New Battlefront Cold War Tanks on the Horizon

Battlefront previewed newer T-55 AM2 models. This is something I have been hoping to find for the Alcovia project.

Finally Getting Somewhere - New Minis

Over the last year or so, Crisis in Alcovia has taken a back burner to other projects. After abandoning the 20mm angle, I have been waiting for certain ranges of miniatures to start to mature, mainly Eureka's modern Russians.

Not only have I acquired some of these finally, I have also received a number of QRF Cold War era Russians that should make for a fine contract between acovian forces loyal to the crown and with newer equipment and rebel forces that are made up from units with older equipment (one of their main gripes).

I figures these, along with some converted Peter Pig militia types should make for the basics of infantry elements for the Alcovian Civil War. I have added some Khurasan Miniatures Somali militia types to these. They are a bit differently scaled but will work as militia elements on their own. They are really nice and will be painted as ethnic Iqenis.

Last, but definitely not the least, are some of Khurasan's new T-90 tanks. While a lot more recent than the hardware, I had planned to use in the Alcovian conflict, these will represent secret weapons of the crown, issued to elite bodyguard regiments.

I have also picked up some VBLs from IrishSerb. These are great little resin kits and while they are French, they do not look out of place next to Russian hardware. Alcovia purchased a bunch from France's export market. I picked these because nobody makes an Otokar Cobra or any of the other newer Eastern "jeeps".

I'll post more pics as I get things painted. 

-Eli

Crazy Emu's Used Tank Blowout!

I've got a crap ton of 1/72 modern Russian tank model kits that I'm not going to be needing. All are unassembled, though a few have been opened to examine the kits. I'd like to sell them off, if I can. Feel free to email me on the email in my profile to ask what is available.

I'm looking to get about $8 a model and will ship actual postage. I'll consider offers for the whole pile.

I have the following -

Sorry for the glare. It was hard enough to get all the tanks into a single picture.

Thanks for considering,

-Eli

Armor Update

For the past months I have been slowly but surely accumulating preassembled and if possible prepainted vehicles for use in this setting. I had hoped to use plastic models but found that finding time to assemble and paint them was proving more difficult than I had hoped.

So, what I have managed to accumulate are five T-55s from two different manufacturers (Easy Model & Model Master), two Easy Model BTR-80s and an assembled Trumpeter BTR-80. The preassembled but unpainted BTR-80 was given a turret swap using a RH Models 30mm turret available separately through his website.

I have a few more vehicles on the way but am hoping to focus future purchases on soft skin vehicles and terrain elements along with more infantry. I should also note that I have a whole slew of plastic kits for Russian Hardware so there is the possibility of a big battle played in 20mm some day but only after I'm bold enough to start the grunt work.

Take care,

-Eli

German Engineering for The BattlefieldHobby Den's New 1/72 Mercedes 260SL

Just a quick nod to Hobby Den for releasing yet more lovely 20mm(1/72) civilian goodness. Adding to their previous truck and SUV releases, they now have a Mercedes 260SL. This can add a bit of variety to any blasted battlefield or to a motor pool for a scenario.

They have also released an armored car which could be worked into militia scenario or even converted to an urban fighting technical.

Both are excellent vehicles and add greater variety to any street-level modern games.

Take care,

-Eli

S&S Models 20mm Lada Riva

 
Sunday morning is a time we blokes traditionally spend looking after the prize possession on our driveway. So to do all true Alcovians.

S&S Models Lada Riva

Here is S&S Models new Lada Riva Saloon straight out of the packet. A perfect one-piece casting, approximately 24mm wide by 62mm long, with separate metal wheels.

Just turning it over in my hands I love this little fella. It offers so much versatility from piece of urban defilade, to a taxi, police car or getaway for our Bond games; set dressing at a checkpoint and/or a militia command vehicle and run about. Those of you who play Middle East conflict games will find it perfect for Ambush Alley or even AK47. Plus, that classic shape makes the Lada Riva Saloon ideal as a proxy British 'Wayland' in our Winter of 79 and Geezer games.

I'm impressed with thhis versatile little model and will be building up a stock of them to dress my Alcovian tabletop, populate the forecourt of Hav's Motorz and give my militia much needed transport.

Cheers
Mark

     

How many Alcovian Special Forces can you get in a Jeep?

 Ten!

And on that bombshell, let's look at S&S Models 1/76th scale (20mm) UAZ 469B. Very much 'Top Gear' in it's own right.

