Nam '68

I'm thinking about getting hold of a copy of these new skirmish level rules for Vietnam, having read some positive online reviews. I'm intrigued by the use of an umpire to control the VC / NVA and to run the scenarios, my only question being how this might work as a solo system? I also like the campaign focus of the rules and the set up requirements, which look manageable and fit well with my 15mm Bohica project, which didn't quite make it onto the workbench this year. It's not cheap even as a print on demand book, so I'm going to dig a bit deeper before I order a copy. 

Post War Whirlibitds

 

The 3D printed helicopters from Lambda Gaming arrived today and, once again, I'm very impressed. I particularly like the Whirlwind as it really looks the part and is very sturdy, perfect for wargaming purposes. The Flying Banana is also really good but a bit more fragile in the tail department, so will need careful handling once assembled. The models come with stands and magnets to attach the rotor hubs, so will dismantle to pack away. I'll use the Whirlwind for the Sandbox Skirmish project, where it fits in perfectly, while the Shawnee will go to Vietnam for the Bohica project, as transport for the ARVN. Excellent!

Hello Helo

                 

I had a message from the chap who runs Lambda Gaming a while back, saying that he had added a 15mm scale Piasecki Shawnee and Westland Whirlwind to his range of 3D printed models. As I was dead impressed by the Mi-18 helicopter I bought from him via eBay, and had been after both of these types for Vietnam and Aden for years, I shot an email back to him today and put in an order for one of each. I think I've also persuaded him to make a Westland Commando and a Westland Scout, but we'll have to wait and see?

Osprey Book Bargain

 

Just like red wine and ammunition, you can never have enough Osprey Publishing titles, especially when they are spotless second-hand ones at a hefty discount, thanks to a timely combination of Black Friday sales and an eBay 10% off code. This lot fills some gaps in my WW1 collection and will give me some ideas for the 15mm Bohica project next year. A great bargain indeed!

Fire in the Streets

A new book to read for next year's Vietnam Bohica 15mm project, this one covering the Tet Offensive and the Battle for Hue. As my US platoon will be USMC, this is an ideal source of inspiration, with my ARVN platoon also having a role to play in the action. The VC or PAVN / NVA will probably be second to hit the painting table for this project after the marines,  but I'm still working out exactly what will be in the final mix, so it's very early days.

15mm Vietnam Bohica Project Vietcong

 

The NVA figures that I ordered from Peter Pig this week arrived yesterday and they are excellent, packed full of character and far better than the old ones that I've now assigned to the AK47 leadpile. I've now decided to add a couple of squads of VC to the project, as you only need a few for a decent ambush or search and destroy type scenario, so I'll have that option as well. It's just a shame the US range didn't get an overhaul at the same time. I'm also going to have a dry run at painting these figures by practicing on the Sandbox Skirmish British platoon, using a Citadel Deathguard Green spray basecoat, as I picked up a can a few weeks ago and it looks a really good match for a faded OD shade.

House To House

 

I can't remember when or where I found this second hand hard back book but it's an excellent source of inspiration for my upcoming 15mm Vietnam project. The book covers an action by a mechanised company during the so-called Mini-Tet offensive in May 1968, so not exactly what I'm doing but close enough to be useful, especially when it comes to the little details that make a scenario or game realistic. Very well written and researched too.

15mm Vietnam Bohica Project: The NVA

 

In advance of my Vietnam 15mm Bohica platoon level project next year, I've ordered a shed load of the Peter Pig NVA figures to form one-half of my forces. I already have some of the older NVA figures but the newer range is much more varied and has a lot more options, so I decided to start from scratch rather than use my existing figures, which I will repurpose with some head swaps as additional Viet Cong or use for AK47. I'm really looking forward to building, basing and painting the PAVN / NVA platoon and its supporting elements including HMG teams, mortars, snipers and sappers. It's all slated for some point in 2023 but, in the meantime, I'm going to spend the next couple of months on more naval projects, including the pre-dreadnought era Argentinian cruisers that I'm now painting.

15mm Bohica Vietnam War Project

I bought the Bohica platoon-level Vietnam War skirmish rules at Colours last month, as I'd heard good things about them and liked what I read on the FB group. The plan is to do this in 15mm using Peter Pig figures and vehicles, with Hexon terrain tiles to make things easy to set up and manage for terrain. I'll need to paint a couple of platoons, one USMC and one either VC or NVA, for which I already have some figures in the lead pile, together with some vehicles, civilians, buildings and terrain pieces. It's not a lot but at my usual slow ace it will probably take quite a while to get sorted, so I'll be spreading it out over several months rather than trying to do it all in one go. This will likely be one of the two land-based projects that I'll be tackling next year but I'm already sorting out the planning for this, so that I can get in up and running as soon as possible in 2023.

BOHICA

I had a tip off that these new rules for Vietnam skirmish to platoon level games are pretty good, so I thought I'd take a closer look. They're based on the Danger Close two-page, fast-play modern rules but with lots of additional tweaks for Vietnam. Although designed for 28mm I don't think there would be any problem using them for 15mm.