Well, after a good month plus of a hiatus (unannounced of course), I figured I would put something up here, just to remind you all that I am still kicking around!
2012 ended on an insanely busy note. I moved cities, and began working on the Analogue Painting Challenge. It has taken a fair while to sort through the mountains of boxes, and certainly most of my gaming stuff is still in a box, but I am settled in! The new city has opened up new opportunities, I have been encouraging the new locals into a variety of my favourite games- Impetus, SAGA and Force on Force. Thankfully, there are more than a few locals who were already keen on them, so we are well on the way!
My painting has been trucking along really well, actually as it stands I am in the lead in the competition! Well, a 20 point lead, but a lead is a lead! But I will do big picture dumps of that soon.
The plan for 2013 then?
Well, I am thinking of going to some tournaments....
-Day of Days Nick and I are running some Soviets, by some, I mean a whole lot! My side of the army is already done, but more on them in the future.
-Nationals Although it is in Wellington this year, I just can't get excited about 3 days of Flames of War. There are some cool late war lists which I could run, but I can barely justify 3 days of gaming, and if I am not going to enjoy it... On the other hand, the locals enjoy the fantasy game Malifaux, which has a 1 day competition, which is altogether more tempting.
-Southcon For something new this year, Southcon are running an Impetvs competition, based loosely around Far Eastern armies. With EI 5 just coming out filled with cool eastern lists, it made total sense! There are plenty of armies being planned, and my idea is to run Ikko Ikki, an army of peasants! But more on those when I see the lists, and make some plans.
-Panzershrek Apparently a good tournament, I have heard good things! It is late war doubles, and Bob and I are making evil, evil plans....
-Call to Arms The grand plan here? A group of us have gotten together and have decided to refight the Day of the Rangers in 28mm. So what that means, is I am going to pick up and paint some sweet as 28mm US Moderns! On that too, I am having a game of Skirmish Sangin, which is a set of rules from a local company, will be interesting to see it in action!
Plus Conquest probably and that will likely round out my tournaments for the year!
So what else is on the plan?
ACW- The Gettysburg Refight is this year, and I need to get painting!
Moderns- Taliban, 2003 War US
Impetus- Romans, Greeks, Celts...
SAGA- I wouldn't mind those Plastic Conquest Normans...
Oh, and a whole host of Flames of War too!
A bit of a cop out post I know, but it is to try to get me back into the habit of blogging as well as posting pictures to Analogue!
Painting is progressing very well...
CP
Showing posts with label Musings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musings. Show all posts
Monday, 4 February 2013
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Nam by Mark Baker, a review.
I bought Nam second hand when I was in Australia and had not got around to reading it until now. I would by no means call myself any sort of expert on the Vietnam War. I know a bit about it through my reading, but I know that there are a lot of people who read this who know far far more than I do. But yet, I am compelled to comment on this book. I finished up reading this book a couple of days ago, and after a few days of stewing about it, I was prompted to write about what I thought.
The book Nam by Mark Baker has been around for quite some time, published first in the 1980s this book is a collection of stories from people who were in Vietnam, soldiers, marines, nurses and others who told of their experiences through the conflict. Baker took the interviews and chronicled them together based on a series of titles, the start of the conflict, boot experiences etc, through to combat and finally coming back stateside.
The book is told from the first hand perspective of individual soldiers, and paints a pretty bad picture of them as a whole. The soldiers are portrayed through their words as being perpetually stoned, not giving a damn about their job, totally disbelieving about their purpose and totally immune to the horror of the lives that they take. Drugs are talked about at length, stupidity of senior officers (even from boot Lieutenants) is constantly talked about. Most of the book is following this track, it is almost horror writing. Americans (through their words) are seen as murderers, massacres are commonplace and sought after to perpetuate "kill-counts".
And that bothered me.
I have had the privilege of meeting servicemen, some of whom have served in different conflicts, including Vietnam. I know that I have a boyhood idealism when it comes to war, I grew up reading Kipling and the concept of the great adventure of war has stuck with me. Equally, I can comprehend the horror that was the Vietnam War through what I have read. Could I really understand what it was to go to war there? No, and I won't pretend I can.
But this book bothered me.
I am not so naive to believe that there weren't drugs in Vietnam. Equally, I know the war was not the heroic Americans saving the Vietnamese from the bad bad communists. But to portray every single character in a book as being that baby-killing stoner really bothered me. I can accept the fact that they existed. That war was frustrating militarily, fighting an enemy who refused to fight on equal terms, an enemy which held complete command of the local populace, who could melt into their surroundings.