S&S UAZ 469B disassembled

Gjergi? He's a Liberation Minis Modern Ruskie

  
Now, S&S Models normally sells the UAZ with 4 passengers for £8.50 (inc postage to UK). I wanted one purely to use as a prop, sans crew to be used for cover, as an objective for that get quick away by Soap and Price and just general set dressing of HQs, VCPs etc.

Shaun obliged and for around a fiver inc p&p he sent me this tidy, easy to assemble 6 part kit. I know I've said it recently but want to say again, that Shaun is a real gent. He's happy to help where he can and will give you a straight answer with no mucking about. This is important to me.

 S&S UAZ 469B assembled with Blu-tack

Some of you will be aware that I've spent the last three years plus, concentrating on 15mm Sci Fi gaming. I know the manufacturers, the men behind the products and the products themselves, very well. 20mm Moderns were very much a dark room, especially as my initial foray into 20mm Modern resin armour back in the eighties, left me with scars and a heavy dose of reticence about going there again.

It was a real leap of faith buying my first kit from S&S Models this year. And I'm glad to report that I haven't looked back since. The T64Bs in particular are a dream.

OK, that said, what about the kit at hand? The S&S UAZ 469B is a good, solid model designed for wargamers. It looks very much as it should on the tin - instantly says UAZ 469 to me. The wheels have a nice firm methid of being attached to the body making for sturdy construction. There was one small pin hole that needs to be filled and as you can see in the photos a little bit of excess resin to clean.

I quickly assembled the model with a little Blu-tack just to see what it looked like made-up and am pleased with the result. Looking good next to my Liberation Minis OMON sniper I think you'll agree.

S&S Model's catalogues are here if you want to check the latest prices (which include postage and shipping) or just generally browse Shaun's goodies.

Let's see how long it takes me to clean the UAZ and put it together, then I'll blog the results over the next couple of days.

Cheers
Mark
       

New Dealz At Lucky Hav's Motorz

At Lucky Hav's Motorz today we hav a number of spezkial deals for the discerning gentlemen and Mafiyoszo! So spezkial, they're PERverse!

Ahh yes, I see your eyez is interested in this Hi Lux 4x4. No? You are lucky my friend. Every one is lucky at Lucky Hav's Motorz. I tell you, with this 4x4 you can be head of your own Militaia! All the girls will  think you are a Mafyoszo and you like the ladies?

Come into the office and we will wipe away the blood stains and put filler in the bullet holes straight away....

Aaahhh. You like the Queen? I like the Queen! And that Pip! Oooh that Pip. This was her car, yes! Her car! Land Rover Defender. The nice Mr Soap who sold it to me drove it for her. Even comes with Miss Pip's wellies and Osprey body armour.

I tell you. You will be seen as a man of distinction and your goats will ride in luxury. The envy of all other goats!

A man of business perhaps. OK. I hav just what you want. This Isuzu light truck is perfect run around, even plenty of room in back for girlfriend and goats. With this truck a man can be a transport czar. King of the road. Rubber ducky! No?

Come my friend. Let's talk business.....

Lucky Hav's Motorz Registered Office

Just some of the new fun 20mm civilian vehicles available from HobbyDen that will be coming to Alcovia via Trebizon docks, soon. Lucky Hav's Office is a 20ft ISO Container Office from S&S Models.

Cheers
Mark

It's all gone a bit Lada

I have to smile when I say this but I am really glad to let you know that Shaun at S&S Models has released a 20mm Lada Riva saloon car.  Absolutely perfectamundij for Alcovia.

Every street battle, every militia checkpoint and every gunfight with the polizia needs at least one of these cars!

Cheers
Mark

Rethinking Scale

I have been thinking that I may have to rethink the use of 20mm as the primary scale for the Alcovia project. Though there are a few models available in 20mm/1:72 that are not found in 15mm, these are few and 15mm supports the scale well. The main thing that 15mm does seem to lack is suitably modern infantry models.

Even those models that there are are relatively few and far between. QRF and Peter Pig both do 15mm modern Russians, but these are all good up to the 80s/90s and both of very generic and aging castings. The 20mm miniatures I have seen go all the way up to current Russians and have much more character in them.

A plan comes to mind to use 15mm for larger scale battles in the open regions of Alcovia, played out on typical 4'x6' or 4'x8' tables at the company level and play the 20mm stuff at the platoon level on 2' x 2' or 4' x 4' board that focus in on a block or two of close-in fighting.

