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:

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.

Color Choices - Part III

The third part of an irregular series that provides the base colors used on a variety of projects.

Wake Atoll

• F4F Wildcat/F2A Buffalo - For the Wildcats and Buffaloes (the Wake Atoll project) - I used Faded Photo Reconnaissance Unit (P. R. U.) Blue (71.109) on the upper surfaces, with Light Grey (71.298) for the lower. I really like this color combination.

Darwin

• A6M2 - To reproduce the ame-iro color used on shipborne Japanese naval aircraft I went with Imperial Japanese Navy Ash Gray (71.311). It seems to capture the gray, green, and tan hues well. NATO Black (71.251) on the cowling. These Zekes will also see time over Wake.
• P-40E - Typical early war United States Army scheme of Dark Olive Drab 41 (71.316) over Neutral Gray N43 (71.051). 

 Second India-Pakistan War (1965)

• F-86 - The primary Pakistan aircraft received an overall scheme of Aluminium (71.062). 
• Folland Gnat - Another plane that had a natural metal finish, so once again I used Aluminium.
• Mystère - Why yes, I'm glad you asked - Aluminium was indeed the color of choice.

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

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.

They Have Arrived! - The Second India–Pakistan War

I received notice from Chris Geisert at I-94 a few days ago that the commission work for my Second India-Pakistan War aircraft was completed! After eagerly awaiting their arrival, I received the planes just a few days later. I placed an order a couple of weeks ago from K and J Magnetics for additional magnets, and will have plenty on hand to place on the following, which will allow me to game fifteen scenarios from the SkirmishCampaigns' Crisis in Kashmir book (for some reason I only asked for four Hunters to be painted, but really needed five in order to add two additional scenarios):

India - 7 x Dassault Mystere, 2 x MiG-21, 4x  Hawker Hunter, and 7 x BAE Gnat

Pakistan - 2 x F-104 Starfighters and 6 x F-86 Sabres

Most of the scenarios are on the smaller side, covering from two to six players, with most falling in the four player range. As I am also not proficient with missiles within the Check Your 6! Jet Age rules, having smaller scenarios will allow me to practice and grasp those rules before moving into a more modern era.

I will admit that I am a little disappointed in the work. The natural metal aircraft have a gray hue that is not apparent on the bottom of the aircraft. I think it is from a gloss finish that was applied, so I will hit them with some matte spray and see if that helps. The painting does not seem to be quite as crisp as the first planes I had Chris do back in the day (look at the Korean War planes as an example). There are some colors on the bottoms of the planes that appear to be a little slop from a color on the top, one Hunter having a big old splotch of green on its underwing. And there used to be decals applied to the bottom of the aircraft, but none of these planes have that (the latter is not a huge deal, but I guess I was used to seeing markings on the bottoms of the planes). The Hunters look great, they do not have that shiny gloss finish. This will be a batch of planes I will have to do a tad of touch up to really bring them home. Now, those are minor quibbles, and I will keep using Chris as his turnaround time is good, prices very reasonable, and he communicates well during the process. I hope he gets back to the quality of those Korean War aircraft that he spoiled me with!

Update - The India-Pakistan War of 1947–1948

I received my copy of Eagles of Destiny: Volume 1: Birth and Growth of the Royal Pakistan Air Force 1947-1956, and this well written and informative guide to the early development of the RPAF clearly indicates that the initial batch of Tempests that were received were not in the desert camo scheme, but were in the Royal Air Force Day Fighter Scheme of a Dark Green and Ocean Grey disruptive pattern with Medium Sea Grey undersurfaces. More research at the Hawker Tempest Page also seems to confirm this fact. And disappointingly the Pakistani Tempests did not see any action during the 1947-48 war. Well, that is a bummer! What I thought would be a neat Tempest vs. Tempest war, with the RPAF Tempests having a desert scheme and the Indian versions sporting silver, has now splintered apart from the historical perspective. 

Seemingly, I may forego this project. I have ordered nearly all the planes needed for the SkirmishCampaigns' Crisis in Kashmir scenario book (Second India-Pakistan War) from I-94, and with so many other projects to work on and without the interesting Tempest on Tempest aspect, the appeal here is no longer that great.

Crisis in Kashmir - The Second India–Pakistan War

This is a gaming period I have been wanting to tackle over the last couple of years, really ever since the scenario book for this was published by SkirmishCampaigns and I played in a fellow gamer's events. 

The various scenarios do not call for a great deal of aircraft, so this could be managed decently well in 1/285 scale. However, there is one scenario that does call for six Canberra bombers, and if one wants to do every scenario in the book, there are some one offs for other aircraft types as well. One could either forego those one off aircraft types and still manage to cover many of the other scenarios in the book, or one might consider going to 1/600 to manage costs more effectively. Tumbling Dice happens to make every aircraft type needed, but their castings are a little disproportionate, at times even cartoonish. But at that scale with with a solid paint job it would be a cheaper and complete alternative to going with the more limited Raiden offerings. 

However, as the Indian Canberras, and for that matter the Vampires, are only in one scenario apiece, I am moving forward without those two aircraft types. I've placed my order with I-94 and will be having Chris Geisert of I-94 paint the planes. For those who are intimidated about the Check Your 6! Jet Age rules and in particular adding in radar and missiles, this war allows one to ease into those aspects without too much effort. The missiles that were used were not always reliable, let alone available, and are very rudimentary in nature so not overwhelming to learn.