After a top tip from David M. I had a crack at converting some Navwar Osa FAC models into something resembling a Komar FAC. This involved chopping off the aft section of the Osa then adding a new plastic card stern and missile rails, so nothing too complicated but still worthy off some colourful language. The end result is passable despite being aittle over length, so I might order some more of the Osa models to expand the Indonesian missile flotilla.
I downloaded a copy of Long Face Games Konfrontasi! campaign supplement for Find, Fix and Strike this morning. It's a really well thought out campaign system, with an emphasis on the political constraints for both sides which I think is a critical aspect of the conflict. There is well thought out and comprehensive campaign system to play through and a series of stand alone scenarios, most of which involve a small number of warships and aircraft, primarily based on strikes by Indonesian Komar FAC's or interdiction of attempted landings by Indonesian special forces. There are also some higher level scenarios featuring the heavy stuff including anti-shipping strikes by Tu-16's, for example, which allow use of some of the major warships including the carriers and guided missile destroyers. It's given me some ideas for a solo campaign of my own at some point, as I have a lot of what's needed apart from the Komars, a couple of carriers and the aircraft. Very good value too and well worth the price tag.
Despite having a bout of man flu, in June of all months, I've bumped along the 1/600th scale Rolands, Albatros and Nieuport to the ink wash stage, ready to be cleaned up with highlights and detailing. They look pretty grubby at the moment but will be much better after some highlights and touch ups, which don't take long to do but really make a difference. I should get these finished at the weekend.
I was excited to learn that David Manley of Long Face Games has written a full campaign system for the Indonesian Confrontation, designed for Find, Fix and Strike. I've run my own solo campaign for this before using Naval Command, so have a lot of the models required and a good background grasp of the conflict, which will enable me to pick this up and run with it almost straight away. It's a fascinating subject and ideal for campaign purposes, as well as allowing for some iconic naval warships and aircraft to be deployed. Brilliant!
I'm thinking of devising a mash up of the dogfight game generator I designed a few months ago with the balloon busting rules (Section13 p31), to create a simple system for balloon busting sorties in Algernon Pulls It Off!
The initial ideas include a random number of balloons (1D4+1) placed by the defender, within certain restrictions, each defended by an Archie zone (6 hexes in radius)
There will also be defending fighter aircraft, again generated by die roll (1D6), which begin off table. They will enter individually after the attackers but will have to roll to do so each turn, possibly using a countdown mechanism of some sort.
The number (1D4) and skill level of the attackers will be randomly generated as well. Attacking aircraft will choose a high altitude or low altitude approach when entering the table. Attacking aircraft may be fitted with rockets and may also have incendiary ammunition.
All pilots on both sides will be Junior Ace, Veteran or Regular. No Top Aces (too sensible or too valuable to be risked) or Sprogs (too inexperienced to be permitted). I'm thinking of limiting the number of Aces to probably a maximum of one Junior Ave per side, so as not to imbalance the game.
One thing I might include is a chance that one balloon may be designated as a decoy, possibly on a die roll made by the defender. This will explode when the attacking aircraft is within 3 hexes. The attacker will then have to roll on the exploding aircraft table (10. 1.8) but modified to cause (2C) damage. The identity of the booby trapped balloon will be kept hidden until it goes boom!
I'm starting painting the 1/600th scale Roland C.II models but have decided to deploy exactly the same paint shades that I used for the Airfix 1/72nd scale equivalent, one of which I painted many years ago for wargaming. The shade of choice is a very old pot of Citadel Horizon Blue, which I bought in The Works after Games Workshop ditched the old range of Warhammer paints, I reckon about twenty years ago. It's still going strong and is the perfect shade of light blue!
A wet and windy afternoon better spent at the workbench rather than outdoors. Here we have three 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice Roland C.II two seaters, an Albatros C.III observation machine and Albert Ball's Nieuport 17, the latter a Tumbling Dice Nieuport 17 with the upper wing pinched from a Nieuport 11 model. I'm away tomorrow but hope to start painting these after the weekend.
