RFCM Men of Company B (MoCB) - in 10mm Part One

I'm starting to gain some momentum with my 10mm Vietnam project and thought I'd post an update.

This set of rules first came to my attention 10 years ago when I bought the original version (The old crappy photocopied and comb bound version,  on random coloured paper!).

The hardest thing I've always found with Peter Pig rules (RFCM) is to get beyond the presentation.....hopefully one day, someone will have the balls to tell them they need the services of a professional graphic designer!

Once you are over that, and start to read through you generally find a very innovative and workable set of rules.

Recently they've gone through a re-vamping exercise. Re-writing the rules and expanding them as well as printing them on glossy paper and using spiral binding!!

Many are all the better for it, some are not (i,e Regiment of Foote!) and there is a noticeable increased move towards grid based gaming. If you are OK with this, all well and good, if not you're doomed.

The original MoCB was a good game, the new version I've yet to try. However it has been expanded over the original to cover pilot rescue, fire-base attack and straight Red on Blue combat.

One of the requirements of the original search & destroy game is the "Cache Loop". This decides what you find following your searches and like many features of RFCM rules appears to be an excuse to have you buy yet more items from their range!! I guess it's a business model that worked well for GW so why reinvent the wheel?

Now as I'm going to be using 10mm figures I thought a scaled down version would be in order. I'd seen a rather nice mdf version of the Cache Loop both on the PP site and Warbases and I thought "how hard can this be?".

I bought myself 4 x Four Penny sabot bases from Products for Wargamers and glued them together. I then glued this assembly to a sheet of mdf left from another project and there you are.

The notes in the centre are double sided and laminated, so suit either the search and destroy or the White Star scenarios. All I need to do now is produce some little markers (ambush, arms caches etc.) on pennies to place in the sabot slots.

Meanwhile I've almost completed the first village templates (I need six in total) built on scrap mdf (that came with my son's baby's self-assembly furniture packaging - never waste anything eh?) using entirely 3D printed terrain pieces - huts and fences.

The base was then coated with bird cage sand on top of PVA and painted up with cheap craft paints.

Just some greenery to add - a bit of flock and some grass tufts I think - and they will be finished.

In total I will need 20 terrain templates (each 200x100mm approx.) for the game of which the 6 villages are just a part. Still a fair deal of work to do.....

Pimping Kallistra’s Hexon Trenches - Part 1

I bought a pack of Kallistra 10-15mm trench sections a couple of years ago at Colours. These seem to be the best value items currently on the market. They are robust and simple, with lots of available options available.

I bought the plain brown plastic versions intending to finish them myself, but you could always go for the (slightly more expensive) ready flocked versions instead.

With the appearance of Great Escape Game’s 1914 rules, my interest in small scale WW1 gaming has be rekindled. I therefore thought it about time I finally pimped my trenches.…

Firstly I coated the outer faces of the parados and parapet with fine sand held in place with PVA. When dry I applied a second coat of PVA to firm things up.

This then made the surfaces of the trench look a little plain. I didn’t want to go the whole hog with revetments etc. but I did think they were missing duckboards (I see that Kallistra’s 28mm versions have these moulded in).

This made we reach for TINKERCAD! And I very quickly had some 50 & 100mm sections drawn up ready to 3D print.

They took about an hour to print up and then I could cut them to size and attach to the trench bottoms with superglue.

All that remains is to paint them up and add the finishing touches.

What a Tanker!

Well just like so many of us Wargaming Sheep, I followed the calling and bought myself the new TFL Rules Set “What a Tanker!”

I was drawn in by the launch offer of hard copy, pdf copy and all the tokens for £24 – how could I refuse?

As ever the order arrived promptly and having had a quick flick through, look to be produced to similar standards to CoC and IABSM. I love the Commando Comic references in the artwork …..needless to say I was raised on these stories and it’s probably where my interest in WW2 stems from in the first place.

