WoW planes for Trade or Sale

Santa was very good to me this Christmas but I think the old guy is getting senile. He gave me a number of duplicates, not that I don't like or want duplicates for repaints but I am only shooting for three or four planes per squadron and type. I have the following planes available:

Sopwith Camel (Barker) WW07D - two each, new in box
De Havilland D.H.4 (Atkey) WW08L - two each, new in box
Fokker Dvii (Schafer) WWo8B - two each, new in box
Fokker Dr I (Rahn) WW07L - one each, new in box
Albatros D.va (Udet) WW07G - one each, used, no box

I would like to trade for the following:

Watch Your Back! box set
Burning Drakens box set
Albatros D.va (Jentsch) WW07I - one, maybe two
Series III planes - pretty much any

So, if you have excess planes new or used, let's talk!

Chris

The Scoop on Series 4 WWI WoW

This was on the WoW Yahoo group from one of the creators, Andrea Angiolino.
"The next release is going to be the DoW WWII series 1 planes then Balloon Buster will follow. That's the kit with Ni.16 with rockets and balloon, 2 different color schemes. Prototyping is closing in these days, production will start just after WWII Series 1 I guess.Then Series 4 will follow. It should include R.A.F. SE5a, Pfalz D.III - D.IIIa, Breguet BR.14 B2 and Rumpler C.IV-VII,. with 3 color schemes each - some of them colorful indeed. Again, two Allied and two German planes, one fighter and one two-seater each."

In the repaint world-
Dom's Decals releases Jasta 37 decals (Albatros D.V) and is working on sheets for the Series III Nieuport 17 and Series II RFC Snipes.

Poilus

I just finished my LW French Infantry Company with the completion of the last platoon and the addition of air support. The French are a very interesting army to game with in FOW1918. They have a mix of weapons in a platoon, rifle teams, Chauchat teams, bomber teams and VB teams.


I will probably add some Chauchat teams to the CO HQ and build a Trench Mortar Battery in the future.

My French sniper patiently waiting for that target of opportunity.

The French tanks are an interesting lot. The early models were pretty much junk but can be fun to game. Minifigs makes the Schneider 1917 (above) and the Saint Chamond M16 (below)along with the FT-17. This is a chance to do some very interesting camo schemes.

For more info on the French tanks check out Landships - http://www.landships.freeservers.com/tank_articles.htm

For air support I went with the WoW SPAD XIII. It is to represent the famous Escadrille les Cigognes, Group de Combat 12, Spa103 'Storkes' with Fonck. They will also be great taking on Jasta 11, 15 and the others in WoW.

I was asked to add a few close-up shots of the infantry so here you go.

FOW1918 US Air Support, WoW US bomber group

The American Air Service used the DH4 'Liberty Plane' as it's standard general purpose two-seater aircraft. Aircrew operating the DH-4 were awarded four of the six Medals of Honor awarded to American aviators, with First Lieutenant Harold Ernest Goettler and Second Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley receiving posthumous awards after being killed on 12 October 1918 attempting to drop supplies to the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division, cut off by German troops during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, while 2d Lt Ralph Talbot and Gunnery Sergeant Robert G. Robinson of the US Marines were awarded the Medal of Honor for beating off attacks from 12 German fighters during a bombing raid over Belgium on 8 October 1918.The type flew with 13 U.S. squadrons by the end of 1918. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airco_DH4



For FOW1918 the Wings of War 1/144 models make a great air support option. The DH4 would be right at home bombing and strafing the trenches.



For WoW the DH4 is a tough nut for the Germans to crack. It is fast, well armed and can take some major punishment. I removed the blob gunner and single Lewis gun that comes on the model with the dual Lewis gunner from Reviresco. This is more accurate for the US DH4 as it was armed with the dual rear guns not the single as the model comes. It is not a simple replacement. The original single Lewis gun is molded into the body of the plane. I had to use the Dremel.
I left the blob pilot as he is well under the upper wing.

Now to build a US ground force for them to support!

Reviresco Fighter Pilots Review

I was not able to make Fall-In this year but a friend went and picked up a pack of Reviresco Fighter Pilots for me.



