1:72 Pegasus Hobbies - Pz 38(t)

Two in a box is a very appealing selling point for the wargamer. Two Pz 38(t)'s would also nicely flesh out and complete my early WWII Panzer Battalion (as per Command Decision OrBat). Small little things with a few parts (so it is not an exercise in fiddly modelling, gets the thumbs up from me - especially teh all in one track. One small 'ouch' moment though, in fitting the track to body of the tank there is a sharp "snap" from the track, as it broke cleanly in two. Something had to give as the track was warped in a concave fashion and had to be bent back to fit correctly. Thankfully the resulting small gap was easily bridged with "a small slither of plastic-card" (see below, in its "gap state", construction was therefore a little more exciting than I wanted as this happened four times, once for each side of track):  

Despite that it was a very nice quick build but with a detailed model (see below, the first one finished - commanders cover chosen to be open): 

Two tanks completed, turret hatches open awaiting "commanders" - with a small fleck of white denoting the plastic-card track repair (see below, once the first tank was done, then the second one was much faster): 

Searching around in the spares box for some German Commanders and I found two Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) ones that looked early war(ish) and they were shaved/sculpted to fit into the turret, which meant "breaking arms - the reangling then", sounds much more complicated and brutal than it actually was. It amounted taking a small triangular wedge out of one part of the arm/shoulder and then adding it to another part): 

Undercoating and painting next (tbc when though). At least the "to be assembled pile" is one box smaller.

Never be bored as there is always basing to be done ..

My collection will never be finished, I know that, particularly the WWII one. However I do get a buzz from getting various bits to different stages .. basing is one of those stages (see below, Caesar miniatures are beautiful, but the more recent Italeri certainly give them a run for their money, as do Pegasus Hobbies, Plastic Soldier Company):

These dudes are some of my WWII Soviets and they are one stage along the production line. 

Ghosts of the Jungle .. More Nam Figures .. (1/72, 20mm, 1/76)

When you are preparing for a game like "Ghosts of the Jungle" (allegedly a player cooperative play game, which also means you can be left at the mercy of other players "intelligent" decisions), there are always the game "odds and ends" you need to paint up .. just to oil the mechanics and make-up "special events" or have in the "background". They are typically not the sexy, sexy exciting figures that jump onto the painting table, but they have an important game function to do. For example, a VC truck (on loan to North Vietnam from the USSR, via the Plastic Soldier Company WWII Russian transport collection) to terrorise anybody trying to cross a seemingly deserted jungle track in the game, a couple of VC figures who can nicely fit in the back of said truck [of ESCI/Italeri 1/72 VC origins - waiting to be painted for some twenty years], some (as in eight) Platoon 20 Villagers [who under the game the mechanics could turn into VC], eight Platoon 20 SAS LRRP soldiers [OK they are pretty sexy, but were an upgrade from the US LRRP that I was previously using] and finally a downed helicopter pilot, in wounded and walking poses (see below, the primed and Vallejo brown washed ready for the "real" painting to start): 

It is "good for the soul" when you get figures at least to this stage ;) 

1/300 Battle of Britain Planes: PSC

I found these lurking in the PSC Battle of Britain Game Box when I was looking for a 1/300 Stuka of all things (yes, I was doing another random loft traverse). I do like them, or rather the way they have turned out [I painted the roundels free hand - but squadron "lettering" has so far has defeated me] .. and I need to finish off the German 1/300 kit that came in the box, Spitfires and Hurricanes being long "done" (see below, the RAF lesser known and unappreciated "odd ball" fighters of the Battle of Britain: Gloster Gladiator Boulton Paul Defiant and Bristol Blenheim Mk I Fighter version): 

Note: I also have this "collection" to make in 1/72 .. which as you may guess is a longer term item on teh wargaming "bucket list".

Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) Red Alert - Spaceship Bundle Pack

Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) made me another offer I could not refuse. 168 hard plastic space ships (admittedly of two types - "cruisers" [72] or "freighters" [96]) for a tenner (and six fifty for P&P because it is so heavy) .. so I bought two packs (same P&P), thinking this is the Red Alert (as this is the game the components originate from) "space ship offer" to end all "space ship offers"! What is not to like. Wow, I think it was the heaviest "toy" arrival to my door though, seeing the poor DPS delivery man struggle up my path to my door with a solid pack of plastic (see below, toys and toys galore - now to find a use for them!):  

But to what use these beauties for? The Trillion Credit Squadron (Traveller and Classic Traveller scenario) comes to mind (quantity wise  - you really need a lot of ships) but Billion Suns also looms large for a quick, quick win. The appealing aspect of this kit is that there is great potential for customisation with 'odds and ends' items from the "spares box" plus ubiquitous bits of generic plastic card!

Watch skies and watch this space for more updates ...

Plastic Soldier Company: 1/300 Plane Pack

Something I could not resist buying (sorry Mum it's in my blood) - a party pack of what I can only think of as "surplus to use for PSC" .. but 100 planes for a tenner (and £3.50 P&P) - there has got to be a great glorious wargaming use for them somewhere! Plenty of Stukas (27) for sure, Gloster Gladiators, Me 110s, Bristol Blenheims and various Luftwaffe Medium Bombers (see below, pass me the spray can, I got this!): 

I am thinking tactical formations of bombers to give a certain "mass" in the tactical element of the (Plastic Soldier Company remake of the original Airfix) Battle of Britain game. More visual that individual, as I am not keen on fiddly moving parts!

Battle of Britain 1940: Remembering the Battle through a Board Game

When considering the Battle of Britain I am always thrown back to the epic 1969 film which captures the mood perfectly, the authentic (well near enough) actual flying machines (pre-dating CGI with scale models when they had to blown up) and the sheer scale of the battle for me - including the bombing of Duxford aerodrome (see below, "Repeat Please" as the Polish pilots unofficially join the fight and thank God they did): 

The Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) did a revamp of the (Airfix?) boardgame and I even managed to paint most of the planes for the board game (see below, the start of the campaign, Kanalkampf - I still have a few German planes still to paint!):  

We managed to stumble through a turn, with heavy attractional losses for the Luftwaffe and big recovery problems for the RAF (see below, damaged RAF planes radar stations and an airfield, but a mass of Luftwaffe planes did not make it back to France):  

Definitely needs a longer revisit [probably three hours+ to do it justice]/ I think the key to a successful game is playing following the German historical sequence of attack by arranging the Mission Cards - historically, rather than drawn semi-randomly as suggested by the rules. In its purest form it needs to be played double blind with a White Control Room and added atmosphere!

Space Jamming to Star Man .. PSC Freighters Grab Bag - Painting Description

It all started with a "Grab Bag" special offer (thirty two space ships for a tenner) from the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) for their excess Red Alert "Freighters" - as in freighter class space ships, but as space ships go they were nice models and incredibly so, so cheap is seemed crazy not to buy one, nay two bags. What does one do with sixty four space ships - technically without guns, but I think you have to use your imagination in Sci-Fi and pretend they "have what they need". In fact the support stands to base the fleet cost more than the ships of the fleet (see below, plastic crack, I could not resist - yes, I have little or no will power, maybe later I can figure out and tell you the "why"):  

Step one .. with no idea how to really paint them (as in a proper paint scheme of sorts) I decided to prime them with Airfix Primer Grey Acrylic (01) and follow a hunch, a Traveller style hunch, of Free Trader Beowulf - a grubby planet hopper plying his trade, trying to make that big credit deal to set him up for life in the manner of his dreams (see below, the first batch of eight of my cosmic traders - "free booter" as I call them): 

I figured they would have lots of trouble keeping their ships "clean2 with all that atmospheric burn, planet hoping through the inner solar system dust clouds and engineering burn, plus the odd bullet hole or laser burn from a pirate. At some point they would be hauling mineral loads and getting and dirty with the asteroid miners (see below, Vallejo Black Dipping Wash to the rescue, suddenly a fleet of dirty space ships): 

By this time I had come across a simple painting formula to try: 

• Vallejo Game Colour "Off White" for the top half of the freighter
• Vallejo Game Colour  "Bone White" for the bottom half of the freighter
• Vallejo Game Colour "Gun Metal" for engine and exhaust parts on the freighter

Note: I took care with the above to leave black lines coming through the panelling, this is where I fell in love with the rugged, chunky design of the ships that played to shade and highlight!

