fingolfen

I'll likely have a primed / unpainted army (with blu-tac) I could use for Opposing force for Team Yankee. My East Germans should be close to done too...

NICE!!!!

Looking back through, the LAV formations are also going to very useful... The LAV-AT in a unit of four all with Hammerhead are going to be a tough nut to crack unless you want to throw a LOT of dice at it. The other LAV formations are going to be useful to counteract BMP Spam as well...

Achieved breakthrough over the break on the NVA - no they're not done, but I can see a pathway and the techniques are providing the desired result! I'm using the Ammo of MIG Black and White technique on these - so everything gets pre-shaded. I'm starting with the T-72s and BMPs as that's about half of the force... then "everything else" gets done. Turrets: I then use panzer putty to mask the camouflage: Then the weathering (photo doesn't even BEGIN to do it justice): More on the blog: http://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/12/nva-build-log-painting-progress-on-t-72.html

I'm still trying to get there today - we had a major power issue up at the house / farm I'm working this morning...

But the M60 has the same gun as the M1... and you get twice as many of them... Run a couple of units of 5 marine M60's with some decent support and you'll be in good shape...

So I figured I'd start a thread on the upcoming Team Yankee release for "Fate of a Nation" - the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973! The original Flames of War Fate of a Nation release only covered the 1967 war, and Battlefront has confirmed that the new release will include the 1973 war as well. I'll be starting with an Israeli for, but will likely be doing at least a Syrian force, if not an Egyptian force as well. To get you in the spirit, here are a few of the vehicles from those conflicts on display at the Latrun tank museum in Israel - and lots more in parts 1 through 4 of my blog (with parts 5 and maybe 6 on the horizon) Part 1: Early tanks and Shermans: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/12/armor-of-arab-israeli-wars-or-mikes.html Part 2: Magach and Merkava: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/12/armor-of-arab-israeli-wars-or-mikes_73.html Part 3: Arab Forces: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/12/armor-of-arab-israeli-wars-or-mikes_8.html Part 4: Conversions and self-propelled guns: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/12/armor-of-arab-israeli-wars-or-mikes_24.html Lots more to come soon - including modeling tips, tricks, and techniques!

Given that there were no points cost changes from the original Team Yankee book to Red Thunder, I'm not sure why you thought there would be points changes for anything in Stripes. I understand that the first line main battle tanks are fairly expensive, and they remain so. Germans and British have the same problem, and honestly the T-72 and the T-64 aren't really cheap either, but you do get a lot with Stripes.: The M60. Don't dismiss it as "2nd line equipment" - at 4 points a pop with the same gun as the Abrams you have a lot of good AT going downfield... and you can get units of FIVE if you go Marines. You've got a built-in cure for East German T-55 and T-72 SPAM. The Scouts. The Firestorm Red Thunder campaign revealed this as a fatal weakness of U.S. forces - closing it fixes a multitude of sins! Huey Infantry Combat teams - Use these like the Soviets use Afghansty - you can blitz them onto the table and secure objectives Sergeant York - VERY useful against BMP spam The HMMWV Tow teams can also be very useful as they remain Gone to Ground while moving. Sheridan - AT 21 or AT 22 for only 8 points for a unit of 4... sign me UP Credible infantry formations (Marines) So honestly I think this certainly brings the US in line with other forces at this point. Battlefront has indicated that things like the M1A1, the Bradley (though honestly it should be there now), the T-80, Challenger, reactive armor, etc. won't come until there is a "Late War" version of Team Yankee. With Vietnam and Fate of a Nation coming out next year, I figure we'll start getting our "Early War" version of Team Yankee covering the 1960's and early 1970's. The current version, "Mid War" for the sake of argument, is late 70's through about 1985... From where I sit, Stripes makes the U.S. worth fielding... and I'll be putting together a fun list or two for my son...

Maybe we should have a separate Stripes thread. From a game perspective I think the M60, if you're willing to use it in large numbers, is a major game changer. Inclusion of the Marines also gives the US decent infantry, and the airmobile forces open up a lot of new tactics as well. I think it brings the US in line with everyone else at this point, which should be the goal as you really shouldn't have codex creep in a historical game... Even one as loosely based as Team Yankee....

Thanks guys for the feedback, I appreciate it. What points levels are common these days? 1500? 1750?

So how are people setting up their forces for both casual and tournament play in the Portland area now that we have both "Power" and "Points"???

With all of the work I've been doing on the T-72s, don't think for a moment I've completely neglected my NVA BMPs. I didn't go completely mad like with the T-72, but honestly the kit is pretty solid, so I really didn't NEED to and could focus on the one problem area - the fairly naked front! For the top tie downs, I used 0.015" x 0.02" strip styrene. I eyeballed the length, but it is about 0.08". The flaps are made from 0.01" x 0.1" strip, and the length is about 0.135" - again eyeballed based on photos and the kit itself. The circles are cut from 0.01" thick sheet and are punched with a 0.048" punch from my sub-micron set. Placement is by eye based on photos. More detail at: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/11/pimp-my-ride-warsaw-pact-edition.html

We're getting ready for Orycon - hope to be back after the Thanksgiving break!

Won't be able to make it tonight - hoping to make it next week, though my DDR is still in pieces. Should be painted by the EOY... really looking forward to the Stripes releases.

I've got a couple of armies I could dig back out and play... I'll update them per the latest "whatever" FAQ...

Are we going to be limited to the "Armies of Late War" book, or can we use the other books as well?

Most of my armies are LW. One MW army done (but not usable yet). One EW army (and it's a fun one)

Here's what the dozer blade looks like once it is on the front of the vehicle: ... and all its little friends done now too....

I'll stop by! :D Unfortunately my armies are currently in a state of disassembly for painting so I won't get a game in...

Sign me up!!!

I ran a Soviet Lend Lease army a couple of years ago... was great fun, but really needed infantry: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2015/11/soviet-lend-lease-tanks-done-enough.html

Thanks much!!!

Who likes more detail on their T-72 turrets? Me!!!! I blame the Breakthrough Assault guys for this one... well, at least partially... I sort of knew in my mind that I had to do something about the under-detailed smoke launchers on the front of the T-72 turret, but I wasn't sure what... then I hit their blog, and the rest as they say is history. Blog Entry 1: http://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/10/t-72-and-advanced-modeling-syndrome.html Of course, Blog Entry 1 didn't have the in progress photos, so there's Blog Entry 2: https://miniordnancerev.blogspot.com/2017/10/t-72-progress-in-home-stretch.html Sort of looks like a bug... At least until you get the wires bent around... Hoping to get these done this week so they can get primed like the rest of the hull and tracks already are...

Thanks for checking! If you pick up any more at any point keep me in mind... :D

I need a couple spare T-72 plastic commander's hatches - the closed variety. Does anyone have some lying about spare from their T-72 builds?