Felix's Gaming Pages

Bloodbowl Gnomes

A new team for Bloodbowl has been announced, the Gnomes. They were revealed back at the beginning of March.

Gnomes are avid Blood Bowl fans who usually stick to their own secluded burrows, but every once in a while a team will enter the ‘big’ world and make a name for themselves in the leagues – usually through the popularity of their adorable woodland compatriots rather than any actual skill or success. Whether it’s a Beastmaster working alongside a ferocious goose to shore up their team’s line of defence or a speedy fox sprinting downfield with the ball in their mouth, Gnomes make use of many furry friends to fill in where their short stature can’t compete. Then if that isn’t enough to secure some touchdowns, their mastery of illusions and capricious tricks surely is.

In the original Forces of Fantasy for first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle there was a Gnome army and you could even get a few Citadel miniatures as well.

Now I don’t play Bloodbowl, well I played first edition (the one with card players), but I quite like the concept of the team.

I like the use of animals in the team as well.

Tempted.

AEC Armoured Car Mark II

This AEC Armoured Car Mark II was on display at The Tank Museum, it is armed with a 6 pounder gun. AEC Armoured Car is the name of a series of British heavy armoured cars built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) during the Second World War.

AEC tried to build an armoured car with fire power and protection comparable to those of contemporary British cruiser tanks. The first version used the turret of a Valentine Mk II infantry tank complete with the 2 pounder gun. Subsequent versions received a 6 pounder or a 75 mm gun in a custom-built turret.

The AEC came about following British experience in the Western Desert against Italian armoured cars. British armoured cars were only armed with light and heavy machine guns and the army was fitting captured Italian and German 20mm or larger autocannon to have enough firepower when meeting enemy reconnaissance vehicles.

The Mk I was first used in combat in the North African Campaign late in 1942, where a few vehicles were reportedly fitted with a Crusader tank turret mounting a 6 pounder gun. The Mk II and Mk III took part in the fighting in Europe with British and British Indian Army units, often together with the American-supplied Staghound armoured car.

Bommerz over da Sulphur River

This was on display at Warhammer World.

In Bommerz over da Sulphur River you can take the part of the Ork Fighta-Bommer pilots, screaming down to smash the vital bridges. Or you can command the heroic Imperial defence, pouring a devastating stream of flak and laser fire at your attackers and directing the counter-attack of your brave but outnumbered Thunderbolt Interceptors. It included several aircraft miniatures from the Warhammer 40k Epic line.

I never bought the game, however the concept sounded fun.

StuG III at the Tank Museum

When I visited Bovington last year they had a StuG III on display.

It had been on display at The Imperial War Museum Duxford, but was returned to the Tank Museum at Bovington in December 2019.

Here David Willey discusses the Sturmgeschütz III Self-Propelled Assault Gun, better known as the StuG III, Germany’s most numerously produced fully tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicle of the Second World War.

This was a late model StuG III supplied to Finnish forces. Has Saukopf gun mantlet introduced February 1944. It is the only vehicle left carrying original ‘waffle pattern’ zimmerit.

The final and by far the most common of the StuG series. The Ausf. G used the hull of the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. M. Upper superstructure was widened: welded boxes on either sides were abandoned. This new superstructure design increased its height to 2160mm. Backside wall of the fighting compartment got straightened, and ventilation fan on top of the superstructure was relocated to the back of fighting compartment. From March 1943, driver’s periscope was abandoned. From May 1943, side hull skirts (schurzen) were fitted to G models for added armor protection particularly against anti-tank rifles. Side skirts were retro-fitted to some Ausf. F/8 models, as they were be fitted to all front line StuGs and other tanks by June 1943 in preparation for the battle of Kursk. Mountings for side skirts proved inadequate, many were lost in the field. From March 1944, improved mounting was introduced, as a result side skirts are seen more often with late model Ausf G.

Here is the link to the StuG III Miniatures Gallery. I also have a workbench feature on the Flames of War StuG III Assault Guns.

RAF Morris Minor Traveller

The Morris Minor Traveller was used by the RAF for driver training.

It was on display at RAF Cosford.

Blood Angels Legion Thunderhawk

The Thunderhawk Gunship was a development of the later Great Crusade, designed to operate in atmosphere and void space as a flexible flying craft. It combines the roles of orbital troop lander, heavy gunship and medium bomber, and proved a highly successful addition to the fleets of the Legiones Astartes, scouring landing zones with its array of heavy weaponry before disgorging a payload of Space Marine infantry onto the battlefield. The Thunderhawk went on to become an icon of Astartes power in the air.

Thunderhawk Miniatures Gallery.

Light Tank M5A1 Stuart Mark VI

The M3 Stuart, officially Light Tank, M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version entered service as M5. It was supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. into the war.

Thereafter, it was used by U.S. and Allied forces until the end of the war.

This Light Tank M5A1 Stuart Mark VI is at the Tank Museum at Bovington.

Another photograph of the Light Tank M5A1 Stuart Mark VI from an earlier visit to Bovington.

Orc War Wyvern

As part of the pre-orders available last weekend, when they were announced I said I love the fact that the Orc Warboss on Wyvern will be coming back, this time as a resin model.

This model isn’t though, Azhag the Slaughterer from 8th Edition.

I did write when Azhag the Slaughterer came out that he might make an ideal Boss for my Feral Orks. As with many ideas, it got no further than just an idea.

This re-release has made me think again about that idea.

I might have to get two, one for my Orks, and one for my Orcs.

I do have the original Warhammer Fantasy War Wyvern TA3, but that is both an old model, painted as a fantasy model, but also I have no idea where it is.

TA3 Orc War Wyvern

This is the old Citadel Orc War Wyvern, which is from the Games Workshop archive and was on display at Warhammer World.

TA3 stood for Tony Ackland. Tony was one of the early artists, designers and sculptors for Citadel Miniatures (and Games Workshop).

An early release for Warhammer, I do in fact have one of these, somewhere! I remember having real issues gluing the wings using an epoxy resin glue, which I used back them to stick models together. Even then I then added lots of Milliput to keep them attached to the body. Today I would probably need to pin the wings to the body and use green stuff to fill the gaps.

Games Workshop have recently re-released a newer resin version of a old (but not as old as this one) metal Orc War Wyvern kit for Warhammer: The Old World.

Westland Wessex HC.2

This Westland Wessex HC.2 was on display at RAF Cosford.

This Westland Wessex HC.2 was on display at RAF Cosford. The HC.2 was a RAF Troop carrier for up to 16 troops, the prototype was converted from an HAS1 and an additional 73 were built.

I always had this idea of Westland Wessex helicopters flying about for games set in my world of the Second English Civil War or Team Yankee. For 20mm games there are plenty of choices, both kits and diecast models.

More photographs of the Westland Wessex HC.2.