Here is the British Army's new CVR/W/30 Fox Armoured Car (wheeled combat reconnaissance vehicle) picture by courtesy of Bill Nutt, Ministry of Delene PR6. It arrived at an opportune moment, when I had become aware that in the March issue of Airfix magazine there will be a special article on scratch building this vehicle, using Airfix Scorpion components This leads on to the fact that Airfix's 1:76 scale Scorpion Light Tank kit will be in the shops by the time you read this and the basic model can be used for about a whole fleet of conversions (as it does in real life - see Airfix magazine December 1974). This should be a nice kit to make and also one of great value to those wargamers attempting to keep up to date in their table-top battles. Still on Airfix products - my old friend naval wargamer Barry J. Carter writes as follows: "Although all naval wargamers will now know of Airfix's very welcome entry into the 1/1200 waterline scale, "Bismark" and "Hood" came out in 1974 and now a pair of Tribal class destroyers have just appeared at 20p, perhaps only us older ones can appreciate the value for money these represent. When Eaglewall ships were still in the shops in 1962 their battleships cost 2s.Ild and the various destroyers were 1s.11d each. Well done Airfix! We British wargamers have plenty of choice - and can be patriotic, with the products of Airfix, Ensign, Fleetline, Skytrex, Leicester Micromodels, Navwar and Starcast - after many years of either searching for the elusive Eaglewall or Triang Minic ships or buying from abroad." Jack Mansfield's bi-weekly magazine SIGNAL (obtainable from him at PO Box 830, CFPO 5o56, 757 Baden Baden 1, West Germany, at eight, issues for ki.001)) is tending to slant more and more towards boardgames these days. As the article elsewhere in this magazine indicates, John Mansfield is a very keen board wargamer and if you share his enthusiasm then you should read SIGNAL because it is packed with up to date information about, the latest games, giving prices, source of supply and a very fair review of their playability. While on the subject of board wargames, many years ago when I and Tony Bath were about the only wargamers for miles around, we occasionally played board wargames as a change from using our, miniatures. The first one we ever played was an Avalon Hill game CHANCELLORSVILLE, dealing with Stonewall Jackson's outflanking movement during the American Civil War which led to a very complete Confederate victory. At the time I thought the game was interesting and was surprised when later it went out of production. But now Avalon Hill have brought it back and, retailing at £ 5.35p, it is a nicely produced affair containing a rule book with playing instructions, a large fully coloured hexagon map, terrain effects chart, little record chart, cut card counters and a die. It can be obtained from Michael's Models, 646/1 High Road, North Finchley, London N12 ON11. 54mm Scale Building Accessories Some news for wargame fighting individual skirmishes - Alpha Accessories (through BMW Models, 527/9 Ilaydons Road, Wimbledon, SW19) produce four vacuum-formed black plastic sheets of 54mm scale building accessories. Their latest, 10" x 10" sheets of building accessories, including windows (sheet AA12) doors (sheet AA13), modern brick (sheet AA14) and the (sheet AA15). These sheets sell at 27p each and are part of a larger range. Now that this new field of wargaming has so obviously arrived, one finds that it is necessary to read ALL the adverts and figure reviews instead of just concentrating on those that cover wargames-scale figures and accessories. There is such a fantastc range of larger figures suitable for Individual Wargaming that it is not unreasonable to say that there is NO period of military history that cannot be encompassed within this fascinating and highly personalised world that Skirmish Wargames Limited (15 St Decuman's Road, Watchet TA23 OHR, Somerset) put over to us. Among the many benefits of this style of wargaming is the undoubted fact that painting high class and large scale figures is far more of a pleasure than laboriously wielding the brush over hordes of tiny castings whose details might not be as well-defined as we would wish. Another beneficial aspect lies in the fact that all 54mm figures are not expensive metal castings (although the most original ranges and poses are metal or plastics such as Historex). Also available are fine ranges of this scale figure in plastic, produced in boxed sets. The range is fairly comprehensive and not only includes modern figures and World War II, but also World War I, Napoleonic, Indians, Cowboys, etc., etc. They are easily convertible and so cheap that a few figures ruined is not all that important. Then there are the Britain's DEETAIL figures which now include cowboys, Indians, Napoleonics, Ancients, etc. My 13 year old son pointed out to me that about the cheapest way to amass an army in any scale was to buy the already painted DEETAIL figures at about 8p each! If you really feel like splashing out, then Individual Wargaming done with a selection of WILLIE figures from Ted Suren at 60 Lower Sloane Street, Chelsea, London, are about as good as anything. His range of Colonials is superb and includes not only British but also the most diverse collection of their Native enemies. I have long had a sneaking desire to buy his mounted Boer wearing a top hat and, with some highly suitable name such as Manny Osthuizen, have him ride with his commando-comrades against my mounted patrol of the 16th Lancers) who have shown remarkable aptitude for this type of warfare. Terrain Of course, one of the beauties of this style of wargaming lies in the magnificent terrains that one can turn out