I've worked out that I need about eight to ten of the basic fighter types for the Khalkin Gol / Nonomhan Bag the Hun scenario project, with the obvious choice being either 1/285th - 1/300th or 1/600th. Luckily, the main fighters are readily available in both scales, with Raiden Miniatures, Heroics & Ros and Scotia Collectair filing the 1/285th - 1/300th scale gap, and Tumbling Dice or Oddzial Osmy providing the 1/600th scale models (I've included pictures of the I-16 models for comparison).
Here are the relevant codes for the Raiden Miniatures option:
RAI-RUS001 - Polikarpov I-16 (£2.50)
RAI-RUS009 - Polikarpov I-15bis (£2.95)
RAI - RUS011 - Polikarpov I-153 (£2.95)
RAI - JAP025 - Nakajima Ki-27 (£2.50)
For a considerably cheaper option, Scotia Collectair has the following:
CAR-S12 Polikarpov I-16 (£1.00)
CAR-S20 Polikarpov I-153 (£1.00) - listed as an I-15 but it's a Chaika!
CAJ-S11 Nakajima Ki-27 (£1.00)
CAJ-S19 Kawasaki Ki-31 Mary (£1.50)
CAJ-S22 Mitsubishi Ki-51 Sonia (£1.00)
A good option for a cannon armed I-16P? |
If you can find some, Leading Edge also used to have a Ki-27 in their range but it's now OOP.
The Heroics and Ros range also includes a good number of the planes you need, including an R-5:
JA108 - Nakajima Ki-27 Nate (£1.00)
JA115 - Mitsubishi Ki-15 Babs (£1.00)
JA116 - Mitsubishi Ki-51 Sonia (£1.00)
JA208 - Kawasaki Ki-32 Mary (£1.25)
JA305 - Kawasaki Ki-10 Perry (£1.50)
SA101 - Polikarpov I-16 (£1.00)
SA304 - Polikarpov R-5 (£1.00)
In 1/600th scale, Tumbling Dice has the following at a standard pack price of £2.00:
ISA336 - Polikarpov I-152 (I-15bis) x 4
ISA367 - Polikarpov I-16 x 6
ISA373 - Polikarpov I-153 x 4
ISA403 Kawasaki Type92 Ki10 x 4
ISA411 Nakajima Ki-27 x 4
If you prefer Oddzial Osmy, here are the relevant codes, at £4.00 per pack:
WSU616 Polikarpov I-16 x 8
WSU627 Polikarpov I-153 x 8
WJA607 Nakajima Ki-27 Otsu x 8
Please remember that I've omitted any of the medium bombers, as they don't feature in the scenarios I'm working on, but there are some available in both 1/300th and 1/600th scale.
I think I'll opt for 1/600th scale using the Tumbling Dice range, as it's more cost effective and has everything I need apart from a Polikarpov R-5, which I will have to convert from something similar. If I had deep pockets and plenty of time, however, the Raiden Miniatures models are very nice, with the Collectair option as a back up. The Collectair I-16 and I-153 are actually really decent models and would paint up well, so they would be my first choice in 6mm.
Thank you for taking your time to write down the detailed options you found. When I first started it took me a long time to try to search for different suppliers.
ReplyDeleteNo problem :O)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Jim - those Raiden Miniatures are lovely, but you can't beat TD 1/600 for the right balance between quality and cost
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
ReplyDelete