Heading to Darwin

projected cover image

Well, not physically, but I believe the next scenario booklet will feature the American experience in the skies over and near Darwin during 1942. I have thirteen scenarios completely written, and perhaps will create a few more. My decision to do Darwin next is because today I received a VERY generous offer to have some planes painted gratis, and with my Blue Falcon Hobbies 49th Fighter Group decals just waiting to be used (admittedly I have to obtain the planes to use them on), this seems like the best direction for the next scenario booklet. It will still be a few months before the booklet will be ready for publication as I have to order the planes, ship them off to be painted, then play some scenarios as well as take some pictures of the scenarios in progress. The good news is I already have nine carrier based A6M2s painted, and I have five P-40Es painted for the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, both of which will be featured in the first two scenarios. The bad news is I need to paint a dozen G4M2s (after purchasing them) or use a dozen G3Ms I already have for my Wake Atoll booklet (and also need painting). Realistically I should buy nine more A6M2s and paint them properly in the 3rd Kōkūtai colors (and which I have decals for, also from Blue Falcon)....decisions, decisions!

Soooo, I went forward and ordered the P-40s and the A6M2s (yeah, like I really need nine in the proper green scheme) from Flight Deck, and while I was on my mad shopping spree ordered a desert aerial mat from Deep Cut Studio. The desert mat isn't perfect for the outback, but it will find use in many other scenarios and eras. And now...the A6M2s were painted in ame-iro...I did not need to order nine more, but at least then I can do these nine in proper 3rd Kōkūtai decals.

Back to the booklet - I have the background also written, and I just need to add my usual rules modifications, color schemes, miniatures and publication sources, and then paste the scenarios in. Sounds like a lot of work, but most of it is relatively easy. The booklet will be titled Eagles Over the Top End. UPDATE (7/31/26): this will be the largest booklet thus far, coming in at nearly thirty pages.

Using AI for Scenario Creation

I have been playing around a lot lately with ChatGPT, focusing on taking primary Civil War sources and creating things like timelines and micro histories. Today I took a chance to see if AI would create scenarios for Check Your 6! Son of a b...., it does!

Of course like most anything good data in means good data out. I uploaded a pair of Sino-Japanese War scenarios I had created, along with aircraft data for some of the early planes used during the conflict, and asked for the app to create additional scenarios for that war.  ChatGPT will then spit out all sorts of things, and then make suggestions. One can go high level with a faster response time, deeper thinking which will provide more accurate details, or a deeply researched dive. One can tell ChatGPT to use online resources as well. Here is an example of a scenario that AI created:

Scenario 1 – Peashooters Over Nanking

SETTING

Date: 15 August 1937, 1330 hours
Location: Approaches to Nanking, China

History:
With the ground war surging toward the Chinese capital, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Kisarazu Air Group sent twenty Mitsubishi G3M “Nell” bombers to strike Nanking. Eight Boeing Model 281 “Peashooter” fighters of the 3rd Pursuit Group’s 17th Squadron scrambled from Chuyung airfield and intercepted a portion of the bomber stream. In the running fight that followed, the Boeings helped destroy several G3Ms without loss, marking one of the earliest successful monoplane-vs-monoplane interceptions of the war. 

Conditions:

• Max/Auto Visibility: 20/10

• Sun: None

• CAB: MEDIUM and MEDIUM BOTTOM

• Clouds: Table Clouds: none; Cloud Border: none

Chinese Orders:
Achieve more victory points than the opponent.

Japanese Orders:
Achieve more victory points than the opponent. National Move Order advantage.

Game Length:
No limit (game ends once all Japanese bombers have exited or been destroyed).

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SCENARIO SET-UP

Map: Standard 45 × 30 hex map (Areas A–F, Edges 1–6 as in your existing scenarios).

814 Day

• Japanese bomber axis: Bombers enter from Board Edge 2 and must exit off Board Edge 5.

• Chinese fighter axis: Chinese fighters may enter from Board Edge 4 or Board Edge 6.

Place a city target (Nanking) as a 6-hex built-up area straddling the border between Areas C and D, at least 8 hexes from Board Edge 2.

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REPUBLIC OF CHINA AIR FORCE

Elements of the 3rd Pursuit Group, 17th Pursuit Squadron (Chuyung)
All aircraft are Boeing Model 281 (use your CY6 stats from the sheet/rules).

• 1 × Boeing Model 281 w/ veteran (+2) aircrew (flight leader; you can use John “Buffalo” Huang or another historical pilot if you like). 

• 3 × Boeing Model 281 w/ skilled (+1) aircrew

• 2 × Boeing Model 281 w/ green (+0) aircrew

Set-up:

• Chinese set up second.

