Project Gun-Val AAR

Last weekend I hosted the "Hagerstrom's Intercept" scenario from my Project Gun-Val scenario booklet. We actually ran the game twice, because in both instances, while the Soviet...er, em...the North Koreans have the jump, the Americans were seemingly invincible. In the first game the American reversed on the first turn, and the Soviets got into a turning fight, which did not bode well as the F-86F-2 Gun-Val machine came on and was able to dispatch a MiG rather easily. The game was over in seven turns!

So, we revered sides and tried it again. The Soviet players started a bit father away which made the Americans wary of doing a reversal, but again the MiGs had a rough time of it. Of course, in both games, a couple of different die rolls and the games would have been much different.

We played with my modified MiG armament as well as used a new rule (to us) - if one dives one cannot shoot at a higher target, and if one climbs one cannot shoot at a lower target. While both games were short, this actually prevented the games from ended even sooner.

Not a lot of detail in this one, but here are some pics!

Second game setup with a little PR

First game setup - those Sabres are going to reverse and create some havoc

And now the MiGs try turning

But even though this looks ideal, it doesn't end well

Mat - Deep Cut Studio

Planes - Raiden and MSD Games

Scenario Booklet Sales

I am very surprised, in a pleasant way, to see how many of the scenario booklets I have sold. The pdf option generated more traffic than I expected, so I will continue to offer future booklets in that format. 

Here is a recap after two months of sales:

Links to purchase print or pdf format are to the left.

FJ Fury

Those navy blue schemes are so cool!

I have a bit of an affinity for the FJ Fury, with its cool Sabre look (particularly the FJ-2 or -3 versions) but sporting a U. S. Navy paint scheme (I really wish someone would make the -1 and the -2/3 versions as 3D prints - wait, there are some available, but they do not look grand). One can obtain a quality FJ-4 model and I have a pair from Flight Deck Decals (you can see the posts featuring these HERE). I could order some F-86s and try to fool with the stabilizer as the Fury had a horizontal version while the Sabre's was slightly angled upward) but that sounds like 3D print breakage waiting to happen. 

Here are a selection of books one should consider if wanting to learn more about the FJ Fury:

FJ Fury in Action - Venerable Squadron Signal offering from 1990 and authored by Jim Mesko, who has written several other titles for Squadron.

FJ Fury in Detail & Scale Vol. 68 - There can be some great value in Bert Kinzie's books, although they can be very detail heavy (and hence more suitable for model builders). Packed with photos and some color profiles. This is the first edition - the Detail & Scale coverage of the Fury was later expanded into two volumes (see following).

FJ Fury in Detail & Scale Vol. 12 Part I - A much expanded version of the previous entry that covers the Fury FJ-1 through FJ-3 series and includes 102 pages, 264 photos (many in color), along with ten color profiles. 

FJ Fury in Detail & Scale Vol. 13 Part II - An extensive look at the FJ-4 series with 102 pages, 209 photos (145 in color), and eleven color profiles. 

The North American FJ Fury - From the classic Profile Publications series (Number 42, 1965). A dozen pages with some color profiles. This can be found on aftermarket sites, usually for just a few dollars.

And of course we need stats. I based the following on the last model of the F-86 which appears in the Indo-Pakistan scenario book. The weapons have been updated to reflect the four 20mm cannons found on the Fury.

Scenario Book Progress

A video showing draft copies of the upcoming scenario books - Slovak-Hungarian War, Wake Atoll, and Project Gun-Val for the Korean War.

Progress on the Wake Island Front

And for my next trick....

I've had this scenario booklet nearly ready for some time, dealing with the Japanese attempt to capture Wake Atoll in December 1941. Several scenarios are built, mostly historical ones, with a few what ifs as well, such as what if the USS Saratoga reinforced Wake with the Brewster Buffaloes that were tasked to increase the American fighter presence - that sort of thing. While I have thirteen scenarios created I decided to drop what I had into Gemini and let AI take a look. It wound up creating a few more encounters and making suggestions to my existing ones, but as always with AI one must double check the work as I think the new offerings might be duplicates of scenarios I already have in the booklet. But if not, the booklet will be expanded a bit.

Currently the booklet, like the other two previously mentioned, comes in a hair above twenty pages, Using lulu.com as my print on demand service, with premium color and 80# coated paper, the price points on these booklets are about $12.50 USD, which I have added in a slight margin for my time. If I go to standard color and normal weight paper, it shaves maybe a dollar. My goal is certainly not to make money, but to offer more scenarios for Check Your 6! and Check Your 6! Jet Age gamers, and I have had other works printed with the better quality options ad really like how they have turned out.

