Bulldogs Away! Relaunched

With the demise of A&A Game Engineering due to retirement, David Manley of Long Face Games has begun the process of moving his titles over to Wargame Vault under the LFG label. The first title to make the move is the modern fast attack, littoral warfare set aptly named Bulldogs Away!. I have always wanted to try these out and even painted up some of the old Skytrex 1/600th scale models for a fictitious 1970's African solo campaign, but was never that happy with the range and distance disparity in this scale. 

David has some 1/1200th scale 3D print STL's coming out soon, the old North Head Miniatures range, which has a better scale to range ratio, but I think I will have another crack at this in 1/3000th. I have some Navwar FAC's that would be ideal and plenty of larger warships and 'targets' that would be useful, with some sort of South American twist to tie in with my existing Chilean and Chinese modern fleets. This is a project for later in the year but a good one for a rainy weekend, so perhaps sooner than I planned, as David unexpectedly sent me a free copy of the rules today! What a splendid chap!

2022...Where did that go?

 

Well that was a bit of a damp squib in wargaming terms, although I did achieve some of the things I set out to do this time last year. On the plus side, I completed two 2mm armies for Strength and Honour - Parthians and Imperial Romans, two 1/700th scale modern FAC flotillas for an imaginations naval project using Bulldogs Away!, both the Argentinian and British air forces in 1/600th for Flames Above the Falklands, four 1/72nd scale Spad XIII scouts and four Fokker Dr1 triplanes for Knights of the Sky, a Chilean pre-dreadnought squadron in 1/2400th for Broadside and Salvo and last but not least an early war Italian naval task force in 1/3000th scale for Find, Fix and Strike. 

On the downside, I got within spitting distance of completing the RFC and German aircraft in 1/600th scale for both Algernon Pulls It Off and Duel of Aces, bit didn't get round to adding the decals, so a job not done. I also dismally failed to get my Finest Hour campaign off the ground, again in 1/600th scale, despite preparing lots of 1/600th scale planes and doing all the background paperwork. The Argentinian pre-dreadnoughts and the American fleet are still in drydock or sitting on the workbench too. I also failed to do quite a lot of the other things on my 'to do' list, getting side tracked off in different directions on several occasions.

In terms of games, it's also been a bit of a non-starter, with hardly any trips to the local club and only a few solo games at home. I did play a solo game of AK47, several ironclad games with Dahlgren and Columbiad, Broadside and Ram or Dawn of Iron, one or two games of Wings at War MiG Alley and a small handful of club games including Cruel Seas and Knights of the Sky, but otherwise its been a bit of a poor show. I didn't even use any of my newly painted forces, not even once! One thing I did do, however, is devise and play a series of really enjoyable counter-factual 1939 naval games between my Italian and French fleets over the summer holidays, which I really enjoyed. 

Perhaps one consolation for this non-event of a year has been setting up two pretty successful and popular Facebook groups, one for AK47 and the other for Wings at War. These have really taken off and I am now able to take a 'hands off' approach to both groups, as they seem to run themselves after a few minor speed bumps. In some ways, I am reticent about Facebook as a focus for wargaming, as it seems to dominate everything these days, squeezing out blogs and websites to the detriment of the hobby, as far as I am concerned. It just can't be ignored, however hard I've tried in the past to distance myself from it, so if you can't beat them I guess you just have to join in?

So, its on to 2023! I hope it's a more productive and enjoyable year?

Bulldogs Away! Finished

I finished painting the Israeli / French missile boats and the RN Leander class frigate this morning so, with the exception of the aircraft, this project is a wrap. I have enough FAC's for both sides in my imaginary South American conflict and can use the 1/600th scale planes from my Alto Cenepa project as a stop gap, so I am ready to run a game as soon as I can find some time. I've enjoyed painting these Skytrex models, not that they are the best in terms of casting quality or detail, but I'm ready to move on to the next thing, the One Hour Skirmish Wargames Sudan War project. The Bulldogs are Away! 

Half Down, Half to Go

It's now June so time for a review of the progress (or lack of it) so far. I've not done too badly over the last six months and have completed one project from my 'to do' list - the Strength and Honour Roman and Parthian armies - although have yet to try out the actual rules. A second project - the Battle of Britain Bag the Hun Finest Hour campaign - has stalled a bit, but I have painted up the fighters for both sides and only need to add the decals to be ready to play a game or two. 

I've changed one of the other projects on the list, the Ancient Naval one has been scuppered, but have replaced it with a  new one - Bulldogs Away! - which is almost complete and ready to go. A couple of new projects have also been added to the list, most recently the One Hour Skirmish colonial thing, but that's eminently manageable and not a major diversion. I've also sold off a load of 28mm stuff on eBay to clear the decks a bit and have only bought a limited amount of stuff over the last six months, trying to keep the lead pile in check. 

I've not played many games and have pretty much given up going to the local club for various reasons, so will aim to address that over the summer with some solo campaign games, no doubt with a naval and skirmish focus. I've also set up the AK47 Facebook group which has proved to be far more popular than I thought, in the space of only one month gaining 289 members, so a successful initiative as long as the momentum lasts. Not bad and there's still six months to go!

