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| IS-3 Company for "Fate Of A Nation" |
I note with a casual glance at the calendar that this time of year is often referred to by many as "summer". I too can remember these alleged "summers" growing up here in Winnipeg. They were brief, even joyous respites from the hellish siege-like conditions of a prairie winter, typically lasting around three months. During these "summers", my paint production would plummet because, well, you want to be outside riding a bike, walking, visiting, gardening, BBQ ing, etc. But Mother Nature, following up on the worst winter in over 100 years, is continuing her "see you next Tuesday" mission statement for 2014,
obliterating the long weekend in a blast of wind and endless rain. (We are relatively lucky here in Winnipeg, sheltering behind flood defences that are marvels of engineering - my thoughts to any out there affected, particularly my friends in
Westman and Saskatchewan, who may not be so lucky when it comes to flooding).
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| I used the bristles from a hair brush to represent antennas |
Since there is no summer in 2014, I can keep painting during the rain. So here is an Egyptian IS-3 heavy tank company for "Fate Of A Nation" - six tanks strong, all models from Battlefront. I had painted a test model of this tank
back in early June, and finished the balance off over the weekend.
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| These are hefty models - really big, scary tanks (or scary looking, at least) |
As I said before, I love the look of this tank. It seems like it should be scary as hell on the battlefield, although by 1967 it sounds like there were fading in terms of their impact. I thought six tanks would be a good size for a company - on paper I think a Soviet-style tank company is like nine to 11 tanks, but given the mechanical issues of these old beasts, getting six into action is pretty good!
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| Top view, showing some of the weathering on the deck and top of the turret |
These six tanks will form a single selection for the Egyptians in "Fate Of A Nation" - following the Soviet model where the player is selecting companies instead of platoons. I have never used them in a Flames of War game, so I have no idea how well they will hold up. My expectation is that they will serve as target practice for the well-trained IDF tankers and air force pilots...but they will look good before they blow up!
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| Another top view of the vehicles |
My Egyptians now have this tank company, a
mechanized infantry company (also
here and
here) and a section of
ZSU-57-2 AAA tanks. But this is still not enough to round out the basic force selection on the "Fate Of A Nation" org chart - a second tank company it required. So stay tuned for more tanks (and more, and more...)
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| Ready to face the IDF! |
And I sincerely hope that wherever you might be reading this, you at least get a summer, or failing that, are not facing damage (or worse) from the scary weather than can accompany the season. Meantime, the North American prairie climate can basically just go f*ck itself with a rusty chainsaw...