I still plan to create more scenario booklets that feature specific topics, like the 99th Fighter Squadron flying P-40s (over twenty-five scenarios), the 49th Pursuit Group near Darwin, a dozen scenarios oddly enough also featuring P-40s, and a Taiwan crisis booklet that would feature the P-47N model for the early scenarios and the later 1958 conflict that features the Sabre. This would see over forty scenarios if all make the cut.

Progress on the Project Gun-Val Front

As I have but little left to do on the Slovakian-Hungarian War scenario booklet, I thought I would start work on another self-published booklet, this one on the Project Gun-Val F-86F-2 Sabre used during the Korean War in 1953. I have fourteen scenarios in the can for this one, ranging in size from four to fourteen planes on the table, with two to seven players. This project should be ready for publishing within a couple of weeks as I go through and update the formatting for the scenarios.

There are a few special rules in this one, mostly dealing with the gun system on the Gun-Val Sabre, but also some changes I felt that were needed for the MiG-15. I have read a slew of first person accounts, and I believe the weapons system on the MiG needs a little tweaking (you can read about my thoughts on this topic HERE).

This will make two scenario books that will be ready for the Check Your 6! gaming crowd, with more forthcoming!

Goblin Arrival

A very short post....

Today I received my order from Geektown for a half dozen of their McDonnell XF-85s from their Space: 1963 - Hot Skies/Cold Seas range. These tiny little parasite jets will be a fun addition to any 1950s Jet Age project.

My order was placed on February 5th, and I received it six days later.  The quality of the material used on these 3D prints is on par with Flight Deck Decals which is the gold standard for 3D aircraft.

The Second Taiwan Crisis

For those who know me personally or follow this blog, you may have deduced that I like the off the beaten path topics, whether it is small battles from the American Civil War, or to some of the Check Your 6! projects I have taken on (100 Hours War, 1948 Arab-Israeli, 1950s Jet Age, etc., etc.). As I move slowly into more jet age projects, trying to understand how to use missiles, radar, and what not more effectively, I came across a conflict that saw plenty of air combat in a short period of time, including the first shoot down of an aircraft by a Sidewinder air-to-air missile. The Second Taiwan Crisis is like the Korean War, but with a couple of twists (let's call it the Korean War 2.0). One is the aforementioned use of missiles (although most kills were still through machineguns and cannon), and the other is the use of afterburner. Therefore this period allows the World War II or Korean War Check Your 6! gamer an easier transition into using additional rules as opposed to jumping into Vietnam or later conflicts.

I will not get into much of a history of this conflict, but it is good to note that the Nationalists (Republic of China) had fled to Taiwan and a series of smaller island groups, a few that were within artillery range of mainland China, after their defeat. Taiwan is only 90-100 miles from the Chinese mainland, and as a result the Taiwan Straits, much like today, was a point of potential conflict. There were several encounters prior to the late summer of 1958 as the two sides jockeyed for territorial gains. By mid-1958 the Communists (People's Republic of China) were putting more pressure in taking those island groups that were just off their coast. To support the defense of Taiwan, but not necessarily interested in protecting the smaller Nationalist controlled islands, the United States sent both air force and naval assets to the region. That alone could provide an interesting what-if series of scenarios, but the actual shooting war was just as fascinating.

The two forces involved, the Nationalist and Communist Chinese, used a variety of aircraft, but the principle fighters were the F-86 Sabre and the MiG-17 Fresco. While the MiG-17 was a superior platform over the Sabre, the quality of the Nationalist pilots overcame the technological disadvantages. The Communist pilots were, for the most part, poorly trained and often flew in predictable patterns, making it easier for the ROC pilots to obtain advantageous firing positions. To that end their average aircrew quality is lower than the ROC pilots, and they have an interesting special rule that will be included on the various scenarios I create.

Speaking of scenarios, I have fifteen outlined that should convert well into the CY6! format. Most feature Sabres vs. MiG-17s, but there are a few other aircraft types present as well. I used AI to assist, providing source material so that AI could create historical encounters. Turned out decently well.

We need to talk about miniatures, and of course I lean on Flight Deck Decals for this conflict. They make an F-86F Sabre which is ideal, and a variety of MiG-17s, but one would want the Fresco C version. Add in a few F-84s and MiG-15bis models and one is good to go. I will post numbers needed by scenario in a future post, but this project will be very affordable for gamers due to the small number of miniatures needed, and mostly of the same aircraft types.

The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin

A member of the Check Your 6! Facebook group recently shared a post from a company called Geektown, a 3D print company. While Geektown offers merchandise that I am far from interested in, they do have a line called Hot Skies/Cold Seas that have a few oddball "could-have-been" aircraft that made it into the test phase but not into production. One of the offerings is a six pack of McDonnell XF-85 Goblins, a parasite fighter that was to be used to protect bombers during missions that would have been beyond the range of conventional fighters. The Goblin would be carried under the bomber, then launch when enemy aircraft were nearing the bomber formation. It would be retrieved by connecting to a trapeze via a retractable hook that extended in front of the canopy on the Goblin.

