8.19.2025

1950s Jet Age

One of the projects I was planning to send to Miscellaneous Miniatures to paint was a mid-1950s what-if scenario set over the Baltic Sea, featuring Soviets vs. Swedes and United States Marine aircraft (you can see that post HERE). However, with my increased confidence in my ability to paint 1/285 scale aircraft, I have decided to work on this project myself, and have changed the scenario setting a bit, swapping out the Soviets and bringing in East Germans in their place, while changing the location of the fight - I think the East German national insignia showing on natural metal MiGs would look distinctive, and really, how many of us game the East German air force?
A very simple scheme for this East German MiG-15bis

The project involves four of the Swedish designed and manufactured Saab J 29, known as the Tunnan, or Flying Barrel, facing off against four MiG-15s and a pair of MiG-17s. The scenario I have created, and created it is as the event is hypothetical, adds in a pair of U. S. Marine FJ-4s racing onto the board in to even the odds. 

The planes are all available from Flight Deck Decals, as are the decals I plan to use for both sides. Along with the national markings for the Swedes and East Germans (I have plenty of U. S. national insignia from a Dom's Decals sheet), Flight Deck also has Marine lettering and aircraft numbers. The one thing I potentially need are letter codes for the J 29s, but I am not going to fuss other that. Numbers for the MiGs will be from the World War Two Russian range - not a perfect font fit, but close enough.

8.17.2025

The P-66 Vanguard


What could have been a frontline fighter for Sweden turned into a castoff destined to see limited service in China - the Vultee P-66 Vanguard.

Designed in 1938, what would become the P-66 first flew just seven days after the German invasion of Poland. It was a part of a concept of a series of aircraft designed to perform different roles, but keeping the same wing and fuselage structure - fighter, combat role, basic trainer, and advanced trainer. The fighter was the Model 48C, and 144 of the fighter version were ordered by Sweden in early 1940, to be known as the V-48C in Swedish service. This model had a different engine that enhanced high altitude performance along with an armament layout of four .30 caliber machineguns in the wings and a pair of .50 caliber machineguns firing through the propeller arc. However, Sweden did not receive any of the V-48C due to exporting bans put in place by the United States.

Great Britain took possession of one hundred Vanguards to use as advanced trainers. However, after trialing the Vanguard, it was decided to send these aircraft to the Republic of China. They were to be used to form a third American Volunteer Group, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the forming of additional groups was scratched.

The Vanguards sent to China were assembled in India in late 1942. Twelve of the P-66s were assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron (part of the 23rd Fighter Group), but were not involved in any significant actions while equipped with the P-66. However, two Chinese squadrons utilized the Vanguard, starting in August, 1943. These Chinese Vanguards were initially received in the standard United States Army Air Corps scheme of olive drab upper surfaces and neutral gray undersurfaces, but the olive drab was soon covered by Chinese olive green and given Chinese insignia. 

The Chinese P-66 was involved in at least two combats. The first, taking place on August 23, 1943, saw twenty-nine Chinese fighters (ten P-40s, eight P-43s, and eleven P-66s) scrambling to intercept a Japanese attack Chungking. The Japanese forces consisted of thirty-one Oscars and twenty-one Sallys. The bombers ranged in at 23,000 feet, but some the Chinese fighters (mostly the P-43 Lancers), having sufficient warning, had climbed above the Japanese formation and was able to attack the bombers with a height advantage. One Sally was shot down and several others were damaged, however the Chinese lost a pair of P-66s, one P-40, and one P-43, due to the Oscars' intervention.

On November 21, Enshi airfield was attacked, and three P-40s, one P-43, and four P-66s rose to defend the airfield. While one Japanese fighter was shot down and three others were listed as probables, three P-66 pilots were lost in this action.

I have cobbled together some speculative Check Your 6! ratings for the P-66:


There is one source, in 1/300 scale, for the Vanguard. PT Dockyard make a few obscure World War Two aircraft, including the Vanguard. They are cast in resin, and are a bit crude compared to today's standards, and need a lot of filing and sanding to get the surfaces smooth and even. But I believe that once painted they will serve the Chinese Air Force well.