• Vallejo Brown Dipping Wash along the black lines of the panelling to bring out a grubby feel and depth, and cover the Gun Metal engine parts to make it rosy

The result was just as intended but just a little too grubby for teh final finish (see below, even Beowulf would get the cleaning droids for a spring clean if he got this dirty!): 

Highlight time: 

• Highlight "White" areas with the base colour ("Off White" or "Bone" White respectively) 
• Highlight "Gun Metal" area to "Silver"

Yes, good enough, anything else would be silly (see below, my Free Trader awaits adventure): 

When you have done one, then it is just as easy to do two (see below, the advantage of the simple paint scheme, was that it could be turned into a factory production line): 

The budding space commercial space empire takes a trip through the fruit bowl system and basks in the fading sunlight from a Red Dwarf (see below, but beware danger can strike from any quarter, unannounced):

So best paint some more in case you run into losses (see below, simple paint scheme begs a simple production system - one ship at a time as I am getting into a rhythm and getting to know the peculiarities and wrinkles of the model - but the more I paint it, the more I like it): 

The fleet burgeons to three active "freighters of the line" (see below, I have not yet got to the point of naming them yet, but I am getting attached to them and thinking of possible rile systems such a Billion Suns to use them with, as well as Traveller!) 

Half way through (aka four done) my initial batch of eight which were to be my 'proof of concept' that I can be 'bothered' painting the ships in this way (see below, each one is getting slightly faster to do which is a good sign):   

To get from four to six, I did two at a time and to be honest was more frustrated that pleased. There was a certain satisfaction of doing one and moving onto another, that was not "doubled" by finishing two at the same time. As it is partially about enjoyment of the painting journey, as opposed to just painting them for gawd sake, I reverted back to one at a time for seven and eight (see below, but I think they do look grand "en masse"):   

Starting the "last one" of the "initial batch" - I an finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Even though it is really the first stop on a journey of many (see below, the squadron celebrations are about to begin): 

At last I can rest my weary brush hand, the "trading" squadron is assembled in quite a beguiling formation (see below, I know they are specifically not warships by design but I think they have a "we mean business" look and feel to them): 

What do you do with old Xmas tangerine boxes? Why you fill them with the first painted batch of transports alongside a primed and washed second batch (see below, remember that this is half of one "grab bag" and I bought two, of which I have only painted a quarter in total - not a quick project):  

Hmm, but what do you think I have in mind in the long term? If I said the Trillion Dollar Squadron would you be any the wiser or at all interested?

Stockton Battleground (2021): Battle of Britain "Double Blind Game"

Stockton Battleground Wargames Show 2021

Cinderella you shall go to the "ball" (well it is actually a "wargames show"). Myself and fellow wargamer Ian took the relatively recently released PSC "Battle of Britain" Game (which older Grognards would recognise as a revised [and I would say much improved] version of the game from the earlier Airfix 1980/90's (?)edition of the "Battle of Britain" board game) off to the show to play it "double blind". This meant a partition board between the players and a slight revision to the rules. Rather than relying on the random shuffle of the deck of mission cards to provide intrigue and chance - the German would be allowed to choose or rather "determine" his targets and use an appropriate force composition - but he [as in "me" on the day] was playing fair and hitting targets in historical order (radar, airfields and then cities). The forces were selected to player preferences (although the Germans followed the rule of thumb that 50% Fighter and 50% Bomber in his formations - with at least one Ju87 Stuka and Me 110 squadron (until they ran out)). The RAF likewise controlled their force composition, naturally holding the Blenheims, Defiants and Gladiators to the "last line of defence". The German was playing with Fog of War - the RAF player being a semi-plumpire by virtue of handling all combat - the Luftwaffe player passing his cards over the wall to do "combat" and generally receiving "fewer" back. It worked really well (IMHO), as the Luftwaffe was deprived of th eobvious board game "tells" of how well (or bad) he was actually doing, so he had to do a bit of guesswork and bad guesswork often leads to bad mistakes.

