AA36: Third World Meets First World

As Major Suvorov's  Mig 23MLD lifted off of the runway, he considered that after all of these years, this was his first real combat mission.  He had once intercepted an American intelligence gathering jet, and then there was the time that he managed to sneak up on a pair of Tomcats, but this would be the first time he knew in advance that he would be using his R-23 missiles if the opportunity arose.

Four Mig 23s closed with the Uwandan F5s which were patrolling the sky over occupied Mugabian territory near Objective B41.  The Migs were each armed with a pair of medium ranged R-23 and a pair of short ranged R60M.

The Migs had not yet detected any airborne radar, so they did not yet know if they were facing F5As or F5Es, though it really didn't matter.  Once their targets were within radar range, the Migs would fire their missiles, dispatch their new found enemies, and return home.
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In my first game using Missile Threat rules, I found that it just wasn't that easy.  The rules are more abstracted and easier to use and manage than my home-brew dogfight rules, but the abstractions still leave a lot of flying to the player, and despite my reservations about some of the mechanics, gave very reasonable results through each step of play.

The scenario was created by my campaign system for my African imagi-nations, and thus, I did not use some of the initial set up and scenario duration rules from Missile Threat.
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The Migs approached from due east, while the F5As were heading roughly northeast to southwest.  The Migs were directed into battle by Mugabian ground radar, while the Uwandans had no radar coverage.  As a  result the Migs had the initiative over the F5s, which had no radar and were each equipped with a pair of AIM-9B Sidewinders and their guns.

On the first turn of movement,  Migs closed with F5s to find that they were just out of radar range and could not fire.

Then on the next turn, had overrun their prey, and could not fire missiles as they entered the phase too close and over-running their targets

 

A couple turns of movement later, despite my struggle at rolling radar locks, the first Mig finally achieved a lock-on, fired a pair of R-23s, and got his first kill.

The targeted F5 was in the process of failing a missile lock on another Mig, so did not have opportunity to evade the two inbound missiles, which destroyed his plane and killed the pilot twice.

The Major had no time to consider his accomplishment.  The F5 in 

front of him ceased to exist, and he simply moved on to the next 

target and continued the fight.  A time for reflection would come later.

The fight swirled on for a few turns with a bunch of failed radar and missile lock rolls (I needed 4+ or 6+ on 2D12, and failed on 10 of 14 rolls overall as near as I can figure).  Another F5 got hit and knocked out of the sky, and one missile that did make it off of the rail failed to hit its target, as it was fired too close, and lost sight of the target after launch.

The last kill came on the last turn as the two remaining F5s were trying to leave the fight.  Unfortunately another pair of R23s badly damaged the aircraft and killed the pilot.

The end result is that Uwanda lost 3 F5As and their pilots, while the Soviets lost no Migs.  The F5s never even managed to get a missile lock.  The Soviets may have bought Mugabia some time, and both sides will have to consider the result of this battle and decide how to proceed.

Missile Threat seems to work well, though I need to learn the rules a lot better, so that I can avoid situations like the Migs experienced early on, when I bumbled their potential first shot and a lost their initial advantage.

Sorry about the photo quality, my phone had fits with my lighting and I still don't have a proper table cover, using the backside of my "ocean" cloth.

6mm NATO Cold War Aircraft (1950s)

Continuing my 6mm aircraft project, I finished my NATO aircraft for the Cold War of the 1950s.  Only a total of  twenty models were completed, six US, four French, and ten British.   Here are some pics:

F-84E by I-94 Enterprises (Raiden).

F-104 w/wingtip tanks by I-94 Enterprises.

Vautour bomber (I think from I-94)

Meteor 8 from Scotia. (Wow, the decal border really shows 

up in the pic, didn't notice it otherwise).

Venom by Scotia.

Gloster Javelin from I-94 Enterprises.

And the whole heap of models including F-86E, F-100 from I94, 

Mystere IV from unknown maker,

Vampires from Scotia, and Hunters from I-94

The painting is pretty basic, but they are table worthy, and that is the important thing.  The decals from I-94 and Flight Deck Decals all worked well.  I also made some modifications to my aircraft stands so that they will more readily work with Missile Threat rules.  I have a game set up, and hope to play it early this week.

