15mm Sci-Fi "Leopard 4A2" Tanks - Finished!

 A couple weeks ago I posted some photos of a platoon of "Leopard 4A2s" - Leopard 2's that I'd converted with plasticard and metal bits into armoured support for my new 15mm NAC force.

 

I have to admit that the original photos didn't really show the models off to their best advantage (in other words, they looked kind of crap) but I'm happy that the paint jobs have improved things significantly.

Since the models all came with open hatches (and a rubbery crew figure) I converted some GZG NAC figures to serve as crew. They came from pack no. A10. I simply cut them off at the waist and stuck them in the turrets - I think it worked out pretty well.  The crewman above was a kneeling figure looking through a monocular.

 "Red" here was a standing female officer holding her helmet. She looks good as a tank commander.

The chap above is using his iPad to work out a firing solution (or maybe just playing Angry Birds??)

Conscript Mike dropped off some Battlefront decals the other night so I've used some as a squadron marking.
 

 Here are the tanks together with the Siku Fuchs APCs painted by Holger. Pretty decent matchup I think.

All in all I'm reasonably please with how the project turned out. It probably didn't end up being significantly cheaper than going with "commercial" ready-made 15mm sci-fi tanks, and the conversion took a bit of work, but the end result is unique and fits the theme of the force. Look out Control Battalion!

"Such tiny, tiny ships!" - more Russo-Japanese War naval action

Last year I ran a fairly well-received Russo-Japanese War naval scenario, re-creating the Battle off Ulsan. I do enjoy playing pre-dreadnought cruiser engagements. The action is fast and furious, and you don't have to keep track of lots of big battleships, aircraft, or submarines.

I have since purchased some more 1/2400 scale Russian and Japanese ship models from Panzerschiffe. The statement quoted in the title above was made by my wife, remarking on the size of these little resin models. (That`s a Canadian quarter in the photo below.)



I got enough cruisers and gun- and torpedo-boats to recreate the Battle of Chemulpo Bay, fought on Feb. 9, 1904 near the current Incheon, Korea. At the time, the Russians had a couple of ships in Chemulpo Bay, the main port for Seoul. There was the Variag, a protected cruiser, and the Korietz, an older gunboat (pictured at the top of the page). This battle, one of the opening engagements of the war, was part of a larger strategic plan by the Japanese to inflict a pre-emptive strike against Russian assets.

The Japanese commander delivered a letter to the Russian cruiser Variag and neutral vessels, including the British cruiser Talbot, the French cruiser Pascal, the Italian cruiser Elba, and the U.S. gunboat USS Vicksburg and collier USS Pompey:

HIS IMPERIAL JAPANESE MAJESTY'S SHIP NANIWA
Chemulpo Roadstead, February 8. 1904.

Sir: I have the honor to notify you that as hostilities exist between the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Russia at present I shall attack the men-of-war of the Government of Russia, stationed at present in the port of Chemulpo, with the force under my command, in case of the refusal of the Russian senior naval officer present at Chemulpo to my demand to leave the port of Chemulpo before the noon of the 9th of February, 1904, and I respectfully request you to keep away from the scene of action in the port so that no danger from the action would come to the ship under your command. The above-mentioned attack will not take place before 4 o'clock p. m. of the 9th of February, 1904, to give time to put into practice the above-mentioned request.

If there are any transports or merchant vessels of your nationality in the port of Chemulpo at present, I request you to communicate to them the above notification.

I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant,

S. URIU

It is an interesting action, where the Variag and the Korietz fought at a marked disadvantage against a strong Japanese squadron of several cruisers and torpedo boats.

This weekend I based and labeled the ship models.



I plan on again using Coaling Stations, a fast playing game. Under these rules torpedo boats of a  division are collected together on a single base.



***

Some of the Conscripts have also expressed an interest in re-fighting the Ulsan action. That is a more balanced scenario, pitting six Japanese cruisers against three or four Russian commerce-raiding cruisers. The Japanese edge in numbers and technology is offset somewhat by the resilience and toughness of the larger Russian vessels.

Rogue Trader Support Squad

Rogue Trader 40k Imperial Guard Support Squad

This entry features some models from the distant mists of Rogue Trader 40k - an Imperial Guard "Support Squad", armed to the teeth and ready to provide covering fire to the tactical squads and assault squad of "F" Company, 122nd Cadian PDF Regiment.