The video of the Stockton Battleground 2021 event is here, with at 9:20 is a quick fly-by of the Battle of Britain Game: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEf3XkKugI8

Right at the start of the action and the "view" from the German side of the Battle of Britain board (see below, a lot of Red bombing missions to perform, with the Luftwaffe intent on eating them up, by nibbling from the south coast upwards in order of: Radar - Airfield - Cities): 

Kanalkamf and the bomber formations are 'mysteriously' intercepted and bounced by formations of RAF fighters (see below, in the game the RAF player tries to "intercept" rather than "dogfight" his German opponent wherever possible, by this tactic he stands a good chance of getting to those juicy bombers without having to tangle with those nasty Me 109s): 

The first wave returns after a partially successful mission strike. According to Luftwaffe intelligence estimates of 50% of the RAF radar stations have been destroyed [explousion markers denoting dead radar stations, or so the Luftwaffe player thinks]. The second mission wave with be sent to take out the remaining stations of the Home Radar Chain Defence Network (see below, a cunning trick of the game is that the German player cannot return to a "completed mission", so to his utter amazement he keeps getting intercepted by the RAF - annoying "detected" markers appearing on his fighter/bomber formations as if the destroyed radar stations and airfields had somehow been repaired [something that didn't happen in Poland and France]): 

With the radar chain taken out it is now time to move onto the RAF airfields (see below, the RAF radar stations on the coast are burning now so the historic name of Tangmere comes to the top of the German bombing list, this is going to be the "crux of the battle" RAF fighters defending their home turf, a bit of a "sticky wicket" as they say in cricket): 

The Luftwaffe target list is slowly creeping up the board. Despite the (very) heavy losses optimistic reports are being sent to Goering about significant RAF losses and numerous infrastructure targets totally destroyed. The RAF airfields are now to be put out of commission and as a final insult Luftflotte 5 will attack from Norway (we [the German player] expect only to meet the decrepit Gloster Gladiators and outclassed Blenheims). This is now the "tussle of eagles" (see below, the south coast is burning, one more push and the English surely will be on their knees):  

Alas, the Englanders have other plans. Luftflotte 5 reports disastrous losses. They found Spitfires and Hurricanes waiting for them - the converted long distanced Me 110s stripped of the rear gunners for extra fuel tanks could not protect the bombers. There losses were irreplaceable, tLuftflotte 5 are now a spent force. Meanwhile the fighting over the southern English coast is simply ferocious. "How are the Tommies still intercepting us?" A final wave of fury is unleashed on 10 and 11 Groups airfields, the Port of London and naval towns of Portsmouth and Southampton are also targeted. Another attempt to take out Tangmire is launched. The destruction is wanton, but the Luftwaffe is down to its bare bones of bomber formations, the crews are tired and dispirited. The London Docks blaze savagely and are totally destroyed in game terms, Portsmouth and Southampton are damaged, RAF airfields smoulder but somehow 11 Group, Keith Parkes boys, rise like a phoenix rises from the ashes, a punch-drunk boxer raising himself defiantly from the canvas one more time and slugs out at the arrogant Aryan. He lands a  body blow, a body blow, another body blow and then solid punch to the jaw. The airwaves are full of Polish chatter, Heinkels fall from the skies and dogfights mesmerise Londoners. Luftwaffe suffer terribly (see below, their bombs land and buildings fall, Luftwaffe pilots confidently tell their superiors of the destruction reeked.If this is true then is it time for Sealion? Tomorrow will tell):  