The use of parasite aircraft extended back to the Great War, with planes being considered for use under airships. The Unites States Navy did put the parasite idea into use during the 1930s on the airships Akron and Macon. During World War Two both the Soviets and the Germans toyed with parasite designs and testing, with the Soviets actually using parasites in 1941 to attack a bridge. The United States put out request for proposals in late 1942, but McDonnell that submitted a proposal concept.

The XF-85 was originally conceived as a piston engined fighter that would be carried partially exposed under a bomber, but the United States Army Air Force rejected this concept due to the increased drag caused by carrying the parasite. Future developments led to the Goblin being placed within the bomber's hold, and it was conceptualized that a B-36 could carry up to three Goblins, providing a sort of flying carrier to support the other bombers on any given mission.

However, the Goblin seemed destined for failure - the first prototype was accidently dropped from a height of forty feet during wind tunnel testing. Additional testing proved that the Goblin, while showing promise, would not be fast enough to deal with the generation of enemy jets it would face, and recovery of the parasite was problematic due to the buffeting of air around the bomber. Only a few successful hookups were completed during testing, and the program was canceled.

In Check Your 6! Jet Age terms I have cobbled together these stats:

There is an existing XF-85 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.

Rules for the F-86F-2 Sabre

While the scenarios I am creating include the following rules for using the F-86F-2 Sabre as part of Project Gun-Val, I thought having the rules included as a blog post might be useful. As of this date, I have four Project Gun-Val scenarios available on the Downloads page, with maybe two or three more to work up. After that I hope to create a Project Gun-Val scenario mini-book and offering it as a pdf download. In the meantime, here are the rules and stats for the F-86F-2 Sabre.

• F-86F-2 stats: B7 + 2 Hx, 93/75, R2/d6, @FF: 4xMC.
• Due to the high muzzle velocity of the 20mm M39 (T-160) cannons on the F-86F-2, use a twelve-sided dice (d12) for each firing gun.
• The T-160 cannon had a high rate of fire, therefore will check for ammunition depletion at one aircrew level lower.
• The T-160 cannon had an issue with dispersion at longer distances. Firing at ranges greater than six hexes is suffers a -1 die roll modifier.
• Conversely, the APG-30 radar provided greater accuracy at longer ranges. Add a +1 modifier to all F-86F types when firing at four hexes or greater within the target's tail arc.
• Compressor Stall – When the cannons on the F-86F-2 were fired, exhaust from the guns created a cloud of gas directly in front of the nose intake which could cause engine flame out. When an F-86F-2 fires its cannon an aircrew check is required, with a -2 modifier for CABs HIGH and above and -1 for CABs MEDIUM to HIGH BOTTOM. A failed check results in an immediate reduction of one speed at the end of the phase, and a loss of one speed on each subsequent turn, plotting only forward turn codes, until the engine has been restarted. Once restarted, speed is immediately set to 2.

Here is a silent video showing some of the effects of the 20mm cannon on the Sabre.

"Fixing" the MiG-15

I am digging this late war scheme used by Soviet pilots

Recently I was doing some research on muzzle velocities, rates of fire, projectile weights, and rounds carried for a few Korean War aircraft. While one does not want to bog down the simplicity of balance of the Check Your 6! Jet Age rules, the historical data is telling an interesting story. Comparative analysis shows some interesting facts about the MiG-15s armament when looked at in the context of other weapons, even its own.

The two versions of the 23mm cannon, the Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 and Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23, have the same projectile weights (6.2 ounces) and similar muzzle velocities (2300 and 2264 feet per second). What is interesting is the muzzle velocity of the 37mm N-37 is nearly the same, yet the 23mm cannons are rated as MC, while the 37mm cannon is rated as LVHC with a low rate of fire. The effective ranges for these guns are all around 600 yards, and with the same muzzle velocities they should all be rated as having a low velocity weapon. How to handle? One could rate the pair of 23mm cannons as LVC since the effective ranges are the same as the 37mm cannon, rated as LVHC in the rules with a six hex range. The penalty at medium range would be appropriate since the guns also had a wide dispersion and a decreased chance to hit at longer ranges. 

The rates of fire for the two type of 23mm Soviet cannon are lower than the .50 caliber and American 20mm cannon, but probably not enough so to make the 23mm a low ROF weapon, or only the earlier NS-23 version. The data comes in at 7.08 rounds per second (RPS) for the 37mm, and 9.17 RPS for the NS and 11.25 RPS for the NR versions of the 23mm. To compare, the .50 caliber is 20 RPS and the 20mmAN/M3 is 12.5 RPS. Okay, now I do think that the NS-23 should have a low rate of fire.