How could you combat that? Collateral damage was tragically inevitable.
But I fail to believe that all of the soldiers who served in Vietnam were the stereotype presented in the book, and that is what bothers me. I know that the war was horrible. But perhaps I choose to believe that it did not destroy everyone like those who were portrayed in the book. I think there were heroes from that conflict, people who sought to help the Vietnamese, rather than simply racking up a kill-count.
And if I am wrong, so be it. Leave me to my delusions.
The saving grace of the book, was the concluding chapter. The plight of Veterans when they get home is something which the western world struggles with. We ask soldiers to do so much, but do we give them enough in return? I don't think so. I am sure statistics exist about suicides of servicemen, of them being incarcerated, of their inability to reform to civilian life. Is that so hard to understand? I think it isn't, they have gone through something unimaginable and unthinkable for society as a whole, broken rules which are socially taboo and have been kept isolated from society for the last however many years. And we expect them to reform right back in to line.
And that bothers me.
To all the veterans who read this, thank you for your service. I hope that you have found whatever form of peace which you need to be yourself. As for the book, well, I urge you to take it with a grain of salt. But there is a kernel of truth to the stories told, but I fail to believe that this was standard operating procedure for the conflict.
Please comment if you agree or disagree, correct me if I am wrong please.
Tonight, the painting challenge starts....
CP
The book Nam by Mark Baker has been around for quite some time, published first in the 1980s this book is a collection of stories from people who were in Vietnam, soldiers, marines, nurses and others who told of their experiences through the conflict. Baker took the interviews and chronicled them together based on a series of titles, the start of the conflict, boot experiences etc, through to combat and finally coming back stateside.
The book is told from the first hand perspective of individual soldiers, and paints a pretty bad picture of them as a whole. The soldiers are portrayed through their words as being perpetually stoned, not giving a damn about their job, totally disbelieving about their purpose and totally immune to the horror of the lives that they take. Drugs are talked about at length, stupidity of senior officers (even from boot Lieutenants) is constantly talked about. Most of the book is following this track, it is almost horror writing. Americans (through their words) are seen as murderers, massacres are commonplace and sought after to perpetuate "kill-counts".
And that bothered me.
I have had the privilege of meeting servicemen, some of whom have served in different conflicts, including Vietnam. I know that I have a boyhood idealism when it comes to war, I grew up reading Kipling and the concept of the great adventure of war has stuck with me. Equally, I can comprehend the horror that was the Vietnam War through what I have read. Could I really understand what it was to go to war there? No, and I won't pretend I can.
But this book bothered me.
I am not so naive to believe that there weren't drugs in Vietnam. Equally, I know the war was not the heroic Americans saving the Vietnamese from the bad bad communists. But to portray every single character in a book as being that baby-killing stoner really bothered me. I can accept the fact that they existed. That war was frustrating militarily, fighting an enemy who refused to fight on equal terms, an enemy which held complete command of the local populace, who could melt into their surroundings.
How could you combat that? Collateral damage was tragically inevitable.
But I fail to believe that all of the soldiers who served in Vietnam were the stereotype presented in the book, and that is what bothers me. I know that the war was horrible. But perhaps I choose to believe that it did not destroy everyone like those who were portrayed in the book. I think there were heroes from that conflict, people who sought to help the Vietnamese, rather than simply racking up a kill-count.
And if I am wrong, so be it. Leave me to my delusions.
The saving grace of the book, was the concluding chapter. The plight of Veterans when they get home is something which the western world struggles with. We ask soldiers to do so much, but do we give them enough in return? I don't think so. I am sure statistics exist about suicides of servicemen, of them being incarcerated, of their inability to reform to civilian life. Is that so hard to understand? I think it isn't, they have gone through something unimaginable and unthinkable for society as a whole, broken rules which are socially taboo and have been kept isolated from society for the last however many years. And we expect them to reform right back in to line.
And that bothers me.
To all the veterans who read this, thank you for your service. I hope that you have found whatever form of peace which you need to be yourself. As for the book, well, I urge you to take it with a grain of salt. But there is a kernel of truth to the stories told, but I fail to believe that this was standard operating procedure for the conflict.
Please comment if you agree or disagree, correct me if I am wrong please.
