Finishing a Corsec 1/56th scale LCVP

OK, I’m a bit slow on the workbench. A few months back I purchased three 1/56th scale LCVP kits from Coresec Engineering for a D-Day scenario.  The kits are in laser cut MDF and plasticard. The laser cuts are nice and clean, and all the pieces separate easily for assembly.

http://www.corseceng.com/products/28mm-lcvp-landing-craft-kit

I used LVT crew figures from Company B:

1. Gun tub MG crew: https://company-b-models-and-miniatures.myshopify.com/collections/crews-for-afvs/products/miniatures-usn-lvta-tub-gunners2?variant=15950897667
2. General LVT crew: https://company-b-models-and-miniatures.myshopify.com/products/miniatures-usn-lvta-4-crew-2?variant=15950880835

And ship fittings in 1/48 and O-scale from ebay, and used Woodland Scenics transfers for the ship ID numbers. Too bad I can’t find the proper scale-sized rope fenders and such as well, but I’m happy with how it turned out!

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5150 Fighter Command in the Terran Trade Authority universe

At the below link are unofficial rules for using 5150 Fighter Command in the Terran Trade Authority universe.

The Terran Trade Authority universe is one of the most interesting settings created in science fiction. Launched initially as a series of spacecraft art books in the 1970s, the TTA universe has grown into a rich setting with additional background books, art and games.

According to the series original timeline, humans – aka ‘Terrans’ – became starfarers in the early 21st century, with the development of the DeVass Warp Generator. This is described as a spacefold-style faster-than-light drive, which brought space at the origin and destination into proximity, allowing a vessel at the former to transfer to the latter without crossing the intervening distance.

The future history states that after remote exploration of nearby star systems, contact was established with the inhabitants of the Alpha Centauri star system (the ‘Alphans’), with whom Terrans quickly became friends and allies. The second alien encounter at Proxima Centauri (with the ‘Proximans’ – long antagonistic towards the Alphans) resulted in the two-decade long ‘Proximan War.’ This war drove the development of space technology, resulting in many of the starship designs that inhabit the TTA universe and facilitating its further colonization.
These unofficial rules allow you to fight the battles of the Proximan War using the 5150 Fighter Command rules.

http://www.terrantradeauthority.com/

The main differences in the TTA setting are:
1. ALL ships, including fighters, have an FTL drive. This means there are no Jump Gates that serve as a focus point for combat.
2. NUKES! The TTA setting uses nuclear-tipped missiles, so lots of big booms going on.

Oh, and these guys are making some cool new 5150 FC star fighters, as well as a few TTA fighters: https://littlemetalspaceships.com/

5150 Fighter Command – Terran Trade Authority rules

Building a Corsec 1/56th scale LCVP

I recently purchased three 1/56th scale LCVP kits from Coresec Engineering for a D-Day scenario.  The kits are in laser cut MDF and plasticard. The laser cuts are nice and clean, and all the pieces separate easily for assembly.

http://www.corseceng.com/products/28mm-lcvp-landing-craft-kit

The kits come in flat shrink-wrapped packs, with no instructions, but a bid of fiddling with trial and error resulted in a nice landing craft. Below is a step-by-step on assembling one.

1. Shrink-wrapped kit, laser cut MDF on one side, laser cut plasticard on the other

2. Separate the pieces from the MDF “sprue,” and do the same for the plasticard when you need each piece.

3. Assemble the hull.

1. Glue the bulkhead to the bottom piece (with the tread pattern)
2. Glue the ribs into place from the rear forward, one pair at a time. I found that doing the two rear ribs first allowed me to glue the upper section into place.  Then glue each rib (pair by pair seemed more stable) in place to join the lower and upper hulls
3. Glue the “instrument” panel into place where the driver figure will stand, on the right side making a shelf that joins with the bulkhead — under the upper hull piece
4. Leave the assault ramp and round gun tubs alone for now

4. Glue the rear hull panels into place after cutting them from the plasticard set. The pieces glue on long side up, with the slant towards the outsides.

5. Glue the long side hull pieces onto the ribs of the boat, and use rubber bands to light hold them on while drying.

6. Glue the armored hull pieces into place on the inside of the boat kit, starting with the rear section and then both sides.

7. Glue the rear armor plate into place into the slot behind the gun tubs, as well as the two front hull pieces. The front hull pieces glue in long side up, slant outwards.

8. Glue on the two gun tubs and the steering wheel/door ramp wheel.

9. Glue the plasticard door plate onto the outside of the assault door/ramp. The door as the tread pattern facing the inside of the boat. Make sure the pattern etched into the door plate is facing outwards.

