I was walking the dog this morning and passed the local charity shop, popping in while the dog took a breather in the shade. Here's the result, a couple of aviation themed additions to the holiday reading list. I think I've read Tail End Charlies before but there's no harm in reading it again, while the history of the Israeli Air Force is a new one to me. Good finds both!
That seems to work. A laser cut 120mm x 40mm base with 30mm panel pin flight stands and a 7mm dice frame for altitude. I just need to undercoat and spray paint it in a suitable shade of sky blue and add an ID label on the rear edge. I'm going to have to rethink the size of the grid squares, however, as 150cm is way too small.
I'm going to use my tried and tested panel pin and magnet method when basing the squadrons for Fire in the Sky.
The fighters will be based on 3mm thick MDF bases in finger four formation, each base being 120mm x 40mm, while the bombers will be based in formations of six on 3mm x 150mm squares. I couldn't fit mine bombers onto this size base but I think six looks fine and does create the impression of a bomber box.
I'm not going to use different length panel pins for altitude but will stick a dice frame on each base instead, so that the three levels can be identified by turning the dice to one, two or three dots. I did think about using a custom token for this but dice are a good way to keep it simple.
I'll aim to get a prototype assembled and painted over the weekend.
I've taken some sound advice on board and have switched from painting to a little bit of basing up, in this case some P-47 Thunderbolts for Fire in the Sky, a whole squadron no less, which is the common tactical unit in the rules. These were easy to clean up and magnet base and will hopefully be fun to paint up, when I get some time.
I'm kicking off my summer project next month with an initial squadron of P47B 'Razorback' Thunderbolts, from the excellent Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale Vapour Trails range. The idea is to use these as a template for the rest of the USAAF squadrons for paint shades. I've also knocked together a new painting jig for the purpose while I was sorting out the models. In the meantime, I'll be getting on with the Napoleonic naval painting, which I've had to neglect for a few days due to the dreaded DIY jobs I've been lumped with over the half term holiday.
I did a stock check of the 1/600th lead pile of aeronautical shame today, with Fire in the Sky in mind. The balance sheet rev.ealed that I have a very good starting point for a new Summer holiday project, so I've decided to bite the bullet and go for it. The downside is that I've had to wipe out any terrestrial wargaming projects for this year in order to make way for a second air wargaming one, with the remaining stuff being very much all at sea.
I downloaded a copy of Fire in the Sky yesterday, having watched the YouTube videos and some excellent games played on the Storm of Steel FB group pages:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/9ssUJQCQKrHj3TK8/
I've been looking for something like this for years, a set of rules that uses formations rather than individual aircraft, very much like Bag the Hun but without the detail or buckets of dice, so I was encouraged by the things I've seen so far online.
On first impressions, this system looks really good for a number of reasons, specifically the use of formations, the swift resolution of movement and combat, and the clear focus on historical tactics. I like the multiple basing and use of a grid, as well as the way that aircraft types are given performance ratings that reflect their particular quirks. I also like the way that altitude is represented and reckon my tried and tested panel pin, MDF and magnet method of cheapo basing would work well and keep costs to a minimum.
On the downside, the number of models required is pretty hefty, with most of the scenarios and the campaign using upwards of three or four squadrons a side, as well as bomber formations of three squadrons. As each squadron can consist of up to three flights of four aircraft, each one would need two packs of Tumbling Dice models for starters. So even my crap maths makes a typical game total upwards of fifty to sixty models for the USAAF and perhaps forty or so for the Luftwaffe. That's an awful lot of painting even if I already have quite a lot of the models in the 'I'll do that one day' box.
I need to give this some more thought but I do like the system and think it could be a new direction in which to take my air wargaming. I think it would also go down well as a club game, especially for those players for whom Bag the Hun is too restrictive and Wings at War too crunchy or confusing. It's also got potential for other theatres like the Pacific and the Battle of Britain, which I believe are planned by the author for later editions?
This looks really interesting...
Fire in the Sky is a set of wargame rules designed to simulate large-scale air combat in WW2. Unlike many sets that have already been written, Fire in the Sky does not attempt to put players in the seat of the individual pilot’s cockpit, flying maneuvers or managing ammunition. Instead, this game aims to let players feel like a squadron or flight commander, commanding dozens of planes at once.
Fire in the Sky eschews nuts and bolts simulation, plotting flight paths, or tracking fuel to produce a game which can capture actions that involve a large number of aircraft, like Adlertag (“Eagle Day”) during the Battle of Britain, the dramatic “Big Week” operations of the US Army Eighth Air Force, or the airstrikes carried out against the Kidō Butai during the Battle of Midway.
Fire in the Sky Volume 1: Big Week is the first book for Fire in the Sky. It contains the game’s core rules, a special Action Chart with the planes used in early 1944 for Operation Argument, the allied offensive known as “Big Week,” and a set of scenarios allowing you to relive the action in the skies above Germany. Additionally, Volume 1: Big Week contains a special campaign generator, Target For Today, which will allow you to create endlessly replayable scenarios involving the 8th Air Force.