As it stands I already have three T-55s and 3 BTR-152s in 15mm leftover from an aborted project or two.

When it comes down to it, I still want to work with some 20mm miniatures as I never have worked with them before and it does bring back a certain nostalgia from my childhood when I bought box after box of 1:72 models and figures.

Vehicle Models - Part Two BTRs

The Russian BTR covers a wide range of vehicles and quite a few are used in Alcovia. BTR-152, BTR-60/70/80, and BTR-50 are all used in Alcovia in one capacity or another. The models for these vehicles seem to be harder to track down than tanks. In this category it seems that plastic kits rule. There are a couple of gaming models and diecast toys. In each category I'll be addressing the basic vehicle as well as variants that I know of. I have decided to forgo posting pics of models and box art here as they will show up fine with a little Google-fu.

BTR-152

ICM (plastic kit)

This company seems to be the only one doing the BTR-152 as a 1/72 plastic kit but does a couple of BTR-152s including an open-topped, covered and command post versions. These models generally fall into the $10-15 range when I have found them online.

BTR-60/70/80

Trumpeter (plastic kit)

Trumpeter does a BTR-80 only. Online shopping searches put this in the $15 range. This is the only 8-wheeled BTR that they do.

ICM (plastic kit)

ICM does two versions of the BTR-60 both an APC and command version. These models, like most of their kits falls into the $10-15 range.

ACE (plastic kit)

ACE models has had a lot of BTR-60s in its inventory but like a lot of their models they can be hard to find. In fact, their website shows all their BTR-60 models are OOP but you can still track them down here and there. These models generally fall into the $15+ range.

Easy Model (diecast)

Easy models does a good BTR-80 in a couple of color schemes but these things fall into the $15-20 range. Why this is, I am not sure.

Liberation Miniatures (20mm gaming)

Sold through RH Models, Liberation offers the BTR-60, 70, and 80 in a variety of models. Unfortunately a good number of them are out of stock (not OOP), though it does seem that RH tends to bring things back in stock as they are able to. It is also worth noting that they also have a BTR-80A remote control 30mm turret by itself which would be perfect for updating Alcovia's older BTR-60/70s. They run about $13 depending on exchange rate. The turret is $4.

BTR-50

ACE (plastic kit)

ACE does two models, standard APC and command. Being ACE models, it is no surprise that they are out of stock, but you can still find them floating around online for $10-15.

Liberation Miniatures (20mm Gaming)

Liberation does have a BTR-50 APC in its inventory though it is currently listed as out of stock. There is no price listed but I imagine it would fall someplace around the $15+ range based on RH's other prices for the Liberation Vehicles.

The pickings on BTRs seem very thin, I must say. With half of the offering out there either OOP or out of stock, I may have to consider some other vehicle options. I will also note that while I was looking around, I did come across some vehicles that had slipped my mind while I was arranging the forces of Alcovia and a few that I'd not heard of before.

Vehicle Models - Part One T-55 Tank

I have posted much on the topic of the background of the conflict, current events within the country and the factions involved, but I have yet to really touch on the gaming aspects of this project and let's face it, that is why we are all here. As I intend to try to do as much of this project in 20mm as I can, I'll keep mosto f the discussion of miniatures centered around that scale, but there is no reason I need limit myself to this scale. I do have Russian vehicles in 15mm as well as militia forces. I imagine that, if I so desired, there are some scenarios that might play best in 28mm, but as I tend to avoid that scale it's unlikely that I would do so.

Where to begin. I suppose manufacturers of models and their respective costs might be a good place to start. This of course is a pretty broad subject and to help narrow it down, I think I will discuss the vehicles that I have lined up in the previous posts.

One of the main things I have had to consider is overall value. For me this comes down to a combination of factors - cost, durability, and ease of deployment to the table (assembly/painting). Under these requirements, cheapest may not always be best and I have tried to keep this in mind. Sometimes it's easier to buy a nicely done diecast vehicles for $15 rather than a plastic kit that requires assembly and painting still and will not hold up as well. It all balances out with the following considerations -

Plastic Models: Cost - AVERAGE, Durability - POOR, Ease of Deployment - POOR

Gaming Model: Cost - AVERAGE, Durability - AVERAGE, Ease of Deployment - AVERAGE

Diecast Toys: Cost - AVERAGE to POOR, Durability - GOOD, Ease of Deployment - GOOD (AVERAGE if a repaint is needed)

Alright, enough generalizations, let's take a look at the various T-55s out there.