• Start in three sections of two aircraft each in Area E, at least 6 hexes from the city, heading north-east at Speed 3, MEDIUM CAB, TAL 5.

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IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY

Elements of Kisarazu Kōkūtai

Initial Wave:

• 1 × Mitsubishi G3M w/ veteran (+2) aircrew (chūtai leader)

• 2 × Mitsubishi G3M w/ skilled (+1) aircrew

Set-up:

• Set up first in shotai formation in Area B, within 5 hexes of the Edge 2/3 corner, heading south-west toward Nanking at Speed 2, MEDIUM BOTTOM CAB, TAL 4.

Reinforcements:

1. Second Shotai

   • 3 × Mitsubishi G3M w/ skilled (+1) aircrew

   Enter on Turn 1d4 along Board Edge 2, in shotai formation, heading south-west at Speed 2, MEDIUM BOTTOM CAB, TAL 4.

2. Straggler

   • 1 × Mitsubishi G3M w/ green (+0) aircrew

   Enter on Turn 1d4+2 along Board Edge 3, heading south-west at Speed 2, MEDIUM BOTTOM CAB, TAL 3.

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VARIABLE RULES

1–3 Early Warning:
Chinese fighters may start at Speed 4 instead of 3, and one green (+0) aircrew is upgraded to skilled (+1).

4–10 None

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SCENARIO RULES

1. City Target:

   • Each G3M must plot a straight-line bombing run so that it passes over at least one hex of the Nanking city area before exiting.

   • A G3M that successfully attacks any city hex (per CY6 bombing rules) earns the Japanese player 4 Victory Points.

2. Formations:

   • All G3M shotai must fly level and remain in formation until:

     • any bomber in that shotai is fired upon, or

     • the shotai passes completely over the city target.

   • Once broken, bombers may maneuver freely.

3. Chinese Interception:

   • Chinese sections deploy already climbed to altitude, but must plot forward turn codes and fly level on their first turn (they are diving to intercept and just sight the bombers as the scenario begins).

   • After the first turn, fighters maneuver normally.

4. Bomb Jettison:

   • Any G3M that takes its first Damaged result must pass a crew check or jettison its bombload, losing the ability to score bombing VPs but regaining full maneuver freedom.

5. Friendly Airspace:

   • All board areas are friendly to the Chinese player.

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AFTERMATH

Historically, the Boeing 281s of the 17th Squadron helped shoot down several of the G3M bombers without loss, a rare clean victory for China’s small monoplane force. The success was short-lived—Japan’s air arms would soon grind down the Nationalist fighter groups—but on this August afternoon over Nanking, the “Peashooters” showed that even obsolete fighters could bite.

New Toys Ordered Part III - World War Two

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.

The Nell - needed for Wake Atoll

For the two scenarios I created that take place during the February 1942 surprise attack against Darwin, I needed to obtain planes for both sides as my collection was did not have any aircraft to cover. Regardless of the Darwin scenarios, I had the intention one day of adding A6Ms to my collection, so picking up a chūtai of Zeros not only fills the Darwin scenarios, but will see duty for my Wake Atoll scenario booklet as well as other early Pacific projects - likewise the purchase of a dozen Nells to use for Wake (as the price point at Table Top Flights for bombers is very low I justified a dozen bombers based on how much I "saved" - and the Nells will see duty as Sallys over Burma and Bettys in other Pacific regions as I am NOT buying thirty-six Japanese bombers). The P-43 Lancers will fit in for 1943 China while the Heinkel 170s will be used as Heinkel He 70s for the Slovak-Hungarian War (I have one scenario that involves a pair of Heinkels on a recon mission).

All in all a bit of a mix of airplane types for a variety of projects.

Flight Deck P-43, P-40E, Heinkel He 70, and A6M2

Flight Deck Decals

Mitsubishi A6M2 - 9

P-40E Warhawk - 5

P-43A Lancer - 4

Heinkel He 170 - 2

Table Top Flights

Mitsubishi G3M2 Nell - 12

Wake Island Atoll - Trying a New Scale

In 1/285 scale, this could get expensive

Many Check Your 6! scenarios call for a lot of bombers, which is not something I am really into, from both a price and playing perspective. Bombers can be expensive (price perspective) and most players do not want to push around a bunch of bombers (playing perspective). However, for the Wake Island scenario booklet I am working on, several G3M Nell bombers, even in reduced numbers to enhance play balance, figure into several scenarios. Therefore a couple of years ago I dipped my toe into 1/600 by buying dozen Nells, eight Wildcats, and eight Buffaloes from Pico Armor (Oddzial Osmy). And for the last couple of years those 1/600 planes had been sitting idle. Recently I got them out of the gaming closet, cleaned up the castings by cutting off the extra metal bits, and primed them in preparation for painting. 

