Early War SCW Aircraft Extras

I wasn't really intending to add any early war aircraft to the Spanish Civil War Bag the Hun project, but I have given in and ordered a few that can be used for both the Nationalists and Republicans. These include some Nieuport Delage NiD 52 fighters, some Bregiet XIX light bombers and a handful of Dewoitine D.371 fighters. I also have some assorted models that can be used in my spares box, so they might be added to the mix if I need some bombers, reconnaissance or transport aircraft. In the meantime, I'm still working on the later war Republican stuff, most of which is Soviet supplied.

Prussian Preussen Class Ironclad Conversion

Preussen Class 

Preussen Class Profile

I had an idea out of the blue today. I was thinking about playing some naval games with my 1/2400th scale ironclads but with some new models, when I remembered some ideas I had ages ago for a Prussian flotilla. I was stumped at the time for suitable models but have now come up with a cunning plan. This is to convert the Tumbling Dice models of HMS Monarch into the three Preussen class turret ironclads, simply by removing the forward and aft section of the superstructure, adding a new turret and an extended funnel. In many respects the ships were very similar in design and dimensions, so it should work out well. I don't currently have three spare models but will order some as soon as I have some spare pocket money!

Biggles and the Black Ravens Resources

I have spent an hour or so today printing off the stuff I need to rub the club Algy game next week including the scenario briefing, aircraft record cards, the card deck, manoeuvre guide and, last but not least, the QRS. The latter was designed by fellow club member Geoff but he won't be playing in the game this time. I have five players lined up and I reckon this scenario will give them a good taste of the rules, together with a run for their money. I now need to cut out and sleeve the card deck, then fill out the aircraft record sheets with the pilot and crew details, then we're ready for Chocks Away!

Winged Sabres

I'm always looking for potential scenario material for Algernon Pulls It Off! and this book should tick a lot of the boxes. It relates the operational history of No.20 Squadron RFC / RAF from February 1916 through to November 1918, initially being equipped with the F.E.2 and latterly with the F.2b Bristol Fighter. I'd been after a good hardback copy at a decent price for quite a while, which I have now located and ordered. I'm looking forward to using it for some scenario research, the aim being to write up and play test at least one game. Tally Ho!

Utilising Speed in Algernon Pulls It Off!

I re-leaned something today that I had completely overlooked, assuming that Algernon Pulls It Off! uses the same system as Bag the Hun 2 to calculate and utilise aircraft speed.

After re-reading the relevant bit of the rules, it clearly stated that you can 'slow down or speed up within the maximum speed' but the D4 modifier has to be applied on top of that, depending on your pilot skill level.

To be honest, I have been playing using the system in Bag the Hun 2, where you have to move the full basic distance. I should have realised that this was wrong, having originally played the first edition of Bag the Hun, where the same flexibility is included.

I'm actually looking forward to playing some games with the correct speed rules to see just how it speeds up, or s possibly slows down, game play. It will certainly give players more opportunity to manoeuvre into position and get on the tail of their opponents, which is an exciting opportunity for them to shoot things down rather than spend ages plotting their moves.

Tally Ho!

Bag the MiG Card Deck

I was off work today as I wasn't required to go in, which meant I could have a go at putting together a basic, printer friendly card deck for Bag the MiG, based on one I designed for Bag the Hun play testing a long time ago. It's been tweaked a bit with a few customisations, replacing the Tally Ho! cards with something more appropriate, for example, but otherwise it's fairly generic. It can also be easily adapted to add extra character cards or scenario specific cards, so it's pretty flexible. 

The cards are quite large, as they were originally designed for multi player games, but they can be scaled down on a photocopier if preferred. They are designed for use with the original, first edition of Bag the Hun but will work fine with Bag the Hun 2 mechanics, apart from the use of blinds rather than bogeys. They are available to download from the Bag the Hun FB group files as a handy .pdf document. 

Algernon Pulls It Off! Club Multiplayer Game

I've been asked to put on an Algy game at a local club, which is cool, but I thought I'd run a practice one at my usual club beforehand, just in case I need to iron anything out. I'd been meaning to do this for a while but I just haven't had the time to organise anything. The plan is to umpire one of the Jasta 18 scenarios from the Lard Mag for the chaos, probably either Digger Dogfight or Biggles and the Black Ravens, the latter being the preferred option as it allows players lots of opportuniies to shoot things down. I'll get myself organised and find a suitable date next month....Tally Ho!

Bag the MiG Momentum

I've recently become a moderator on the Bag the Hun FB group, giving me the opportunity to encourage players to give the system a go. One thing I'm keen to push is Bag the MiG, partly as I've always wanted to try it out myself but also to pick up some interest on the group for something a bit different. It's a great option for me as I already have the aircraft, flight stands and hex cloth, so just need a deck of cards for it to be a solo game project this year. I'm not going to be writing any scenario content, however, as there's already a good selection available, especially if the CY6 MiG Alley book is used as a source of historical actions. I'm looking forward to some games in the not too distant future!

Spanish Civil War Plane Painting

I was going to try and mix and match some paint shades for the Spanish Civil War Republican aircraft models but found this set of base paints to experiment with instead. I've used AK paints before and found them a little thin, so you need more than one coat for effective coverage, but it will save me some time trying to work out alternatives. They should arrive fairly soon and I'm going to get started when the postie drops them off.

Spanish Civil War Republican Air Force

The 1/600th scale models for the Spanish Republican air force have now been assessed and just need magnet basing. This is the line up based on mid to late war:

12 x I-16 Mosca

9 x I-15 Chatos

6 x I-15bis Super Chato

9 x SB-2 Katyushka

3 x MB 200

1 x Polikarpov R-5 Natasha

On to the painting!