Acrylic Flight Stands for Target Locked On!

I was having a chat with a fellow air wargamer at the Lard Day event last weekend about flight stands for 1/600th scale aircraft. He has used some of the new acrylic stands from Tumbling Dice for his Wings at War Vietnam era models, which looked pretty effective and gave me the idea to use them with the ultra modern aircraft that I have for Target Locked On! These are all Oddzial Ozmy models and are cast in very hard white metal, so are very brittle and aren't easily drilled for wire stands, an approach that I have now abandoned as a result in favour of mini-magnets.

I had originally attached them to some of my DIY mdf hex bases but the acrylic ones would be much more effective, especially as Target Locked On! isn't actually hex based. I will order a pack at the end of the week to see what they're like. If they are good for the job, I will probably also un-base my Taiwanese, Soviet and Chinese aircraft and stick magnets on them instead, as they're for Target Locked On! as well. The bonus will be that I can also use those for Cold War naval wargaming alongside 1/3000th scale ships, as the acrylic bases are obviously transparent. 

Baltic Air Policing Noggies

It's been a long while since I thought about my Target Locked On! Flashpoint Baltic project but I am just about to order some 1/600th scale Norwegian and Czech roundels from Dan at Flight Deck Decals to give it a boot in the right direction. The Norwegian roundels will be used for some Oddzial Ozmy F-16's while the Czech ones will go on some Saab Gripens, which is one of my favourite modern fighter aircraft. In the meantime, here's a short but very interesting video clip  of a Norwegian F-16 fighter pilot, explaining just what it all involves:

Flashpoint Spring Clean

I have been giving some thought to the various Target Locked On! projects that I have started, collectively titled as the 'Flashpoint' projects. These are all focussed on Cold War conflicts, either real or imagined, with one already nearly compete (Flashpoint Taiwan) and a second well on the way (Flashpoint Xinjiang). I've yet to start on the principal project (Flashpoint Baltic) but that's because the other two are more of a feasibility study in basing, painting and learning the rules.

However, I did think that the whole scheme needed a bit of a rationalisation as it was in danger of sprawling in too many directions. So, I have retitled the Flashpoint Xinjiang Sino-Soviet project as Flashpoint PVO, in order to make it more flexible. I have also brought the half completed Alto Cenepa War project into the fold, which was originally designed for Air War:C21, so that I can finish it off too as Flashpoint Alto Cenepa. 

The other projects will stay as they are, although the Flashpoint Fleet Air Arm may eventually evolve into something more confrontational, assuming I can get hold of some 1/600th Indonesian Air Force insignia or think of a different 'alternate history' conflict in which the Royal Navy could take a role. I may fall back on a Flashpoint Hong Kong concept for this, re-cycling my existing Chinese aircraft for just such a scheme?

Magasin de Presse

It's the habitual haul today, with a copy of Vae Victis and a copy of Air Fan, a magazine that I don't usually grab but which has a couple of interesting and very well illustrated articles. The one that stood out for me is all about the Su-22 Fitters that the Polish Air Force have retained for ground attack and close support, alongside their MiG-29's and F-16's. There's also a really good article on the Belgian F-16's that have recently been deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission. The photos in this section are particularly stunning.

Operation Baltic Eagle

Some cracking air to air video of Italian Eurofighter Typhoons and Danish F-16's over the Baltic States, intercepting various Russian Federation aircraft as part of the current Baltic Air Policing mission. I love the way the Italian pilot flips his shades down on take off...super cool!

I'm thinking of ways to replicate the terrain seen in the footage for the Flashpoint:Baltic 1/600th modern air project, particularly the snow covered landscape and cloud layers, so I think I'll ping an email off to Tiny Wargames to see how much a bespoke air wargaming cloth would set me back? It wouldn't have to be a full size mat and should be fairly easy to create using satellite images I would have thought?