I’ve always liked the idea of a tank skirmish battle that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I tried GF9’s “Tanks” but was somewhat disappointed with them. Some of the manouvres allowed by the rules were just wrong and of course there was nothing to stop any megalomaniac opponent fielding the world’s supply of Tiger tanks!

I’m therefore hoping the TFL offering will better meet with what I was looking for.

Now I’m not planning to write a review – plenty of other people can do this far better than I – but I do plan to post my preparations for trying them out and perhaps an AAR.

First decision -  I’d rather try the rules using a smaller playing area – my 4’x3’ Deepcut Mat. So I looked at using my existing 1/200 AFVs.

Second decision - I’ve decided that my eyes are perhaps too old for this, so I’m going to try them out using 1/144 (n scale) AFVs instead – using cm instead of inches.

Much of my existing 10mm scale terrain works well with either scale,  so I’m good to go there. I also have a few Dragon 1/144 models in my display cabinet, but decided to leave these be and to create some new playing pieces with my 3D printer.

You can see from the pictures that I’ve tried a few new printing techniques to reduce the amount of cleaning up of support material they require. The Sherman, Panther & Tiger I models were all Marco Bergman files printed “disassembled” after having been revised by Chanson836 (Found on Thingiverse).

After cleaning up the models were straightened using the hot/cold water technique, before supergluing them together and filling any gaps. This, believe it or not, takes much less time to complete that cleaning up a solid model (like the Cromwell, Challenger & Comet that took about an hour to rid them of their support material) so has proven to be a great success.

Whilst the level of detail on these miniatures will never match a Dragon model, they easily pass the “Two Foot Rule” i.e. they look great from 2 feet away! Plus, as they have been created from proper scale drawings they are also correctly proportioned – something not all our current n scale manufacturers are able to claim!

Once completed the models were all given a light undercoat of white primer before finishing in their national colours.

More to follow…..!

HOTT, 10mm Lizardmen Army

I ordered this army at the same time as my Dark Elves and some mdf bases. At just £10 it presents excellent value providing all you need to start off your New HOTT army.

The army comprised the following;

1 x Behemoth (General on a giant tortoise) @ 4AP

2 x Magicians with bodyguards @ 8AP

2 x Shooters @ 4AP

3 x Riders @ 6 AP

4 x Hordes @ 4AP

All in all, two more APs than needed for a standard army.

The Lizardmen themselves are sort of crocodile in looks and I think, rather charming! The Riders are mounted on rather friendly looking dinosaurs who wouldn't be out of place in the Flintstones!

The boss an sits astride a giant Tortoise. Perfectly as described in the rule book but again not looking immediately aggressive. But who can fail to like the figure...it's beautifully sculpted a real gem.

The rank and file are all armed with what look to be home-made weapons - perfect for Hordes.

Altogether another colourful addition to the collection. I now have 8 HOTT Armies in 10mm scale. Enough Good and Bad guys to try out a mini campaign I think.

I've a stack more Dwarves I won on eBay which I think will allow me to field two Mass -Battle HOTT armies when finished. But I still want an Orc Army.....always my favourites in Warhammer and a Warmaster. Maybe next year?

My New HOTT Armies - Barbarian and Ratmen

My birthday present from my daughter......Pendraken HOTT armies!

A great way to pick up a ready to use army for the HOTT system. The Pendraken 10mm Barbarian Army is only £6! Combined with some Minibits laser cut bases and there you are....

The other army was the equally good value 10mm Ratmen Army.

These armies are a great sideline away from the grind of painting a big project. Taking very little time to paint to a high standard.

I fancy getting an Arthurian Legend and Orc armies next. But first I'm going to have a go at building a dedicated play area from mdf. I bought a 1200x60mm sheet of 6mm mdf and the kind man at B&Q cut it into 8 @ 300mm squares free of charge! I'm going to fit the edges with rare earth magnets to hold the boards together and decorate them with terrain that enables them to be assembled a number of ways.

As for safe storage..... A really useful box is just perfect! I'll let you know how I get on.