For the MiG-15s, I suggest the following revisions, which do not hinder game play:

The First Victory AAR

My pair of Yaks in lower left corner.

I hosted (and played) The First Victory scenario from the Check Your 6! Korean War scenario book this past weekend for the group. Alas, it was another one of those times in which I did not remember to take many pictures, but I can cobble together a bit of an after action report this go-around.

We had three North Korean players with a pair of Yak-9s each, facing off against three players flying a pair of F-80s (high cover) and three Twin Mustangs. The Yaks had a mission to get their aircraft of the edge of the board, although the scenario seems to be a bit confused on which edge and even with how the setup was described (Board Edges 1 and 2 do NOT intersect so one cannot set up their planes within ten hexes of that intersection), but we managed. The Yaks and Mustangs were pretty much on the deck, and with visibility only sixteen hexes it took a few turns for spotting range to be achieved. I made the players fly level and use only forward turn codes until a spotting check was passed. Then the fun began.

Denying Mustangs their due while the F-80s are in a futile chase.

We had four Korean Yaks line abreast (with a hex in between each) with my pair lying support a few hexes behind. One pair went for the deck with the goal of getting off the victory point edge while the other two players mixed it up with the Shooting Stars (once they came down to play) and Twin Mustangs. With mostly green crews on the board, shots were not easy to come by, but one F-82 shot down a Yak, evening the numbers. However, while the F-80s turned to chase the pair of Yaks screaming for the board edge, a series of maneuvers meant that the remaining Yaks were now engaged and unable to really break away. I placed my pair of Yaks with a couple of pretty good tail shots, but of course missed both. At that I had a chance to break for the victory point board edge as well, while the other engaged Yak finally meant his demise. The Shooting Stars could not get the first pair of Yaks, so some VPs were heading our way. I was able to slip around a few turns, knocking down a Shooting Star while giving the Twin Mustangs mostly deflection shots. On one turn the remaining F-80 decided to do a zero speed move in hopes of getting me in a shooting aspect, but a broke hard and the next turn that pilot failed his crew check. Being at Surface Low TAL 1, he crashed into the ground. I am counting that as a maneuver kill!

The end is nigh.

But now the F-82s were circling and one of my Yaks exposed its tail. BOOM! Down goes Frazier! A turn later my other Yak took an engine hit. We played about sixteen turns, and had some successful aircrew survival roles. Using the VP chart in the scenario book, the ending tally was:

Americans - 9 VPs

North Koreans - 8 VPs

Planes - Flight Deck Decals

Decals - a mix of Dom's, Flight Deck, and Sieben Schwaben Spiele.

Paints - all Vallejo except the red which is Army Painter Pure Red. NATO Black on the F-82s, aluminium on the F-80s, and Azure Blue on the Yaks.

Low on Ammo!

Our group seems to roll A LOT of doubles during game play. This causes many aircraft to run out of ammo and hence creates less than a perfect gaming experience. We've tried a house rule or two to address the frequency of our doubles conundrum, but haven't used them on a consistent basis. In all my reading, where there are certainly instances of running out of ammunition, or at least some guns running out while others still had rounds, it did not seem to happen as habitually as it does in our games. I was looking at the Ammo Depletion table recently, trying to figure out a way to reduce the amount of out of ammunition results while factoring in crew experience. What follows is a chart that I plan to try at a few upcoming games that I host.

When a second set of doubles has been rolled (or after the first fire box has been checked), it triggers an ammunition check. Using the same parameters for aircrew quality as on the Ammo Depletion table (meaning that a skilled aircrew has to check on doubles of 4 or higher, a veteran on 5 or higher, etc.), based on pilot skill the player will take an aircrew check and using the following table to determine the outcome. The numbers under each weapon type are the minimum numbers to roll in order to maintain that weapon type's ammunition supply. There are no die roll modifiers as aircrew quality has already been factored into the chart.

Example One: A veteran P-38 jock rolls his second set of doubles for the game, this time a pair of fives. This triggers an aircrew check on the table. The player rolls a 7 on his 2d6. Checking the Veteran row, this would result in his 20mm cannon being out of ammo, but his four .50 caliber HMGs are good to go. 

Example Two: A poor Chinese MiG-15 pilot has rolled his second set of doubles which triggers a check on the table. He rolls his 2d6 and the result is an 8. All guns are out of ammo. Had the result been an 11, then the two 23mm cannon would still be available, but the 37mm Sabre buster would be out of rounds.

Any check would be dependent upon what guns were used in the firing attack. If the type of gun(s) were not used, they are not impacted by a failed crew check.