Tonight, the painting challenge starts....
CP
Thursday, 22 November 2012
6mm Moderns- A Comparison of Abrams
My 6mm armies are growing rapidly, the 6mm counter on the right ticks ever higher, but what of the miniatures themselves?
So, here is three different company's take on the M1 Abrams.
The three competitors....
GHQ, Heroics and Ros and Scotia-Grendel
First up, GHQ.
Cost? Around $2.50 NZ per tank. Which for a 6mm tank gets pricy fast, but the quality is about what I expect from BF in 15mm scale. Most of my armies and miniatures are from GHQ, because I don't mind paying that bit more for quality. The unbuttoned crew look awesome, along with the cupola MGs.
All in all GHQ is the best in quality, hands down. But expensive, and very annoying how they only sell in packs of 5 tanks!
Next up Heroics and Ros
So H&R. Immediately you notice that the details are not as crisp, the turret is tiny and it is unpainted. Well, the paint is my fault, but the rest is with H&R!
I have used H&R miniatures to plug gaps in the GHQ range, things like specialist AA weapons, or howitzers (H&R come with crew, GHQ don't). My whole French army is H&R actually, and they look good.
A whole lot cheaper than GHQ (around $1 per vehicle), but in comparison, don't buy their Abrams!
Lastly Scotia
What to say here. Yes there is a fair layer of paint on the top (not done by me), but still, there are NO details on the model. There are barely any roadwheels on the tracks!
So, by far, the worst in the Abrams competition. But, the Scotia range is the best of the three, and I can honestly say that their AAVs are as good as GHQ's models. Which is tough, because it is hard to know if you would get this lump of lead, or an actual model.
Make your own choice, but the GHQ miniatures are consistely good, H&R is pretty consistently ok, and Scotia have some brilliant models, just not the Abrams! With GHQ running at twice the price of the others, maybe I will take the risk a couple of times to see what I get...
Till next update,
CP
So, here is three different company's take on the M1 Abrams.
The three competitors....
Cost? Around $2.50 NZ per tank. Which for a 6mm tank gets pricy fast, but the quality is about what I expect from BF in 15mm scale. Most of my armies and miniatures are from GHQ, because I don't mind paying that bit more for quality. The unbuttoned crew look awesome, along with the cupola MGs.
All in all GHQ is the best in quality, hands down. But expensive, and very annoying how they only sell in packs of 5 tanks!
So H&R. Immediately you notice that the details are not as crisp, the turret is tiny and it is unpainted. Well, the paint is my fault, but the rest is with H&R!
I have used H&R miniatures to plug gaps in the GHQ range, things like specialist AA weapons, or howitzers (H&R come with crew, GHQ don't). My whole French army is H&R actually, and they look good.
A whole lot cheaper than GHQ (around $1 per vehicle), but in comparison, don't buy their Abrams!
What to say here. Yes there is a fair layer of paint on the top (not done by me), but still, there are NO details on the model. There are barely any roadwheels on the tracks!
So, by far, the worst in the Abrams competition. But, the Scotia range is the best of the three, and I can honestly say that their AAVs are as good as GHQ's models. Which is tough, because it is hard to know if you would get this lump of lead, or an actual model.
Make your own choice, but the GHQ miniatures are consistely good, H&R is pretty consistently ok, and Scotia have some brilliant models, just not the Abrams! With GHQ running at twice the price of the others, maybe I will take the risk a couple of times to see what I get...
Till next update,
CP
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
ACW Has arrived....
On Saturday, Craig delivered me my massive haul of ACW, ready for me to paint them up for The Gettysburg refight next year, as well as (hopefully) some good ACW gaming using Fire and Fury and Blackpowder too.
And it is quite a haul!
I am also adding some figures and heads from Steve Barber Miniatures, but more on them when they arrive.
This pile amounts to 6 boxes of infantry (216 Infantry), 2 boxes of Zouaves (84 infantry) three artillery pieces (with a 4th coming), mounted commanders and 12 cavalry. Just a little bit to paint!
I will be representing 1st Corps in its entirety for our refight, hopefully we will play the whole three days, so I will be able to use more than a skeletal force!
Some of them have been undercoated, hoping to have some test models done in the next day or two, stay tuned.
Plus I need to figure out what I want to take to masters! Too many choices!!
CP
And it is quite a haul!
I am also adding some figures and heads from Steve Barber Miniatures, but more on them when they arrive.
