28mm Polish Army

Just waiting on three more packs of Infantry from Blacktree Design and the first phase my Polish Army will be complete. 

 

 

 

The Blacktree Design Polish figures are very nice.  Crisp details and match well, both heft and height, to the figures produced by Bolt Action Warlord games.  There is a handy painting guide painting guide on the warlord site that I will be using for these.  The figure on the left is a Bolt Action 28mm Polish Anti-Tank Rifle gunner and the one on the right is a Blacktree Design 28mm Polish NCO/Officer from their command pack. 

 

 

 

Thought I would include a couple pictures of the ever popular 1/48th scale diecast Panzer 38(T), by a variety of makers over the years.  This one is the New Millennium Toys copyright 2008 version.  I have seen these for years, on the internet and a few at walmart, but never a comparison to other 28mm scale tanks being produced today.  The tank on the left is the 28mm scale Bolt Action Polish 7TP Light Tank.  As you can see the model compares very nicely, and in my humble opinon, one can hardly notice that one tank is a 28mm or 1/56th scale and the other a 1/48th scale model. 

 

 

 

 

Figure wise, the total force consists of a Platoon Headquarters, 3 squads of Infantry, a Heavy Machine Gun Team, Anti-Tank Rifle Team, a sniper and a 37mm Anti-Tank Gun.  For the vehicles I have 3 of the TKS Machinegun armed tankettes from Blacktree Design, a Warlord games 7TP Light Tank and a truck to tow the ATG from Force of Arms.  I will start getting this force ready for the table in the next week or two and provide detailed reviews of each model. 

Warlord Games 28mm Sdkfz 222 Armored Car

Recently received my latest warlord games order, got a few things in this one all for the 1939 Polish Campaign.  One of the vehicles, the Sdkfz 222, is the subject of this post.  Thought I would do a quick review and comparison to the Company B Sdkfz 221. 

The Sdkfz 222 is a very nice model, crisp detail and very sturdy.  I comes with the gun assembly, turret and the wheels all cast in metal.  The vehicle hull is cast in a single piece of heavy resin that will hold up great on the table. 

You cant see it in the photo but the wheels connect to the hull with a nice slotted base on the back of the assembly.  This makes for a very rugged suspension that will hold up for years of rought handling.  The only complaint I have is that the wheels seem a bit on the smallish side, maybe its just me.  This size difference is really noticeable when compared to the Company B model in the next picture.  Not sure what to do about that, but my brother can worry about it as this is his model.

Here is a quick shot of both vehicle hulls and the wheels of each model.  Also note that the turret of the Company B model comes cast onto the vehicle whereas the Warlord model has a turret that is separate.  I think the detail is much cleaner and sharp in the Company B (also more detail) model but the Warlord model is a much more rugged model. 

Company B 28mm Scale Sdkfz 221 Armored Car

The first vehicle for my Skirmish Campaigns Poland 1939 is the Sdkfz 221.  The booklet requires a total of 3 of these gems and 2 of the Sdkfz 222.  A quick search of the internet for companies producing this vehicle in 1/56^th or 28mm scale revealed a single maker, Company B.

I must say that Company B has made a very nice model and provides first class service.  I placed my order on Tuesday night and received my model on Saturday of the same week.  The details are crisp and well proportioned.  The detail is so good in fact that it looks more like a 1/48 scale plastic model from Tamiya. 

 

I have a couple of quick pictures of the model and will post more after I complete it.

Skirmish Campaigns - Poland 1939

The Skirmish Campaigns scenario book is a really nice product.  For those out there that game at the skirmish scale I can’t recommend this one more.  The scenarios are large but not too large, offering the ability to reasonably field the forces required for play in both 20mm or 28mm.  Personally, after have been away from 28mm for years, it was like the planets were in perfect alignment.  I previously posted about having owned some of these books.  Also, that the size of the scenarios precluded my ability to afford the number of models in 28mm.  I was delighted to discover that the overall force requirements are never more than a single Platoon of Infantry, Heavy Machine Gun, Anti-Tank or Field Gun or even Anti-Tank rifle team plus a few tanks.  The good thing about the tank requirement is that it's limited to just 6 types in total. 

 

I’m not sure how other gamers out there research and decide what will be their next endeavor but for me it’s really a process of determining what I can afford and how much time will be available to assemble the forces and actually play.  Too many models, large open ended generic assembling of points driven units, not enough money, not enough time to build and paint ect. 

I usually begin with inspiration from something; a movie that I watched, book that I read, conversation with friends, internet article; some kind of event that gets one started.  The next portion begins with a practical search of what is available in the hobby; rule sets people are writing or talking about, scenarios, figures and scales and so on.  I am often frustrated by not being able to glean some kind of base requirement for what is needed to make the transition to this new endeavor. 

I’m not a fan of points based games, don’t like flames of war but not a hater and believe to each his own.  But the older I get the more I like supplement scenario booklets.  This is for far too many reasons to detail here but suffice it to say, it’s nice to open the book and find out that I will need 4x Panzer Mk IIIJ, 2x Mk IVF1, 1x Opel Blitz ect.  And that I can play any of the historical scenarios in this single volume to conclusion within a reasonable amount of time.  This is one of the reasons for this post; I wanted to provide other would be “1939 Polish Campaign” skirmish players out there with an aide (other than just buying the book) for helping make an informed decision. 

Unlike the Skirmish Campaigns scenario books I had owned, this one seems to have struck the right balance, at least for me.  Players will need the following for the first 8 scenarios; the last 2 you are going to have to get German Mountain troops (or you could just use regular German Infantry).  The next 2 paragraphs detail what is required to play the scenarios as a requirement of the whole.  These numbers are with every possible option on the variable attachments for each scenario. 