Also, additional doubles means another aircrew check on the table, not an automatic out of ammo result. Therefore a plane could roll multiple doubles during the course of a game, but could continue to pass the checks and have some or all of its guns available.

GunVal Scenario

While the details are hazy, I was able to host a scenario featuring a pair of 20mm cannon equipped F-86 Sabres in the cold skies over MiG Alley recently (called Moore's Double Down and can be found on the Downloads page). The player running the 20mm Sabres had a lot of issues as he kept failing crew checks when firing the 20mm cannons, causing the Sabres to flameout, requiring additional crew checks to restart the engines. However, the American players did a number on the Soviet-piloted MiGs, even though outnumbered eight to six. The first four MiGs on the board did not wait for their reinforcements and instead went at the Americans, which allowed the Imperialist Yankees to swarm the four MiGs. By the time the next four MiGs were able to close in, the odds were not looking good. It was an overwhelming American victory!

No after action report this time as I waited too long to write it up and the feeble mind does not quite have all the details.

Miniatures - A mix of Raiden and GHQ
Game Mat - Deep Cut Studio with 1.75" hexes.

Back to the Pak!

As the New Year dawns upon mankind, the promise of renewed hope springs forth once again...(Monty Python voice over follows) Alright, enough of that tripe! 

Sabres, Gnats, and Mystères...oh my!

I have slowly been working on my Second India-Pakistan War miniatures from Flight Deck Decals. I am awaiting an order for some paints to go on the Hunters, but the Mystères, Gnats, and Sabres are to the point of just needing decals added. I am hosting a game next week and hope to have these completed in time - no worries if I don't as I already have metal minis from Raiden painted for this conflict. (see HERE and HERE for pictures of those planes). Why the switch to Flight Deck? See HERE for that decision. 

I have a pair of painted MSD Vampires that my buddy gave me, and in order to do one of the scenarios from the Crisis in Kashmir! scenario book I needed another pair, so I do have two more coming from Raiden. Eventually I will also order Vampires from Flight Deck as the MSD ones are not up to Flight Deck's level of quality, but for now I have done some touch up painting on the pair in hand and they will see service until their replacements have been acquired.

I have also used AI to see if there are more scenarios that can be created for this war. The answer is yes, AI yielded two additional scenarios - one of decent (five player) size with the Pakistani Sabres attacking a radar installation with rockets, one that is defended by Hunters and some flak. That will make a good game for the tabletop. The other AI generated scenario is a small night action and not suitable for a game. Here is now the full listing of 1965 scenarios by number of aircraft needed (red are the additional scenarios):

Removing the scenarios that utilize planes I do not own yields fourteen scenarios on the tabletop. I think that is probably enough for this war!

Back to the 'Nam

After hosting (and getting to play as well) a Check Your 6! Jet Age game the other night, it has me thinking about getting into another jet age period, but something later than the 1950s things I have. I do have a decent collection of miniatures for the Second India-Pakistan War, but missiles and radar are rather limited in scope for that conflict, and I would like to "master" the more advanced rules and the aircraft that use them. I created some roughly framed scenarios for early Vietnam, and about a dozen for the 1982 Lebanon War, so there are plenty of opportunities and possibilities to get into an era that would require the understanding of radar lock-ons, ECW, and advanced missiles. I also have several outlined scenarios for the Second Taiwan Crisis, but that is basically the Korean War with some crappy missiles. 

Other guys in our group have 1956, 1967, and 1973 Arab-Israeli collections, so I do not want to duplicate efforts there. The Falklands are fairly covered as well. I am pretty certain no one is doing the Lebanon War, so that would bring something new to the table. But even in 1/300 scale, those beautiful Flight Deck Decals planes run four to five dollars each, and then there is the painting of advanced camouflage schemes. While my painting skills are improving of late, not certain if a lot of camo is in my future.

VF-211 Crusader. Later VF-211 served on the USS Bon Homme Richard

I keep heading back to Vietnam, although what I am looking at are early war years featuring the F-8 Crusader and MiG-17s and MiG-21s. The missiles are crappy, but radar starts to become a thing. Planes are easy - for the sixteen scenarios that feature just the F-8 I would only need four Crusaders, five MiG-17s, and four MiG-21s (if one does not mind using one model to cover the same basic airframe). If I add in four Skyhawks I increase the number of scenarios I could game to twenty.

Skyhawk from VA-76, USS Bon Homme Richard

I can handle painting Navy aircraft with the dull gray and insignia white scheme. Decals are covered by Miscellaneous Miniatures for specific Crusader and Skyhawk squadrons. Actually, that might be the hold up as those decal sheets mean adding something like a dozen or more decals to each plane! However, with the need for only four F-8s and four A-4s, I guess I could suffer adding a slew of decals. The MiGs are more decal friendly with just the North Vietnam national insignia and a BORT number needed. Painting them, however, would be a bit more of a challenge - early in the war many were simply in their natural metal, but then camo schemes started to appear. But I think the simple all metal versions might be the direction I take.