This pile amounts to 6 boxes of infantry (216 Infantry), 2 boxes of Zouaves (84 infantry) three artillery pieces (with a 4th coming), mounted commanders and 12 cavalry. Just a little bit to paint!
I will be representing 1st Corps in its entirety for our refight, hopefully we will play the whole three days, so I will be able to use more than a skeletal force!
Some of them have been undercoated, hoping to have some test models done in the next day or two, stay tuned.
Plus I need to figure out what I want to take to masters! Too many choices!!
CP
Friday, 9 November 2012
X-Wing: Because getting to say Pew Pew is cool
Lately in addition to the large amount of work I have been putting into 6mm Moderns (new rules, new armies), I have been playing a fair few games of the Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing rules (link), and on the whole, have found them awesome!
The rules themselves are pretty easy to pick up- you have attack dice and defense dice, you have a little dial that you can spin to work out how far you move. X-Wings have shields and better guns, but at TIE is ridiculously maneuverable and are dirt cheap, so there are lots of them!
I have been finding that it gets really interesting when both players are clued up to the rules. The games then become faster, pretty brutal and an actual test of tactics, I think it is like SAGA in that the game itself is simple, but the interactions etc is where the tactics (and interest) comes in.
Another plus for me is that the miniatures are really nice!
Here are some shots from different games we have had.
A TIE Fighter ready to begin the engagement
The X-Wing in this case is somewhat outnumbered (1-4 odds, that's about the ratio in the movies?)
A close up on an X-Wing
Adam an I have often found ourselves caught in a "furball" of fighters, this is before every aircraft initiates an Immelmann Turn to re engage.
Darth Vader with Red Pilot (posthumously named Mook) hot on his tail. Mook later exploded, but not long after Darth exploded too!
So, a very cool game. Nice and simple, but really fun. Comics (the Local Gaming Store) is going to (or thinking of?) running a 60 point competition, so I have been tinkering away at what would be the most fun to run.
5 Academy pilot (not even graduated yet) TIE Fighters would be wrong right?
Right?
FOW tomorrow, time to break out my Masters list.
CP
The rules themselves are pretty easy to pick up- you have attack dice and defense dice, you have a little dial that you can spin to work out how far you move. X-Wings have shields and better guns, but at TIE is ridiculously maneuverable and are dirt cheap, so there are lots of them!
I have been finding that it gets really interesting when both players are clued up to the rules. The games then become faster, pretty brutal and an actual test of tactics, I think it is like SAGA in that the game itself is simple, but the interactions etc is where the tactics (and interest) comes in.
Another plus for me is that the miniatures are really nice!
Here are some shots from different games we have had.
So, a very cool game. Nice and simple, but really fun. Comics (the Local Gaming Store) is going to (or thinking of?) running a 60 point competition, so I have been tinkering away at what would be the most fun to run.
5 Academy pilot (not even graduated yet) TIE Fighters would be wrong right?
Right?
FOW tomorrow, time to break out my Masters list.
CP
Monday, 15 October 2012
Conquest 2002: A Look Back....
So, Conquest is fast approaching for 2012, and I have been manically painting Australian infantry for the competition. Am I done? No, but to make me feel better about myself, I am going to write a blog post and hide from the unfinished-ness.
This year's Conquest is markedly different to other years. Firstly, it is the 10th anniversary of the competition! 10 years ago, minus a week, a young impressionable youth wandered into the local gaming store in Christchurch, Comics Compulsion on a Friday night. Playing a game on a back table were two really nice guys, Tim D (the owner of said LGS) and Stephen H (local WW2 officionado). The two were playing a game, British against Germans, with some tiny looking tanks. Interest piqued, I stayed until the shop closed, rolling dice, moving tanks and playing what was my first historical wargame. Wouldn't have a clue who won, all I knew was that I was hooked!
So, the next day I went back with my mum (my bankroll!) and walked out again a couple of hours later with a large box of stuff- enough for a 1500 point US Armored Rifle Company in fact!
My list was... US Armoured Rifle Company
HQ- Bazooka, Jeep, M2 Halftrack
Armored Rifle Platoon- Full Strength
Armored Rifle Platoon- Full Strength
Tank Platoon- 3 M3 Lee Tanks
Tank Platoon- 3 M5A1 Stuart Tanks
Armoured Recon Platoon- 2 M3A1 Scout Cars, 2 Jeeps
Self-Propelled AT Platoon- 2 M10
Limited Air Support- A36 Apaches (1/72nd Scale Mustangs!)
