New Toys Ordered Part II - Luft1946

A Focke-Wulf Projekt II shoots down a Yak-15

I have gone on a recent spate of ordering new planes. Some are to be used for future projects, others for expanding existing projects, while others will be to replace existing metal planes with higher quality 3D prints and more accurate paint schemes.

A strictly hypothetical project (see posts HERE for more information on this project), but one that should be fun to work on. The Yaks will be an easy paint (either silver overall as depicted above or the typical Soviet green over light blue scheme), and I might send the Germans off for commission work since painting camouflage scares me!

Table Top Yak-15, Flight Deck Yak-15, Flight Deck Focke-Wulf Projekt II

Flight Deck Decals

Focke-Wulf Projekt II - 2

Yakovlev Yak-15 "Feather" - 4 (adding to the two I have already from Table Top Flights, and THEN forgot I had already ordered four from Flight Deck!)

Table Top Flights

Focke-Wulf Project II - 2 (to compare to the Flight Deck version)

Focke-Wolf Ta-183 Huckebein - 2 (I have a pair of these already, but the tail is slightly askew so am checking to see if another pair will be a bit "better")

Luft1946

The Germans were an innovative bunch, creating all sorts of far-out designs, perhaps assisted by off-world beings (yes, I am saying ALIENS!). No, seriously, look at some of the stuff they were designing and tell me they didn't have some sort of ethereal help. Now had they only raised and organized that brigade of Sasquatch....

Okay, I partially jest, but the German designs do make for some interesting what-if the war had continued scenarios. I have already talked about the Ta 183 (in this post), and have purchased a pair of Table Top Flights Yak-15s as potential opponents for the Hucklebeins. I might throw in some Me.262s and Su-9s (the 1946 Me.262 copies made by MSD Games). And let's not forget the American and British jets being designed, with the P-80 Shooting Star having two samples in Italy by war's end and the Gloster Meteor also in production. This could make a interestingly different sort of CY6 game, part Second World War, part Korea (but with better aircrew ratings for the "bad guys."). One issue would be movement charts - the Me.262 has a special one in Check Your 6!, and I guess one could just use the Check Your 6! Jet Age charts for the other aircraft.

Ratings are from a post on the Check Your 6! group

By using some of these what-if aircraft, it would be a way to introduce players into using jet aircraft with good speed and a real punch when it comes to firepower, but avoiding missiles, afterburners, and other rules that bog the game down a bit. More on this once I have some planes painted and put a scenario together.

The Focke-Wulf Ta 183

As some of my gaming friends know, I like the obscure. I also like the look of certain aircraft - the iconic Corsair F4U, the nimble Nieuport 28, the sleek Pfalz D.IIIa and the beautiful Pfalz Dr.I. An aircraft that fits both the obscure and look of cool is the Focke-Wulf Ta 183 Huckebein (from Wilhelm Busch's "Hans Huckebein, the unlucky raven", a cartoon raven that traditionally makes trouble for others, and is often pictured with a decanter of liquor - my kind of bird). 

While the Ta 183 was never built, one can see its influences on 1950s jet fighters such as the MiG-15. The Ta 183 was intended to counter the large bomber formations that devastated Germany late in the war, particularly the threat that far ranging B-29s would be used in Europe. Heavily armed with four 30mm  MK 108 cannon, the Huckebein could also carry four Ruhrstahl X-4 wire guided air to air missiles or 500 kilos of bombs. Top speed was projected to be nearly 600 miles per hour, and climb rate was 4,020 feet per minute. With a ceiling of 46,000 feet, it would have been able to intercept Allied bombers with punch and speed, no matter the altitude.

Art by Marek Rys from the luft46 website

Check Your 6! ratings for the Ta 183 might look as follows: 

Interestingly enough, there are a few companies with miniatures for the Ta 183. Raiden, Table Top Flights, and MSD Games/Scotia Grendel (the Collectair range) are all available. The Table Top Flights version is in 1/200 scale, but can be special ordered in a smaller scale if desired (as pictured below). 

I'll have these two Ta 183s painted up for some 1946 "what if" scenarios against Allied jets and bomber formations.

Table Top Flights - Order Has Arrived

Recently I reached out to Mike at Table Top Flights to see if he could create some World War II aircraft in 1/285th scale (his normal WWII scale is 1/200). He willingly obliged so I placed a small order to see how the planes would turn out. They happened to be in today's post, and I am pleased with the outcome. The planes will be for three different projects - Slovak-Hungarian War, 1945-46 what if, and a 1941 Rumanian scenario (which is available to the left). 

Ta 183s

The prints are clean, not encumbered with oversized details, and very little need of prep. Wing thicknesses are thinner compared to metal castings, and hence more in scale.

I.A.R.80/81

I am awaiting to see if Flight Deck Decals can also scale to 1/285 as that will give me the Ju.86s and the Avia B.534s needed for the Slovak-Hungarian War (I have metal Letov S.328s from Heroics & Ros). Once the planes have been gathered, off for painting, and that project will be complete (and I have two scenarios in mind).

Two of the six Cr.32s

I recommend Table Top Flights - service, communication, and quality all receive high marks!