So, here on Christmas Day, I have ordered the planes and decals needed to eventually game these scenarios:

Baltic Encounter After Action Report

I have been trying to get this game on the table since October! Finally it happened.

I did a thing - I purposely scheduled a game for the group knowing that the planes were not ready to use. This was an effort to push me to take care of the chore of adding decals to planes that were mostly painted. Applying decals is not what I call an enjoyable task, and I think it is mostly from a time perspective that I dally when it comes to this stage of completing planes for the table top. I have my system worked out fairly well - put a little gloss finish where the decals will be applied (this makes it easier to move the decal into proper position), apply Vallejo decal fix, cut the decal, soak in hot water while holding a non printed corner with tweezers, and after about thirty seconds of soaking slide into place with a brush end. Roll a Q-Tip over the decal to absorb the excess water, and adjust the decal so that it is perfectly placed. Once dry, I brush on Vallejo decal softener which "melts" the decal so as to adjust into ribbing or panel lines.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be an after action report, so let's get to it!

I hosted my hypothetical Baltic Encounter scenario (found on the Downloads page) that features a flight of Swedish Saab J 29s vs. a half dozen East German MiG-15s and MiG-17s in 1958. The Swedes receive a little U. S. Marine support in the form of a pair of Fury FJ-4s. This scenario eases one into the use of early air-to-air missiles as the Furies are carrying AIM-9B Sidewinders. It also adds afterburners, found on the J 29s and MiG-17s. One can easily swap out the Swedes and East Germans for other nationalities so feel free to mix it up, 1950s Cold War style.

One movement in, and the Tunnans are flying neatly

Four Swedish Tunnans were scrambled to watch the approach of the East Germans, who were making a political statement on Swedish's National Day. Both sides had to maintain level flight and only plot forward turn codes until spotting occurred. The Tunnan aircrews were all skilled, and the Tunnans had afterburners and an agility of 3.

The "bad guys" after a move or two

The East German force consisted of four MiG-15s and a pair of MiG-17s. My pair of MiGs are the two at the bottom of the picture. We had three skilled and three green aircrews.

One thinks that one is in a good firing solution, but those Tunnans are agile!

After a few turns, spotting checks were successfully made, and the two sides turned to engage. 

The Marines have arrived!

On Turn 3 a pair of Marine FJ-4Bs approached from the west, bearing gifts in the form of four AIM-9Bs on each Fury.

The furball

The shot of the game occurred early. One MiG-15 needed boxcars to hit a Tunnan head on - SUCCESS! And we know the firepower on the MiGs, but the Tunnan's robustness is a 2, so a good chance to survive...but not when the robustness roll is a pair of ones. BOOM! Tiny pieces of Tunnan scattered across the sky.

Much maneuvering was forthcoming - the Free World planes were all rated Hx and the players took advantage of that fact. But another Tunnan fell from the sky (sorry, Bill, Scott had a good night with a pair of kills). Personally, I tried to boom and zoom as I could, but Check Your 6! does not model B&Z tactics that well, so while I was able to dive out and build massive speed, the climb back, even to half the level of my dives, ate a crap ton of speed. I got a few shots in - all misses. And then it happened - the tails of a few MiGs showed themselves to those Sidewinder carrying FJ-4s. Uh oh.

The fruitless missile attack

Now that is my pair of MiGs immediately in front of the Furys - I was safe as I was nearly on the low end of the CAB and waaay too close to be fired upon, but Bob's MiG-17s were in the ideal position - unleash the beasts! Four Sidewinders launched. But the dice were not in Jamie's favor - two malfunctions, one miss, but wait, one proximity hit! Robustness check time - passed! Four missiles fired, four futile efforts.

However, those two MiG-17s, having turned towards the missiles by using evasive action, were shot down the next turn. In retaliation, Bob knocked a Fury from the sky. Meanwhile, the other four MiGs were able to exit the north edge of the board, embarrassing the Swedes on their national holiday. The East Germans won the game.

Communist

Two Tunnans and one Fury were lost (skilled crews) - 12 victory points

Four MiGs exiting the north board edge - 4 victory points

16 points total

Free World

Two MiG-17s shot down (one skilled and one green aircrew) - 8 victory points

In hindsight, the MiGs could have simply dropped altitude and made a run for the north board edge exit and just went for VPs. However that might have provided too many tail shot opportunities to the Free World forces so perhaps that is not such a bad victory condition.