So there it was, 6 platoons of awesomeness! Taken in those days from the Version One Rulebook, where all the lists were printed in a terribly illegible format.
I had two weeks to paint the army for the tournament. Now, I knew next to nothing about tanks in WW2. All I knew was the few stories I had read, so tank gun barrels were silver, and all the infantry were in classic OD.
I did manage to get them painted the night before, and turned up as a fresh faced kid at my first tournament. Handily it was around the corner from my parent's house too!
At the tournament, there were I think 8 games, 4 Free for All and 4 Hold the Line (where it was a straight roll off to see who would attack!).
I don't remember much of the games themselves. I remember using Craig's Sturmovik air support to kill his KV-1s, I remember assaulting Dale's Italian artillery with infantry, when he was attacking me in Hold the Line (and my style according to some hasn't changed).
I also remember winning the tournament. Now that sounds very much like bragging, and to me then, it was really important. I felt a great deal of pride to win! Looking back at it now, I feel embarrassed about how much it did mean to me. Which is why I can understand those players who do want to win at seemingly any cost. But, that just is not me anymore. I have won more than my fair share, as I have lost my fair share.
The main thing that I do remember, is the people I played against. At that tournament I met many people I am proud to still call friends, some people who I regularly share emails with, some who come to stay with me for local tournaments, others who return the favor for me when I travel.
So that is what Conquest means to me. It was where I began this journey into history, through wargaming. It is where I met some amazing people, shared some wonderful moments with them, and most importantly learned to laugh when all you can roll is a 1.
Oh, and I am still painting Auzzies...
Paint, paint, paint...
CP
This year's Conquest is markedly different to other years. Firstly, it is the 10th anniversary of the competition! 10 years ago, minus a week, a young impressionable youth wandered into the local gaming store in Christchurch, Comics Compulsion on a Friday night. Playing a game on a back table were two really nice guys, Tim D (the owner of said LGS) and Stephen H (local WW2 officionado). The two were playing a game, British against Germans, with some tiny looking tanks. Interest piqued, I stayed until the shop closed, rolling dice, moving tanks and playing what was my first historical wargame. Wouldn't have a clue who won, all I knew was that I was hooked!
So, the next day I went back with my mum (my bankroll!) and walked out again a couple of hours later with a large box of stuff- enough for a 1500 point US Armored Rifle Company in fact!
My list was... US Armoured Rifle Company
HQ- Bazooka, Jeep, M2 Halftrack
Armored Rifle Platoon- Full Strength
Armored Rifle Platoon- Full Strength
Tank Platoon- 3 M3 Lee Tanks
Tank Platoon- 3 M5A1 Stuart Tanks
Armoured Recon Platoon- 2 M3A1 Scout Cars, 2 Jeeps
Self-Propelled AT Platoon- 2 M10
Limited Air Support- A36 Apaches (1/72nd Scale Mustangs!)
So there it was, 6 platoons of awesomeness! Taken in those days from the Version One Rulebook, where all the lists were printed in a terribly illegible format.
I had two weeks to paint the army for the tournament. Now, I knew next to nothing about tanks in WW2. All I knew was the few stories I had read, so tank gun barrels were silver, and all the infantry were in classic OD.
I did manage to get them painted the night before, and turned up as a fresh faced kid at my first tournament. Handily it was around the corner from my parent's house too!
At the tournament, there were I think 8 games, 4 Free for All and 4 Hold the Line (where it was a straight roll off to see who would attack!).
I don't remember much of the games themselves. I remember using Craig's Sturmovik air support to kill his KV-1s, I remember assaulting Dale's Italian artillery with infantry, when he was attacking me in Hold the Line (and my style according to some hasn't changed).
I also remember winning the tournament. Now that sounds very much like bragging, and to me then, it was really important. I felt a great deal of pride to win! Looking back at it now, I feel embarrassed about how much it did mean to me. Which is why I can understand those players who do want to win at seemingly any cost. But, that just is not me anymore. I have won more than my fair share, as I have lost my fair share.
The main thing that I do remember, is the people I played against. At that tournament I met many people I am proud to still call friends, some people who I regularly share emails with, some who come to stay with me for local tournaments, others who return the favor for me when I travel.