Bulldogs Away! Blocking In

 

It's slow going with the Israeli / French flotilla and the RN Leander, mainly due to other half term holiday distractions like fixing stuff and doing DIY jobs. The blocking in has almost been completed, however, with just some detailing on the masts to do before I can start on the pin washing. 

Bulldogs Away! Basecoating

 

I've made some decent progress with the Israeli / French missile boats and the RN Leander frigate today, with the base coating pretty much completed apart from the matt black. I'll sort that out tomorrow, then tidy everything up before adding some pin washes and highlights, as well as painting in the details. 

Bulldogs Away! Fletcher DD Modernised

 

I have an old Tamiya 1/700th scale kit of a Fletcher class destroyer that I'm thinking of kit bashing into a modernised version for use as a target in Bulldogs Away! This wouldn't be the full FRAM upgrade but some minor surgery to create something akin to the ex-US destroyers acquired by various South American navies in the 1960's, some of which have been in service until relatively recently. This also means I may well re-locate my project to Central or South America, where there is plenty of scope for FAC actions to take place in an 'imaginations' context. 

Bulldogs Away! French / Israeli FAC Flotilla

Chilean Sa'ar 4

 

I've decided to crack ahead with the second half of the Bulldogs Away! project, as there's nothing worse than a job half done. I have a flotilla of four Israeli Fast Attack Craft assembled, based and undercoated - two Sa'ar 3's, one Sa'ar 4 Reshef and one Sa'ar 4.5 Aliya - which in my games will represent licenced built boats supplied and equipped by the French government to an imaginary East African nation. In other games, they will double up as South American boats, again from a fictitious country not unlike Chile or Ecuador, although that's all a bit sketchy. 

Soviet Backed FAC's Finished

 

I finished the Soviet equipped flotilla for Bulldogs Away! yesterday, so that's half the project wrapped up bar the aircraft. I tried out a new approach to the sea bases but they've ended up looking a bit too blue, so they may well get repainted at some point later on. I can never seem to get the right colour for the bases for some reason, despite lots of trial and error experimentation. I'm taking a short break from this project now but will be back to get the other half sorted soon. 

3D Printed Leander

 

The 3D printed model of HMS Apollo arrived today and it is absolutely brilliant! The model is crisp and has no discernible lines or rough edges, with only the supports to remove before I can wash it and undercoat it for painting. The print maker also bunged in a couple of free Westland Wasps, which was very nice of him, so I have some ASW capability. Highly recommended! 

Romeo Class Sub

 

I have also based and started to paint a 1/700th scale Hobbyboss Type 033 Romeo class submarine, which I had already cut down to the waterline. This won't play an active role in games, as there are no rules for submersibles, but will be an ideal scenario hook, perhaps running aground or breaking down while in enemy waters, which has happened before to Soviet Romeos in the Baltic. It's a really nice model too!

Leander!

 

I have a real soft spot for 1960's Royal Navy warships, specifically the Type 12 Leander, Type 41 and Type 61 frigates, which I remember from Navy Days in Devonport in the mid-70's when I was a nipper.

thedorsetprintman on eBay

I found a trader on eBay who makes 3D printed models in 1/700th scale of RN warships including an early version in HMS Apollo, so have bought one as a heavy weight addition to the French / Israeli backed flotilla or as a Royal Navy warship in a peacekeeping or interventionist role. 

It wasn't cheap but a good price compared to the less robust resin or metal alternative. It will be great as an asset and as a hook for scenarios, perhaps as an RN warship sent to patrol offshore when the conflict kicks off, ending up as a potential target for one side or the other?

Bulldogs Away! Soviet FAC Painting

 

I've now painted the Soviet equipped flotilla of Fast Attack Craft, ready for the bases to be painted over the next couple of days. They came out alright in the end and should look a bit more ship shape once the bases are finished. After these boats have been sorted, I'm going to tackle the French / Israeli forces, then move onto the aircraft, which I've now magnet based and undercoated. 

Bulldogs Away 2nd Edition

 

I spent my pocket money this week on a pdf copy of the second edition of Bulldogs Away! from A and A Game Engineering, as it was about time I upgraded from my dog eared old copy of the original rules. The main difference between them is in the initiative system and in the expanded explanatory section, which outline how the game plays using an example and diagrams to run through the mechanics for detection and firing, which will be very useful. It does mean that I have to re-read the rules again to get a grip on things but a lot of it hasn't changes so I'm sure I can work it out. I'm hoping to play a first game at the end of the month.

Bulldogs Away! Air Strike Assets

As you would expect, the two sides in my 'What If?' modern coastal forces littoral warfare project have some air support and air strike capabilities, one Soviet backed and the other supplied by France. The French aircraft are Sepecat Jaguars, four of which will operate in the maritime strike role, while top cover is provided by two Mirage 2000. The Soviet backed force will consist of four Su-17/22 fighter bombers in the strike role, with two Su-25 ground attack jets to back them up. 

