Harriers

A flight of four Airfix Harrier GR 3s 

These are being used for my "Bombers over Sulphur River" game at the end of the month.  I will have to get a wriggle on and get some paint on them though. 

The last thing a Mig pilot ever sees

Each plane has had a five cent join glued to the bottom, which serves as a point of attachment for the rare earth magnets mounted on the Corsec Engineering flight stands. These are really something and allow the plane to be manipulated in any way you like. Very, very impressed with these. 

Action shot!

"Bombers over Sulphur River" is an old Games Workshop game that we used to play in school. Best described as Space Orks meets the Dambusters, it's good fun and I've adapted it for the Cold War. Harriers will be standing in for the Ork Fighter Bommaz. 

Whoosh!

I intend to get some crocodile clips to allow me to attach black puffs of flak to the flight stand. That will allow me to mark hits without damaging the model. This is an unusual game in that I haven't had to play test it at all - the game itself is rock solid, I'm just changing the set dressing. 

(click to embiggen)

And lest you think that I've forgotten the horse and musket completely, the Crimea came to mind again on Sunday. I was wandering through the Cathedral after service when I came across this fellow.  One rarely thinks of logisticians, but they also serve. 

It still remains a fact though that I've yet to be entirely satisfied with the portrayal of logistics in a toy soldier game. Someday perhaps. 

Airfix Harrier GR.3

NEEEEEE-oowwwww!!!! 

Proving that I am actually incapable of thinking in a straight line - after I got home from work this morning I put these together.  I often have difficulty going straight to bed after a night shift and I find that doing something with my hands is the perfect antidote.  I found these while I was looking for something else in the War Room.  The side of the box side "One flying hour", so I thought I might at least make a start. 

A brace of birds

(and some basing going on behind) 

These were a gift from Mrs. Kinch a few Christmases ago, as I was going to use them for the "Hunting the Harriers" scenario in the Force on Force supplement "Cold War gone Hot". Now as it happens I have another plan for these, which meant that they needed to be assembled in their flight configuration.  As wargaming models, I've also done away with the internal detail and the pilot as I reckoned I would almost certainly make a hash of the canopy and end up painting it blue or silver. 

I am pleasantly astonished at how well this turned out. 

The kits actually went together quite quickly and cleanly despite my cack handedness. There were a few pieces that needed trimming and there was quite a bit of flash in parts, but mostly the fit wasn't too bad. 

The belly of the Harrier. 

Both of these planes were assembled in the wheels up configuration, so that I can eventually attach them to flight stands. A little bit of filling will be required. I plan to give these a quick blast of GW white spray and then mark out the camouflage with a pencil as instructed by no less a personage then Alfront. 

 There is of course the question of weaponry. I've heard tell of using magnets to allow different loadouts to be added to model planes. That might be something I look at, though I'll really need to get flying bases and probably paintwork sorted first. 

A galaxy of grim aerial doom. 

Left to right. 

( Two expensive bomb thingies, Slightly more expensive bomb thingies, Rocket Pod or possibly 20mm cannon whatsits, Very expensive bomb thingies. (rear) Whacking great big bomb or missile, though I don't see any sort of motor. )    

I'm not really au fait with aerial weaponry, what little I know about war in the Air was gleaned from a youthful interest in Biggles and that didn't really cover anything after 1918.  Most of the time, I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between a charleville and a brown bess. I note that unlike the Harriers in Battle comic (or was it Warlord?) this kit doesn't sport a laser.  I can't find any reference to that comic strip online, perhaps I dreamed it.

On the whole, not a bad output for just over an hours work.