Thuppa...thuppa...thuppa...Helicopters in Alcovia

Air power has always been a difficult prospect for Alcovia. With land that turns to mud in the winter and spring, swamps, hills and mountains making up a good portion of its native terrain, airfields have, in the past, proven difficult to construct and maintain. Modern construction techniques have alleviated many of these problems but these conditions have very much made Alcovia a helicopter nation.

Since their advent, helicopters have been embraced both by Alcovia royalty, which had for so long scoffed at air power, and the military. Several models have been purchased over the years and the country has maintained it helicopter fleet to a standard the is perhaps disproportionate to any other part of its military save for the tanks and equipment of the Lifeguard units. At present, there are three amin helicopter types in service with Alcovian forces, each operating with a few variations.

Mi-17/A "Phoenix"

Named for an Alcovian myth of a magical firebird that carried the royal family to safety when the Kuzak horse nomads invaded the country, the Mi-17/A is and Alcovian variant, produced under license, using domestically procured or manufactured electronics suites.

At present 32 Mil-17/A helicopters are in service within Alcovia. They are used in both transport and support roles the Mi-17/A and are the work horse throughout the Alcovian military transporting supplies, troops, and even light vehicles as well as providing air support with rockets, gun pods, and guided missiles.

Mi-24
The Alcovian military boasts 24 Mi-24 attack helicopters. Spanning several versions of the design through Mi-24 and Mi-25 variants, these helicopters provide a crucial role in defense and potential attack. They are generally kept on ready status at forward positions separate from main bases, allowing them to be deployed at a moment's notice. Maintenance and supply of these craft are provided within these remote depot, with any vehicle being able to use any depot when needing to repair or reload.





Ka-29
The Ka-29 was purchased for use specifically by the ASA River Marines as well as search and rescue elements. It's compact size and naval design make it ideal for landing river monitors and the riverside helicopter pads of found along the Alcovian bank of the Borka river. In its combat role, the Ka-29 is used by Alcovia to deliver it's elite forces and to support them during these landing. At this time 15 Ka-29s are in operation in Alcovian military forces with another 6 in civilian services.

Other Helicopters
there are numerous other helicopters used throughout Alcovia by private companies. These civilian craft are not equipped with military hardware and systems as standard but any number of these may find their way pressed into service during the civil unrest throughout the country.

APCs and IFVs in Alcovia

Much more diverse than Alcovia's tanks, APCs and IFVs in service Alcovia's armed forces are a varied lot, sourced from several nations and used throughout the country. The primary role of Alcovian troop carriers is to carry troops and nearly anything with wheels or tracks will be employed for this purpose. Still some vehicles are held in reserve for specific formations as much as possible to maintain readiness as well as cut the cost of maintenance and repairs. Many of the older but simpler designs date back to the 50s or 60s and have been maintained with their original engines and drive trains or retooled with new, domestic equivalents or upgrades.

BTR-152

Alcovia still has 55 of these vehicles in its arsenal. They have been re-engined and given new drive trains, increasing their power and efficiency beyond their original design. These vehicles are used mostly by military police and internal security units much in the same way that modern Humvees and VABs. Alcovian BTR-152s are armed with 12.7mm DHSK machine guns. 12 of the BTR-152s in Alcovia are in service with civil authorities. These are painted in police colors and armed with air cannons and high pressure water guns.

BTR-113 (M113)

One of the rare non-soviet vehicles used by Alcovia, 36 M113 APCs were purchased in 1973 from the United States. These vehicles, designated BTR-113, were part of America's bid to keep Alcovia from slipping entirely under the umbrella of the Soviet Union. Alcovia has since re-armed their M113s with 12.7mm DHSK machine guns. All 36 of Alcovia's M113s are in service with units based along the Borka and are equipped with amphibious floatation kits. these APCs also carry man-portable ATGMs, allowing these frontier regiments to operate as early deterrent to invading armor, often being deployed preemptively across the river.

BTR-70

Alcovia's main APC is the BTR-70. A total of 124 BT-70s were purchased between 1977 and 1986. Some 120 of these vehicles were were purchased. All of them were deployed among regular army motorized infantry forces. These BTR-s have been updated and upgraded through license agreements with Russia and are currently rated at BTR-80 standards. At the time of the civil war, Alcovia had produced a handful of homegrown variants of the BTR-70/80. It should be noted that these upgraded BTR-70s still retain their original firing ports and do not have the forward-facing firing ports found on true BTR-80s.

