Games Room Update Part 3 & a Step Closer to Ticking Off an Item on My Wargaming Bucket List

 So - lots of good news on the Games Room front.  Firstly, and somewhat most importantly from the whole "Games Room" point-of-view, I now have a 10 ft x 6 ft table top.  Beautifully crafted by my Games Room go-to-guy, Lawrence, it fits perfectly on top of all my smaller storage cupboards.  Here it is in possibly not the greatest angle:

This angle better shows the cupboards underneath the table:

And finally, this shot sort-of shows the batten under the table that allows it to sit solidly on the cupboards:

Unfortunately this exercise proves I am not an engineer...  I drew a picture, with measurements for Lawrence to show him what I wanted, and I showed the battens being 6" from the table edge - allowing me to open the top drawer easily and access it contents.  Of course I failed to take into account the size of the batten, which probably added another 3 or 4 inches.  You can still pull open the drawers - it's just a bugger getting stuff out of them!

The tabletop is not moving an inch as along with the battens, the whole thing weighs a ton!

Anyway - still extremely chuffed with the tabletop.  And of course I had to try it out with the ultimate test, and an item on my wargaming bucket list.  Playing out all four maps from GDW's Third World War series.  I certainly had not planned for this... but it fits on the table top!

With plenty for all the other bits and bobs that are essential for the game.  Super satisfied with that I had to try out the maps from a couple of other recent purchases.

The map for "Red Storm: The Air War over Central Germany, 1987" fits easily.  The next one might be more of a challenge.

Here's all the maps for the latest version of Thin Red Line Games "1985: Deadly Northern Lights".  Its a monster, but fits very nicely on the table.  Again with plenty of room for the heaps of stuff that goes with this game.

One of my plans - not really a bucket list item, but a solid plan nonetheless, is to play Deadly Northern Lights, along with GDW's "Arctic Front" - seen here alone

and Strategy & Tactics Magazine's "Nordkapp"

Now I have the tabletop to do it, I just need an opponent!

Then, with the maps put back into their respective boxes/magazines, I whiled away an hour or two setting up the table for a "proper" wargame - just to see what it looked like:

Finally, the next bit of good news I had, was the arrival of my built to order Glass Display Cabinet.  Again made by Lawrence - it is a wonder to behold (in my eyes).

And did I mention he added LEDs for me!

I'm so in love with this cabinet.  Due to putting our house on the market a few years back, taking it off again, then putting it on again, selling, moving out, moving countries etc, its been about 5 years since I've been able to display my models and figures.

Now I finally have a place to do that - along with the embarrassing incentive of displaying unpainted models, will certainly push my painting along.  

Most of my "hobbytime" has to date been spent trying to put the garage in order.  Now I'm finally getting to the pointy end where all that is behind me and I'll have not excuses to keep putting off actually painting something and hopefully getting in an actual game.

Thanks

Richard

Best News Ever

Best news ever!!!!  Battlegroup NORTHAG is coming!!!

This was announced last night (my time) on the PSC Facebook site along with PSC's standard website.  On the website is says this:

I have given the go ahead to finish off Battlegroup Northag - a cold war version of our popular Battlegroup WW2 rules system. We have a "work in progress" set of rules and army lists, the basis of which has very kindly provided  by some Battlegroup enthusiasts.


I don't want to brag, but I'm relatively sure the "work-in-progress" set of rules and army lists mentioned here by Will Townsend are the ones I've been working on for a while now and supplied to Warwick Kinrade and Piers Brand earlier this year (and the rules again on Friday my time - houre before the announcement when another copy was requested).  At the very least, my rules and lists have contributed to their WIP set of rules and lists.  Apart from the rules I've supplied them over a dozen army lists.  Anyway I'm more than a little chuffed by that and hope to be involved into the future.

Again in super positive news PSC have decided to release this:

3 x T-55 in a box! I believe it's up for pre-order now and as soon as they get 200 orders they'll start producing it.  PSC have also announced they are working on a plastic 15mm Leopard 1 kit that you'.. be able to make a huge variety of kits from.  It the 20mm T-55 kits sell well, they'll produce the Leopard 1 in 20mm as well.

So enough gushing from me... Go order your 20mm T-55 box sets now!!!

Thanks

Richard

News from Oxford Diecast

Some of you may already have seen this but I was so chuffed to see these I had to share them.  As you’ll know I knocked together a couple of old Airfix 1 tonne FC Land Rovers for use by my Royal Marines (amongst others) and in the course of the build I discovered it would be really handy to have a few more.  Problem is the Airfix kits seem to be a rare as hen’s teeth.

Anyway – good old Oxford Diecast have come to the rescue with these bad boys being released soon:

I’ve seen pics of a LWB Land Rover in this cam, but never a 1 tonne Landie – but who am I to complain!  I can see I’ll be adding a few of these to my Berlin list!