and, as old readers will know, I enjoy making the terrain as much as I do anything else connected with wargaming. On the question of terrain, G.W.Jones Brothers and Company Limited of 56 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London W4, can supply items produced by the famous derman firm of FALLER and 10p will bring a list of Faller accessory kits. Manufactured for model railway use but undeniably of equal interest to military diorama enthusiasts and to wargamers, these kits cover a very wide range of 1:76 scale plastic accessories such as Dutch gable ends to be fitted onto model houses. One particularly interesting kit are part ruined old type walls (kit 975) at 63P which includes numerous sections of stone wall, arches and windows which are useful for any period of model from mediaeval up to Napoleonic. Wargamers are always moaning about the lack of a suitable material on which to mount troops. The problem seems to revolve around stands that securely hold figures so that the bond between the bottom of their bases and the card is not broken when the figures are lifted and inadvertently "pinched" inwards -- or the type of mount that allows casualties to be removed and yet permits the adhesive to be re-used for the next battle. Seemingly a new product called CLINGTAC 4produced by W. and H. (Models) Ltd., of 14 Cavendish Street, London W.I.) might be the answer. It is a thin foam-like material in green, brown or black, both sides being treated with special adhesive which remains sticky even when washed. The price of a 10" x 11" sheet is 55p including VAT. Back to terrain - our old friends Micro Mold of 1-2 Unifax, Woods Way, Goring-by-Sea, Sussex, are still churning out their BELLONA BATTLEGAME LANDSCAPE DIORAMA pieces in 20/25mm scale (and also in Micro scale of 1:285 and 1:300). In the former scale their latest offering is a British Civil War style fort at 66p (D14), illustrated herewith. Micro Mold turn out some most interesting items suitable for many different periods of wargaming as they range from an Ancient hill, fort and a Roman marching fort through a fortified gun position known as a "redan" but suitable for any period and an American Civil War log fort plus a considerable range of 1914-18 trench system and World War II gun positions, of ruined buildings, tank traps, 88mm gun position, strongpoints, etc., etc. Their Micro scale includes two items specially designed for World War II tank fighting i.e. Long Stop Hill of Tunisia fame and the crossing of the Meuse at 66p including VAT. At 25p each including VAT they have river and road sections, both straight and curved. Another interesting item is a row of three French style houses in low relief,and in 1:200 scale they have a warfare and building set at 66p. It all sounds fascinating and is so much easier to store without being damaged than are the usual terrain pieces we so laboriously construct from sacking soaked in polyfilla, etc. We seem to be rather plugging Airfix this month but if they turn out the stuff then they are entitled to the praise! They announce the latest in their 140/00 Series 2 - a German Reconnaissance set a "dual" 1:76 scale kit for Kubelwagen and Sdkfz 222 armoured car. The models come complete with a choice of markings of theatres of war and also include an officer and three other figures - all for 30P. George Washington Then there is their latest 54mm figure, obviously aimed at the American market during the period of the bi-centenary of the American War of Independence. As can be seen from this picture, it is of George Washington reviewing troops and is based on a well known painting. No doubt the talented hands of some of our readers will very soon turn this model to a very formidable individual skirmish figure or it will become something quite different in their collection of 54mm pieces! This really seems to be a "terrain month" and the reason why everything is so dotted about is because new items keep coming to my notice. Obtainable from Ren Models of Cambridge, the Japanese firm of Bandai have issued a wide range of accessory kits at 35p a set; in 1:48 scale they complement their series of tanks in that scale. The kits range from telegraph poles, signposts and palm trees to sections of brickwork suitable for building ruined houses. There are also oil drums and other similar items, tank traps, a girder bridge and a set of German weapons including machine-guns, etc. In this scale these items are basically of value to the diorama maker or to the wargamer using the larger figures for individual waxgaming, but, who knows, some bright manufacturer might start turning them out in 1:76 scale and then we will all be happy. Bandai 1:40 The same Japanese firm of Bandai are turning out some interesting sets of figures in 1:40 scale as follows. Two sets of German World War II Engineers at 40p a set; two of German infantry at 40p and American infantry at 45P. The Engineer sets basically contain two different sprues of figures with a common sprue holding a wooden bridge section and a number of very fine tools. The German infantry sets contain two different sprues of figures with a common sprue carrying half the number of weapons from Bandails Fieldwork Accessories set No.5. Set number 1 has a three-man mortar crew and an advancing rifleman, set number 2 a two-man MG34 team, NCO with Schmeisser and an officer. All the figures in these and the Engineer sets are excellent although the helmets tend to look like the original 1916 model more than the 1935 version more commonly worn by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The American infantry set is perhaps the best, containing four active figures and a superb collection of weapons including a .30 inch rifle; .45 inch M1 