8.10.2025

Rupees Ten - AAR

I hosted my first Second India-Pakistan War game, featuring the Rupees Ten scenario from the SkirmishCampaigns Crisis in Kashmir scenario book, for five members of the Check Your 6! Southwestern Ohio Group. After obtaining some clarification from the CY6! discussion forum about the initial setup, the Pakistani players find themselves in a bit of a pickle.


The initial setup


The Indian Gnats had the drop on the Pakistani F-86s from the first turn. This resulted in the destruction of a Sabre on the first turn - seven points for the Indian players (the victory point totals in the scenario book are quite different than the standard CY6! victory point determination). Already at a victory point deficit the Pakistani players reversed course to engage the Gnats. One Gnat would suffer a pilot wound lucky hit and be forced to abort, but that plane had just ran out of ammo and was already pointed in the direction of the Indian friendly edge. Another Gnat took an engine hit, while a third also ran out of ammunition, but in the interim the Indian players shot down two additional Sabres. 


Down two Sabres

At 21 to 1 in victory points one Sabre dropped its fuel tanks to obtain an edge in agility, but the result was simply to give the Indian side another victory point as the Sabres could simply not place themselves in a favorable position to kill any of the pesky Gnats. One Sabre player had some difficulty in performing split S and Immelmann maneuvers, which added to the humor between the players (most of us have gamed together for a number of years and the camaraderie is excellent).

We decided to call the game at that point, eleven turns in.

The scenario is tough in many aspects - less than ideal aircrew quality, the advantage for the Indian players in the initial setup, and the Gnats suffering from ammunition issues and limited fuel. 

Miniatures - Raiden
Mat - Hotz Mats

8.03.2025

Upgrading My Game - 1965 India-Pakistan War

While the Hunter looks grand, the others do not

I have to be honest, I am not loving my Raiden planes I have for the 1965 Second India-Pakistan War. The various wings and tails have too many bends, and while I have straightened them out as best as I could, the metal, being soft, tends to bend at the slightest touch. The paint work I had commissioned is also not up to the normal levels I used to receive - some sort of sealer was used on the bare metal planes that make them look gray, and I prefer the look of aluminium (intentional spelling) as opposed to whatever effect the sealer is having on changing the coloration.

Image from Flight Deck Decals
To that end, I have decided to redo my 1965 India-Pakistan project, this time using those bee-you-tee-ful 3D prints offered by Flight Deck Decals. I am focusing on just four plane types - F-86 Sabre, BAE Gnat, Hawker Hunter, and Dassault Mystère. This limited mix of planes will still allow me to put on a dozen scenarios from the SkirmishCampaigns Crisis in Kashmir book, the scenarios ranging from three to six players, some including missiles, which is an area of the rules I admittedly struggle with at times. This time around I will be painting the planes myself, as I have started to feel more confident in my skill at painting 1/285 scale aircraft. I do not add the bells and whistles, and will just focus on national insignia and fin flash, letting the quality of the Flight Deck prints stand out with a fairly minimalized approach.

Flight Deck of course delivered excellent customer service - I placed my order on a Sunday evening and had the miniatures by Saturday's post. I also picked up decals for the opposing sides - both national insignia (roundels) and fin flashes. Some pictures of the planes:

Mystère

Sabre

The pesky Gnat and the powerful Hunter

I will spray the planes with a coat of gray primer, then the Sabres, 
Mystères, and Gnats will be given a coat or two of Vallejo Air Aluminium - I prefer using their Air line as the metallic paints brush on very smoothly, even if a second coat is sometimes needed. The Hunter will be given a green/gray camouflaged upper with aluminum lower surfaces.

7.31.2025

Paul F. Baer - Ace of Aces

Paul F. Baer
Born on January 29, 1894 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Paul F. Baer was the first United States Air Service "Ace of Aces." Baer, much like Frank Luke later in The Great War, went on a scoring tear from March 1 to May 22, 1918 that saw the destruction of nine confirmed and eight probable aircraft in less than three months, all while serving with the 103rd Aero Squadron.

Baer did not have any victories as a member of the Lafayette Flying Corps in Spa.80 but would have gained valuable experience, serving with the French squadron from August 1917 to January 1918. He also received an extensive amount of training prior to joining Spa.80. Some histories Baer is listed as a member of Spa.124, the famous Lafayette Escadrille, and while he was assigned to the unit in January 1918, it was during the period in which Spa.124 was transitioning from a French to an American unit - seeing no flying - and hence Baer is not listed as one of the thirty-eight Americans that made up that famous squadron.