10. Add more details and bits if you like. I’ve added  struts on the sides of the armor plating as well as cleats and the bollard in the rear. Magnets in the assault doors keep them closed.

11. You can also get 28mm LVT crew figures from Company B that go well with this boat.

1. Gun tub MG crew: https://company-b-models-and-miniatures.myshopify.com/collections/crews-for-afvs/products/miniatures-usn-lvta-tub-gunners2?variant=15950897667
2. General LVT crew: https://company-b-models-and-miniatures.myshopify.com/products/miniatures-usn-lvta-4-crew-2?variant=15950880835

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. Panzer-Division: Kharkov 1942

Interesting history of 16th Panzer at Karkhov.

https://weaponsandwarfare.com/

 

 

 

16th Panzer is also the focus of the NUTS! Stalingrad campaign book. While the book also lets you play the Soviet side, 16th Panzer was the “tip of the spear” on the drive to Stalingrad and was engaged in heavy fighting in all phases of the campaign. The unit was chosen as the book focus since a number of units from 16th Panzer escaped as the Soviet pincer was closing in, and provides campaign continuity for a player.

http://twohourwargames.com/stalingrad-heroes-all.html

Here’s a free scenario from the book: NUTS Stalingrad – Filippov at the Bridge

Let’s Play 5150: Star Marine: “Boarding Action” AAR Test-Driving Two Hour Wargames’ new introductory game.

This is a fun AAR/playtest of the 5150 Star Marine rules by another gamer. Check it out!

View story at Medium.com

Star Marine 5150 AAR – Boarding a Hishen Slaver

5150: Star Marine is self-contained game that lets you take on the role of a Star Marine, and lead your Characters and soldiers into combat and actions in floating space hulks, airless moons, and planets with an atmosphere so nasty you’ll be dead if your suit is breached.

It’s an easy game to play. This makes it easy to learn and easy to teach. It’s easy, but it’s also fun.  It’s easy, but also a challenge. It’s perfect for when you want to spend less time setting up the game than actually playing it.

5150 Star Marine is aimed at the casual or new gamer with little or no experience, but don’t underestimate it.  It’s perfect for playing solo or on the same side with your friends. It doesn’t take much time to learn yet is a fun little game. No two games will ever play out the same.

Let’s see a day in the life of a Star Marine. Newly promoted Star Marine Sgt. Graham E. Adams (Rep 5) has been put in charge of a section of Star Marines and ordered to board a Hishen Slaver that has been disabled by a Star Navy cutter, while the rest of the squad is tasked with boarding a Freighter caught trying to flee. Busy day!

http://www.twohourwargames.com/51spma.html

5150 Star Marine – Now on sale!

If you like the Expanse series and you’re a tabletop sci-fi gamer, you’ll probably like these rules — zero-G combat, boarding actions, fighting in zero atmosphere, combat hacking, lots of great stuff.

http://2hourblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/5150-star-marine-now-on-sale.html?spref=fb

NUTS WW2 skirmish system being played at West Point?!

How awesome is that, to see the NUTS WW2 skirmish system being played at West Point.

From the Two Hour Wargames blog:

Monday, 21 November 2016
NUTS at West Point?!
Came across these two Tweets about NUTS! being played at West Point to teach WWII squad tactics to cadets. Very cool!

Weird War 2 – Drache and Downfall

At a Pacific Con event some years back I hosted a WW2 game with a slight weird variant. Apparently, as the Soviets closed in on Berlin some of Hitler’s advisers urged him to leave the city and devised a plan to fly him out via a light plane piloted by aviatrix Hanna Reitsch. He decided not to — but what if he had, and Hanna was flying not a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch , but an Fa 223 Drache helicopter? Can the Soviets stop him in time? Game on!

 

downfall-1945-game-report

New Gear Krieg Graphic Novel!

Congratulations to John Bell!

After a long wait, volume 1 of Alfie’s Tenners is finally out!

May 1940, as German panzers and kampfers invade France, one British officer, Second Lieutenant Alphonse March, finds himself separated from the B.E.F. and must lead his walker troop through the countless hordes of the Hun back to the safety of his own peers. But this war, with its walking vehicles, death rays and rocket troops, is quite different from the morass of the trenches a generation ago.

Alfie’s Tenners is set in the Gear Krieg alternate universe, a world where adventurers and super-spies straight out of pulp novels and serial pictures battle the Nazis across the globe, where the poor, bloody infantry valiantly defends liberty from the forces of fascism, and superscience changes the face of the world on a daily basis.

70 pages filled with adventure, intrigue, daring-do and wonder. Check it out!

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/182126/Alfies-Tenners-vol1