The Free World players had the advantage in aircrew quality and having Hx planes. The Tunnans used the A maneuver chart and had 3 agility with afterburners. The MiGs had mixed aircrew quality, but a heavier armament and a height advantage at the start. Overall I think it came out to be a balanced scenario.

For details on the miniatures, click HERE.

Mat - Deep Cut Studio

The P-47N - Over the Straits of Taiwan

I am guessing the blue used on the top of the fuselage to reduce glare really should be flat black as I have never seen blue used for that purpose.

I have been working on a series of scenarios for the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, which featured the first combat use of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, fired by an F-86F Sabre and shooting down either a MiG-15bis or a MiG-17. Details are a bit confused as I have come across a couple of encounters that took place on September 24, 1958 that were part of a large Republic of China fighter sweep which was providing cover for recon missions. Seemingly the first encounter involved MiG-15s, and then shortly thereafter a group of MiG-17s appeared and more Sidewinder, as well as gun kills, occurred. But more on the 1958 crisis in future posts.

What I also found interesting was the mention of P-47Ns being engaged against Communist Chinese MiG-15s just a few years before.  I like the P-47N, the enlarged yet clipped wings gives it a bit of a different feel. Also, it is the plane the 332nd Fighter Group used after World War II to win a gunnery competition. But I digress.

While most of the Republic of China P-47 encounters (and hence losses) occurred against Communist anti-aircraft fire, there are a few air to air combat events. Here is a list of those encounters that resulted in a shoot down (taken from the "trusty" source WikiPedia, but in turn sourced from the Prop Wash Gang website so hopefully accurate):

• 29 July 1950 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-air fire from Xiamen, killing its pilot.
• 16 June 1953 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Dongshan Island, killing its pilot.
• 17 December 1953 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Jejiang, killing its pilot.
• 22 May 1954 – In an engagement involving six PLAAF MiG-15, RoCAF pilots Chien and Yen shoot down one of the MiGs with machine gun fire from their P-47N Thunderbolts.
• 3 June 1954 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by a La-11 of the PLAAF, killing its pilot.
• 6 July 1954 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by cannon fire from a MiG-15 of the PLAAF, killing its pilot.
• 21 January 1955 –A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-air fire over the PRC, killing its pilot.
• 1 July 1957 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt is shot down by anti-aircraft fire over the PRC, killing its pilot.

Admittedly unless one really wants to game anti-aircraft actions, there are only three that might be turned into Check Your 6! Jet Age scenarios. However, through the use of AI, I believe I have come up with enough details to add a few more historical scenarios into the mix - and yes, more on this in future posts.

Rating the P-47N for Check Your 6! and Check Your 6! Jet Age is as follows.

Obviously the P-47 will have its challenges against MiGs, but if a hit can be made, the eight .50 caliber machineguns should wreak havoc. The agility difference will also help with obtaining a hit. In defense, the agility again gives the Thunderbolt an assist, as does the robustness rating. While I followed the conversion process found on Page 39 of the Jet Age rules, I might add the Hx back in for low to medium altitudes. I understand that the D rating for World War Two means the Hx is lost when converting, but this is pretty much the penultimate version of the P-47, and those clipped wings and improved engine should translate better.

Artificial Intelligence, which sourced numerous documents and articles, also generated the following analysis, which I find interesting (my comments in italics):

5. Tactical Analysis and Doctrine

5.1 The ROCAF "Turtle" Tactic

ROCAF pilots, aware of their aircraft's limitations, often flew in a defensive "weaving" formation. When attacked by jets, they would turn into the attack, forcing the faster MiGs to steepen their dive or overshoot. The P-47's ruggedness allowed pilots to risk head-on passes, knowing their radial engine offered substantial armor protection compared to the MiG's delicate nose intake. Does this mean that the MiG-15 should have a robustness of 1 when attacked head-on, or for that matter any jet with a large intake?

5.2 PLAAF "Boom and Zoom"

Soviet advisors drilled the PLAAF to avoid turning fights. The standard doctrine was to dive from altitude (High/Very High CAB), fire a burst from the heavy 37mm cannon, and use the zoom climb to reset. In Check Your 6! this is represented by maintaining high energy states. After a recent game the group talked about this very thing, that boom and zoom, and in general aircraft that have a superior dive or climb rate, really does not have a good representation in Check Your 6! The climb and dive rates are lost within the maneuver charts, so any plane with B maneuver chart has the same climb and dive capabilities against any other plane rated as a B, no matter if the first plane had a superior climb and/or dive rating. 

