Felix's Gaming Pages

Hungarian MiG-21PF Fishbed

A Hungarian MiG-21PF at RAF Cosford.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was one of the most successful and numerous aircraft ever built, with over 10,000 produced. The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single airframe.

The MiG-21 was introduced into service in 1959 and was used by the Soviet Union and many other countries around the world. It saw extensive combat use in the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli Wars, and the Indo-Pakistani War. The MiG-21 was retired from Soviet service in 1993, but it is still in use by a number of countries, including India, China, and Vietnam.

The MiG-21 is a small, lightweight aircraft with a delta wing. It is powered by a single Tumansky R-13M-300 turbojet engine, which gives it a top speed of Mach 2.1. The MiG-21 is armed with a variety of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and cannons.

The MiG-21 is a highly maneuverable aircraft, and it was known for its ability to perform high-g turns. However, it was also criticized for its lack of range and its limited avionics.

Despite its shortcomings, the MiG-21 was a highly successful aircraft. It was simple to fly and maintain, and it was relatively inexpensive to produce. This made it a popular choice for many countries, and it helped to shape the course of air combat during the Cold War.

More photographs of the MiG-21 Fishbed.

Deimos Pattern Predator in the desert

The Predator is perhaps the best known and most widespread variant of the basic Rhino chassis. Augmented with superior armour and firepower, it entirely sacrifices the Rhino’s troop transport capacity in favour of ammunition and generators for its formidable weapon systems.

Having finished painting the Predator, I photographed the model on my desert terrain board.

Deimos Pattern Predator alongside a Deimos Pattern Rhino.

See the Deimos Pattern Predator Miniatures Gallery.

See the workbench feature on the Deimos Pattern Predator Battle Tank.

What about the Xenos for Legions Imperialis?

Following the announcement of the new Legions Imperialis, there was an air of disappointment across social media in regard to the Horus Heresy setting for Legions Imperialis and as a result we wouldn’t be seeing Xenos forces.

I mentioned in my post that this was likely.

Of course this is Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, so we’re not going to see any Xenos armies I would have thought. I would like to have seen new Ork models in this scale, a Great Gargant would have been nice. Ah well one can dream.

Some have said that if the game is successful, we might see a Warhammer 40K version which would mean Xenos forces being released.

Without sounding a little negative, I do wonder if this would happen. Adeptus Titanicus was released in 2018 and we’ve not seen any Xenos Titans.

Though we have seen alien races in Aeronautica Imperialis, so maybe we might for a future version of Legion Imperialis (but it might need a different name).

Carro Armato M14/41 Medium Tank

This Carro Armato M14/41 was on display at Bovington.

The M 14/41 was a four-crew medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army.

The M14/41 was a successor to the lighter and slower M13/40, fitted with a more powerful and reliable engine. The first were built in August 1941 and were used until the end of the fighting in North Africa. Even when they were first used, the M14/41s firepower and armour were outdated against newer Allied tanks.

Built in 1942, this MI4/41 was sent to North Africa. It is believed to have been abandoned and captured soon afterwards. It came to The Tank Museum in 1951.

Operation Compass was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of the 10th Army in western Egypt and Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya, from December 1940 to February 1941. Italian tanks were outclassed by British tanks in Operation Compass. Poor Italian leadership and tactics made things worse. A total of 145 of the earlier M13/40 model tanks were lost-almost all the Italians had in Libya. In fact, so many were captured infact, that the British briefly used it themselves.

Another post on the Carro Armato M14/41 at Bovington.

Legions Imperialis: Return of the Epic

Yesterday saw the announcement of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis or the return of Epic back into the fold.

Legions Imperialis is a new game of small (or epic) large scale warfare. This is not quite Epic as we remember it, as the scale is the same as (the new) Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis. This does mean though that all those legacy epic armies are not going to be compatible. They’ve not completely forgotten the Epic games of old.

Warhammer has previously made several games in epic scale, and we’ll be taking a look down memory lane later this month, and this new game system is based on the best bits of previous incarnations of these epic scale games – while adding lots of cool new elements.

There are some really nice new miniatures, and the advances in design and manufacturing shows in the preview photographs.

I think the downside maybe that, is these models contain lots of parts. I quite liked how in the olden days the models were complete on the sprue. The kits from Adeptus Titanicus and Aeronautica Imperialis do contain a lot of parts. Yes it makes the models more detailed, but it also makes it a bit of a modelling challenge.

I like how they describe the boxed set contains 223 miniatures.

There are a whopping 223 miniatures in the box, split between Space Marines, Solar Auxilia, and Titans. That’s 106 Space Marine infantry and walkers, five Space Marine tanks, 104 Solar Auxilia infantry and walkers, six Solar Auxilia tanks, and two Warhound Titans with brand-new plastic weapon options.

Well, 210 of those are infantry models. You get eleven tanks in total. True that the 210 figure incudes walkers and dreadnoughts.

Personally I would like to have seen more tanks. I do like the Malcador tanks, something we never saw in Epic.

All the models look really nice.

I do wonder what new models for this game we will see released. Will we see a Capitol Imperialis for example, that would be great.

They did say in the preview page:

All of the scenery that was released with Adeptus Titanicus is also returning for use in Legions Imperialis, with more to follow.