While in French service Baer flew this patriotic themed SPAD VII

The 103rd Aero, formed from seventeen former Lafayette Escadrille pilots, would initially be assigned to Groupe de Combat 21, a French group in which the 103rd formed the only American component. The 103rd would not be assigned to an American group until July 1918 as part of the Second Pursuit Group, before moving to the Third Pursuit Group. The four squadrons each took on a squadron distinctive Indian head design with the 103rd retaining the Sioux Indian head from the Lafayette Escadrille.

Baer's beautiful 103rd Aero SPAD VII 

Baer was described as fearless and an accomplished pilot, having attacked larger formations of enemy aircraft on at least two occasions. Due to his aggressiveness and success in the skies over the Western Front, Baer would be highly decorated by both the French and American air services, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Légion d'honneur, and the Croix de GuerreBaer was described as fearless and an accomplished pilot, having attacked larger formations of enemy aircraft on at least two occasions.  Unlike some more accomplished aces, Baer shot down mostly signal seat fighters. However Baer would be shot down on May 22, 1918 and taken prisoner until the armistice. This last action is captured as a scenario in Colorful Skies 2 (titled American Ace).

Confirmed and unconfirmed victories

After the war Baer continued flying in a variety of capacities, even trying to form a squadron of American volunteers to fight in the Polish-Russian War. His final flying employment was in China, piloting floatplanes, and while flying a floatplane at Shanghai on December 9, 1930, upon takeoff Baer's plane hit the mast of a junk in the Yangtze River and crashed. Baer's body was eventually returned to Fort Wayne, where he is buried in Lindenwood Cemetery.

There is one book that features Baer's life, what little is known about it. In 2017, Tony Garel-Frantzen released his book Hoosier Aviator Paul Baer: America's First Combat Ace (History Press). It is an okay effort, relying a little too heavily on a letter Baer wrote after the war that focused on his time as a prisoner of war, the letter being printed in full, which takes up several pages of the book. The author could have used other primary sources (such as Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917-1919) to add more to Baer's story as a combat pilot with the 103rd Aero. However, the book is a solid effort and is, as mentioned, the only currently available title on Baer.

Delving Into 1/200 - First Order

YouTube video HERE



In reviewing the several scenarios I have for The Great War (from both Colorful Skies and Billy's Boys) and after having an excellent chat one evening with Mike at Table Top Flights, I have placed my first order for 1/200 scale planes that are printed with a 1/144 scale post in order to use with the Wings of Glory peg system. I also ordered several of Mike's clear propeller blades to use on these planes.

Nieuport 28

I have decided to go late war Western Front for now, with eleven Nieuport 28s, eight SPAD XIIIs, and eleven Fokker D.VIIs. This gives me the flexibility to create ten scenarios featuring Nieuports vs. Fokkers, and another sixteen featuring the SPAD XIII, again against those same Fokkers. I think this is plenty to work on at this time, although eventually I'd like to recreate some Belgian and Lafayette Escadrille actions.

SPAD XIII

The SPADs will be painted as the 103rd Aero, the Nieuports as the 27th Aero, and I might do a quasi-historical Bavarian scheme for the Fokkers as a bit of an homage to my Bavarian heritage, unless I can get some late Jasta 18 decals made, which I think Bernhard at Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals will be getting around to creating due to recent conversations. These various squadrons are not specifically featured in all twenty-six scenarios I will be able to host, but the two American choices are some of my favorites from the war. 

Fokker D.VII

7.13.2025

Romanian Barbarossa After Action

One of the scenarios I have been wanting to game for some time was a file I obtained from the Check Your 6! forum, called Romanian Barbarossa and written by Keith Burnett. After having the planes painted by Miscellaneous Miniatures recently, I hosted this scenario, with my usual tweaks and such, for the Southwestern Ohio group. My version is a five player scenario, based on the historical even which saw the destruction of a pair of Soviet I-16s by the Romanians.

