New OO Scale Hornby Buildings for 2011

Hornby has announced it's new OO scale Skaledale buildings to be released in 2011, which includes a good mix of useful countryside, urban and industrial models.

There's a new departure in a small selection of unpainted Ready-to-Assemble buildings at £12.75 each. R9645 Bungalow and R9644 two-storey townhouse being of most interest. At first the price seems expensive but they do come in around the same price as Airfix's recently released bombed damaged European houses.

 

 For urban layouts. there's a number of full and half relief pre-painted cast buildingss - mostly shops but also an Indian Take Away, Baptist Church, Country Garage and the Wheatsheaf Arms pub.

R9562 Wheatsheaf Arms

Hornby have also expanded the number of useful large and medium sized modern industrial buildings available in the form of R9661 Low-Relief Factory, R9659 Industrial Building, R9662 Low-Relief Modern Factory Front and R9658 Workshops.

R9658 Workshops

Individually or together to create an indstrial estate, they are perfect for GEEZERS! "Shut It!" games or a 1979 plus military or post apocalypse skirmish. I can already see R9658 Workshop as a B&Q, Cash & Carry, Council transport depot, Royal Mail distribution centre, bonded warehouse or similar. It can be further augmented for games with Portakabin/s, a gatehouse, diesel tanks, and International Containers from Knightwing to create plnety of variety and cover.

Finally but by no means last, my favourites. A complementary range of derelict farm buildings that are probably the most useful of all the new releases for Winter of '79:

 R9646 Derelict Farmhouse

 R9648 Derelict Stables

R9647 Derelict Barn

 R9649 Derelict Outhouse

Take two Derelict Farmhouses, the Outhouse, add one or two destroyed buldings from S&S and/or perhaps a destroyed church such as GameCraft Miniatures superb ruined church....

 ...... and you have an abandoned and contested village.


Cheers
Mark

Killing on Ebay

Made a killing on Ebay in the form of a DVD collectors set of LIFE ON MARS for 99p!

We're returning to the streets of East Whittington in the New Year. The crime rate has rocketed as the slags take advantage of the vacuum left by the police whose hands are full, dealing with civil disturbance and growing political unrest.

But, in a smoke filled office, DCI Hacker has put together a squad of hard bitten, old style cops armed with a 1974 Ford Cortina to bring law and order back to the borough.
  

At this mornings press conference, DCI Hacker reassured the public "This is how we will extending the full arm of the law from now in East Whitington:"

Cheers
Mark
   

Separate Weapons

Separate weapons are always useful for converting figures or upgunning vehicles. An SLR added to a civilian or otherwise anarchronistic modern military/militia figure defines it within a Winter of '79 context more so  than minor clothing/uniform or kit details. 

B.W. Models have a very nice range of small arms and support weapons in 1/76. Ideal for Winter of '79. All packs are £0.50 unless noted otherwise.

• BWA1:  5x Rifle .303 No 4 
• BWA3:   5x Light Machine gun, .303 Bren Mk 2
• BWA4:   1x OML 3 inch mortar with 3 round ammo carrier, £1.00
• BWA9:   5x SLR - FN Self Loading rifle, 7.62mm
• BWA14: 5x Blowpipe Missile Launcher, £0.75
• BWA28: 5x GPMG - General Purpose Machine gun 7.62mm
• BWA55: 5x SA80

Kingfisher Miniatures also have a range of Modern 1/76 separate small arms and heavier weapons - many of which are ideal for Winter of  '79. Packs are £1.00 unless noted otherwise.

• A-01:  Two each M240 MG pintle mount,M60 E3 MG bipod, M16 A2, MG/GPMG bipod.
• A-06: M240 MG and mount, 10 per set.
• A-07: M60 E3 MG and bipod, 10 per set.
• A-08: M16 A2, 10 per set.
• A-11: MAG/GPMG and bipod, 10 per set.
• A-79: MG .50 Cal and spigots, 10 per pack, £ 1.60
• A-81: Modern weapons: 5 xSA80, 3 x LSW, 2 GPMG, £ 1.80

 RH Models (Liberation Miniatures) have a range of 20mm heavy weapons. I've deliberately stuck to British or American weapons in British service. However you can expand the international scope of Winter of '79, by incorporating Cold War American or Soviet weapons from Rolf's full list.