The RAF is ready and waiting in the morrow, in far better shape than the Germans think. Yes, the Germans will come but they will see the RAF still in the skies, not down the their last fifty Spitfires as Goering boasted. No, it is not the time for operation Sealion, disperse the invasion barges, send the infantry to the East ready for Russia. More bombing missions will follow, different towns will burn but the RAF has not been cracked or broken (see below, German intelligence cannot simply understand how the radars, how supplementary airfields have been used so effectively and how pilots are trained so quickly to replenish British losses. It is "the few" who stopped them by their persistence and doggedness "To keep buggering on" as Churchill said (see below, although seriously damaged the RAF are not down and out. 10 Group are reeling more than 11 Group, 12 Group supporting them on the South East coast. The constant  problem for the Luftwaffe player is that they do not known what to try and hit next - it really played well as a double blind game, particularly as the German had to "estimate" rather than know the RAF losses): 

Honourably mentioned in dispatches, the "other few", spare a thought for the "other" British fighters of the Battle of Britain. Along with the Spitfire and the Hurricane there were a fews RAF fighter squadrons who flew twin engine Bristol Blenheim Fighters, the twin seater Boulton Paul Defiant (a rear facing turret but no forward firing guns) and even the famous Gloster Gladiator biplane (see below, painted up in 1/300 from the PSC expansion pack): 

Other spoils from the Battleground show. Next year we plan to do the Battle of Gazala, so these 10mm Pendrakon Italian CV33s, British 8th Army Infantry and A13 Cruiser tanks (maybe not, too early in teh Desert War but I have a soft spot for them) are but the start of a long term painting project (see below, a small lead mountain to attack in the winter months):  

These will reinforce my previously purchased and now painted Pendrakon Italians. I wa hoping to pick up the tiny Italian L6s, but alas that will have to come in a later postal order.  

Footnote: Apologies as it was rude of me not to thank the many members of the wargaming public who popped by and helped with the game (drawing random cards from the Luftwaffe Player's hand (as in me)) plus engaged in fascinating conversation, passing on fascinating Battle of Britain comments. I learnt a lot .. thankyou! 

My 28mm WWII Soviet Infantry for Chain of Command

Russian Forces: My main force of Soviet 28mm Chain of Command figures are the highly detailed plastic Warlord Games (Winter Infantry and the ones [10] that came with KV1 tank kit), some flame-throwing and LMG specialists from Black Tree, but as a supplement I bought the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) infantry range (which means I have the same figure molds in 15mm, 20mm and 28mm). The 28mm allow for some conversions with spares left over from the Warlord Game sprue (see below, the sharp stereoscopic end of a Soviet 28mm Chain of Command sniper team): 

The Soviets always seem short of a few basic rifles .. so rather than been drawn into the "just another box" syndrome I converted some PSC SMG boys into basic rifles (see below, a Soviet NCO demoted to a private but remembers his heroic pose past): 

A couple of basic PSC 28mm rifles heading for Stalingrad (see below, primed in classic Airfix Acrylic primer, waiting for base texturing and "brown wash dipping" before painting):  

Working through the process before a factory style assembly production line begins (see below, the soldier on the left is a prototype and the one on the right a "wanna-be" soon to be):   

You can never have too many soviet infantry - no matter what scale ;) 

Squadron Scramble: (TSR) Battle of Britain Game

Context: Britain's Darkest Hour (see below, "Green" Spitfires of 10, 11 and 12 Group await the Luftwaffe Fleets taking off from Northern France (Nos 2 and 3) based in France):

Eagle Day: The Luftwaffe Missions and Squadrons are assigned and RAF WAAFs waiting by plotting tables waiting ready to see Goering is disappointed (see below, the RAF Flights are assigned and scrambled as the enemy formations are picked up on the Radar Home Chain, attacked - honours even as only 50% of the Bomber Missions completed):