Tiny Tank Busters

It was pay day yesterday, so I put in another order with Fighting 15's for some discounted Oddzial Ozmy 1/600th scale modern aircraft for the Target Locked On! Flashpoint: Baltic project. I was so impressed by the A-10 Warthog's that I bought last time that I decided to get some more, along with some other tank busting aircraft including some AH-64D Apache Longbow and Mi-24D Hind D helicopter gunships. I'm now planning to start on this project at some point soon, assuming nothing else gets in the way?

More Magnetic Storage Solutions

I have been frustrated by the way that my trusted blobs of blu tack fail to keep the homemade mdf bases on my 1/600th Cold War aircraft from sliding around in the bottom of their Really Useful storage box. They also tend to rip the fibres from the bottom of the bases when I do remove them from the box once they actually have stuck for a change. This has been a pain in the bum but I think I have a perfect solution to the problem:

http://www.tinytintroops.co.uk/

I've decided to try a different approach, using a combination of self adhesive magnetic and flexible iron sheet from Tiny Tin Troops, which I can stick to the bottom of the Really Useful Box and to the bottom of the hex bases. It's not too expensive and for a tenner I have enough for two boxes and multiple stands, assuming I cut the magnetic sheet to fit the bases as economically as possible. I'm hoping that this will solve my slippery, slidy base problem once and for all!

Re-Basing and Re-Cycling

I decided yesterday to de-base my 1/600th scale modern aircraft that I will be using for the Target Locked On! Flashpoint Baltic project. These were based on mdf hexes with wire stands but weren't ideal as they required the models to be drilled and glued to the wire, which proved to be difficult due to the very hard allow used for the Oddzial Ozmy models. This meant that drilling the holes was time consuming and some of the aircraft ended up coming unstuck.

I'm now going to switch to magnet basing for the modern aircraft which I think will be a better solution and will allow me to swap out the bases for hexes or squares, as required. The original bases won't be wasted, however, as I'll be recycling them for the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice Cold War planes that I'm adding to my existing Target Locked On! Flashpoint Taiwan collection, which are based in the same way.

The Tumbling Dice models are cast in a much softer alloy, are easy to drill and stay stuck on the wire stands, so I might as well carry on using the method that I have used thus far and save myself some extra hassle in scratch building a load of new stands. The recycled ones will be used as bases for either some Soviet fighters and fighter bombers or for some Royal Navy carrier aircraft, although I've yet to make up my mind about which one I want to go for. Any suggestions?

PT Dockyard Turya FAC(H)

I spent half the morning in a futile attempt to kit bash a 1/700th scale Skoryyi class destroyer from an old Tamiya Narvik, before giving up when I realised it wouldn't work.

Drat, Drat and Double Drat!

To save something from the wreckage I decided to assemble a PT Dockyard resin model of a Turya class FAC (H), which I had originally decided to leave well alone. It went together quite easily, much to my surprise, although I did replace some bits with plastic kit parts including a new forward deck twin cannon mounting, albeit an incorrect one.

This wraps up the Soviet-backed FAC flotilla but I can't start painting it yet as the temperature in the garage is still way to low for spray undercoating. Never mind, as I have the MiG Alley planes to finish in the meantime and also plan to base some more 1/600th aircraft, either for the Flashpoint Baltic project or for my projected Cold War Soviets.

1960's Cold War Soviet 1/600th Jets

I have been thinking of quickly basing and painting a handful of Russian Cold War aircraft in 1/600th scale, just as something to do over a wet weekend. These would be based using the simple wire and mdf hex method that I have used on my Flashpoint:Taiwan and Flashpoint:Baltic models (which reminds me that I should paint the latter up too at some point), so no tiddly magnets to drive me nuts!

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/flashpoint-baltic-flight-stands.html

Anyway, I have a small selection of Tumbling Dice Su-9/11's and Su-7's left over from a Soviet starter pack, together with the ubiquitous MiG-21's, so I have no need to buy anything just for this and can get cracking as and when the opportunity arises. I really like the Sukhoi's with their bare metal finish, raised canopies and delta wings, which really capture that late '60's Cold War vibe.