Whilst this one comes with African tourist markings, I’ll be repainting these to match my other 1 tonne Landies.

Not sure if I’ll get this one, as I already have one and it will need a repaint.

I love this ½ ton Land Rover and I think I’ll keep it as is for some MPs to use in a game.

I’d get rid of the UN flags on this guy, who could then be used for all manner of things.

So – just when I think “I’ve pretty much got all the Oxford Diecast models I need” – they go and do this to me!  Thanks heaps!!

I'm sure I read somewhere (although I can't find it now) that these will be released in the UK around the middle of the year.

All good

Richard

SKOT News - from S&S Models

I've just been having a look in the recently added pics in S&S Models Photo Gallery and found something that 20mm Cold War Polish wargamers might appreciate - a couple of SKOT-2A variants!

First up the standard APC

And a command variant:

I'm guessing that at some time in the future I may be ending up with a few of these....

Thanks

Richard

Some news from Revell

I saw this bit of news while having a look at the 2017 Nuremberg Toy Fair on Prime Portal.  Sadly there only seemed to be one kit that was useful to 1/72 Cold War gaming - but it's a goody.  A T-55 AM/AM2B.

I hope these photos work!

Thanks

Richard

More S&S News

I don't do may newsy posts, mainly coz I don't see myself as the font of all Cold War gaming news, but every now and again I see a new release that I think is really worth sharing, and making sure people are aware of it.

In the last week I've seen a few of these - all S&S Models

First up S&S Models has made a MT-12 Rapira 100mm smoothbore anti-tank gun.  The first reason this is important is that in many Soviet Category 2 (or B) divisions, these guns would still have been found in the 1980s - certainly a must have for what I have in mind for my Northern Flank games.

The second reason this is important - IS BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY NO ONE MADE ONE OF THESE!!!!!!!  Certainly not in 1/72 or 1/76.  The closest you could find is the older WW2 version called a BS-3 which would require a far amount of conversion - or just squint when you look at it.

All the following pics come straight from the S&S Photobucket gallery:

The second release is probably even more momentous for a 20mm Cold War gamer.  It is slightly more modern than the MT-12, certainly more likely to be found in almost any Soviet Category 1 (or A) division and again - HAS NOT BEEN MADE BY ANYONE!!!!!!  It's the Soviet 2B9 Vasilek automatic 82mm mortar.

This unique weapon system is still being used today and fires 4 round clips of mortar shells.

S&S have also made gunners for the 2B9:

And gunners for the MT-12 (this and the following photos all come from the S&S Models Facebook page)

Some funky AT rounds there!

My final bit of news from S&S Models is one I can honestly say that I've been hanging out for for almost as long as I've been running this blog and planning and playing Cold War games - a 20mm Jaguar1 and Jaguar 2

Here on Shaun's workbench we can see (from left to right) a Raketenjagdpanzer 2, a Beobachtungspanzer, and Jaguar 2 and a Jaguar 1.

Some close ups:

Raketjagdpanzer 2

Beobachtungspanzer

Jaguar 1

Jaguar 2

So all EXCELLENT news in my book.  S&S Models have also created a very nice looking D-30 artillery peice and crew which is well worth a look at and significantly better than the two D-30s I have... Rats...

My understanding is that the Jaguars are (maybe) available now, while the guns will be available shortly.

Have fun

Richard

Bergpanzer 2 - Coming Soon

I read some great news on The Guild this morning and had to share it.

For those of us who appreciate classic Cold War Bundeswehr vehicles we are in for a treat.  Brian Walsh from The Hobbyden has just announced they they will shortly be producing a Bergpanzer 2 conversion set for the Revell Leopard 1A5 model.

It will look just like this - although slightly smaller.  Brian posted a photo of the master model which I have reproduced here:

It looks very impressive and goes straight on my must get list.  Now... if only Shaun from S&S Models would complete his Jaguar 1 and 2, my West German forces could be completed.

So - great news!

Richard

New Arrivals

I had a couple of new things arrive on the doorstep yesterday which I thought I'd briefly share.

First up is this:

Really pleased this has arrived as Black Ops is the system I'm planning on using for my solo Special Forces attack/sabotage/general sneek around on the the SA-10 battery I've started to show recently.  The Missile TEL arrived last week and is about half way there.

I've heard some good things about Black Ops and am keen to get some solo games in.

This also arrived:

It's a German DVD series about a young East German who gets sent to West Germany to spy on the West.  I really don't know that much about it - Wikipedia link here - but it pressed all my buttons so was a must buy.

I'll let you know what I think of both as I get a chance to read/watch them in the next few weeks.

Off to Cancon on the weekend - so hopefully will get some bargains!

Richard