The packing notes 30 figures but I ended up with more. I got 26 pilots, 5 observer rings, 10 observer/tail gunners 'German' and 6 observers/tail gunners with dual Lewis guns for a total of 47 figures. Some of the figures had a lot of flash and a few of the empty observer rings were in poor shape but overall most were okay. The pilots are fine, nice detail for 1/144. The observer/tail gunner 'German' (that is my title) is nice and looks to have a MG08/15 type gun but the observer/tail gunner with dual Lewis gun is only fair. Not sure how many planes I will actually be able to use him for. I may try converting him into a single Lewis.



The pilots paint up nicely but will not fit as-is into the WoW planes. They will not fit at all into the SPAD and I am still trying to figure out how I am going to get them into the Sopwith. The upper wing is in the way.



For the Dr1 you just need to cut the pilot at the waist and fit him in. For any of the series II and III planes you will need to remove the blob of a pilot. This is a touchy procedure. Kinda like playing the kids game operation, don't touch the sides.
I cut the top off, hand drilled a small hole in the center and then used my Dremel with a bigger bit to get the bulk out. I still chipped some paint so from now on I will do this prior to re-painting.



For the price it is not bad and if you do not have a lot of planes may be worth getting a friend to split it with you. If all you use are the pilots they come to about .32 cents. Not a bad price to not have pilotless planes.

I am still hoping to get my hands on some of the Peter Pig models in the future and will compare them.

The 148th take to the air!

As I noted in my last post I was inspired to do some Sopwith Camels as the 148th Aero Squadron. My biggest problem was finding letters the right size and white triangles. The letters ended up being rub on letters that I transfered to clear decal material and then applied them to the planes. Not exact but close enough to me. The triangle ended up just being hand done. They are close and a few had to be done a few times. I am reasonably happy with them and they will look nice taking on my Jasta 15 and 11 in WoW and providing my British forces air support in FOW1918.

Inspiration for a Sopwith Squadron

In searching for pictures of Sopwith Camels for some repaint ideas I came across a few links on the 148th. The 148 Aero Squadron was a US unit that served with the British. I think it will make for some pretty easy repaints and offer something different.

Here are a few of the links.

http://mwmiller.theaerodrome.com/camel/index.html
This one also has some great prints of two RNAS squadrons. Future plans?

http://www.crossandcockade.com/pdf/148th.pdf

"The 148th fulfilled many ground attack and bombing missions, as well as their normal pursuit duties."

Perfect for FOW1918 and WoW.

Pics and details to follow.

Sneak peak at WoW series 3 planes

Here are a few pics of some of the Series 3 planes.
They are due out in November and will give use FOW1918 players some Austro-Hungarian Air support and the Nieuports can be modified to Italians.


Nieuport 17 (Lufberythenault)
Nieuport 17 (Nungesser)
Nieuport 23 (Kibanov)
Albatros D.iii (Brumowski)
Albatros D.iii (Hautzmayer)
Albatros D.iii (Voss)
Ufag C.i (Flick 23/d)
Ufag C.i (Luftfahrtruppen 1)
Ufag C.i (Luftfahrtruppen 2)
RAF R.e.8 (Longton & Carson)
RAF R.e.8 (Ferguson & Fry)
RAF R.e.8 (Aviation Militaire)




These pictures were taken from www.boardgamegeek.com


Here is a picture of the Peter Pig WoW pilots. I really want to get my hands on some of these!



This picture is property of Peter Pig.

FOW1918 Armies and what to do next.

So far I have created a number of armies for FOW1918 and since I have not been actively playing or painting resently I thought I would take inventory and plan my future projects. Currently I have the following:
British (mid to late war)
One HG section
Four full infantry platoons with two Lewis gun team stands. Three extra rifle stands to replace one Lewis gun team for 1916 - 1917 config. One Hotchkiss LMG team so one platoon can represent dismounted cav. (replacing the Lewis gun).
One, two section Light Trench mortar battery (Stokes 3" mortars).
One Lewis Gun AA section, two stands.
One HMG platoon, four Vickers stands.
One, one section Medium Trench Mortar battery (Newton 6" mortars).
One full cavalry troop (mounted).
One full six gun Field Artillery battery (18pdrs)
Four Mk IV tanks, two male and two female.
Four Mk V tanks , all male.
Three Mk A 'Whippets'.
One full 17th Battalion (Armoured Car), Tank Corp section.
Three Sopwith Camels for Air Support.
Additional HG section - Australians.