5.3 Gunnery Considerations

The P-47N's eight .50 caliber machineguns (3400 rounds total) allowed for long bursts and "spray" tactics, increasing hit probability against small, fast jets. The MiG-15's heavy cannons (two 23mm and one 37mm) had low muzzle velocity and different ballistic arcs, making deflection shooting difficult for inexperienced pilots. In game terms, the P-47 should have a higher "To Hit" chance but lower damage per hit, while the MiG has low hit probability but catastrophic damage potential. The damage is taken care of by the dice type used for the various weapons, but one might consider giving a green MiG aircrew an additional -1 to hit when firing a deflection shot, while adding a +1 for all P-47 attacks due to the amount of lead being discharged.

Final Thoughts

Flight Deck Decals happen to offer the P-47N so sourcing the miniature is not a concern. I will be creating a few scenarios as well - they are all rather small (the largest is about a dozen aircraft), but include MiG-15s, Yak-9s, and La-11s, along with a variety of American aircraft. 

The F-86F-2 Sabre

The air war over the Korean Peninsula between 1950 and 1953 represents a singular moment in the history of aerial warfare, a violent transition period where the tactical principles of World War II collided with the developing technologies of the jet age. For the United States Air Force, the conflict was defined by the struggle for air superiority over "MiG Alley," the strip of airspace along the Yalu River where American F-86 Sabres dueled with Soviet, Chinese, and North Korean MiG-15s. While the F-86 Sabre is often remembered as the victor of this contest, contemporary analysis and pilot reports from the era reveal a deep-seated anxiety regarding the Sabre’s lethality. The standard armament of the F-86 - six Colt-Browning AN/M3 .50 caliber machine guns - was increasingly viewed as insufficient against the rugged, armored airframe of the MiG-15. This lethality gap spurred a classified operational test program known as Project Gun-Val, an initiative that placed experimental 20mm cannon-armed Sabres into the freezing skies of Korea in early 1953.

Many Check Your 6! Jet Age gamers most likely have the F-86 in their collections - I personally own F-86s painted for both Korea and the Indo-Pakistan conflicts. They are solid birds, especially the later models with improved thrust, gunsight, and a wing configuration that increased maneuverability. However it was just recently that I learned of the 20mm armed version being used in combat over Korea. I have posted the first of a handful of scenarios that will all feature the F-2 model. By the way, eight F-2s were sent to Korea, these being a combination of E-10 and F-1 models modified to the F-2 configuration. These F-2s featured the "6-3" wing as well as the improved A-4 gunsight. Speaking of gunsights, when the Soviets evaluated a captured Sabre, they acknowledged the advantage the gunsight provided, not just for deflection shooting, but for long range accuracy as well. Therefore consider using the @FF as is for deflection shots, but also add a +1 to hit for tail arc shots at 4 hexes or greater.

The F-86F-2 had its flaws, all related to the cannon armament. When the guns where fired at higher altitudes, propellant gases would emit from the cannons and could be sucked into engine air intake, causing instances in which the engine on the Sabre would flame-out - not an ideal situation when in combat, especially as the MiGs usually operated at an extremely high altitude. In addition, due to the high rate of fire of the M39 (T-106) cannons and the limited ammunition carried for these weapons, running out of ammo early in a fight was a true concern. American pilots learned to fire snap bursts to conserve ammo, and would also try dipping the nose to clear the gas. However the Air Force still lost two F-2s due to engine flame outs caused by the gases created by the 20mm cannon. It was decided to not move forward with standard equipping of the Sabre with the improved firepower.

The scenarios will include rules to deal with the F-2 model and its woes.

Korean War Planes Ready for the Table

A productive few days on the assembly line as I worked on finishing some planes I have had in various stages for a few months. These additions will allow me to game 24 out of 52 scenarios I have for the Korean War. 

F-80s - Vallejo Aluminium, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Vallejo NATO Black, Army Painter Pure Red, Dom's Decals (national insignia), Flight Deck Decals (USAF). I will be adding some additional decals from Sieben Schwaben, such as plane numbers and some additional details.

Yak-9s - Vallejo UK Azure Blue, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Army Painter Pure Red, Vallejo Natural Steel, Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals.

F-82s - Vallejo NATO Black, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Army Painter Pure Red, Vallejo Natural Steel, Dom's Decals (national insignia), Flight Deck Decals (USAF). While I used Vallejo Decal Softener there are still some cloudy parts on the decals. I've not had that issue before, and a second coat helped a bit, but did not solve the issue completely. I am thinking the black background is really bringing this defect to the fore.

Being colder outside, I cannot spray the planes with varnish (Army Painter Satin) on our balcony so I went with a brush coat of Vallejo Satin Acrylic Varnish. That provides a good protective layer while giving the planes just a hint of shine. For the F-82s, I went with a coat of Vallejo Gloss with a coat of satin as these night fighters had quite the sheen.

Plenty of more planes in the paint and decal queue, so more will be forthcoming.