So that is what Conquest means to me. It was where I began this journey into history, through wargaming. It is where I met some amazing people, shared some wonderful moments with them, and most importantly learned to laugh when all you can roll is a 1.
Oh, and I am still painting Auzzies...
Paint, paint, paint...
CP
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Part Three- Foreign Tanks!
So, there were too many pictures for the last blog post (apparently that is possible), so I had to curtail a couple and leave them to make a 3rd post, this time with a few foreign tanks!
The Hall of Russian Vehicles. I don't think it is actually called that, but I think it should be!
A Type 69 II Battle tank. An uparmoured Chinese copy of the T-55, these are a frequent opponent of mine in 6mm! Plus, this one has the same camo scheme as the ones I fight!
The underside of a T-72M looking as imposing as possible! Another of my frequent opponents in 6mm, was cool to see it close up! Pity the sun decided to not let me get good photos...
An OT-64 APC. Of Czech design, these were widely exported to the middle east and other areas.
The Type 59 MBT. Another Chinese copy, the Type 59 was very much outclassed by other western MBTs, but if they didn't have tanks, they could cause serious problems for infantrymen! Widely exported tank.
Another Czech APC, this time an OT-62. Main difference to the OT-64? Tracks not wheels.
Now, onto the Swedish! This is an S-Tank. Representing a totally different concept in tank design, the S-Tank has a very low silhouette, a powerful gun and very fine maneuverability to allow it to align itself to ambush the expected marauding Soviet Tanks. Similar in concept to the German StuG series, the S-Tank takes it to a whole new level of performance, armour and reliability.
Oh and it can do this..
More shots of the S-Tank.
More S-Tank!
Well, that is it, all my photos pretty much from the Armoured Corps Museum. Very very cool collection there, I was very impressed.
So what of my Australian painting?
Well...
Painting continues...
CP
Friday, 12 October 2012
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Museum- Part Two
so, following on from yesterday's post about the Royal Australian Armoured Corps museum north of Melbourne, here is Part Two.
And this time, it is all about tanks...
So, starting with a modified Caterpillar D7 Bulldozer. It has been modified to become a Beach Assault vehicle, designed to be able to land and complete various engineering tasks, such as recovering bogged down armoured vehicles.
Next up is the LVT-4 equipped with a 75mm howitzer. The howitzer is in the same turret as an M8 Scott Assault Gun, these vehicles were used as fire support for infantry landings. Used by the Auzzies in their landings later in WW2, and also by the USMC.
The LVT-4. Armed with multiple machine guns, these were used to ferry troops as part of amphibious landings. Used in the Pacific and in Europe, and known as the Buffalo and armoured in name only!
Now if you wanted a bit more horsepower than a D7, you could always opt for a modified M3 Grant, modified into a Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (BARV).
The first tank the Australians really got their hands on- the Vickers light tank. Armed with a 0.5" MG, and very little armour, these were quickly obsolete by the time the Australians acquired them. They started to replace them with captured Italian vehicles, before they could get more modern tanks from the British.
AN M3 Scout Car. The predecessor in a way to the M2 and M3 Halftracks, the White Scout Car was used by all the Allied nations in WW2 pretty much. Put some MG's on it and you have a recce car, add some radios it can be a command vehicle, or just leave it as is and drive some commanders around.
Next up the Staghound Armoured Car. These are a cool, cool vehicle! They are very large for an armoured car, relativly (to an armoured car) well armoured and equipped with a 37mm main gun. The Australians were equipped with them from 1946, but Kiwis, Canadians and British armoured car units had them and used them during World War II.
More Staghound is more good.
An M3 Stuart light tank. Known to the British as the "Honey" (because it is a honey to drive), the Stuart is very fast, owing to a large radial aircraft engine, and next to no armour! Lightly armed, these were recon units in the west, but were more effective as infantry support in the Pacific theatre.
An M3 tank with Lee Turret. Armed with two weapons, a 37mm gun in the turret, and a 75mm in the hull, the Lee/Grant was a stopgap measure to get a higher powered gun (the 75mm) into the war fast, because the Sherman was not yet ready to go.
This time, an M3 with a Grant Turret.
And this time an M3 with a Grant Turret and a bulldozer blade.
This is the Australian Sentinel tank, the only Australian designed and built tank ever. Never saw combat, but served as a crew training tank during the second world war.
Another view of the Sentinel.
A Cromwell Cruiser tank. Note how it still has it's loading instructions for it being shipped over to Australia painted on the side of the turret.