French (mid to late war)
One HQ section with one 37mm IF gun team and one sniper.
Two and a half infantry platoons.
One HMG platoon, three Hotchkiss stands and one mortar stand.
One, two squad cavalry troop, lancers (mounted).
One full four gun Field Artillery battery (75's)
One St. Chamond tank.
One Schneider tank.
One full FT-17 tank platoon (two MG tanks, three gun tanks).
One SPAD for Air Support.

German (mid to late war)
One HQ section with two ATR teams, two Granatanwerfer teams, two Panzerknacker teams and one sniper.
Three full infantry platoons with two MG08/15 gun team stands.
One full Light Trench mortar battery with one AT gun team.
One, two section HMG platoon, four MG08 stands.
One full Division Trench Mortar battery.
One, two section cavalry troop (mounted).
One full four gun Field Artillery battery (7.7cm)
One full Independent Infantry Gun battery.
One full Divisional Stoss troop platoon with all options.
One full Flammenwerfer platoon.
Five Mk IV Beute tanks, three male and two female.
Three A7V tanks.
Tons of Air Support. Jasta 15 (late 1918), Jasta 11 (early 1918), Albatros fight for 1917.


Austro-Hungarian (mid to late war)
One HQ section. Using Germans
Three full infantry platoons. Using Germans
One full HMG section.
One, one section Field Artillery battery (80mm)
One full Independent Infantry Gun battery.
One full Divisional Storm patrol.
One Divisional Armoured Car platoon, one Junovicz, one captured Russian Austin and one captured Italian Lanzia.

Italian Alpini (mid to late war)
One HQ section with one sniper.
Two full infantry platoons.
One full scout platoon.
One full HMG platoon.
One full Light Trench Mortar battery.
One, one section Alpini Pack Artllery battery.
One Armoured Car platoon, one Lancia IZ, one Lancia IZm and one Bianchi AC.

Ottoman Turk (mid to late war)
One HQ section.
Two full HMG platoons.
One, two section Arab Cavalry troop (mounted).
One full Artllery battery.



Lead waiting in the wings are Australian Light Horse and United States.
I have a based the Turkish Infantry so that would be a good one to start.
I have enough Italian Alpini to finish up the Pack guns.
I also have some motorcycles to create the MMC for the British which would be very cool. I also have some Italian truck mounted artillery to mod into German AA trucks that were used as Anti-tank.

So much to do and so little time.

I really should get back on the Turks and finish them so I can then move to the LH. I know they would make for some great games and big draws a conventions.

Chris

Small modeling to WoW

I have made a few little modeling modifications to my Wings of War gaming to make it a bit more eye appealing. The first is making smoke markers out of foam rubber. I cut the general shape, cut a slit to slide over the lower wing and then rough it up by pulling small bits off.



The second is to make an angled altitude peg. It allows for banking to either side, climbing and descending. Take two of the clear pegs provided with the models. Cut one in half straight across and the other in about a 45 degree angle. Swap them and glue together. You end up with two angled pegs.

Wings of War meets Flames of War (1918)

In gaming FOW1918 I have created a number of armies and was wanting to build air support for each. I found the metal models in 1/144 scale at first but then I came across the Wings of War prepainted models. For about the same price I did not have to assemble and paint those little buggers. The line is limited but expanding and the game is a blast so I highly recommend it to any WWI gamer.
In FOW you can only get a maximum of three planes so that is what I started to collect. I decided I wanted them to be all form the same squadron so it has actually lead to researching the airwar and really finding some neat stuff. I have started a few Jastas and plan on rounding them out with a few more planes.


My first squadron is of course Jasta 11 (Spring 1918) part of JG1 'Richthofen's Flying Circus'



Then I started Jasta 15 (late 1918).



Here they are ganging up on two US spotter planes.