and M3 sub-machinegun; 2.36 inch bazooka; 60mm M19 mortar; .5 inch M2 and .3 inch M1917A1 heavy machineguns, plus binoculars and three tiny .45 inch Colt automatics. As I dictate this I can almost see Mike Blake of the Bristol Group,eyes glistening as he contemplates how well he can use all these accessories! In the past we have mentioned the remarkable 1:150 scale AFV models by GREENING of Knoll, Cottage, Knoll Road, Dorking, Surrey. Sold in cardboard sheets so that they can be cut out and put together these fine packs contain a variety of cards bearing a wide selection of the armoured vehicles that were used during World War II in Tunisia; the Western Desert; Italy; North-West Europe and Russia. In addition, Greening's can now offer 10mm metal figures for use with their vehicle range in 5-man packs at 25p per pack. Vast numbers of variants are possible front this range - for example 80 different vehicles including 12 Shermans can be made up from the IS cards of the range and extensions in amphibious warfare and Russian tanks are planned. Yellow cards are also available for Desert use. Their price list not only lists their range but also a Campaign Availability and Use Chart with very useful details of the establishment of various armoured formations of the British, Germans, Russians and Americans. Another facet of this range is that little painting is needed as the models are printed on to a perfectly coloured card but camouflage painting in water or oil and unit markings in pen and ink can easily be carried out. The designs allow fully rotating turrets to be fitted where applicable and assembly requires only a pin, scissors and polystyrene cement. N-gauge railway accessories fit in ideally with this scale so that scenic accessories and buildings are readily available. Greenings have selected vehicles very carefully for this so that they are suitable for use in formations and complementary models are printed together with two vehicles on each card. The initial range contain some of the most widely used Allied and German AFV's of World War II and contains a combination of important quantity produced items not offered in any other range. Extra parts for conversions and special conversion cards (e.g. 105 and 8) are also provided. If you want to build up armoured divisions on a 1 for 1 basis, then this is the way to do it because Greening's have a special range of quantity packs of each card type with generous quantity discounts. Their present prices are single card (2 vehicles) 7p; 14 cards (S vehicles) 15p; 16 cards (32 vehicles) 50p and 48 cards (96 vehicles) 91.25p. Some mixed acks are now available such as the Cromwell variants which allow 9 of the family to be built (at 55p); the Panther-variant allowing 9 to be built for the same price and a range pack (IS cards including all published at 90p). Postage and packing is 10p extra on all T.K. orders and overseas skirl~,ce mail. This is just about the cheapest possible way of wargaming and, if yot, get impatient with the minute 1:500 scale tanks but find 1:76 scale to be too large, then this is exactly your cup of tea. Tradition Browsing around the TRADITION shop the other day, I discovered that, quite unheralded, they had considerably extended their wonderful 50mm range of figures which, at, 17p per figure must be just about the best value on the market today. I am not certain as to the extent of these additions because, being rather short of time, I was personally interested in only those which fitted in with my own collection. To this end, I purelhased some fine Austrian machine-gun teams, gun crews and officers of World War I vintage which I wiLl convert into German Marine Fusiliers of the turn of the 20th century to bolster up the crew and landing party of the River gunboat which has had so many stirring, contests with their British equivalent. Also, I purchased some World War I gunners in flat-top fatigue hats, intending to convert them to crew my guns for the 1870 conflict. They are very well positioned and one man is delicately balancing a gigantic shell in his outstretched hand in a most nonchalant fashion -- he must have been the current weight lifting champion of the world or else the Germans were firing cardboard shells on that occasion! Readers will be aware that this range has so far been mainly designed by the incomparable Charles Stadden but these figures, with little falling off in standards, are sited on their stands "Clive Knight" -- a new designer to me but he obviously knows his stuff. Have not seen or heard anything from the "Big Boys" - Miniature Figurines, Hinchliffe and the others but presumably they are all working like beavers, turning out fantastic new ranges of figures. By the look of the Miniature Figurines advert in the inside front cover of this issue, someone has been burning the midnight oil! It is quite understandable that commercial manufacturers should seek to constantly improve their range by re-designing figures and replacing inferior designs with better models. Of course, whilst this is to the beriefit of the hobby in general, it makes one look at existing armies with some frustration, recalling the financial outlay and the hours spent on painting them and now they are not only out-moded but out-scaled so that producing them on the battlefield against an opponent with the latest figures is rather like wearing a suit that is badly out of fashion. How say, wargamers try to "keep up with the Jones's" is not known but I imagine that we have our fair share otherwise figure manufacturers would go out of business! Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 156 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1975 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com