I would usually dip into my big box of Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale models for these but I actually have some of the excellent Oddzial Ozmy 1/600th scale range to cover what I need, the models being closer to 1/700th scale visually and otherwise surplus to requirements. The rules have aircraft operating at three different levels of altitude, so I will magnet base the models and make some flight stands to match. I'm going to get them sorted at the weekend.

Bulldogs Away! French Backed FAC's

Here's the other half of the African imagi-nations Bulldogs Away! project, a flotilla of Israeli FAC (M) boats, modified to a slightly different spec than the real things. There are two Sa'ar 3 boats, which I've assembled from two Sa'ar 2 models, a Reshef straight out of the box, and an Aliyah with its lateral Harpoon launchers replaced by fixed Gabriel missile pods. These will all be renamed with suitable titles, probably in Zulu or Bantu, depending on what I eventually develop as the background narrative.

The idea behind this is that the as yet unnamed South East African country that commissioned these boats, had them built under licence by a Cherbourg boat yard, having all of their military kit supplied by the French. The Israelis obliged but on the understanding that the weapons fit would be of Israeli manufacture or licence built locally, so Gabriel missiles rather than Harpoons, the US having imposed an arms embargo on the the country for some inexplicable reason (probably to do with the French!)

Bulldogs Away! Soviet Backed Boats Based

 

The Skytrex FAC's are now texture based and undercoated for painting, which I'm hoping to get started on tomorrow. I've also sorted out the Israeli boats for the opposition, from a mixed lot I bought on eBay years ago. No two of these were the same, so I've done some modifications to the armament to make modified versions of the standard types. This includes removing the 40mm gun mounts and replacing them with 76mm guns, stripping put the Harpoon launchers on a couple of models and replacing them with single Gabriel pods, then filling in some of the holes where weapons mounts won't be needed. It will be a bit different but not unrealistic for an imagi-nations African flotilla. 

African Bulldogs Away!

 

I was looking for something quick and fun to do while I wait for my Royal Navy pre-dreadnoughts to arrive, so pulled out these Skytrex Soviet FAC's that I'd assembled last year and glued them down to some textured bases. These will be the core of a force for an imaginary 1970's East African Soviet backed nation, something like Malawi, Tanganyika or Mozambique, with the action taking place either off shore or on one of the Great Lakes, for which I'll also have to come up with a suitable name and location. It's been a while but this is the original idea:

Jim's Wargames Workbench: Bulldogs Away! (jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com)

The boats themselves will all be named in Swahili after the local fauna. The rules I'll use for this project are David Manley's Bulldogs Away! although they may be re-named Warthogs Away! or even Hippos Away!, depending on the colloquial name I decide to give the SS-N-2 Styx missiles that the Osa's and Komars are equipped with. It'll tie in nicely with my other African naval project later in the year too, Steamer Wars on Lake Tanganyika in WW1. A bit different but why not?!

Tally Ho! Here We Go!

 

As 2021 slips away here are my new and renewed projects for 2022....some of which might even get finished!? I won't be tackling all of these, it's more of a pick and mix smorgasbord of things that I can dip into as I go along.

AIR

Bag the Hun - Finest Hour solo campaign (1/600th scale) 

Algernon Pulls It Off - WW1 (1/600th scale)*

Wings at War - Khalkhin Gol Rules Writing (1/600th scale)

Wings at War - Flames Above the Falklands (1/600th scale)

NAVAL

Steamer Wars - WW1 Lake Tanganyika / Rufiji Delta (1/600th scale)

Find, Fix and Strike - Italian Fleet / British or German Fleet (1/3000th)

Bulldogs Away! - Cold War Imagi-nations Fast Attack Coastal Warfare (1/700th)

Grand Fleet Actions in the Age of Sail - Napoleonic French Fleet (1/2400th)

Broadside and Salvo - French and British Pre-Dreadnoughts (1/2400th)

LAND

Strength and Honour - Imperial Roman / Parthians (2mm)

No End in Sight - Sandbox Skirmish Post Colonial Patrols (15mm)

One Hour Skirmish / The Men Who Would Be Kings - Sudan British / Zulu War (28mm)

* added halfway through the year when I decided to would be fun!

Bulldogs Away! AK47 Mash Up

I have had a closer look at my stash of 1/700 Soviet models for Bulldogs Away! and have also located the other half of the set up, a selection of Skytrex Israeli FAC's. These are a mixed lot of a couple of Saar 2's, a Saar 3, a Reshef, a Romat and an Aliyah, so I may do a bit of swapping of parts to make at least three identical boats plus a flotilla leader. As it's an 'imaginations' project I am able to play around with the weapons fit too. I'm thinking of making the Soviet equipped force a Swahili speaking nation a bit like Malawi or Tanzania, while the Israeli equipped force would be an Afrikaans or even Zulu speaking country, so that I can give the boats suitably African names. It's all very much in an AK47 style, so I may even use my existing nations of Mbote and Nbuto, who knows?