AK47 Convoy

 

I found this lot of old Matchbox and Corgi toy trucks in the local charity shop for 50p each to this afternoon. A couple of the them will end up as technicals but the rest I'll use for a UN convoy or as transport vehicles for militia units, complete with drop in passenger bases. 

There aren't any specific rules for convoys in the original AK47 rules, unlike the reloaded version where they are liability units, but I think I could come up with something, especially for a peacekeeping force where it could be a really interesting addition as a compulsory unit or even a sixth 'unarmed militia' type unit. 

Heller (Airfix) Roland CII

For the game in a couple of months, I'm building four of the old Airfix Roland CII kits, which should be a lot of fun, having built one before and really enjoyed it. The kits are actually the Heller re-issue but otherwise identical, even down to the decals and insignia, although mine will be painted as later models with green and brown camouflage on the upper surfaces. 

The kit is an easy assembly job, as there are no struts to contend with and the fuselage is a monocoque design, the only fiddly bit being the slightly fragile undercarriage which is easy to misalign. I'll also be replacing the not very detailed machine guns with some Aeroclub white metal ones that I've managed to get hold of via eBay, and swapping out the rear gunners to add some variety to the crew.

The Roland CII is a tough nut to crack for the opposition in Knights of the Sky, as it is very robust and can take a lot of damage, whilst being armed for all-round defensive fire. On the downside, it's not that fast or agile but can still hold it's own against the DH2, which will be the opposition in the scenario, if not the much more nimble Nieuport 17. I'll get cracking on the kits after the holidays.

Battle of the Bathtubs

After some discussion with the club, I've now changed the focus of the next Knights of the Sky game to late 1916. This will involve a flight of four or five Roland CII two seaters, with perhaps a couple of Albatros DII scouts as escorts, against a mix of DH2 pushers and Nieuport 17 scouts. I have the RFC and French models already but will be building the Airfix Rolands and Eastern Express Albatros models to equip the other side. This will be done after Xmas at some point, ready for the game in February. Tally Ho!

Strutters and Pups

 

The game at the club went down very well last night, so I'm planning another one for some time in the new year. After some deliberation and to fit in with the player's preferences, this will be a Spring 1917 scenario involving three RNAS Sopwith Strutter bombers, escorted by three or four Sopwith Pups, the enemy being equipped with half a dozen Albatros DIII scouts. 

This means I have some kit building to do, luckily having three or four each of the RNAS kites in the kit pile, having gathered them together over a number of years for just such an occasion. I'm really looking forward to gluing these together and painting them up. I also have three Albatros DIII models all ready to go and a couple of Sopwith Triplanes if I push the game forward to April 1917.

Knights of the Sky Game

 

The Knights of the Sky game at the club yesterday evening was great fun and I think we all enjoyed ourselves, which was the principal aim of the game. In the end, it was a draw with both sides racking up 53 points, although some creative accountancy by the Belgian contingent gave them a very marginal lead. Good fun and there will be another game sometime in early 2023, set in Spring 1917 to allow the new players some scope for kit bashing. Tally Ho.

Playing Catch-up with Capitan Prat

 

Now that the model aircraft construction project is tucked away, I can get on with the 1/2400th scale South American pre-dreadnought painting, which I've neglected for a couple of weeks. The latest addition to the project is the new Tumbling Dice model of the unique Chilean battleship, Capitan Prat, which arrived in the post a couple of days ago. It's a neat little model and really captures the look of this powerful but rather unusual warship. I'll get it assembled and based pronto!

SPAD XIII French Flight Finished

        

I've now finished the four Revell SPAD XVIII models, except for the pilot figures, with the ancient decals going on without any trouble at all, much to my surprise. I'm really chuffed that they have turned out to be not half bad for such vintage kits and I've really enjoyed building and painting them too. Hopefully, at least a couple of them will see some action in the game on Tuesday night.

A Turn Up for the Books

 

I found this in the charity shop this afternoon and, interesting though it is in its own right, it's much more than that for me, as I actually taught the author GCSE history about twenty five years ago. I'm really chuffed, excuse the pun, that she has had this published, although I can't take any credit for her doing so. A very pleasing end to a long week.

Six Weeks

This was another charity shop find the other day, an excellent account of the experience of newly minted subalterns on the Western Front. I read quite a bit of it while having a post bookshop coffee and really found it fascinating. I've had a plan on the back of the stove for some sort of WW1 project for ages, probably Through the Mud and Blood in 15mm, so this is all encouraging stuff. Very good.

Spad XIII Final Stretch

I'm now on the final stretch in building the Revell Spad XIII's, with all the sub assemblies painted and ready to glue together. I'll get this done by the end of the week so that I can add the decals, which may or may not work, especially the fin flashes which are pretty long in the tooth. If not, I'll have to mask and hand paint them instead, in addition to painting the pilot figures, which I've left until the end so that I can do them to a decent level of detail.