german Archives - Page 2 of 6 - Felix's Gaming Pages

Bolting

I know, I know, a new set of rules, a new scale and more painting!

Written by veteran game designers Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestley, Bolt Action provides all the rules needed to bring the great battles of World War II to your tabletop. Using miniature soldiers, tanks and terrain, you can fight battles in the shattered towns of occupied France, the barren deserts of North Africa, and even the sweltering jungles of the Pacific.

Players get to decide which of the major or minor World War II powers they would like to represent, and then construct their armies from the lists provided. Army options are almost limitless, allowing you to build the kind of army that most appeals to your style of play. The choice is yours.

Created as a joint project between Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing, the leading independent military history publisher, Bolt Action is sure to be the most popular new wargame on the market.

I have been intrigued by Warlord Games’ Bolt Action rules for a while now so was pleased to get hold of a copy.

Initial impressions are very positive, it is an extremely well produced publication, with great looking photographs.

I’ve not had a chance to read it fully or even play the rules, but one of the reasons I am looking forward to playing the game is I like the idea of using order dice.

One thing I do need to decide is which army to go for.

I do quite like the look of the Assault on Normandy starter set.

Assault on Normandy starter set gives you everything you need to pit your tactics and wits against your opponent as you recreate the great battles of World War II on the tabletop! In addition to the glorious Bolt Action rulebook and eight Orders Dice, you will find forty hard plastic, multi-pose 28mm miniatures as well as terrain for them to fight over. This is a great starting point as you seek to defeat your foes and bring an end to the greatest conflict in history.

This is the perfect starting point for Bolt Action, and I would have probably bought it if I knew it was available when I bought the Bolt Action rules…

The ruins are very nice and hopefully will be available separately.

In the box you get two starter armies, US and German, however my regular opponent, Simon, has told me that he wants to go Italian. To quote him

“So I can wargame with a really silly accent and not worry about having to paint camo on paratroopers.”

My problem is who do they fight?

The obvious option is the British in North Africa. I am also thinking about Greek forces. Another option would be the invasion of Sicily.

Time though now to read the rules.

15mm E-50

Having posted a few of Forged in Battle’s pictures earlier I had a look back at what other photographs they had posted. A month or so back they had posted their model of the E-50.

This was a future tank design that never got further than the drawing board.

Really liking these future models. It was nice to read on their Facebook page that they are going to make a British Centurion and possibly the Black Prince too.

Jagdtiger

Looking through the Nuts Design Notes I did notice these pictures.

Hmmm…

The Jagdtiger (“Hunting Tiger”) was the common name of a German tank destroyer of World War II. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz. 186. It saw service in small numbers from late 1944 to the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front. The Jagdtiger was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle operationally used during World War II. Due to an excessive weight the Jagdtiger was continuously plagued with mechanical problems.

Maybe I shouldn’t…

German Fallschirmjäger Platoon

German Fallschirmjäger in World War II were the first paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. They came to be known as the “green devils” by the Allied forces they fought against, as well as for their uniquely distinct Esprit de corps.

These are the Forged in Battle Paratrooper Platoon blister pack.

I don’t know, even though I read and wrote blister pack, I some how expected these to arrive in a box! Well they don’t you get a blister.

These were a bit of an impulse purchase, which came about after reading Seelöwe Nord which is a book on a German invasion of Yorkshire!

Late summer 1940, and Britain stands on the brink of complete and uttter defeat. Thrown out of mainland Europe by the unstoppable Nazi war machine, the British stand alone against the might of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Poised for imminent invasion, cut off by U-Boats and bombarded daily from the air, the British strive to re-equip their shattered army. They don’t know when, and they don’t know where, but one thing is certain…

The Germans are coming!

Flames of War – German StuG G Assault Guns

I painted the tracks German Grey (995) and the underneath with GW Chaos Black.

See the full workbench feature on these StuG G Assault Guns.

15mm German SdKfz 251 Half Track

The SdKfz 251 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251) half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Germany’s Hanomag company during World War II. One of the most common, and best armoured of the wartime half-tracks, the SdKfz 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle. Widely known simply as “Hanomags” by both German and Allied forces.

This is an old metal model that I think was made by SDD. I have used it as a testbed for which painting method I should use with my Flames of War resin models.

See the workbench feature on the German SdKfz 251 Armoured Half Track.

Flames of War Panther G

On the 26th May, Flames of War will release the (late war) Panther G boxed set.

Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as well as the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther’s excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations’ late war and immediate post-war tank designs, and it is frequently regarded as one of the best tank designs of World War II.

I do like the ambush camo used on the models on the back of the boxed set.

Basecoating the Flames of War Jagdpanther

The Jagdpanther was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. It entered service late in the war and saw service on the Eastern and Western fronts. Many military historians consider the Jagdpanther to be one of the best tank destroyers of the war due to the combination of the very powerful 8.8 cm KwK 43 cannon and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis.

The kit consists of a resin hull and metal components such as tracks and track guards. After constructing the model I gave it a white undercoat. The next stage was to give the underbody a dark brown basecoat. This will add shadow to the underneath of the model, and then gave the model a basecoat of Flames of War Warpaint Late War German Armour.

See the workbench feature on the Jagdpanther.

Undercoating the Flames of War Jagdpanther

The kit consists of a resin hull and metal components such as tracks and track guards. After constructing the model I gave it a white undercoat.

The next stage was to give the underbody a dark brown basecoat. This will add shadow to the underneath of the model.

See the workbench feature on the Jagdpanther.

15mm German SdKfz 251 Half Track

This is an old metal model that I think was made by SDD. I am using it as a testbed for which method I should use with my Flames of War resin models and I suspect in the end it will probably end up as a piece of scenery. However before it gets embedded into a ruin or similar, here are some photographs of it.

See the workbench feature on the German SdKfz 251 Armoured Half Track.