One thing about 1/600 miniature aircraft, whether they are from Pico Armor or Tumbling Dice, is that they are very affordable. Pico has Nells at $1.50 each, while their American fighters come in at seventy-five cents per miniature. Tumbling Dice are even more cost efficient at $1.00 for the Nells and fifty cents for the Wildcats and Buffaloes. The latter castings are not as detailed or as properly scaled as the offerings from Pico Armor, but the price point, before shipping from Old Blighty, is better, and Tumbling Dice has a more comprehensive offering of aircraft.

Image from Pico Armor website

Image from Tumbling Dice website

Wildcat, Nell, and Buffalo, primed and awaiting a paint order to arrive

As for painting - normally I send off my planes to Miscellaneous Miniatures or I-94 for painting. They both do fine work at an affordable price. But, as the planes I am working on for Wake Atoll are fairly simple in paint scheme, and I should be able to handle the chore of applying national insignia decals, I will be taking a stab at painting the Wake Atoll planes myself. I seem to do decently well with my 1/144 World War One projects, so tackling 1/600 should be workable. I foresee a couple of issues - one is the small nature of the planes which might be a fiddly aspect when trying to paint, and the other is applying a magnet that won't overwhelm the miniature to those tiny fuselage bottoms.

Once the paints have arrived, I will paint up the Americans first, just to see how the planes look in their early war scheme, and to see if I enjoy painting such a tiny scale. More to come!

Updates on the Wake Project

Art by Marc Stewart

I am slowly moving forward on gaming Wake. I have now worked up six scenarios that are a mix of historical and what-ifs that will need a little playtesting. All will feature the newly painted Wake Island Atoll piece that was made by Fight's On, but seemingly no longer available. The scenarios also feature a variety of aircraft types - for the Japanese one will see the Nell, Mavis, Zero, Kate, and Val, while the United States Marines have Wildcats and at least one scenario with Buffalos. I am also looking at a couple more possible scenarios to add in to the mix. Once the scenarios have been completed and playtested a bit I plan on putting together a pdf with the scenarios, plane data, a bit of a background, and a listing of manufacturers.

The full mat will look like this - one can barely discern the hexes

I have ordered a cloth sea mat from Deep Cut Studio, using their waterworld file. The mat should turn out well as their other products I have ordered are crackin' good and their service is stellar. Deep Cut is located in Lithuania I receive my mats within 7-10 days. The Fight's On piece should blend nicely with the mat.

The finished Fight's On Wake Atoll terrain piece

I still need to collect Japanese aircraft, which is a bit of an issue. Buying a dozen Nells does not thrill me, and one can add in a couple of Mavis flying boats to that cost, let alone the Kates, Vals, and Zeros, none of which I own. Luckily I have gaming buds that have the carrier-based planes needed, but when doing a project I do like to have all sides covered. I also need to send off my Table Top Flights Wildcats and Buffaloes to Kevin at Miscellaneous Miniatures for painting. While I do have Nells, Wildcats, and Buffaloes in 1/600 scale (Pico Armor), I think adding magnets to such small fuselages would be an exercise in patience, which I am in short supply when it comes to such chores. However, it would be an easier way (meaning cheaper) to put together all the aircraft needed. And while Pico Armor does not make the Mavis, Tumbling Dice does.

Wake (Not Woke) Island

Cool artwork by John Shaw!

Well, I am probably safe to say that anyone who is "woke" probably doesn't know Wake, but as for me, time to get another little Check Your 6! project knocked out! And this time, I am going...small! I ordered a few 1/600 scale aircraft from Pico Armor because I did not want to buy a slew of bombers in 1/285th for a one off sort of project. While I picked up Wildcats and Nells, the Nells were only part of the earliest air attacks on Wake...other attacks on the atoll were delivered by Mavis flying boats and carrier based aircraft. I have a list of dates, types of planes, and numbers, and was hoping to run a small campaign, but I really do not want to buy a bunch of Mavis's because even at 1/600 scale they are still three bucks a piece.

Once these little birds arrive I will be sending them off to Chris Geisert of I-94 for painting, along with several 1/285th selections. Kevin Hammond of Miscellaneous Miniatures simply does not have the time to paint commission projects any longer, which is a shame because I've enjoyed using his services, but I am very glad he completed the 1948 Arab-Israeli project for me.  Chris does nice work as well...all my Korean War aircraft are done by him.

As always, more on this in a future post!

Cat and Mouse Over Wake - Artwork by Marc Stewart