I've been wanting to try out the new improved Aircraft rules in Flames of War, but I've not had any aircraft to do it with. The new 3rd Edition rules only require one plane model to represent all the planes in a flight (1-3 depending on the roll), but Battlefront is still selling their planes in boxes of 3 for $40-50. Ouch!!!
So I decided to head over to the local Hobbytown USA and check out some other options.
I found the easiest option over in the collectable toy area. Where they had a variety of 1/100 scale planes to choose from. Here's a nicely detailed Stuka...
...and an IL-2 Sturmovik. Both were pre-painted in Eastern Front colors. Nice. At $13.99 each they're quite reasonably priced too. Throw a Matte spray varnish on them and you're done.
The only problem is, they're quite large. It's realistic, sure. But they dwarf even a Tiger tank in size. Battlefront's planes are all modeled in 1/144 scale, and I can see why. They just look better on the field and are much easier to haul around in a case.
So I went over to the model section and picked up a couple of Zveda 1/144 kits for $5 each. Here's my new Stuka:
It's obviously a Stuka, but the details are pretty simplified.
It looks like there's places on the wings for cannons to go, but there weren't any included in the kit. Just a single bomb.
Here's a rear view.
The 2nd kit was an IL-2 Sturmovik. This one was a bit better detailed than the Stuka. That figures, since Zveda is a Russian company. ;)
There are some cannon details on the wings, though you have to be careful not to brush them with your finger, lest they bend.
No bombs though.
Eh... not bad for $5.
The Stuka does look better with some paint on it. I'm going to give the IL-2 to TheNeverThere, so he can decide what color to paint it. I'm thinking the Sturmovik is just the sort of support he needs to take on my Tiger. But of course the Luftwaffe will do it's best to stop him. :)
Yahaha! thanks, Sandy. Now I can field something OTHER than T-34s. XD
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, you have to do the banshee scream when your Stuka bombs things. NEEEEeeeoooooWWWWWWWWW boooom!!
ReplyDeletePlanes are still a lil' too random to be reliable, and Arty is still the better option.
ReplyDeleteKeep yer Tiger within 2 inches of cover. Problem solved.
Nice find on the 5 dollar airplanes, though.
Russians have a lil' chip on their shoulder...all the Russian tanks in WoT are ridonkulous. Lol!
Build 'em big, build 'em tough, and build literal metric shit-tons of 'em. That's how the Ruskies do it.
ReplyDeleteAnd make note, those are METRIC shit-tons, not your tiny American shit-tons.
Sorry, in RL Il-2 will never ever destroy the Tiger tank. Not even PZKPFW-3 )))))
ReplyDeleteThe local store hear had those 1' long WW2 planes a few years back (Got a nice Focke Wulf). I already sued the bombs for Storm Boy rocket packs. Now to paint it read and make it a fighta Bomba (Close to what the 'A' was in RL lol). Unimax offers a LOT of 40K sized aircraft/tanks very cheap (if pre-painted)
ReplyDelete