One of these variants is a weapons carrier variant designed to carry a 105mm gun in a remote turret. This was being developed as a low-cost alternative to tanks and guided missiles. At present there are only four of this variant in the prototype stages all of which were pressed into service with NAA forces.

BMP-1

Alcovia has purchased 36 BMP-1s all of which were deployed to elite Lifeguard motor infantry units. Since their initial purchase in 1978 they have been well maintained and upgraded throughout the decades leading up to the civil war. The current versions of the Alcovian BMP-1 is uparmored and carried a modern 30mm autocannon. Though not up to the standards of the BMP-2 they are as close as they can be without a redesign.

BMD-2

The Apa Sirviciul Alcovia (ASA) or River Marines have been provided with a dozen of the BMD-2 after they insisted on a light vehicle with amphibious capabilities. These vehicles are used only by the ASA and have been used in several operations on and across Alcovia's borders. BMDs are used by ASA troops for scouting and support of small operations.

BTR-50

Another vehicle used almost exclusively by the ASA, the BTR-50, though an aged design, allows the River Marines amphibious capability in mass. With each vehicle carrying up to twenty armed men, these vehicles can move large numbers of assault troops into position to help secure a beachhead or exploit a break in the lines. ASA BTR-50s are often uparmored with additional armor plates, sandbagging, and anti-RPG cages. They are often used as mobile firing positions, having additional machine guns and sometimes even anti-aircraft guns mounted on the back. The ASA maintains 24 BTR-50s with upgraded electronics and newer, more powerful powerplants.

Tanks in Alcovia

It seems even the smallest nations in the world can afford high end military equipment. Regardless of who they are and how small they are, a country can gain access to hardware that is maybe one or two steps behind the current state of the art. Such equipment is still rare and expensive for these nations, but politics and useful resources can often provide a tidy discount making such equipment available in useful numbers. Such advanced equipment is usually reserved for elite units and provides a heavy duty backbone to the main body of older hardware. Alcovia is such a nation.

Having been under constant threat of invasion from its neighbors across the Borka river, Alcovia has always needed to maintain a disproportionately high level of military build-up. As such, the military in Alcovia is equipped with several still serviceable tanks. In many cases there may be several versions of a particular tank in the same unit as small procurements of arms may be spanned across several upgrades on the basic design.

T-55

Alcovia's main tank is the T-55 as well as several T-54s brought up to T-55 standards. Due to an early license procured from the USSR for production of the tank within Alcovia, the T-55 was able to be produced in high numbers. During the civil war, these tanks serve on both sides of the conflict being found in both NAA and APA regular army forces. T-55s have been phased out of the lifeguards units in favor of newer, better equipment.

of the 250 T-55s in Alcovian service, at least 35% have been given additional applique armor to improve their survivability on modern battlefields and most are capable of firing APFSDS (tungsten not DPU) rounds. All are equipped with laser rangefinders and IR spotlights.

Despite these efforts to keep these tanks modernized, recent economic hardships have resulted in improper maintenance and breakdowns among Alcovia's T-55s are not uncommon.

T-72

Alcovia's 52 T-72s mark the most advanced armor in Alcovia. Procured in two lots, once in 1979 and then again in 1987. The earlier procurements of the tank were the inferior export models known as "monkey models" but subsequent upgrades using independently procured electronics, locally made ammunition and armor upgrades have them quite modernized. The later models we actually M84 tanks imported from Yugoslavia. These tanks form the elite Lifeguard units and are kept close to the capital and other important cities in Alcovia. At the time of the civil war, most of the T-72s in Alcovian service had been updated to ERA though resupplies of the reactive armor are in short supply

Future Developments

Alcovia's growing economic issues will likely make any large scale procurement of new armor assets or the advancement of existing armor systems difficult. If the economy of the nation can be stabilized, there are talks of developing an indigenous tank design, derived from the T-72. This tanks, named the "Rubel" after a famous Alcovia hero, will be a joint Alcovian/Elistonian venture utilizing the resources of both nations to develop and produce the vehicle. Sources indicate that the Rubel is very similar in nature to the Russian T-80, inviting suspicions that it may not be a purely Alcovian/Elistonian design.

[Updated 10/20/10 - I felt that the text on the T-55 was a little thin and after reading about some of the armor being done in other smaller former Soviet states, I felt I was selling Alcovia a bit short. also updated the information on the T-72s to bring them a bit more up to date.]