The initial Soviet deployment

The Soviet I-16s have just taken off from their airfield, guarding by a pair of light anti-aircraft guns, and being the target for the Romanian players. The Soviets had both a height and speed disadvantage as the Romanian players moved in. It was interesting to see the unplanned coordination between the Soviet players - one pair of I-16s went for speed while another pair nearby went for height, these four focusing on intercepting the incoming enemy. The third pair of I-16s, being a bit more on their own, maneuvered around the airfield itself.

A pair of beautiful Heinkels
The Romanians not only had a height advantage, but their Heinkel He 112s and I.A.R.80s had an edge in robustness and maneuverability. To be honest, as the game master, I was concerned - the I-16s were being ran by three very experienced players while the Romanians were a pair of newer players - but also concerned that the poorer maneuverability and robustness of the Soviet planes would result in many of them shot down. However, the balance of player experience and plane performance seemed to work well.

The pair of I.A.R.80s stayed along the southern edge of the board, while the Heinkels made their way towards the center of the playing surface. The I.A.R. player was going to turn and line up his planes to strafe the airfield. That plan worked well, but the Heinkel player lost his skilled aircrew early on as three Soviet fighters ganged up on him, causing an engine damage hit, before finishing the skilled pilot the next turn. 

The beginning of the end of the skilled Heinkel
Meanwhile the I.A.R.s dealt with some ineffective flak and the third pair of I-16s, which was trying to defend the airfield. Hot rolling by the Romanian player on his strafing run resulted in the complete destruction of the airfield, and gained the Axis 12 victory points. After successfully blowing the shite out of the airfield, the Romanian player turned for home. However, the I-16s were tenacious, hitting the I.A.R.s several times, destroying one and causing airframe damage on the other, which also happened to occur on the remaining Heinkel. The Romanian players turned for their home edge, the Soviet players moved in for the kill, hoping to shoot down the Remainians (as they were termed) an balance the victory point totals more in their favor.

Using their superior speed, the Remainians were able to fend off attacks with good robustness rolls, while finally creating enough of a gap to be out of the range of the Soviet light machineguns. Victory achieved for the Axis.


The I.A.R.80s on their run towards the airfield, intercepted along the way


Some lessons learned - the VP totals for strafing a grass airfield and destroying it with just two successful hits seemed like overkill. Next time I host this game I will set the victory points at two for each successful run and increasing the level for destruction at four hits. Also, I need to make certain to put an experienced player on the Romanian side since obtaining victory conditions will be a bit tougher.

The second Heinkel broke free and placed an airframe hit on an I-16, while the other I-16 had done the same to an I.A.R.80

The airfield destroyed, the remaining Romanians scramble towards home.

Soviet Results
One Heinkel and one I.A.R. shot down - 8 VPs
One Heinkel and one I.A.R. damaged - 2 VPs

Romanian Results
One I-16 shot down - 4VPs
Two I-16s damaged - 2 VPs
Airfield destroyed - 12 VPs

Toys Used:
Mat - Hotz mats
I.A.R.80 - Table Top Flights
Heinkel He 112 - Flight Deck Decals
I-16 - Raiden Miniatures

7.06.2025

Delving Into 1/200 - Bases and Gaming Surface

Now that the planes are fairly sorted, I can also plan a bit with the bases and gaming mat I will need for gaming Check Your 6! Great War. The bases are custom 3D prints designed and printed by my gaming buddy Bob. He has been tinkering around with getting a Check Your 6! style base configured to use with the Wings of Glory planes. To that end, he is using (I think) a 1.75" hex base with a 2" hex gaming mat. Works well with 1/144 I must say, but I like smaller scales, and while planes can be had in 1/285, sourcing those are more of a hassle, plus adding a post at the bottom of the plane that will synch with a Wings of Glory sized peg is not practical. 

The compromise is a 1.75" hex, Wings of Glory sized pegs, and having the planes printed in 1/200 scale with a post that will align with the pegs. The hex size works well  - it is in between the official Check Your 6! 1.5" hex, which yields a hex grid of 30 by 45 hexes, and the larger 2" hexes used by some of my gaming companions. Going to the 1.75" hex still gives enough space to adapt the Colorful Skies scenarios with less fudge factor than using a 2" hex. Now I just need to convince my friend to print a few dozen bases and a slew of clear and translucent blue pegs!