Half the 10-man squad is armed with heavy weapons - serious firepower!

It has been quite some time - a year and a half or so - since I last added a unit to my Rogue Trader guardsmen.  My supply of plastic troops is a little low, so this lot is a real mixed bag - some metal figs from the early "Imperial Army" days, some metal figs from the Rogue Trader period, and a couple of plastics from the 90s.

Four lascannons and a missile launcher - a pretty serious set of weapons

The metals are a random assortment of EBay acquisitions from the past few years, kitted with some scrapings of spare bits from more recent vintage plastic Cadian boxes.  The missile launcher is a spare from the Space Marine RT plastic box.

Wounded trooper still gamely holding his weapon

I particularly like the seriously wounded guy...still clinging to his lasgun, bayonet attached, but ordered to hang back with the heavy weapons by the main officers who think he might be a liability in the assault...

"Shark" style missile launcher and RT-era lascannon (let's call it Ryza pattern or something) - I like how the fellow is checking his watch...

I had painted a few of these models like two years ago on the assumption I would do one of these squads...then I got distracted, etc. etc. I finally finished them off last night while waiting for another WW2 project to dry (more on that later).

More "Imperial Army" era metal heavy weapon troopers - I like the loose look of the flak armour

By the standards of any edition of 40k, the Support Squad is armed to the teeth - four lascannons and a missile launcher.  To make it even better, the missile launcher is equipped with frag, crack AND plasma missiles standard! Plasma missiles are like frag missiles, but they actually are pretty effective.

Some regular troopers - the one on the left is metal with plastic arms, the others are all plastic

I love these old officer with the breastplates...but some variety with the sword arm might have been nice...

And remember this was in an era where individual models could target other individual models on the 40k tabletop, so this squad can pour out quite a bit of firepower to cover the table. Watch out Orks!

Ready for action on the gaming table

This brings my Rogue Trader Imperial Guard force to about 70 models.  Not many models for a game in the current version of 40k, but a pretty large force for a Rogue Trader game.  Dallas has some new terrain he acquired recently that will make for a perfect Rogue Trader game, so I hope to get these guys on to the table before the snow arrives.

15mm StuGs (and StuH) Finished

15mm StuGs (and StuH) from Plastic Soldier Company

I finally finished the box of 15mm German WW2 StuGs from Plastic Soldier Company.  These are all "G" variant, I believe (I had incorrectly identified them as "F"s in the post on my first two).  Four of them have 75mm guns, and one (without the schurzen skirts) has the 105mm howitzer.  I think that makes it a "StuH" instead of a "StuG"? I don't know if StuG batteries commonly mixed the two types of weapon, but I wanted to have at least one howitzer vehicle just to have something a little different.

Ready for action on the Eastern Front

It's about time I got a unit of these into my collection.  As Curt has said, the silhouette of these vehicles is really nice - so sure they are going to hit you, they don't even need the turret! I know that's not the reason they were developed, but still...and after all the Germans built, what, eight or nine thousand of these vehicles? They were fairly common vehicles, and I look forward to getting them into a game where, of course, newly-painted vehicles will dominate.

Stowage detail is a litte soft, but not the end of the world

After bungling the assembly on one of the first models, I managed to finish these last three without screwing up too badly (although on one I put the drive sprocket on the inside of the track assembly instead of the outside - whoops! - cue the hobby knife and much swearing...).

Sturmhaubitze with a 105mm gun - serious direct fire support for the hard-pressed grenadiers

These PSC models are very, very nice but I am just such a curmudgeon when it come to assembling things that I still prefer Battlefront (which you still need to fiddle with, just not as much).  That's not to say you should avoid them - again, it's just me.  If you want to build up a 15mm WW2 vehicle force, PSC is a good way to go about it.  Great price and fun kits.

Rear view of the StuH

These are all painted in a two-tone yellow and green cammo pattern that I have used with most of my German WW2 armour, meant to be "late-mid-war" but really will do for any period from the summer of 1943 to the end of the war.

StuG batteries roll towards the front...or, in this case,  Kathy Reichs' latest best seller...

Up next? Random odds and ends as always, but I will offer this slight preview: winter is not too far away here on the prairies of Canada, and I'm hoping it is not too far away from the gaming table either...

Another Pico Panzerkompanie

Really small panzers on a really small parade...