I will post more photos and detail on these later.

I have been remiss in my postings!

It has been some time since I last posted. The usual stuff of work, family, etc. has kept me busy. I have also put the 6mm stuff aside for a while and was thinking that I would expand this blog to the other scales and interests I have in miniature gaming. I am very keen on gaming World War One and have been very active with FOW1918 (Yahoo group) and Wings of War. I am also very interested in the American Civil War. How can one not be living in the area I do? I have been doing some lite research into the cavalry battles that happened in Virginia and the action at Gettysburg. I have also been known to play a game of DBA on occasion and have a few armies. So I will start posting on all of these subjects along with my 6mm stuff as well. Currently my gaming time and partners have all but disappeared so I am hoping to work out some new time and get my friends gaming again or try to find a few new ones.

Z scale model RR products

Model railroad Z scale products are an option to add detail to your 6mm terrain.
Z scale is 1:220 which is a tad bit bigger than 1:285, 1:300. The items above are from a resent order. They are Micro Structures Phone Booth kit, Chain Link Security Fence, Split Rail Fence and Privacy Fence and Noch Asphalt Road.
The Phone booth kit contains two models and are of the US style. I plan on modifying them to a more Euro style (German) and using them for some modern terrain.
The split rail and privacy fencing kits come with about 30 inches of fencing and the chain link security fence about 15 inches. The one thing I did not like was that the privacy fence was only etched on one side. The road is a tape very similar to masking tape and is very flexible to make curves and bends. I plan on making a full on German Autobahn and a number of smaller roads with it in the future. It comes in 1 meter lengths so I will need to obtain more. I will have to do a price comparison of the split rail fence with other varieties available to see if it is a good buy but it is very nice. Z scale products are not as popular in the US as they are in Europe and the buildings them selves are very expensive. Check with your local RR hobby shop or of course the web.

Asian village

Timecast makes some of the best miniature buildings and when I saw these in their South East Asian line I had to have them. They work well for when I pull my 6mm Japanese WWII army out to battle my friends US or my British. These are of the older basing style but I have no intention of updating. I looked at what GHQ had to offer and while they offer some really nice stuff I was not impresed with there Vietnam buildings. The idea is to represent an normal village that I could use in WWII and Vietnam. The boat shed and net drying racks are for when it is placed near a river. I opted not to use the fisherman's house that came in that set. I just could not come up with a good mounting. The palm trees are made in the GHQ fashion.

North African Village

This is my North African village. It is created from ODGW Tiny Terrain miniatures which are no longer available. I scratch built the well/fountain, inspired by a scene in the movie "Patton". I also added a few items to the buildings, stairs, dome and awning. These buildings are nice and were inexpensive. The palm trees were created using the GHQ method.

La Haye Sainte?

This is my version of the famous Waterloo farm house. It is a combination of JR Miniatures and QHG items and I think it came out fairly well. The main house and the walls are GHQ and the barns are JR. I based it on card, which I have considered doing over on mdf, and not of any standard size. It is larger than usable for our DBN games but works well for FOW in 6mm. If I do rebase it I will probably make the trees in the orchard removable. It is very limited in space for troops.

Why?

Why am I starting a blog that focuses on wargame terrain, especially 6mm (1/285, 1/300) scale? Well, I enjoy gaming and creating terrain at this scale. I have also found that there are a number of small manufactures of quality terrain that many people do not know about. Most do not have pictures of the products and like any normal consumer; I like to see what I am getting for my money. I plan on doing reviews, how to's and of course lots of pictures. So to get started here are a few older pictures of some Normandy terrain. I have since decided to change my building basing to the 3x3 Spearhead standard so you will see this village again but in a differnet config.
I prefer to create modular terrain so that I can use it in a variety of ways but want it to look pleasant. I am not a fan of the plan square felt patches.
I generally game DBA (in 15mm at the moment but 6mm some time soon), DBN (same, 15mm but want to do 6mm soon and am very inspired by the other bloggers that I will list later), Flames of War (in 6mm!), FOW1918 (this is a varient of FOW that I started and have worked on with the Yahoo group, game it in 15mm) and ModernFOW (another varient, 6mm).