Another wave of German bombers is prepared. The RAF gets points for just surviving while the German Luftwaffe has to complete missions (see below, German Squadrons are being traded 1:1 with RAF Flights):

A morale boost for the RAF as the celebrity RAF Duck Display Team does a morale boosting tour of 12 Group Squadrons. The Luftwaffe are ahead on the points and the RAF have a tough turn ahead of them (see below, 12 Group have been giving 11 Group sterling support):

The air battle for London and Canterbury define the strategic campaign. Both German Missions are stopped dead in their tracks, including a sacrificial exchange by a Beaufighter Squadron bounced by Me 109s (see below, the bombing of London fails and the RAF jumps ahead with the populace appreciating the sacrifice "The Few" are making): 

The Luftwaffe embark on another desperate mission to "Bomb London" but meets with the RAF "Steel Wall of Spitfires" and a "Taxi Rank of Hurricanes". The bombers were annihilated before the bombing phase (see below, this turn was damage limitation on behalf of the Luftwaffe as they were beaten across the board):

After four turns the basic game completed with an obvious RAF win. One important lesson was for the RAF not to needlessly dogfight with German Fighters (even the lame duck Me 110 "Destroyers") unless they are stacked with bombers.

Next Steps: Review the changes in dog-fighting in the advanced rules.

The original TSR Game of Board Game Geek:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1844/battle-britain
Note: This has has two interesting reviews

The Plastic Soldier Company revamp of the TSR Battle of Britain game has an interesting review: 

https://www.amazon.com/Board-Games-Plastic-Soldier-Company/dp/B07DM77WSP?SubscriptionId=AKIAJQZPVL52RDH5YIQQ&tag=itemtext-boardgamegeek-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B07DM77WSP#customerReviews 

Just in case it disappears here it is in full: 

Battle of Britain, from PSC Games, is a thrilling game that depicts the 1940-1941 Battle of Britain. One player plays the German Luftwaffe as it tries to bomb British cities, airfields, and radar installations, while the other player takes on the role of the British RAF as it desperately tries to defend the island from the enemy onslaught. The board is a map of England and the channel, as well as the north coast of France and a small section of Norway. The German player has Luftflotte player boards for his cards, while the British player has RAF player boards for his cards. There are different scenarios and a campaign game that players can do. A typical scenario will last four game rounds.
During the game rounds the German player will draw a number of "mission" cards and assign them to his various squadrons. On his turn he will move the various squadrons from their bases in France and Norway to over Britain. When they cross into Britain's radar cover, the British player may choose to intercept and moves one of his squadrons from up to three spaces away into the same space, however he can only engage in a total of five combats per found to reflect Britain's limited resources. The German player then moves all of his non-intercepted aircraft toward their targets, spending fuel supply as he does so. The British player can then decide to attack certain German squadrons with his own, moving up to five spaces away, and within the five battle limit.
Combat occurs differently in interception than it does in dogfighting over the German targets. In both, players roll their fighter combat number (the top right number on the card) and try to score hits by rolling the enemy's symbol on their dice, (however, they can also roll their own symbol, which acts as a friendly fire hit). In interception, however, the British player plays all three of his squadron cards at the beginning of combat, and the German player can choose any three of his six squadron cards. Each player then rolls and casualties are assigned. A single hit is enough to take down one aircraft, up to its strength level. (For instance if two aircraft are in the fight and one has a strength level of three and the other of three, and four hits are rolled, both planes become casualties. If only three hits were rolled then only would be taken.) In dogfighting, each player lays down one card simultaneously, and they battle each other. If one card is able to score two hits that squadron becomes an ace squadron. British casualties go to a damaged aircraft section of the appropriate player board, while German casualties are eliminated from the game.
The German player then attempts to bomb their target, rolling the bombing number on the card. Depending on what the target is a certain number of success must be rolled. Damage tokens are placed on successfully bombed targets, and on the British player's infrastructure track. The German player then must fly his squadrons home. If he has exhausted all or most of his fuel tokens, he must roll to see if those planes make it home safely. At the beginning of the next round the British player may attempt to repair planes and bomb damage by rolling a number of dice from uncovered cities on the infrastructure track. Successes allow him to repair planes, airfields, and radar installations, but not cities. After four rounds scoring occurs. The German players scores for things like cities destroyed, aces created, and missions completed. The British player scores for things like enemy aircraft destroyed, aces created, and incomplete German missions. Whoever has the most points wins Battle of Britain.
There is a lot more to this game but these are the basic rules. The game was created by Richard Borg, better known for his Commands and Colors games, which are fantastic light wargames. Here, each player is given several tough choices. For instance, the German player must decide which missions to risk while the British player must decide which units to intercept and which to dogfight- and which to just let through to their targets. Each player must make choices during dogfighting combat- which planes to use is very important. And the British player must carefully consider what planes or facilities to repair with his limited resources. The tough decisions make for exciting narrative gameplay. The game looks great. The board is just beautiful and the minis are a nice touch. Players fell like their in the Cabinet War Rooms with Churchill sliding units across maps. The downside is that many of the plane minis do not fit easily on their stands, and it is easy to knock them over during gameplay. Some more dice would have been nice as well. These are minor complaints, however. Generally this is a fun and exciting light wargame that fans of World War II games should really take to. Check it out.