Example of a Deep Cut Studio custom mat using a 1.75" hex - red used for illustration purposes

Back to the gaming space - with a 1.75" hex grid, the six feet by four feet gaming mat still provides a playing surface of 31 by 40 hexes, meaning very little fudge has to be factored in when using various published scenarios. The size of the hexes also work well with the size of the 1/200 scale planes. If I went to a two inch hex size, the hex grid would be 27 by 36, which, at least on the long measurement, is a quite a large variance, and would increase the fudge factor proportionately. While it allows more room for planes when they are in adjacent hexes, using the pegs to represent varying TALs should mitigate most overlap that one might have with 1.75" hexes.

Off to place an order with Deep Cut Studio!

7.04.2025

Delving Into 1/200 - The Planes

1/200 Scale Table Top Flights Roland D.II
After much time spent trying to find basing solutions and deciding on a scale for the Check Your 6! Great War project, I am going to focus on 1/200 scale - I think. Many planes are available from Table Top Flights, and Mike can create a post on the bottom of the plane that will still function with the Wings of Glory 1/144 scale pegs, meaning that I can use the pegs to represent TALs. With my friend Bob able to print pegs in both clear and translucent blue and creating hex bases in different sizes, I think I am finally onto something. 

With 1/200 now in play, I contacted Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals to see if they can reduce some of their 1/144 scale Great War decals to 1/200. Yes, they can! Bernhard at SSSD had that request knocked out in a couple of days, and as a result I have placed an order for markings for Jasta 21 (in Albatros D.IIIs) and the 5me Escadrille de Chasse (in Nieuport XXIIIs), along with a sheet of Belgian roundels (you can find these re-scaled decals HERE). This will allow me to do one of the scenarios from Colorful Skies 3...almost. Table Top does not currently offer Nieuport XXIIIs at this time, and while the scenario indicates Nieuport XVIIs, the Belgians actually used the XXIII model, having but a few XVIIs. A quick email to Mike at TTF and he is looking into adding the XXIII, along with some other aircraft not currently on his site.

I also plan to collect Italian and Austro-Hungarian planes for additional scenarios from Colorful Skies 3, but in the meantime there are some scenarios for late war Americans using Nieuport 28s and SPAD XIIIs I can work on as Mike has those planes available. I have sixty-scenarios that feature late war Americans, and while a few of them are huge, many are very manageable in scope, with my target of 4-6 players - more than that and it gets too crowded around the gaming table.

That means that the collection of 50+ planes I have in 1/144 will be thinned out as I move away from Wings of Glory and into Check Your 6! Great War. I will still keep some of my favorites, mostly the ones I have customized or painted from scratch, but the rest will need to be moved along - and selling those will help fund the 1/200 scale project.

6.21.2025

Colorful Skies

My Table Top Flights Bavarian blue Fokker Dr.I and the Ares Kempf


Recently I had the chance to play in a Colorful Skies game at the monthly Wright Flight session. Colorful Skies is a set of rules modifications for Check Your 6! for the Great War and are included in the similarly named series of scenario books, all available from I-94. While I will not give much of an after action report, I do want to mention some basing solutions created by a friend that easily allows the use of Ares Wings of Glory planes for the Check Your 6! setting.

The alternating colored pegs in place - here the Dr.Is are at TAL 6, speed 3

I had a pair of Fokker Dr.Is, fairly maneuverable in Colorful Skies but tempered with a low robustness. Across from me were a pair of Camels, similar in maneuverability, but more robust. There were also a pair of Snipes matched against two Fokker D.VIIs.

The Camels Are Coming - here they are at TAL 4, Speed 4

I was able to avoid being shot at as I closed on the Camels by climbing out of gunnery range, but then came in behind the Camels by executing a Split S. Alas, my to hit rolls were too low and the Camels escaped to engage the D.VIIs. I was able to close in, after a D.VII and a Snipe had been shot down, and the remaining D.VII had run out of ammo. I was able to close in on a Snipe for a kill while my other Dr.I, having received both an engine hit and a lucky hit that reduced its speed to 1, dove out of the fray. At that point we called the game.


Come back and fight!

