McCudden's Cut and Run Algy Scenario

A few weeks ago I set out a plan to write an historical scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off! as a Xmas stocking filler for the Facebook group. As always, the plan didn't survive contact with the family festivities, but I picked it up again and have finished it off, apart from the card deck which will be along shortly. 

It's a dogfight game featuring some famous names but with an interesting twist, as most were relatively unknown at the time, with the exception of Manfred Von Richthofen and Erwin Böhme. 

It's available to download from the group files but there's a handy preview here. You'll need three Airco DH.2 pushers and five Albatros DII scouts, so quite a busy game. I'll aim to play it through and post an after action report as soon as I have time.

Albatros D.III (Oeffag) Godwin Von Brumovski

I repainted the skull insignia on the 1/600tg scale Albatros D.III today, having originally painted it facing the wrong way, then added some decals to finish off Godwin Von Brumovski's aircraft, or one of them at least. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out in the end and quite fancy converting and painting some more Austro Hungarian Albatros scouts to go alongside this one. Tally Ho! or whatever the Austrian equivalent is?

January Project - Finnish Continuation War Aircraft

It's chilly at the moment here in the UK, so I've decided to pick up a project for Bag the Hun and 'finnish' it off this month (see what I did there?) I've completed the 1/600th scale Soviet aircraft for the Continuation War and so now have the Finnish models to paint, starting with the Curtiss Hawks and some prepared Blenheims, Fokker DXXI's, Hurricanes and a single Fokker C.V, then moving onto some more fighters later on. This will enable me to solo play some of the scenarios I wrote in the 2024 Lard Mag and some new ones that I hope to devise this year, focussed on 1943 onwards. Tally Ho!

La-5 Early Version 1/285th

One of my projects for 2026 is to continue the Arctic Eagles Bag the Hun scenario article, which will require some play testing once I've done the research and writing. I also want to get some solo Bag the Hun Russian Front and Continuation War games played and have already started painting models, both on 1/300th and 1/600th scale. One thing I don't have are any early La-5 fighters in 6mm, so I was pleased to find some GHQ 1/285th packs on eBay for a good price. I will add these to my painting 'to do' box!

La-5 Description — Planes in Profile https://share.google/rnQdQ4VBYGMdZXOSi

Von Brumovski Fubar

A bit of a balls up today when, after painting the tiny death's head insignia on the 1/600th scale Albatros D.III of Godwin Von Brumovski, I realised I'd got it the wrong way round. The skull should be facing forwards, not backwards as I have painted it, so I will have to go back and redo the whole thing. I don't think this will be a major issue but it does take quite a bit of focus to get it looking right. Bugger!

AK47 Militia Tanks Update

Now that I'm back home from France I can get cracking on the AK47 militia T34/85 tanks that I assembled before the holidays. The first thing I've done is to give them a good undercoat in Halfords Matt black primer, which I will touch up with some Vallejo black to avoid any unsightly metal showing through once it is fully dry. Next will be an overall dry brush in rusty shades, starting with Foundry Dusky Fresh Shade. 

Bagging the Hun First Edition Solo Focus

I didn't play any games of Bag the Hun last year, which is very unusual, so this year I'm determined to pick it up again for a solo campaign of Finest Hour or at least some one off games at home. I've really enjoyed playing Algernon Pulls It Off! which is based on the first edition of Bag the Hun, a set of rules that I started out on when they were first published. I really like the stripped down, straightforward rules mechanisms and, with a few tweaks, I think they make an excellent solo system. I'll be using the first edition for my solo games this year, which may also extend to some Bag the MiG scenarios, rather than the second edition as a result. Tally Ho!

Projects and Plans 2026

Up, Up and Away...or more likely Kaboom!

It's that time of year again where I set out my projects for the year ahead in the hope of actually achieving some of them. Last year I decided to focus on the First World War as my principal theme and, with a few minor and inconsequential diversions, I managed to stick with it, with a specific focus on Algernon Pulls It Off!. I have really enjoyed this and ideally would like to carry on, so...

...in order not to let this fizzle out, I will be continuing my Algy project into 2026, with a focus on the French Aviation Militaire, subject to Paul at Tumbling Dice putting the new models I requested into production (this is very likely but just a question of time...as always). I will be writing more scenarios, rules additions and possibly a follow on article for next year's Lard Mag, who knows?

In other air wargaming news, I am planning to re-visit a couple of Bag the Hun projects in the shape of Arctic Eagles and the mothballed Finest Hour campaign that I started organising a few years ago. I have done quite a lot of the spade work for both of these and it would be a shame not to get at least one of them ticked off in 2026.

As far as naval wargaming goes, the plan is to add the long overdue Spanish fleet to the 1/2400th scale Napoleonic naval project and, if I have time, the Americans or possibly some other minor power as well. After that I may well do something with 1/2400th ironclads again, quite possibly revisiting the Second Schleswig War and Battle of Jasmund, or perhaps finally get round to a new pre-dreadnought project, the Sino Japanese War being a hot contender using Broadside and Salvo. Who knows?

Finally, the ever neglected land wargaming aspect of the hobby will get some attention. This is always my Achilles heel, as I hate painting figures and have a particular aversion to 28mm. Not to be put off by this affliction, I have been encouraged by my eldest son, now back home from university for at least two years (!), to do some samurai skirmish games in 28mm. I am also planning to finally get round to some medieval semi-skirmish wargaming, with both Lion Rampant and 'another set of rules' as a focus. 

As a final footnote to all of this wishful thinking, I may even get the old Sandbox Skirmish 15mm post-colonial project re-booted in 2026...just don't hold your breath!

2026!

Christmas Presents

As we spend our Christmas in France every year, we only open our presents when we return home, by family tradition on New Year's Day. This year we decided to open them today, as the middle spring is away tomorrow in Bristol at a party. I was lucky enough to get some cracking wargaming presents this year including some 28mm Japanese MDF buildings from my son, who is keen to have a go at some samurai skirmish games this year, an Airfix Tiger tank kit from the other son, which will be useful for What a Tanker!, and the aforementioned double sided hex cloth for air wargaming from the other half. My daughter bought be a two year re-subscription to Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, which is brilliant! To round it off, I bought myself in the sales a brand new copy of Thunderbolt Apache Leader, a game I've been after for years having really enjoyed Phantom Leader. All in all, a great haul of very nice presents, topped off with a Christmas brunch cooked by my daughter!