Darken the Sky with Planes (1/300 Battle of Britain)

This is just a crazy deal from the Plastic Soldier Company: 118 Planes for £5 (+P&P of 50p)

http://theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=170&products_id=1996&zenid=o1ldmj1igi8q498ll5dfivi4a2

I was tempted to get two (or more) but I reigned myself in (and partially regretting it already). The massive bundle arrived (see below, more planes than you can throw Ack Ack at): 

The Luftwaffe (see below, [5 packs of] 2 x Me109, 2 x Me110, 2 x Ju88, 2 x Do17, 2 x Heinkel 111, which means 50 planes): 

The RAF (see below, [5 packs of] 6 x Spitfire, 6 x Hurricanes, which means 60 planes):

These are the "odd balls" that finally sold it to me (see below, [2 packs of] Gloster Gladiator, Bristol Blenheim, Stuka, Boulton Paul Defiant, which means another 8 planes): 

Fantastic - now I just have to figure out what to do with them!

Note To Self: PSC Hanomag 251/23 Conversion (20mm PSC Kit)

Need to do this too - I have the parts in the spares box (see link):
https://gary-oldsargeswargameandmodelblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/making-25123-half-track-using-pcs-model.html

The Portable Wargame Book WWII Eastern Front Battle (Part 4) - Re-Fight III "End Game Over-run"

Heartened by the destruction of the Panzer IV the Soviets regaled their T-34s to "super human patriotic efforts" and charge and break the German centre. Supported by artillery (it was deemed to be a fresh close combat as the PAK crews had just returned to the fray) and other units the PAK was destroyed. This left a Commander alone in the hex and the T34 mercilessly advanced, tank tracks squealing in "Cross of Iron" fashion (see below): 

We had a brief conversation regarding what to do with a solo command figure alone in close combat and we decided that it was an auto kill - alternatively it could have been roll a "6" for it to hit the T-34, but the latter auto kill seemed more fair (maybe it was getting late). The German Commander went to Valhalla (see below, the Germans are approaching their Exhaustion Limit having lost a Pz IV, a Pak 40 and a Commander - 3 towards their 4 limit, whereas the Russians despite losing three infantry and one tank - are only 4 towards their 7 limit):