I was looking for a potential scenario for Algy today featuring the Roland C.II, when I stumbled across this rather unusual action from September 1916, as illustrated in a painting by Michael Turner. Here are the notes accompanying the painting:
Rocket Man
In late afternoon on September 15th 1916, Captain Albert Ball took off alone on patrol to seek out enemy observation balloons, his Nieuport 17 armed with Le Prieur rockets mounted on its interplane struts.
Sighting a German patrol of three Roland C11s, he approached unnoticed from behind and below, and fired a salvo of all eight rockets into their formation. Completely taken by surprise, the enemy aircraft scattered in alarm, and Ball promptly shot one of them down.
I think this would make a great scenario, especially as it includes the very unorthodox use or Le Prieur rockets and a famous RFC ace to boot! It will take some further research and some rule tweaking to set up, but I reckon it would make a brilliant solo or two player game. I happen to have the 1/600th models I need for the scenario in the bits box, so I'll see what I can get sorted over the weekend.
I'm starting to get myself organised for the club Algy game in a couple of weeks, the Digger Dogfight scenario from the Jasta 18 Lard Mag scenarios, by editing and printing off the aircraft sheets and the card deck. I'll get these filled in, cut out and assembled at the weekend, which theoretically puts me in a position to paint up some 1/300th scale aircraft, if I don't get distracted by the other things in the next ten days or so? If not, this will be played out in glorious 1/600th scale, as I have all the models ready to go!
I finished repainting and relabelling the bases on my 1/2400th scale Chilean fleet for the War of the Pacific at the weekend, so that's another thing on the 'to do' list ticked off. I have a few slots left empty in the storage box which I'm planning to fill with transports and armed merchant ships but I'm having trouble locating suitable models, either to convert or to use as proxies. I can also add more torpedo boats for both sides and perhaps even a submarine, the Toro, but for the moment it's job done and dusted!
The project for this month is to fill up the gaps in my French and British 1/2400th Napoleonic fleets, which is something I've been meaning to sort out for a while. As previously mentioned, this involves assembling and painting three additional ships of the line for the Royal Navy and three for La Royalle, along with a couple of frigate for the latter. Not too much to do but enough to keep me busy. If I get them finished, I can then have a go at painting the American ships that I have assembled to fill in one of the compartments at the front of the storage box.
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| The box of based units ready to go |
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| The Cornish Royalist Army 1643 |
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| The three test bases |
I hage been sifting through the unfinished projects from the last couple of years in order to short list some things to finish off in June and July, rather than starting anything new. One thing I have been considering that is not a naval project is the 2mm English Civil War project for 1643 in the South West. I dropped this after buggering up the bases of the Cornish Royalist army but managed to salvage some of the units, as well as the three bases that I completed as a test run. I quite fancy finishing off the Royalists using the bases I didn't screw up and perhaps even go on to complete the Parliamentarian forces too. It's another option at the very least and a nice change from air and naval stuff.
I'm now focused on some old projects that either need finishing off or just tweaking a bit to give them a refresh. First up are my Chilean and Peruvian fleets for the War of the Pacific, which I've always wanted to bring into line with my other naval projects by repainting the bases. The Peruvian fleet has now been refurbished and the slightly larger Chilean fleet with follow tomorrow, given a bit of free time to sort them out.
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| Almirante Latorre |
With the half term holiday over I've had to admit defeat in completing the interwar Chilean fleet, so I've decided to mothball the project and save it until another time. I have assembled, based and undercoated all of the ships required, however, so it's not a complete wash out. I now have just over a month or so in which to tinker about with before the summer holidays, so I'm not thinking of starting anything new, but will instead aim to finish off a few loose ends in existing projects when I can find the time. It's not been a very productive year so far, that's for sure!
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| The plastic figures |
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| Some of my metal gladiator figures |
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| Digger Dogfight in Action |
I've set up an Algy game at the local club for June 16th as a refresher before I take it to the Sarisbury Green club later on. This will be the Digger Dogfight scenario from the Lard Mag Jasta 18 collection but, much as I like my 1/600th scale aircraft, I'm thinking of painting some 1/300th scale 3D printed models for the game. These will add a bit more visual punch and are also easier to distinguish when working out which aircraft is being flown by which pilot. I have a couple of weeks to get them sorted but can always fall back on the Tumbling Dice models if I don't pull it off. Tally Ho!