other one was darker, and more watered down so it didnt go on quite right).

The result is about what my StuG's and Tiger II will look like.  I want to paint the details tonight and apply a wash to make sure I like the way it looks before starting production, but I think I have the hang of it now.

Based on the following photographs:

I think I should make the spots bigger maybe?  Based on these photos anyway.  I had a few others that were more like what I painted, but I cant find them now for some reason. 

Late War German Armor Camo (test)

Got the bug to break out my airbrush yesterday, and after promptly breaking one of them (a bit too rough getting a nozzle off while trying to clear some thick paint out of it) I got some figures done with my other one.  Lesson learned.   Given that I use Iwata's, the part costs about half of what the thing is worth new (its an older airbrush).  No matter, it will sit in a box until I can find someone to buy it or get it fixed.  It is a .2mm nozzle, so probably more precise than I need right now anyway.

Following that, I took a few models out that are easy to clean and tried to get a handle on how to paint them.  This is what I came out with:

My first attempt. I started with thin lines in a 'squiggle' pattern, which I saw in several pictures, but I really didnt like it. So, I just painted over it with thicker patterns to get a hang for what that might look like. Not good, but helped me with these:

These were done using patches of green and brown over the base of dark yellow, like how I had seen some StuG's and Panzer IV's painted up.  Not the overlapping camo that seems to be more modern (think of the older US Woodland BDU's), but just patches of color.  I think it looks... ok?  Not entirely sure thats what I want to go with, but if I can find pictures of tanks painted that way I will roll with it.  Considered painting both of these vehicles up with the details and leaving the body with the camo, but probably wont (I have not found anything that mentions the Germans applied camo to their trucks/tractors).

Here are pictures of what I am trying to accomplish:

The first is a KT painted up by (I guess) Battlefront, the folks that make Flames of War.  I do not think I can manage such a light dusting of color on my tank.  It gives an amazingly authentic look, but damn.. difficult.  Not entirely what I want them to look like either.

The second is from someone on the FoW forums.  This is more in line with what I want to do, but the small patches just dont look quite right.

The third is an actual King Tiger in a French museum.  This is more along the lines of what I was thinking, but I want to make sure that the two-tone camo (base and one color) is ok for the theater I am painting for (the Ardennes Offensive, or the Battle of the Bulge). 

Opinions?

Force on Force and German Decisions

Quick one today.

First, played a few games of Force on Force this weekend, and enjoyed it.  I really need to get some 15mm modern buildings made soon though.  Pictures were taken, but are still on the camera.  Also working on a reference sheet for myself for the game before I try it again.  Urge to paint the figures is high, but I want to finish my Germans first.

Second, and on that note, I think I am just going to paint the damn Germans the way I set out to originally.  The bags/gear will all get the proper colors, helmets will be the lighter version of "German Grey" I played with, and I will leave the uniforms the shade that the 'primer' is (Uniform Grey).  Better to have them painted, easy to ID as germans at a distance, and done.. than to please people I dont even play with regarding the color.  Yes, I know it is not historically accurate.  I also know its a 15mm metal figure on a base with a bunch of others, being pushed around a table for a wargame.  Its close enough for now.

That is all. 

Trouble with Germans

I have a problem.  Several, actually, but one that the others stem from.  Do I paint my figures in a fashion thats 'historically accurate' but difficult (and thus taking longer), or do I paint them in a way that looks 'kinda right' and goes fast?

To that end, I am frustrated with my progress so far.  I had decided to base them all in the Uniform Grey spray, and paint it up from there, as opposed to the more accurate "Green Grey" look.  Honestly, they just look American with the green.  Still, I am hesitant.

Now I am playing with the helmet colors.  The forum suggested a dark grey, almost black (it looks like a rubber color to me).  It looks too dark to me.  Maybe it would look better with a different color of uniform?  I posted pictures of my last attempt at Germans in this style earlier, I wish I knew how I had painted their helmets.  Going to have to reinvent the wheel here I suppose.

Naturally, this problem is holding me up.  I wish I had painted a range of test models to test this out first, but no luck there.  I am using my panzershreck squad for that purpose.  Going to try a different helmet shade tomorrow once this one is dry.  Now I need to figure out how to paint the cloth covers too.

I dont think I am going to meet my deadline....

700pt Infantry Aces list

This weekend was the first in the second phase of the Cassino Infantry Aces campaign. I had the opportunity to play a new old player who was running a British list. I did not record the details of turns, but it was a No Retreat on Snakeshead Ridge. I was defending, and it allowed me to try a few things out. My list was as follows:

Grenadierkompanie - FE2

HQ - Command/2iC (SMG) + Mortar Section
Grenadier Platoon - 3 Squads - HQ SMG/PzKnacker
Grenadier Platoon - 3 Squads
Grenadier Pioneer Platoon - 2 Squads - HQ SMG/PzKnacker - 1 Flame Thrower
Rocket Launcher Battery - 3 Launchers

695 Points


The HQ/Grenadier Platoons were pretty standard from the 500pt list. Same as the Mortar section. I dropped the HMG's I had been running, and added the Pioneers and Nebelwerfers.

The Rocket Launchers were well worth the points. With the nature of the small games, two sections would be overkill I think, especially for the points, but three launchers did the trick. No penalty to the range-in if its on the second or third try was especially handy.

The Pioneer platoon also did better than I had expected. I used them as a reserve force for assaulting. The flame thrower pinned the platoon down, and they swept them off the hill I was defending. However, I found out later that they are unable to contest an objective (because they are support), and even though it made no difference it will cause me to revise the list I think.

Here is what I am considering:

HQ - Command/2iC (SMG)
Grenadier Platoon - 3 Squads
Grenadier Platoon - 3 Squads
Rocket Launcher Battery - 3 Launchers
Grenadier Machine-Gun Platoon - 1 Section
Grenadier Mortar Platoon - 2 Sections

700pts exactly, with 5 platoons. Decent amount of ranged potential with the Rockets and Mortars. HMG's were quite useful before. I can also Kampfgruppe a third platoon to help with deployment and company morale checks. Now, I just need to pick up some more mortars.

Nebelwerfer Bases

In the second phase of the Cassino Infantry Aces campaign we are allowed more options with support, and I decided to expand into a battery of these rocket launchers. Generally, I try to look up as much info as I can on a weapon or unit before I start putting it together, in part to get it looking right, but also because I like the history of it. I wont go into a detailed report here, I figure if you are interested, you can readily find the info on your own.

The video below is one of the better ones of historical footage I found on youtube. Generally, I prefer the Panzerwerfers due to their mobility and extra crew (counts one launcher as two). However, for a limited point list, I think the Nebelwerfer will give me more options for a very limited cost. At the very least, gives me some experience with assembling and basing artillery pieces.

In the video, you will note that they are mostly in the open, rather than in built up positions. I am going to reflect that in my basing, mostly because I dont feel confident enough with my basing ability to really make a dug-out or such for them. They have some footage of the launcher with shrubs or cut down trees nearby, so I might add something like that if I feel the base is too empty. I would prefer to save the 'built-up' look for when they are actually dug-in, for which I have the pre-painted markers (in this case, the log emplacements).