The one remaining hope for the Germans was their Mountain Artillery piece, now firing over open sight could brew a T-34 but alas the T34's armour was too strong. Almost inevitably the German front ruptured; Soviet direct fire returned the complement to the German Mountain Artillery and a hit made it retreat (crew not the guns, just like the PAK). This effectively brought the German forces almost to the point of "Exhaustion" - no further movement for offensive action. However the rampant T-34s kept coming (see below, the German artillery crew can just be seen bottom left corner):

The close combat although not killing the Germans (still tenuously hanging above their exhaustion point) hurled them away from the safety of their fortifications and opened up the rearmost T-34 to perform exploitation right into "the enemies backfield" (see below):

The veteran T-34 (veteran as in "model", not as in quality of the unit, as it was painted last century in the 1990's was about to claim it's "wargaming moment") did not need to be asked twice and promptly 'overran' [again I can hear those tank tracks squealing - that remorseless metal on metal sound ] the retreating Mountain Artillery crew. Again after discussion we deemed the German crew were in no position to defend themselves (perhaps "6" to hit would the T-34 have been as appropriate - but what with?) This was sufficient to break the Germans or rather make them reach their Exhaustion Point (see below - no more offensive movement for the Germans from this point on):

With the Russian infantry moving up and two rampant T-34s in the German rear (not forgetting another positioning itself to charge from the front) it was 'game, set and match' to the Soviets. The only question now was, "Could the Germans could get anything off in good order?" or was it a complete rout. Answer: It became a rout as another German Infantry Platoon was eliminated and all the other units forced to retreat "pell-mell" off table (see below, the final position):

This certainly was a comprehensive Russian victory. The game was over in just over an hour, with plenty of time spent in interesting conversation to add to the enjoyment of the proceedings. In fact I have played much longer games of DBA, so it was a quick game for sure - with the previous "run through" and this game done in the same evening. Note: I definitely want to re-run the scenario using Step Points (SPs) instead of the "instant kill" option to see the difference it makes - I expect a prolonged resistance but a Soviet victory.

Thoughts on the rules: Noting we just played the 'basic version' from the Portable Wargames book, not the additional features from the Developing the Portable Wargame. We seemed to get "most" things right, but I think we allowed direct fire (as opposed to close assault) from adjacent hexes at certain points. The more I think about it I am more inclined to prohibit this and force the player to either stand back or go in close and dirty. I am also assuming initiating close combat is "optional in your turn" if you are adjacent to an enemy unit. Regarding weapons characteristics, both the T34 - Pz IV - Pak 40 were OK as they were evenly matched. Throw a Tiger or a JSII into the mix then I think some "relational" modifiers would be appropriate (medium gun versus heavy armour implies a six or the tank could get a saving throw). Likewise for this period of the war, infantry anti-tank weapons justify the danger in T34s or Pz IVs attempting to overrun infantry, early war that would not be teh case. Things I personally want to introduce would be (and these are borrowed from many board game other rule-sets):

• "Pinned Status" for troops that are fired upon and go "hunkered down" [Bob has read my mind with this additional feature in the follow on book: Developing the Portable Wargame].
• An "Over-watch" action [placed defensively on units that don't move/fire that allows them to shoot at enemy that move into LOS/range next turn].
• Playing around with vehicle characteristics to be more historical without becoming a "rivet counter".
• Armour (AFV) attacking infantry in the open - overrun, then moving on after a successful attack.
• Period Adjustments - for example 1940's "tank fright", here the Panzer Leader, Squad Leader and other Avalon Hill/SPI games are fertile sources of rule inspiration.
• Special one-off troop characteristics (Stalingrad Militia high morale for example) 
• Soviet "Tank-Riders"
• Ammunition shortages [probably best dealt with in a scenario briefing]

All-in-all a good rules run out and I look forward to many hours of enjoyment spent tinkering along with these rules. That's the beauty of Bob's system, he doesn't explicitly demand you 'kowtow' to him but rather get started in an interesting conversation and how it could work out. Personally I am particularly looking forward to replaying the Colonial scenario and exploring the Ancients. Bob has also published a naval variant and is currently working on a Napoleonic set.