KR Multicase

I was given one of these 200 x 28mm figure capacity cases for my birthday but have been wondering ever since then exactly what to use it for?

The obvious idea would be to put all of my 28mm skirmish figures in one place using a tray each for the cowboys, gladiators, pirates, Normans and lost world explorers. The only problem with this is that the mounted figures wouldn't fit unless I buy a deep tray just for them in place of two shallow ones. This would set me back about ten quid, so it's not an ideal solution. I could also use them to store my unpainted but fully based figures for Darkest Africa, which would avoid the need for any cavalry sized foam trays.

The other idea is to use the case for 15mm  or 10mm multiple base figures, possibly the IABSM late war US force that I am putting together, cutting up some of the trays so that they can take tanks, half tracks and other vehicles. This wouldn't be ideal but I'm reluctant to splash out on any new foam trays if I can just use the ones provided. In the meantime, I will see if I can do some swapping around with the trays in my other cases to make this case more practical.

MiG Alley NKAF Part Two

I've had a bit of a re-think and have decided to tackle the North Korean bombers and remaining piston engine fighters over the next week or so, rather than the B29's which I will leave until I've worked out how to go about painting them. The next instalment of the project, once I've sorted the decals on the last lot, will be six Tu-2's, twelve La-11's, twelve Il-10's and possibly a half dozen Yak-9's. This will really bulk out the NKAF so that I can run a variety of scenarios for both MiG Alley and Bag the MiG.

Target Locked On!: Alto Cenepa War

I was rooting around in my workbench drawer when I found the metal tin containing the 1/600th scale Peruvian Air Force planes that I started painting several years ago for use with Air War:C21. I'm not sure where the Ecuadorian Air Force has been stashed but I'll have to try and find that too. I quite fancy finishing these off, now that I have had some painting practice with the Korean War and Flashpoint: Taiwan planes, this time for Target Locked On! They shouldn't take too long either as the camouflage has been completed, leaving the lower fuselage, stores and canopies to be finished off. It will make a nice little project for a weekend!

Mark Styling's B29's of the Korean War

I've been doing some research on possible markings and insignia for the Tumbling Dice 1/600th B29's when I re-discovered this amazing series of nose art and side view profiles. The various schemes are all great but I particularly like the 'Atomic Tom' of the 30thBS/19thBG c1950, although how I'd go about replicating that in 1/600th scale I have no idea. I do have some non-scale specific and generic nose art decals from I-94 which I could use to add some colour to the bombers, assuming they will actually fit in the limited space on the models. It's worth a go!

http://www.markstyling.com/b29s_korea_1.htm

Flashpoint Taiwan Xian H-6 / Tu-16 Badger A

I added a trio of these onto my Tumbling Dice order at the weekend, as I thought they would make a great addition to my PLAAF force for the Target Locked On! Flashpoint: Taiwan project. They are pretty hefty models and will look really good once I've assembled and painted them, even if I will need to scratch build some pretty substantial flight stands to stop them toppling over or tipping off. I think they will be a lot of fun to paint up and, if they look good I will get a few more for strategic strikes against Chinese Nationalists targets.

Flashpoint Baltic Sitrep

It's been a long while since I last thought about the Target Locked On Flashpoint Baltic modern 'what if?' project but today I found out that Fighting 15's will no longer be stocking the Oddzial Ozmy 1/600th scale range. This is no cause for alarm, as Magister Militum have taken over the range in the UK but it does offer an opportunity for me to add the latest models to the project for a discount price of £2.50 per pack, assuming they are still in stock.

I am going to order some SU-30's, SU-33's and SU-34's, none of which were available last year when I began the project, leaving the Russians a bit thin on the ground and in the air compared to the NATO contingent. I also hope to add some F-22 Raptors and F-35A Lightning II's, to bring things slap bang up to date, as well as another pack each of the ubiquitous Eurofighter Typhoons and F-16's. This should be more then enough to equip both the goodies and the baddies, depending upon your point of view!

MiG Alley B29's

You can't have some shiny new MiG-15's without some shiny old B29's to shoot down, so I am now almost ready to get started on the bombers for the USAF. I have assembled eight B29 Superfortresses and six A26 Invaders for the bomber element of the MiG Alley and Bag the MiG project, although I may add some more of the light bombers before I start on the painting. I need to get the decals done on the NKAF aircraft first though, so the bombers will have wait a little bit longer.

MiG Alley MiG-15's

I've finished the blocking in on the Tumbling Dice MiG-15's, La-5FN's and the extra USAF aircraft, so now only need a bit of black lining before I can seal the paintwork and start on the decals. The canopies on the MiG-15's aren't great due to the strange design of the canopy bars and my dodgy brushwork, but otherwise they look alright and will have to do. I should get started on the decals this afternoon if I can find the time but things are looking a bit busy later on so it may have to wait to later in the week?

Red Devils Over the Yalu

This is interesting. A Russian perspective on the air war over North Korea, with a definite slant towards the Soviet view of the conflict, which clearly emphasizes the success of pilots flying the MiG 15 against US and Commonwealth forces. At times this gets a bit too biased in favour of the Soviets over the Americans and, in particular, the Australians but there is a good deal of valid argument to underpin the less outlandish claims made by the author. It would certainly be fair to say that the combat kill/loss ratios claimed by the USAF were not as one-sided as thought at the time, although the Russians definitely didn't have it all their way either. It's worth a read either way and dirt cheap in digital format, at less than the price of a ready made sandwich.

MiG Alley Franks, Fangs and Fritzs

I have already almost finished six Tumbling Dice La-5 Fritz radial engine fighters for the NKAF but wanted to add some La-11's Fangs as well, so have ordered some La-9 lookalikes today to make up the numbers. These were not in the TD range when I set up the project but have now appeared, so I can use them to supplement the La-5's, which weren't actually flown by either the Chinese or North Koreans (they are, however, really neat little models, so I'm going to use them anyway). I also have some of the ubiquitous Yak-9D Franks, which I will add to the painting 'to do' list once I've worked out how to glue the tiddly magnets onto them! In the meantime, I plan to crack on and finish the planes I started painting this week over the coming weekend.