The bases are 3D printed. In this case they are two inches across to adjust for the 1/144 scale planes. The first bottom TAL is represented by the post that is part of the base, then printed pegs, in alternating blue and white, denote the rest of the TALs. A dice is used to indicate both speed and CAB. The pegs worked well, fairly tight and printed to accept the post on the bottom of the Wings of Glory planes. The alternating peg colors were ideal for easy TAL identification. My friend has also made bases with slots to hold colored pieces to denote different aircraft, much like the Check Your 6! official bases use a red, blue, white, black, yellow, or green indicator.

Moving in for the kill, while the Camel missed my Fokker.

Truly the only issue I had is when I climbed to a higher CAB to TAL 1. Changing the red dice to a white one to represent the higher CAB, as I was at TAL 1 I only had one peg on my stand, and my miniature was actually much lower on the playing surface then the Camel that was in the lower CAB. Other than that minor quibble, the bases worked very well! 

I am working with Mike at Table Top Flights to order some 1/200 scale World War One aircraft that has a post that still fits the Wings of Glory pegs. He is hopeful this will work. If so, I look to start a 1/200 project, possibly using a 1.75" hex base and having a custom mat in the same hex size. That is a good compromise between the official Check Your 6! gaming surface and adjusting for the size of the planes.

6.15.2025

Strike on Kiska AAR

I hosted the Strike on Kiska scenario from Battles Above 3, and I have to say it was a tough day for the Emperor's men. 

The initial setup allowed the Japanese players to close on the returning B-25s with relative ease. Yours truly commanded the Mitchells, and I thought I would have all sorts of trouble before a pair of rescuing P-40s could assist. I did not need to worry - a combination of the B-25's robustness with the use of a pair of hot dice (a set of Israeli dice from Fight's On, which have now become legendary, or infamous depending if one is on the giving or receiving end) made short work of the Rufes. The fact that the Mitchell is as agile as the Rufe certainly added to the Japanese futility.


The veteran Rufe pilot, leading others into the fray, would not survive this turn


Damaged...

The first Rufe closed in, a veteran pilot. While a lucky hit caused fire and panic among the bomber crew of fire and panic was inflicted, a couple of successful aircrew checks would eventually resolve both issues. Opening up with the top turrets in return, the veteran floatplane pilot was damaged by one Mitchell, and then sent spinning out the action by another. However, this result did not deter two additional Rufes from mixing into the bomber box, one finding itself squarely in the middle of American crossfire. The second of this pair was able to obtain a lucky hit, another fire. This one caused airframe damage, which then allowed the bombers to break formation and increase speed! One Rufe pilot showed tail, breaking off after seeing the destruction wrought by the Mitchells, which had been diving each turn to grab an extra hex since the beginning of the game, and now the increased speed assisted in creating more space.


Not learning by the example of the veteran's demise, two skilled Rufes move into the box...

...causing fire on the lead bomber...

...scratching a Rufe in return...


...the other Rufe turns tail, or perhaps passes an intelligence check


The focus moved to a fighter on fighter action as the pair of P-40s closed in. The superior firepower, robustness, and agility soon made short work of two additional Rufes, but in a final act of defiance, the last Rufe was able to damage a P-40.

The P-40s move to engage the Rufes.

The end result was an overwhelming American victory. One P-40 and one B-25 were damaged. All the Mitchells exited a friendly edge, and four Rufes were lost. The Rufe is truly a shite plane, with poor agility and robustness. However, a few die rolls in the other direction could have possibly the outcome.

Planes - Flight Deck Decals and painted by Miscellaneous Miniatures
Mat - Deep Cut Studio

5.11.2025

Soviet Swansong AAR

I recently hosted the Soviet Swansong scenario from the Air War Korea scenario book for the Southwestern Ohio Check Your 6! group at the "local" game shop - as local as an hour's drive might be. 

Lining them up - crap, too high!

The setup heavily favored the equally balanced forces...while both sides had an ace, two skilled, and one green aircrew, one section of MiGs (which included the ace) starts within 4-8 hexes in the rear arc of one section  of Sabres. However, the Soviet player misread the starting altitudes a bit, and instead of having a beautiful tail shot against the Americans, started four TALs too high. Move forward a couple of turns, the Soviet player overshot the American section, presenting one Sabre with an opportunity to use its advanced gunshot on a deflection shot, resulting in an airframe hit.