I can use them against my PLAAF Chinese fighters and fighter bombers too for a Flashpoint: Xinjiang 1969 Sino-Soviet 'what if?' border clash...how cool is that?

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!

Flashpoint: Target Locked On!

I was having a chat with one of the players at the club who is interested in 1/600th scale modern air gaming, so I mentioned the Target Locked On! rules by Rory Crabb when asked what I was using. I then realised that I haven't actually play tested them yet, despite setting out on my Flashpoint:Baltic and Flashpoint:Taiwan TLO! projects nearly a year ago.

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/flashpoint-baltic-target-locked-on.html

Now that I have some painted 1/600th PLAAF and  ROCAF fighters it's about time I gave the rules a proper test drive, so this weekend I'll be heading for the Straits of Taiwan c1967 to see what happens when two F-104 Starfighters clash with two MiG-19's. If I get the time, I'll also dig out the Oddzial Ozmy 1/600th scale modern fighters for the Flashpoint: Baltic project, if I can find where I stashed them?

Bag the MiG / MiG Alley

As you may have noticed, I've been bitten by the air wargaming bug again, with another Bag the Hun game scheduled for next month and a follow on game of Knights of the Sky in the run up to Xmas. I have plenty to do to get things ready for both of these club multiplayer games but, in the meantime, I've been digging out some of my old air warfare projects that didn't quite get off the ground.

A couple of years ago I finally got round to a Wings at War MiG Alley project, which doubled up as a Bag the Mig project using the Bag the Hun variant for the Korean War. I magnet based a shedload of 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice aircraft for this and even painted then washed the basecoat on the USAF fighters, before being side tracked onto other things.

I also devised a basing system using 13.5mm, 20mm, 30mm and 40mm panel pins glued into mdf bases, allowing me to swap the planes for different altitudes in MiG Alley and, at the same time, to use them with hex based stands for Bag the MiG. I've subsequently used a variant of this system for my 1/600th Cold War and ultra modern Target Locked On! projects, although without the magnets.

I have now decided to give the Bag the MiG / MiG Alley project, for want of a better title, a second go but this time using thicker 3mm laser cut mdf squares and hex bases, which weren't available when I started the project first time round. These will allow the panel pins to have a better grip and avoid the 'wobbly' base problem, when the tip of the pin sticks out a fraction and scratches the table.

As soon as I've finished the B17G's and P38J's for the next Bag the Hun game, I'll get cracking on the 1/600th scale USAF, USN, NKAF and PLAAF planes, so that I can get some games of both Bag the MiG and MiG Alley up and running in 2018. I've also ordered a second copy of the MiG Alley rules so that I can find an opponent to playtest the system at the club, without having to photocopy the booklet.

Flashpoint Baltic Update

An interesting report over on The Aviationist website of recent activity over the Baltic States, with Russian spy planes clearly testing NATO response times and systems:

''On May 25 NATO fighters intercepted one an Il-20 Coot spy plane flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The Il-20 intelligence gathering aircraft did not have a filed FPL, did not maintain radio contact and did not use the onboard transponder, a kind of behaviour that has raised some concern in the past, when Russians spy planes flying in the vicinity of busy airways have almost collided with civilian traffic in the region as happened for instance on Mar. 3, 2014, when SAS flight SK 681, a Boeing 737 with 132 people on board from Copenhagen to Rome almost collided with an Il-20 Coot, about 50 miles to the southwest of Malmö, Sweden.''

This would be a very good basis for a potential flash point and a realistic scenario for a campaign start point, with NATO or Swedish interceptors forced to shoot down a Russian Il-20 Coot in response to a near mid-air collision, or NATO interceptors accused of shooting down a Russian spy plane after a collision has taken place. At the very least, there's a decent scenario for Target Locked On! or similar? I really should get those 1/600 aircraft painted up!