• WEA12:  2x MILAN MK 1 ATGW £2.00
• WEA18:  GPMG on vehicle mount- for Landrover, Ferret Mk1 etc £0.50
• WEA18A: 2x GPMG ON PINTLE JEEP MOUNT £1.00
• WEA18B: 2x GPMG AFV MOUNT £1.00
• WEA29:  .30 CAL ON PINTLE MOUNT FOR AFV'S ETC £0.50
• WEA30:  TWIN .50 CAL £1.00
• WEA31:  2x BRITISH MODERN 81MM MORTAR ON K MOUNT £1.00
• WEA33:  GPMG ON TRIPOD £0.50
• WEA41:  US .50 CAL ON POLE MOUNT £1.00

Cheers
Mark

4 Wheels on my Armoured Wagon

Fully in tune with my Winter of '79 concept, Heather generously gave me these 1/76th scale B.W. Models kits for Christmas:

            BW274: L/Rover Series 3 LWB, VPK armoured (Army)
            BW77: Humber 1 ton, "Pig" APC (N Ireland)
            BW200: L/Rover Series 3 L/weight VPK Armoured (N Ireland)

I was in love with these models, that is until I open the packets and looked at them carefully. I'll review the individual models in more detail during the course of this week.

Still swaying about getting your hands on some Internal Security models? Take a look at ModelShopBelfast.co.uk where they are displayed in an appropriate I.S. setting. Right up your 'street' Joe! Here's an example:

 BW Models, BW297: Humber 'Flying Pig' £15.00

photo from ModelShopBelfast.co.uk

In addition to Heather's present, I also received a fistful Eureka's 20mm Internal Security Brits in riot gear from Mike. A small bag of separate 20mm SLR rifles were included, allowing me to push on with converting civilian figures into armed militia or rebels. Thank you, Mike!


Cheers
Mark

UPDATED 27/12/10

 

Spearhead

Scanning Amazon.co.uk this morning I found the complete series 1 of SPEARHEAD: available on DVD for £9.93.

Spearhead was a 1978 TV drama that provided an unglamorous worm's eye view of British Army life from the soldier's perspective. The story revolves around a platoon  in the fictional 1st Battalion Royal Wessex Rangers, designated as the Army's  'Spearhead' battalion. Series 1 was the best and see's the fictional squaddies undertaking an Internal Security role in Northern Ireland. Plenty of Winter of '79 eyecandy in the form of Humber Pigs and armoured Landrovers.

Light infantry battalions in the UK were assigned in rotation as a rapid reaction 'Spearhead Battalion' capable of short-notice deployment worldwide. It required the chosen unit to be ready to deploy its headquarters, lead ('active edge') company and logistic elements within 24 hours and have the remaining companies and support assets on the ground within 72 hours (source: Hansard).

Spearhead: episode 1 (fast forward to 2:10)

A Spearhead Battalion may have familiarisation deployments in Belize, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Kenya prior to taking up it's spearhead role. The most common operational deployment was short notice contingency reinforcing of British troops in Northern Ireland in antincipation or response to crises.

To ensure the troops were at the highest possible state of readiness, the Spearhead Battalion was issued with full scales of wartime equipment and undertook regular sub-unit exercises and readiness call-outs of the lead company. The Lead company was expected to maintain a permanent maximum 4 hour alert status.

Today the Spearhead Battalion is known as Spearhead Land Element. This assignment lasts 4 months and  the 'active edge' company is expected to deploy within 24 hours with follow up elements 4-12 hours later.

In Winter of '79, the 'Spearhead Battalion' provides us with a highly trained and efficient rapid reaction force that can be used at flashpoints anywhere in the country.
  

When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies

An unexpected Christmas gift yesterday was Andy Beckett's travelogue of 1970's Britain. It's scope covers Edward Heath's election in 1970 to the rule of Thatcher in 1979. Why travelogue? Because it's written in that eclectic oratory style of Bill Bryson's travel walkabouts. There's only the briefest of timelines - Beckett identifies salient events, people and happenings to weave a journey through a turbulent decade.

I found it a particularly apt gift, having got home early enough from work on Friday to wrap presents on the kitchen table whilst watching the final half of SWEENEY 2 (1978) on the TV.

When the Lights Went Out is an immensely readable book. I've just been dipping so far and look forward to giving it more time over the next couple of days. If you are interested in the 70's Britain that created Winter of '79, may well be worth you picking up in one of the post Christmas sales.


Cheers
Mark

Broadsword Calling Danny Boyo!

Welch Fusiliers Patriotic Front on patrol

Taff Y Van, Christmas day, 1979