That damaged MiG decided to try an special maneuver the next turn, prompting an aircrew check, which was failed. The result was one MiG tumbling out of the sky.

Giving the Americans a gift.

The other section of Sabres were slowly making their way into the fight, turning towards the center of the board while climbing for altitude. The cover section of MiGs dropped into the center of the board on turn three, and now a hairball ensued. The Soviet ace placed rounds more than once on the Americans, but my buddy Matt, known now as Mr. Robusto (with the tune of どうもありがと Mr. Roboto now dancing through our heads) kept making his robustness rolls. Another MiG took an airframe hit, and on the next turn, not learning from the previous example, that MiG also tried a special maneuver. Result? Another MiG tumbling from the sky! 

This section was coming into the action

A third MiG was shot down, and now the score was 12-0 in favor of the Americans. The Soviet ace tried to dance about to shoot down any American, but it was not to be. Realizing that they had an overwhelming victory, by turn eleven the Americans all dove out of the fight with their victory point total intact.

The Soviets had their chances, but just couldn't get past Mr. Rubusto

I liked the scenario as it was somewhat balanced, and will definitely run this one again as a small convention game.


Deep Cut Studio custom MiG Alley mat, provided for the game by Scott.

5.07.2025

Works in Progress

As I become older I find that painting is actually becoming a bit of a calming release for me. Oh sure, my wife will tell you that on occasion she hears me spout out an expletive from the den as I fiddle with getting a decal in place or paint canopy frames, but overall I am starting to enjoy painting my own planes. Now, that being said, I am only working on simple schemes - more complex brushwork will still be sent off to Miscellaneous Miniatures or I-94, but of late, after having some success with 1/144 Great War planes last year, I have been working on a few 1/285 scale aircraft with some success and not a lot of swearing.

Before I forget, I do have an update from Kevin at MiscMinis on some commissioned work he is doing for me - here are the nearly finished Americans for an Aleutians scenario. 


Okay, now here are a few I have been working on.



The above are all Flight Deck prints. At the bottom are a Curtiss Hawk III and a P-26 (known as the Model 281 in Chinese service), painted in the base color for China in 1937. They need another coat of green, and I will need to add details such as tires, engine, and the tail stripes (the white is in place but needs another coat before adding the blue), and then Chinese roundels.

In the middle are the beginnings of my Wake Atoll collection. I decided that 1/600 is just too fiddly for my fingers to handle, so have transitioned into 1/285. The Wildcats and Buffaloes are complete, other than decals. Then I will need to start collecting a variety of Japanese aircraft. 

The top row are gap fillers. While I have a decent Korean War collection and can host numerous scenarios, I needed to buy more planes to run games involving the Yak-9P and the Shooting Star. The blue on the Yak is probably a hair too dark, but I like how it will stand out on the tabletop. The F-80, after priming, has a base coat of Vallejo aluminium which really looks great. Both of these types need details painted in, and then decals. 

4.23.2025

Two Slovak-Hungarian War Scenarios

Avia B.534IV

As readers may know, I am working on a 1939 Slovak-Hungarian War project (see posts HERE and HERE for more information). To that end I have created another Check Your 6! scenario and updated the one I had shared previously (First Fight, now known as Afternoon Delight). Here are the links to the pdfs of both scenarios.


Eventually I will be adding at least one more scenario, and most likely a bit of a guide to this war that will include background information, plane ratings, and the three scenarios.

4.20.2025

The P-43 Lancer



One of the forgotten fighters of the Second World War is the Republic P-43 Lancer. A development of the Seversky P-35, and the predecessor to the well-known P-47 Thunderbolt, the Lancer carries a rather negative reputation, one that might be based on information that could be less than factual.

There is little available in written form on the Lancer. It has a few pages in the Squadron Signal Mini In Action, and it is a subject in the TopDrawings series by Kagero, coming in at a miniscule twenty pages. Yet the P-43 was built in larger numbers than many other World War II aircraft that have been detailed in several published works. The Lancer also saw combat over the skies of China - possessing a turbo-supercharger the Lancer could intercept high flying Japanese aircraft that the P-40 could not reach.