As with the Soviets, I plan to add to, and expand the NATO forces a bit, as soon as funds are available.

6mm Soviet Aircraft are Ready

Over the last week, I finished painting 24 Soviet fighters and interceptors.  I added in 2x IL 28 (which were already painted), and began applying the decals, but found that most on each decal sheet were actually too large for my aircraft, so will probably order new decals from Flight Deck Decals, as soon as my Covid-19 spending freeze comes to an end.

The models are mounted on brass wire for use with my current aircraft stands from my home-brew dogfight rules, which I plan to use with Missile Threat rules in the near term.  I may eventually switch to less invasive stands, but for now these will work and are actually tall enough that they eliminate the need to an altitude die in Missile Threat.

Here are a few pics:

A Ros & Heroics Su-9 on one of my flight stands.  This is one

 of the rougher models that I purchased, but I still love it.

H&R Yak-38 (blue) and a Scotia Grendel Il-28

H&R Mig-23 (yellow camo) and Scotia Su-15

And the rest of the lot, including Mig 15, 17, 19, and 21, Su-25, 7, & 9.

During this past week, I have also done some painting on my US, French and German aircraft, and hope to have some of those finished by next weekend.

1950s 6mm Cold War (Air) Progress

I'm moving along on my 6mm aircraft for a 1950s Cold War conflict, having cleaned, assembled, pinned, and primed 42 models for the project (plus 4x Mig23s, and 2x Yak 38s for my African imagi-nation campaign).

I decided to work on fixed-wing aircraft for now, then go back to the rotary-wing stuff a little later.  For the most part, I've got pairs of the following:

US:  F-100, F86E, F84E

France: Mystere, Mystere  IV, Vautour

West Germany: F104

UK: Meteor, Vampire, Venom, Hunter, Javelin

Soviet: Yak 25, Mig 15, Mig 17, Mig 19, Mig 21, Su7, Su 9

 

I'll need to add a little more depth for some types, maybe up to 6-8 of primary interceptors and fighters, and fill in some of the missing types.  I'm targeting 1958 for the focus of my battles, and am pushing a few early models for service that late, as well as maybe speeding the timeline up for entry of a few others a little early (it is a fictional WWIII, so I will have an alt-historical timeline anyway).

I still intend to pick up some F101s, F105s, and hopefully find a source for some combination of F89, F94, and/or F84F models.  I need to look into observation types, and probably the A26 as well.

I plan to order an AN 2 and wish I could find a SU11, and a Mi4 along with several other late 1950s and early 1960s helicopters (I plan to follow up my 1958 WWIII with a 1968 version  a little further down the road.

The French will get some Super Mysteres and Magisters, and the Germans will add some F84 and F86 as soon as we get past the current virus situation, and some money is available to fun stuff again.

I probably will have to consider the US, French, and Royal Navy possibilities before I'm done, but I've got plenty to paint before that.  I do have a smattering of US Navy types on hand, just haven't worked on them yet.

Anyway, not a lot to show yet, but the interesting part will hopefully start tomorrow night, when I get the paint out.

I plan to try out "Missile Threat" rules with couple of my Africa games, and assuming those go well, will use them for my WWIII games as well.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and stay healthy out there!

Built Some Momentum, Finished Some Miniatures

Over the last two weeks, I managed to assemble and complete 36 Cold War Vehicles.  A combination of Soviet, British, and US models from QRF, Armies Army, and Old Glory.  Here's a few pics:

Clockwise from the top; QRF BMP-1, T-64, BRDM-AT3, SA-8, 

Zil-151, S-60, and SA-6

From back row to front; Armies army Scimitars, Chieftains, 

and landrovers, QRF Saracens, and Armies Army FV432s.

Old Glory M35 trucks.