My intermittent fiddling with 3mm scale WW2 models continues. Earlier this week I finished off a small group of late-model German Panzer IVs.  The figures are Oddzial Osmy, available from the excellent folks at Pico Armor.  They are based on 20mm square bases from Litko. The round base is meant to signal a command unit.

Love the stuff from Oddzial Osmy

I painted these while waiting for the basing goop to dry on my next batch of 15mm WW2 stuff.  They paint up very fast (as you can imagine) and I am continually blown away by the sculpting quality on these very small figures.  But I do find it is better to use a very loud colour to amp the contrast on the very small figures.  The yellow colour I have used here to represent the "dunklegelb" would look traffic-cone yellow on a larger model. 

Kinda blurry, but the casting detail on these tiny Mark IV-Hs is mental

Depending on the game these figures could either represent a somewhat understrength Panzer company (and were there any other kind at the point in the war where these were in action?) at 1-to-1 or a really strong battalion using Spearhead rules (where each stand is meant to represent an entire platoon - this number of platoons in action for a single Panzer battalion would not be common).

Now they just need infantry...and half tracks...and guns...and...well, on and on....

I have started to experiment with Oddzial Osmy WW2 infantry to see if I can make them look OK.  I am also trying out some other odds and ends, like the smaller armoured vehicles, recon armoured cars and Marder anti-tank guns and such. We'll see how it turns out... 

"Leopard 4A2" 15mm sci-fi tank conversion

So, every 15mm army needs armour, right? And I was looking for something different (and let's face it, cheap) for my new 15mm NAC force. The infantry already roll around in modern Fuchs APCs made by a company called Siku, who happen to make a 1/100 die cast model of the Leopard 2. Can you feel the stars aligning here? I went on eBay and found the best deal on the Siku Leopards (turned out to be from a German seller on ebay.de, 8 euro each plus 9 more for postage) and a couple weeks later, they arrive.

...and after judicious application of wire antennae, plasticard bits and random metal junk, here they are.

The canisters on the turret side and the other metal bits are from Rebel Miniatures.

The greeblies on the hull rear match those on the APCs. Anti-personnel mines maybe?

I cut plasticard strips, then scored them with v-shaped cuts. The idea was to suggest some futuristic kind of explosive reactive armour or suchlike. Plus it breaks up the recognizable "Leopard" silhouette a bit.

Here it is with some figures. The Leopard model scales out at exactly 1/100 so is at least notionally suitable for the figures. I'll be basing the tanks to match the APCs so the completed model will be a bit taller.

Stay tuned for further painting updates!

2013-14 40K Beer League – Chapter 1: The Arrival

The entire Ork Empire of Octarius has been nearly consumed by the countless waves of Tyranids that have descended since the Hive Fleet’s arrival. The outer planets of the Empire have been reduced to barren wastelands devoid of any life; every morsel of Ork organics annihilated down to the last spore. The war has pushed closer and closer to the capitol region where the Orks have formed their last stand while the tendrils of the alien invasion grow stronger.

Then there was the day a warp storm appeared along the outer rim of the Empire. Alongside the storm, a massive fleet of Imperial Space Marines emerged with their sights set on the extermination of all Xenos in the Sector. The Orks and Tyranids turned their attention to this new enemy and began to mobilize their forces to make sure the fleet would not get any further into the Empire. After all, if the Space Marines made it to the Octarius War battlefront, both the Ork and Tyranid forces would be eliminated. But as the Xenos approached the outer rim to meet the Angels of Death, two more enemies appeared. With the arrival of all these forces, the planets along the outer rim of Octarius became host to new battlefronts and what would become a massive war.

Last week I played my first game of the new season of the Winnipeg Warhammer 40K Beer League.

Host: DaveV (me)
I fielded the following semi-mechanized Eldar force, "Asurmen's Academy" (1000 points):

• HQ - Spiritseer (“Speaker for the Dead”); Warlord Trait = The Dust of a Thousand Worlds
• Troops - 5 Wraithguard; Wave Serpent transport (Holo-fields; TL- Scatter Lasers)
• Troops - 5 Dire Avengers; Wave Serpent (Holo-fields; TL- Scatter Lasers)
• Troops - 5 Dire Avengers; Wave Serpent (Holo-fields; TL- Bright Lances)
• Fast Attack - 5 Warp Spiders
• Heavy Support - Night Spinner artillery tank (Crystal Targeting Matrix)

Guest: JordanN
Jordan fielded a strong Chaos Space Marines force, the "Cult of Eternal Word" (999 points):