On the German side you are going to need 1 of each of the following; a Platoon of Infantry, a Heavy Machine Gun team, Anti-Tank Rifle team, Pak 36/37 with crew, 75mm Infantry Gun also with crew, a Platoon HQs, and a 5cm Mortar with crew.  On the vehicle side of things the Germans will need 4x Panzer Mk Ib, also 4x Mk IIC, 2x Mk IIIE, 3x Sdkfz 221 and a pair of the 222.  Also the German player will need 3x medium trucks, a Sdkfz 10/4 SP AAG with crew and finally a Motorcycle Squad of 4 bikes with sidecars. 

On to the Polish.  4x Squads of Infantry, an Engineer Squad, 2x Anti-Tank Rifle teams, a sniper, 45mm as well as 81mm Mortar with crew, a single HMG team and a Platoon HQs.  The Poles have a somewhat smaller requirement in towed weapons and vehicles needing one of each; 37mm Anti-Tank Gun, 75mm Field Gun (French WW1 75mm) and 2 trucks (Fiat 620 I think).  On to the tanks; 1 of the small TKS tanks with the 20mm Gun and 3 with just MMGs.  Also 4 of the Vickers 7TP Light Tanks. 

I may have left something out, but pretty sure this is accurate.  Hope this helps somebody out there thinking about the Skirmish Campaigns Poland ’39 – The Black Brigade.  It’s a great product and reasonably priced; you won’t be disappointed.    The scenarios appear to well balanced and relatively short.  I almost forgot to mention the terrain.  There are a few small hills but is mostly open spaces with small forested areas; no more than 4 buildings with most scenarios only requiring 2-3 single level wooden structures.  I’m still in the process of assembling my forces so haven’t played any of them yet but will try and post my progress as I go along.

 

Poland 1939

Decided to take a break from my normal scale and period (modern 20mm), and go back to an old favorite, WW2 in 28mm.  One of the reasons was my recent discovery of the Skirmish Campaigns booklet for the 1939 Polish Campaign.  I had owned a couple of these booklets in the past but found the scenarios large.  At least  in the vehicle arena for 28mm.   The Polish booklet seems to strike a good compromise, offering accessibility to the 28mm gamer.  Allowing the fantastic larger sized figures and vehicles on the market today but not breaking your wallet in the process. 

Getting a little closer

Got quite a bit done since my last post.  I finished the M113s, a Merkava Mk I, a M151 Mutt w/TOW and a few Infantry. 

The other 2 M113s are just like the first one with the exception of the cargo rack one vehicle #2.  The more I look at them the more I'm thinking that I will get a pack of the IDF armor decals from Bison to dress them up.  Its very hard to see the numbers of the 2 with cargo racks, so may just order a decal set and scrape those off.  Overall, really like the way they turned out.

Next up were the Infantry.  I chose the Elhiem 20mm IDF as they were the only metal figures in 20mm that I know of, are very nice and compatible with 1/72 plastic figures.  I bought enough figures to organize 2 Infantry Squads, each with a FN MAG, a Platoon Headquarters and the 3 figures that are mounted in the 113s.  I also purchased a box of Orion plastic 1/72 scale IDF mostly for the tank crewmen as I may need to add more dismounted AFV crews, depending on how good the PLA/PLO RPG gunners turn out to be.

The Merkava is the old ESCI 1/72 scale Mk I in an Italeri box but is a nice model.  It has the link and length tracks, which are a bit difficult to assemble, but nice when completed.  I added a little stowage and a tank crewmen from the Orion IDF to finish it up.  Planning to get one more of these before the convention.

Lastly is the Hobby Den 20mm scale M151 Mutt with TOW ATGM.  This is a resin model from The Hobby Den in the UK.  The model is made of resin with the TOW and mount being made of metal.  Very nice model and comes in 7 parts, the wheels, TOW and mount.  I added a couple WW2 British Paratroopers for the crew, again as I had these laying around with no particular job for them to do, so they were drafted into the IDF. 

All that is left to complete the IDF are approx 20 Infantrymen and the last Merkava, then I will start on the PLO.

The J&B 1/76 Scale M113

Next up are the M113s, three of them.  Again, just as with the Centurion, chose the J&B model because I already had the models sitting in my closet.  These are actually quite handy little models and with a little bit of work, come out very nice. 

 

 

 

Most of the pictures on the web show the IDF M113s with enough differences to set them apart, visually, from other armies and time periods.  To start with the IDF installed a storage rack or bin on the sides of the vehicle. 

 

 

 

From the pictures of them in the field during the 1982 war, they had just about anything in them; fuel cans, canvas, field packs, tools ect.  The J&B kit is an ACAV during the Vietnam War and as such, does not include these racks so I made them from some extra parts to a 1/35 scale Type 69-II Iraqi tank of all places.  I cut a small piece of styrene, bent up the ends, turned them on their side and attached it to the vehicle.  This formed the base of the rack, adding the face after the base had dried.  Next I got rid of the ACAV Turret and M60 LMGs and replaced the M2 with a 20mm Liberation 50Cal HMG. 

 

 

I Added stowage, a driver figure from Platoon 20 IDF range and an extra 20mm Elhiem IDF Infantryman in the open troop hatch.  The last bit was the exhaust, which runs off the top deck and down the right side of the vehicle.  I just cut a section of pewter tubing that was sitting in my spare parts box and voila, a new exhaust system. 

 

 

 

Overall, I am pleased with the final product and will start painting the second one in the next few days.