So we will probably see some new scenery sets, wonder what they will be?

I am pleased to see this release and I do think it will be one I will pre-order. I am apprehensive about how much it will cost to build an army, but that is just something I will have to accept. Back in the day (we’ll the 1990s) I managed to get a bunch of Epic stuff in a series of sales at Games Workshop at really low prices. That I doubt we will see again.

Photographing in the sun

Having finished painting my Typhon Heavy Siege Tank I took some photographs of the model on my desert terrain.

My desert terrain is too big for my lightbox, so I took it outside into the sun.

It was very bright and sunny, so much so, there were some really harsh and hard shadows.

In order to diffuse the harsh light, I would have used some kind of photographic reflector, but I don’t have one. What I did use was a large piece of white card.

This helps to reflect the sunlight back and reduced the depth and harshness of the shadows.

I am thinking about getting though a bigger lightbox for taking more photographs of dioramas and scenic settings.

National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Cosford

Some photographs from the National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Cosford.

By employing the atomic bomb for the first time against Japan, humanity demonstrated its newfound capability to annihilate itself completely. Winston Churchill remarked, following the conclusion of World War II, that an “Iron Curtain” had descended upon Europe.

Following more than five years of intense warfare in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, there ensued a period of over 40 years during which the East and West found themselves on opposite sides of an ideological chasm, with the terrifying specter of nuclear devastation keeping them apart. This era became known as “The Cold War.”

During the early years of the Cold War, the responsibility for Britain’s nuclear deterrent rested with the Royal Air Force, utilizing the “V Force” and “Thor” missiles. Eventually, this deterrent was transferred to the submarines of the Royal Navy. The National Cold War Exhibition explores the ideologies of both sides, delves into the social history of the era, showcases the technological advancements born out of the East-West competition, and examines the eventual dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, which has shaped the world we inhabit today.

Consequently, the Cold War narrative extends far beyond aviation alone. This national exhibition strives to enlighten and educate present and future generations about the immense threat that jeopardised global peace and security during this pivotal period of the 20th century.

Thunderbolt on the Flightdeck

This diorama shows a flight crew preparing an Imperial Navy Thunderbolt fighter for battle.

The amazing Dave Andrews made this fantastic diorama for the Open category Golden Demon and it won Gold.

This was before the time of the Forge World Thunderbolt and even before Forge World!

It was full of lovely details such as this mobile generator.

The model Thunderbolt was based on the Epic miniature.

Very clever and simple idea which works really well.

Photographed at Warhammer World. More photographs of the flightdeck here and here.

Thunderbolt Fighter Miniatures Gallery.

Centurion Mark 3 Tank

This Centurion Mark 3 Tank was on display at RAF Cosford.

The Centurion tank was one of the most successful post-war tank designs. It was introduced in 1945, just too late to see combat in the Second World War. However, it went on to serve in a number of conflicts, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Arab-Israeli wars.

The Centurion was a well-balanced tank with a good mix of armament, armour, and mobility. It was armed with a 105mm rifled gun, which was capable of firing both high-explosive and armour-piercing rounds. The Centurion’s armour was also very effective, and it was able to withstand the fire of most enemy tanks. The tank was also highly mobile, and it was able to keep up with the latest advances in tank warfare.

The Centurion’s success was due to a number of factors. First, it was a very well-designed tank. The designers took into account the lessons learned from the Second World War, and they incorporated a number of features that made the Centurion a formidable fighting machine. Second, the Centurion was well-maintained and well-equipped. The British Army took great care of its Centurion tanks, and they were always ready for action. Third, the Centurion was used by a number of different countries. This gave the tank a wide range of experience, and it helped to identify and correct any weaknesses in the design.

The Centurion tank was a major success, and it played a significant role in a number of conflicts. It was a well-designed, well-maintained, and well-equipped tank that was able to withstand the fire of most enemy tanks. The Centurion’s success is a testament to the British Army’s engineering prowess and its ability to learn from the lessons of the past.

More photographs of the RAF Cosford Centurion Tank.

Photographs of the Centurion Tank Mk 3 at Duxford.

Photographs of the Centurion Mk I at Bovington.

Team Yankee Centurion Mk 5 Miniatures Gallery

Centurion Mk 5 Workbench

Typhon Heavy Siege Tank in the desert

My latest model for my Imperial Fists Horus Heresy force is the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank. Here is the virtually finished model in the desert.

I still need to add some transfers, and then I will do some further weathering.

I plan to use some weathering powders I got from Forge World many years ago.

I am not too happy with the engine area, so might look at that part of the model again.

The whole process started with constructing the model, I then finished putting it together. The next stage was a white undercoat. I then gave the model a partial base coat of Army Painter Desert Yellow. I then gave the model a base coat of Army Painter Daemonic Yellow. I painted the bolter and the exhausts using Citadel Leadbelcher. It was then onto shading the model and then shading it some more. I also painted the tracks. The Typhon was then drybrushed. I glued in the Dreadhammer Siege Cannon and added the frontal armour and after painting the sponson weapons, these were added to the Typhon, as were the tracks.

See the workbench feature on the Typhon Heavy Siege Tank.