Baltic Air Policing NATO exercises

There's been quite a lot of air activity in the Baltic States of late, with USAF F-35A's forward deployed to Estonia for familiarisation exercises and the multi-national NATO exercise Ramstein Alloy 4 in Lithuania. The brilliant The Aviationist website has some outstanding photos taken of the latter, featuring Dutch F-16's and German Eurofighter Typhoons, which have given me some more thoughts about painting the 1/600th scale Oddzial Ozmy planes that I have based for Target Locked On! I may even dig them out this weekend and have a go?

https://theaviationist.com/2017/05/04/ramstein-alloy-4-served-to-exercise-baltic-air-policing-alert-aircraft-procedures/

Oh bugger, it's.....

I am conscious that a bad case of mission creep has started to cloud my judgement of late, with too many ideas whizzing about to be healthy. I should really be sticking to naval gaming this year, with a bit of aerial gaming thrown in for variety, not 15mm or 28mm skirmishy stuff, whether it's colonial, post-war or modern. I need a bit of a reality check, as I think I've definitely been over cooking the 'ooh shiny' project pie in the sky.

So, in an effort to come back down to earth and stick with what I've told myself to do, I've decided to postpone anything terrestrial to the Summer holidays and the latter half of the year. Instead, I will be concentrating on my 1/600 scale WW2 coastal warfare project, my long in the tooth 1/2400 scale 1864 Schleswig Holstein naval war project and my latest nautical interest, the Tumbling Dice 1/2400 scale pre-dreadnoughts. I will also be doing some more 1/600 scale modern and Cold War aircraft for Target Locked On!

I think this makes a lot more sense than chasing my tail with unrealistic and over enthusiastic sidelines.

Flashpoint Taiwan ROCAF Update

I finished the Communist Chinese PLAAF aircraft for this Cold War air combat project way back in January, so you may have been wondering what has happened to the Republic of China Air Force half of the thing. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the Nationalist Chinese decals and extra F-104 Starfighters to arrive from Dom's Decals so the project is on temporary hold. As soon as they get here, which I'm sure will happen eventually knowing Dom, I'll be able to start painting the second instalment for use with Target Locked-On!, with the modern Flashpoint Baltic project following close behind.

Flashpoint Baltic Update

This little project has been side lined a bit over the last few weeks, as I've been busy with its Cold War counterpart, Flashpoint Taiwan, and with my coastal forces projects. I haven't forgotten about it, however, and will be making a start on the 1/600th scale modern jet fighter models as soon as I have some time to spare. I feel more confident about painting these, now that I've had some practice with the PLAAF planes, and have a much better handle on the approach I'm going to use. Anyway, I always try to keep up to date with the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, which has now passed over to the Dutch from the French Air Force, so even more uses for the F16's in Target Locked On! than before. I may even have to add some more to the ones I've already based up?

Flashpoint Taiwan PLAAF Finished

I added the splendid Dom's Decals Chinese Communist insignia decals to the PLAAF aircraft this morning, which proved to be far less fiddly and much easier than I expected. With a liberal splosh of Decalset the whole operation took about an hour, which I thought was pretty quick given the tiny size of the decals and the number of aircraft to be decked out. The only thing missing are the buzz numbers, which I can't get hold of for 1/600th scale.

The PLAAF MiG-19's, MiG-21's and Il-28's are now ready for a play test game of Target Locked-On! although I'm still waiting for my order of Chinese Nationalist decals and Tumbling Dice F104 Starfighters to arrive from Dom. As a first attempt at 1/600th scale painting I think they're OK, so I'm now ready to try something a little more complex than bare metal finish, with the Flashpoint Baltic fighters on the apron ready for painting.

Target Locked-On Missile Counters

I re-located these free colourful Air to Air missile counters on the hard drive, so thought I'd put them here, having completely forgotten where I found them in the first place. I think they will be very useful, although only featuring Soviet and US weaponry. If I can, I'll try to track down where they came from and post a link and acknowledgement. There's also a set of SAM missiles that go with this one.