I still need to plop crew members into a few of them (forgot to do that prior to taking the pics), but otherwise, they are ready to go.  I was pretty happy with them until I clear-coated them.  I tried using a GW paint for the "dust" and when I sprayed them, much of the dust "blew" away.  I finally ran out of my old Polly-S/Polly Scale "dust", "mud", and "dirt" paint, which has been out of production for a hundred years, and have been experimenting with newer paints.  Oh well, the GW paint seemed a bit thick, and probably was too thick/dry for dry-brushing.  Should have thinned it more.  Maybe, I don't know.  At least they have paint, and can hit the table now.

Next up are some 1/285 and 1/300 aircraft, mostly for 1950s Cold War.  We'll see if I can keep up the momentum. 

Assortment of aircraft from GHQ, I-94, H&R, and Scotia.

A Constructive Sunday

So Sunday, I made it down the basement, looked up at the lead mountain,  and realized that I really hadn't worked on anything since January 3rd.  I also realized that over the last couple of years, I had managed to surround my table with unassembled and unpainted 15mm vehicles models.

I started counting and stopped at 42 Cold War, and 95 WWII vehicles, and didn't even get into the additional boxes of cast parts in the next room.  So, I got to work and had a nice time, starting Cold War Soviets, then moving on to a few US trucks, and then some WWII German tanks.

Ready for the painting table are 11 QRF 15mm Soviet vehicles; 2x Zil 151 trucks, 3x BRDM/AT3, 1x SA8, 3x BMP1, and 3x T64.  

...and the rest of the most immediate backlog awaiting either assembly and/or priming...

Sunday was a good day.  Hopefully, I can build some momentum and keep it going.

Problems In Uwanda (Modern African Imagi-nations)

The Uwandan Chief of Staff ended the meeting, and the nation's military leaders quietly exited the room.  They did not look like the leaders of a victorious army.

The General sat back down at the table, considering the situation.   Quite simply, Uwanda had exceeded their operational reach.  Despite the successes, they had suffered greater losses of equipment than they had anticipated.  The advance had not really gone as expected.  

Uwanda now controls a significant swathe of Mugabian territory, but Mugabia had not retreated from the occupied Pettu lands.  In fact, the Pettu lands on both sides of the border, may be the only territory that Mugabian forces have firm hold of.  Mugabia's air force may have been destroyed, but their ground forces still significantly outnumber Uwanda in both men and equipment. 

Added to that is the fact that Uwanda is now functionally at war with both Cuba and the Soviet Union.  Cuban ground forces reinforce Muabian forces along the way to the capitol, and Soviet airborne troops and equipment had arrived to back up the already substantial Presidential Guard.

Through they had not yet encountered Uwandan aircraft, Soviet Mig-23s were patrolling the skies over Mugabia, coming ever closer to Uwanda's air  patrols.  It was not yet known how many Mig-23s had arrived, but a small number of Minsk's Yak-38s had visited two Mugabian airports and may be supplanting the Mig23s.  It was also known that both Mig17s and Mig21s were going to soon be delivered to Mugabia.  If the advantage in the air hadn't yet been lost, it soon would be.

Obvious deficiencies in Uwanda's organization had been exposed, but those deficiencies could not be addressed in the short term.  Currently, a lack of infantry anti-tank weapons,  desperately insufficient artillery, and obsolescent World War II era vehicles was what Uwanda had to fight with.  How had so many victories resulted in so much desperation?

Uwanda had restricted the use of its air supremacy in an effort to keep civilian casualties low, with the belief that this would help them gain international support.  With the exception of American air to air missiles routed through West Germany, thus far, there had been very little support.

In fact, the lack of civilian casualties may have hampered gaining support, as despite the official protests to the war, the UN simply wasn't interested in tending to a conflict that brought harm to so few.  The Soviet involvement now gained the attention of NATO, but with Soviet boots on the ground, NATO would not be committing any kind of forces.  Troops of East and West would not meet in a war of so little consequence.

On the home front, the war was unpopular.  The people expected a lightning strike and immediate resolution to the problem.  Most felt that the Pettu land was not worthy of a proper war, and the President was feeling the pressure.  Ironically, the Fat Man in Mugabia seemed to enjoy the opposite effect, with the war serving to unify the populace and stabilize their president's control.

The General considered all of this, as the meeting had ended without a solution to the problem.  He doubted that tomorrow's meeting would end differently.