• HQ - Sorcerer; plasma pistol; Sigil of Corruption; Psyker (Mastery Level 3); Veterans of the Long War
• HQ - Warpsmith
• Elites - 8 Chosen; Power Maul; power axe; power fist; Veterans of the Long War; Chaos Rhino (dirge caster)
• Troops - 10 Chaos Cultists: Cultist Champion (shotgun); 8× autogun; heavy stubber
• Troops - 5 Chaos Space Marines: melta bombs; flamer; Chaos Rhino
• Troops - 10 Chaos Space Marines: Aspiring Champion (melta bombs); Lightning Claw; 7× close combat weapon; 2 x meltagun; Chaos Rhino
• Heavy Support - 1 Obliterator: Mark of Nurgle; Veterans of the Long War

Beer (we started by splitting La Fin du Monde):



From the briefing package:

THE GAME
This is a 1000 point game for two players. Both players will add units to their Cores until they form a 1000 point army list that follows the standard rules for Force Organization.

In this game, the different Factions are attempting to establish a position on the battlefront while discovering that the former battlefields from the War of Octarius are littered with non-organic resources that were ignored by Tyranid harvesting.

THE BATTLEFIELD
This game is intended for 4’ x 4’ table. Terrain suggestions include rocky pieces, craters, debris, and anything that looks like a former battle scene on a barren, lifeless planet.

Divide the table into four quarters. Players must then alternate placing markers until a total of six markers have been placed. A marker must be placed in each quarter, then the two remaining markers placed where the players wish, ensuring that no quarter contains more than two markers. The markers must be placed a minimum of 6” from a table edge and 9” from another marker. Note that these markers are not objectives, they are Resource Markers.

Once the markers have been placed, players will roll off to determine sides using the Dawn of War Deployment Map as described on page 119 of the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook.

DEPLOYMENT
Players deploy as on page 121 of the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook. No models may be placed within 1” of a Resource Marker.

FIRST TURN
The player who deployed his army first goes first unless his opponent can Seize the Initiative (page 122).

GAME LENGTH
This Mission uses Variable Game Length (page 122).

VICTORY CONDITIONS
At the end of the game, the player who controls more table quarters wins the game. If players control the same number of table quarters, the game is a draw. A player controls a table quarter by having at least one scoring unit completely within the boundaries of a quarter, and no enemy denial units completely in that same quarter. To be completely within a quarter, a unit must have all of its bases fully within the quarter boundaries.

However, if one player concedes the battle or his entire army is wiped out, the game ends and his opponent is awarded a victory. Likewise, if at the end of any game, one player has no models on the battlefield, his opponent automatically wins.

Note that Faction Point and Resource Point accumulation is independent of the Victory Conditions. The criteria for accumulating these points do not fall within the definition of ‘Controlling Objectives’.

FACTION POINTS
At the end of the game, players will earn 1 FP for each of their scoring or denial units with at least one model in their enemy’s deployment zone.

RESOURCE POINTS
Throughout the game, players will earn 3 RP for each Resource Marker they collect. A player can collect a Resource Marker by having a model from one of their scoring or denial units end its movement in base contact with the marker during their Movement Phase. Once a Resource Marker has been collected, it is removed from the table.

***

Reading the above, it rapidly became clear that the Victory Conditions, Resource Points and Faction Points are unrelated to each other. One could obtain all the available RPs or FPs and still lose the game.

Jordan won the roll for table sides. He chose the northern table edge. I won the roll to choose whether to go first or second. I chose to go second.

Jordan hid the Cultists and Obliterator behind the shipping containers to the northwest, and deployed the Warpsmith in a Rhino with 5 Marines between the containers and the junk yard. The other two units could infiltrate. In response, I set up everything in a loose line, anchoring the left flank with the Night Spinner. I was hoping to push back the infiltrators' deployment the full 18 inches away, and to the west. I would probably lose the Night Spinner early, but I planned to push everything into the northeast table quarter, and try to gain max Faction Points for the Craftworld Eldar faction. In retrospect, this use of the Night Spinner as a target was an error. The Wave Serpents are very resilient, and I think I could have left the Night Spinner in reserve, counting on my transports' Serpent Shields and Holo-fields to keep them alive for the first turn.

