Jasta 300 Albatros D.III conversion

I've nearly finished assembling the 1/600th scale aircraft for play testing the Algy Flies Down Under scenarios, with only four Albatros D.III / D.Va models to get sorted. These are a bit more fiddly than you'd expect as I am adding twin radiators to the upper wing centre section, which were needed for cooling due to the high temperatures of the region. To do this I've sanded down the wing to remove the existing radiator, then glued small rectangles of plastic card in place before sanding them down to the right profile. It's all a bit of a faff but will be worth it in the end?

Small Footprint Solo Skirmish Mid-Saxon Sitrep

A bit of forward momentum with my solo skirmish project today. I've ordered a 2' x 2' grass terrain cloth after hunting about a bit for something that looked just right. This will be used for the first iteration of the project, which at the moment will be a mid-Saxon Eighth century version of Ravenfeast using the 15/18mm Wiglaf Miniatures range, but may well go on to include other things, possibly in 10/12mm or even smaller. I've also received the order of wire spears I need for the Wiglaf West Saxons, so it's a jolly good time to get started on the Ravenfeast figures in order to get the project off the ground. If you are thinking that 2' x 2' is a bit on the small side you may well be right but I'll be switching to cm for movement and missile purposes, so I think it should be feasible. I'll just have to give it a go!

Algy's 'Bang On' Bombing Raid Generator

I got round to drafting a basic scenario generator for bombing raids yesterday, based on my existing balloon busting mechanism with some appropriate tweaks. It's got a few typos and needs some tidying up but I think it should work well for pick up games. One thing I may add is a modified 2D6 roll for bombing aircraft with different payloads, as at the moment you just roll a single 2D6 regardless of the size of the aircraft, which seems a bit bonkers?

Algy Flies Down Under - Scenario B

The second scenario in the Lard Mag line up is one that I mentioned  in an earlier post  - The Sportsman - which involves a dogfight between three AFC aircraft on a patrol near Gaza and two aircraft of FA300. Here's a report of the action from the German records:

"Monday, 9.July 1917. To the Sinai Front at the 8.July two hostile airplanes were shot down in aerial combat and both crashed. Details are missing still"

The BE2e of Lieutenant T. Taylor and Lieutenant F.W.F Lukis was on an operation escorted by the Martinsyde of Captain Charles A. Brookes an RFC officer attached to the AFC and a BE12a aircraft flown by Claude H.Vautin. 

The three aircraft were attacked by the Rumpler C.I aircraft of Offstv. Kern and Oberleutnant Kurt Jancke, and the Albatros DIII of Oberleutnant Gerhard Felmy. 

Kern and Jancke attacked the Martinsyde of Brookes and in the ensuing engagement Brookes was shot down out of control, his Martinsyde's wings collapsing in a spin before crashing. 

Vautin was chased to Beit Hanun before being forced to land. Vautin was the third confirmed victory for Felmy (although other sources suggest it may actually have been his fifth).

This is a cracking little dogfight and should make for a relatively straightforward but challenging scenario, especially for the Australian pilots in their assorted obsolescent aircraft. The Germans will definitely have the edge but I can balance things out with some careful design, especially in the objectives and special rules I can build in to the write up.

Talky Ho!

Ravenfeast Mid-Saxon Army List

I've been tinkering with the army lists in the Ravenfeast rules to put together a variant for the mid-Saxon period, specifically for the West Second and Mercians. This is actually pretty straightforward,  the old Warhammer Historical Age of Arthur contains a lot of useful and relevant information. I've had a go at a crossover based on both the Viking list and the late Saxon list but will probably mash them together to make up the variant, with some additional rules tweaks to cover period specifics e.g. no shield wall rule. I should have something workable later this week.

1/600th DFW C.V conversion

The next conversion job is a DFW C.V observation machine, based on the Tumbling Dice Albatros C.II model with a little bit of sanding and shaping on the fuselage, a new top wing and a modified tail. It's not very accurate, being a bit too short, but it will do the job, as I need one for a 1918 scenario in the Algy Lard Mag project. Next in the production line will be the Albatros D.III / D.V scouts with added twin radiators for tropical conditions.

Aussie Brisfits

Wrapping up the Australian Flying Corps contingent of the Algy Flies Down Under project, here are the four F2B Bristol Fighters that I'll need for the later scenarios. These are all Tumbling Dice models with added twin Lewis gun armament, minus the ammunition drums as I couldn't get them to fit without looking over scale. The twin Lewis gun load out was the standard for the Aussie Brisfits, giving them some additional punch and also the ability to strafe more effectively. No wonder they were able to gain air superiority in the latter half of the campaign!

1/600th AEG C.IV Conversion

 

I needed a couple of C Type observation aircraft for the Algy Flies Down Under project, but Tumbling Dice only make an Albatross C.II, so I've had to have a go at some model bashing instead. Here's my attempt at an AEG C.IV using the fuselage of a Hannover CL.III with top wing and tail from the aforementioned Albatross. It's not exactly accurate to say the least, but it's also not too far off to be ridiculous, so I'm happy with the end result. 

Ravenfeast Pointy Sticks

 

I'm thinking of picking up my mid-Saxon Ravenfeast project next month, as a little painting project on the side, using the Wiglaf Miniatures 18mm range of figures. I was planning on doing this at the start of the year but was side tracked on to other things. One obstacle I bumped into that slowed it down was the lack of wire spears and javelins to glue on to the figures but I've found some on the Eureka Miniatures UK web shop, so have ordered a couple of packs of 40mm spears to cut down to size. These things are like hens teeth these days, so you may want to check them out, as they're comparatively good value at £4.95 for 50. 

Algy Flies Down Under - Scenario A

 

The first historical scenario for the Algy Flies Down Under project is set in early November 1916. A bombing raid by five BE2c and a single Martinsyde G100 on the airfield and military targets at Beersheba has just taken place and the Australian aircraft are making their getaway. 

Two Fokker Eindeckers of Flieger Abteilung 300 take off to chase the retreating raiders, only to be taken on by one of the BE2c's which has been field modified with a Lewis mounting for the observer to act as an escort. The 'Tinsyde' joins in to give the Eindeckers a nasty surprise, forcing both of the German pilots to abandon the pursuit. 

As such, it's a simple dogfight scenario but made more interesting by the unusual armament of the Australian aircraft and by the relatively limited performance of the BE2c and the Fokker EIII. The pilots were all experienced flyers and so skill ratings will be veteran, making it a fairly even match in terms of ability. 

...more details to follow!