On to Matilda II Infantry tanks now. This is a standard model Matilda II, with a 2pdr in the turret and an MG. These were used by the Australians in the Pacific War, and their heavy armour must have come as a shock to the Japanese!
A Matilda Frog tank. Rather than a 2pdr in the turret, the Frog is equipped with a Flamethrower (for particularly resilient Japanese bunkers)
The strange contraption on the rear of this Matilda is a "hedgehog" mortar battery- 7 tubes of Spigot mortars, for bunker busting! This variant never saw combat, the war ended before it could reach the front lines.
This Matilda has been upgraded with a bulldozer blade on the front. Very useful in hostile terrain!
And from the large, to the very small. A universal carrier. A vehicle of many, many roles, from recon to OP, to flamethrowers to airlandings, the universal carrier truly earns it's name! The auzzies even mounted 2pdrs on the top of them!
The ultimate in British Infantry Tank design, the Churchill Crocodile. With massively heavy armour, a 75mm gun in the turret and a flamethrower fueled by a trailer trundling along behind it, the Crocodile was a weapon feared and hated by the Germans. Certainly both sides tragically had very little mercy for flamethrowers when captured.
No tank collection would be complete without a Sherman M4. Ubiquitous, reliable and mass production at it's finest, the Sherman is an icon of the Allied victory in WW2.
The M24 Chaffee was the replacement for the Stuart. Armed with a bigger gun, but equally as fast as the Stuart, the Chaffee saw service towards the end of WW2, and in Korea.
Type 97 Te-Ke Tankette. Now this thing would have barely fitted me in it, let alone any other crew! The concept of Tankettes makes me feel claustrophobic, and I am not suprised that the design idea did not last long...
The big Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank. Practically dwarfing the tankette next to it, the Chi-Ha was not well thought of by the Allies. Outgunned by the Russians when it first appeared, it was woefully inadequate to engage any American or Australian armour in the Pacific. However, if there were no tanks nearby, the Chi-Ha was a perfectly suitable infantry support tank, being thought of as able to go through any terrain to appear behind the enemy, often catching defensive positions out by a sudden flank attack!
An Australian Centurion Tank. By all counts, a pretty good tank. Certainly at the time they were well thought of, The Israelis used them to a good deal of success against the Syrians, whereas the Australians were using them against the Viet Minh, finding their Splintex (flechette) round very effective....
The in the terrain of Vietnam, you want a bulldozer...
And sometimes you will need a bridge!
The Armoured Corps memorial, complete with Centurion.
The engine deck of the Centurion. This one was under maintenance, couldn't get a clear shot of the engine sadly...
An M113 with .50cal turret. This particular 113 is missing it's engine block, which is why you can see the whole way through!
Another 113, with a different turret this time. The light is doing a really good job of washing the colours out however...
The M113 "Beast" Fire Support Vehicle. Equipped with a Saladin turret, these 113s were for fire support missions for infantry.
Two more M113 FSV. These are equipped with Scimitar turrets, with a 30mm Raden cannon rather than the 75mm from the Saladin. These two are sitting nicely on a deployed bridge.
A Ferret armoured car equipped with two ENTAC AT missiles. These would have been used as light scout vehicles, but once you put the ENTAC missiles on the top they become a highly mobile anti-armour weapon.
A Taipan armoured vehicle.
A Walker-Bulldog tank. American designed and built, used by the ARVN in Vietnam. This one has come from the Kiwis, who had a company (I think) of them post Vietnam.
The Leopard 1A3, just looking cool. After seeing these, it is a foregone conclusion that there will be an Australian list for our 6mm Moderns game...
Another Leopard hull, but this one has a bridge on top!
A close up on a Leopard. There were a lot of Leopards around, it is as if the Australians had just withdrawn them from service and replaced them with the M1A1 or something!
Not a Leopard (thanks Russell), this is a Swedish 91 Tank Destroyer- It can actually float! Some of them were given propellers to make them go even faster on the ocean! All in all, it was an underwhelming Tank Destroyer, the 90mm it is armed with is wholly insufficient in the role.
Leopard with a Mine Plow!
Leopard!
An Australian LAV. an 8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier, armed with a Bushmaster chain gun. Used by multiple armies (including NZ), they are pretty well liked as far as I understand it.
Thats enough for now, it was a seriously large number of tanks!
As for the Australians, well...
More work to do!
CP
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