Below you can see the situation just before the game's start, looking north. The two infiltrating Rhinos were indeed deployed to the west. The Sorcerer was deployed to the far west, with the Chosen. Various 40mm round counters can be seen scattered about; these were the Resource Markers.



The Chaos forces made a general advance, seizing Resource Markers as they went. The Sorcerer used the Puppet Master psychic power to make my Night Spinner use its Torrent on a couple of my other tanks; luckily, no damage. The Obliterator managed a lucky lascannon shot and blew it up, hence the "Destroyed - Explodes" marker below.



The Eldar moved off to the northeast. Their fire destroyed the Warpsmith's Rhino APC, forcing the infantry to disembark.



The two remaining Chaos Rhinos moved east to engage my forces, rather than to try for table quarters. Jordan's list was designed to kill things. They immobilized the Bright Lance Wave Serpent. The Spiritseer and some Dire Avengers disembarked to get close to the Wraithguard.



The Sorcerer tried to use Puppet Master on the Warp Spiders, but they managed to shrug off the power, making their 1 in 6 odds "Deny the Witch" save.



A close range firefight ensued. Most of a disembarked  Dire Avenger squad and a Chaos Marine squad went down. The Spiritseer attached herself to the Wraithguard. The Eldar shot into the Warpsmith's squad, but they rolled hot cover saves, leaving most of them alive. The Chaos Marines then assaulted the immobilized Eldar tank, destroying it with grenades.



The Chaos forces concentrated flamer and gun fire onto the Wraithguard. I rolled a bunch of "1's" for armour saves, losing the last blue armoured Avenger and three(!) Wraithguard. At this point I figured the game was lost. However, it's not over until it's over!

The surviving Wraithguard and the Spiritseer kept moving north, to gain the Chaos deployment zone and try and score some Faction Points. Mass fire wiped out the Warpsmith and his squad.

The Chaos Sorcerer and the Chosen moved off in different directions. The Chosen moved east to engage the Wraithguard, while the Sorcerer moved south to join the much reduced Marine Squad, to bolster their strength. This may have been an error. Focused fire from the other Avenger squad (who had dismounted to the south) and the Warp Spiders wiped out the Sorcerer and his ersatz unit. Other fire reduced the Chosen down to four men.

In the photo below, the Cultists can be seen in the distance running south, to take the southwest table quarter. The elf spear man figure below is a marker representing the Psychic power Conceal, which the Spiritseer cast to help protect her unit.



At this point we were tied, 1 table quarter each with one contested. We rolled for game's end, but we got another turn.

The remaining Chosen needed to roll a "10", on the lowest 2 of 3 dice (due to bad going) to get into contact with the Spiritseer's unit. They rolled exactly a "10", and subsequently wiped out my Core with Power Axe and Power Fist. The two remaining Rhinos reduced my last Dire Avenger unit down to 3 men. In return, the sole remaining Warp Spider moved into the southwest quarter to contest it, and Eldar tank fire broke the Cultists, who ran back north.



The Eldar were now winning by one table quarter. We rolled again for random game length, and we  were forced to play a 7th and final turn.

The Cultists rallied and shot the last Warp Spider down. The Chosen destroyed the northernmost Eldar tank in close combat. The Obliterator moved, but could not quite reach the southeast table quarter to contest it. In the last three turns, the Obliterator (BS4) missed with its shooting, every time. The Rhinos failed to tank shock, or to even wound the Dire Avengers with their bolters.

The last Eldar tank moved up to the Cultists, and fired everything it had (Scatter Lasers, Shuriken Catapults, and Energy Shield); IIRC it inflicted 10 or 11 wounds on the 4 hapless Cultists, who were swept away, despite going to ground...



Below shows the final positions of our respective forces. All the Eldar had left on the table were 3 Dire Avengers and a single tank. The Chaos forces consisted of 4 Chosen, the Obliterator, and two Chaos Rhinos (which cannot contest table quarters).




Result: Eldar Win

Chaos Space Marine Table Quarters: 0
Eldar Table Quarters: 1

Chaos Space Marine RP's: 12
Eldar RP's: 3

Chaos Space Marine FP's: 0
Eldar FP's: 0


It was a tense, close game, full of outlier die rolls. Once my initial plan was ruined, it was a challenge to try and salvage something. The firepower of the Wave Serpent is awesome; you just have to try and pick the right times to fire off their energy shield, otherwise they may be left too vulnerable to return fire.

Thanks again to Jordan for such a fun game!