The first batch of pre-production P-43s were delivered to the Army Air Corps from September 1940 to April 1941. Although the plane exceeded USAAC performance goals, the goals, along with the YP-43, were already obsolete due to a lack of armor, lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, and not being as maneuverable as other aircraft. Due to delays in the P-47 development, the Lancer went into production, with the P-43A model having an improved engine and increased firepower with two .50 machineguns in the nose and one in each wing. Additional Lancers were ordered for China, and these aircraft did have pilot armor and self-sealing fuel tanks. This is proven by the issuance of part numbers for both by the USAAC. Therefore those Lancers sent to China, P-43A-1, offered slightly better protection than the P-43A model. One source that every P-43 skeptic should read is an article written by Rick Dunn. His detailed writing of the Lancer in Chinese service may convince the reader that the Lancer was not as bad as we think.

Performance of the A model sent for use with the American Volunteer Group showed that it was successful at high altitude and processed a high roll rate, while the radial engine was less susceptible to damage than the water-cooled inline engine found on the P-40, but that the fuel tanks in the wings leaked which caused fires to occur if the fuel came into contact with the turbo-supercharger that was located under the fuselage. The Japanese noted that the Lancer's wings could be easily punctured as well. 

The P-43A-1 saw service in China's 4th Air Group. As a mediocre airplane, it saw both success and failure. There are few combat accounts, and details are lacking, but I plan to create a couple of Check Your 6! scenarios based on what information I can scrounge. Flying alongside P-40s, opponents were the Ki-43 and Ki-44 fighters, along with mid-war Japanese bombers and recon aircraft.

The P-43 is available from Flight Deck Decals and as Chinese paint schemes were rather plain in appearance, a set of Chinese roundels along with airplane numbers is all that one needs. The Lancers were received in standard USAAC colors (olive drab 43 and neutral gray 41), but were soon painted in the Chinese olive green. I believe that the under surfaces retained the neutral gray. 

In game terms, the P-43 Lancer has already been rated by Tom Michael on the Check Your 6! discussion group. I've added a little information by including climb rates, as the Lancer had a comparable climb to the P-40B/C, significantly better than the F4F, and slightly better than its descendant, the P-47. I've increased the robustness on the A-1 model due to the pilot armor and self-sealing fuel tanks being added, although there is some debate on how effective those additions truly were. And I have added a aircrew check anytime the Lancer does maximum speed to see if it catches on fire.


There will be more on the Lancer project as I obtain planes and work up a couple of scenarios.

4.16.2025

The Yak-9P for Korea

While I have a decent Korean War collection for Check Your 6!, there are some aircraft types I have yet to pick up, such as the Yak-9P used by the North Koreans early in the conflict. The Yak appears in a few scenarios that appear interesting and not overly large, and as the Yaks are not sporting camouflage, I should be able to paint them without sending them off for commission work. 

Over the last few months I have gathered into one spreadsheet as many Korean War scenarios as I could locate, using the Skirmish Campaigns Air War Korea book, Scramble - a Bag the Hun compendium, and finally some scenarios found on the Check Your 6! discussion group. In total that list now comprises of fifty-two scenarios, the Yak-9P making an appearance in eleven. I won't be collecting aircraft for all eleven scenarios as fielding a bunch of B-29s or Il-10s does not appeal to me, but collecting enough to add Yaks to field a few of the North Korean Air Force scenarios.

As portrayed on the Flight Deck website


In 1/285 scale there are of course numerous choices for various models of the Yak-9, but I am going with Flight Deck Decals as their 3D prints are the best thing going, and their price point is extremely good for such a high quality miniature, and they make a Yak-9P. Painting however is less of a certain thing - there is some debate over the basic color of the Yak-9P. Some illustrations show a natural metal, while others show a light blue gray. Most informed folks seem to lean towards the latter, which is the direction I plan to go, using Vallejo's Pale Blue 71.008. It is a bit too dark perhaps, but seems to fit what the pundits push forth.


This version is a little too light on the gray and has no blue hue


This is what I will be shooting for

Decals are easy - Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals makes a set for North Korean Yaks in 1/200 scale, and Bernhard at Sieben Schwaben will rescale to 1/285. 





I am looking forward to tackling these relatively simply planes and adding a bit to my Korean War arsenal.