Winter of '79 Goes Loud in Wargames Illustrated!

This month Winter of '79 comes of age, appearing in February's issue of Wargames Illustrated WI340. 

Photo: 28mm Winter of '79 action

courtesy of Wargames Illustrated

Over the course of our gaming project Maff and I have had many great games. My favourite remains Mae pont yn rhybyell from Feb 2014. A cluth of Free Taff militia, a reduced platoon of around 16 Welsh Territorials with a small cadre of Royal Marines and a 120mm Wombat from the Welsh Guards, hold a river crossing against the Emergency Government's strike force, '5 Para' supported by armoured recce elements.

It was one of those games which becomes a legend and is laid down in your wargaming psyche.  The engagement should have been a cakewalk for the Paras, but instead they got a bloody nose and the Free Taffs fought a grudging withdrawal. They may have lost the battle but won our respect. The game itself  swung back and forth, and looked like it was all over when the Paras put in a helicopter coup de main, but a plucky 'Charlie G gunner' in the post office scored a direct hit as the Wessex disgorged it's troops.

But of course the action takes place in the streets as well.  Streets created from card buildings by Metcalfe, Scalescenes, Kingsway and others. I like the any street, anywhere, aspect of Winter of '79. Is this a scene outside your mum's or grans house? The Corporal calling up a Saracen to help support the close quarter gun fight.

With a lot of new 28mm figures suitable for Winter of '79 appearing just now we will be upscaling in 2016 to 28mm adding Gripping Beast, Mike Bravo, Copplestone and Crooked Dice amongst others, though 20mm will remain our main focus.

Right, those Airfix Scorpions wont build themselves and the rear brakes on my 1:1 scale Lannie need looking at.....

Cheers
Mark

Doomwatch: Tide of the Dead

Doomwatch was a British TV Sci Fi drama series of the early 1970's which was a sort of grown up Dr Who. Doomwatch was based on the investigations of a quasi-government scientific department who explored science driven threats to mankind. Great TV fun but dated now!

20mm RH Models Urban Terror vs Elhiem Zombies

Above, Dodgy Dan and Spider Steve hold back the Zombie hordes after the great Ormskirk OMO** factory fire. Clouds of toxic soap crystals have turned the inhabitants of this Lancashire town into blood craved savages.

H isnt well, so has taken herself off to bed. Leaving me plenty of time to unwind after a mentally strenuous week back in the office. And what better way, as I'm off the booze, than a tongue in cheek solo Zombie bash.

I originally had an idea for a game based around an army patrol chasing a shooter through the streets and alleyways or should that be Avenues and Alleyways if we're continuing the early 70's theme. I wanted something a bit more lighthearted so....Zombies. Here I used a quick and simple variant of my car chase game using a pack of cards to play a spirited game with Dodgy Dan and Spider Steve attempting to out run a large mob of Zombies and a few strays thrown in their path for good measure.

Keep an eye out for our free Winter of '79 themed rules appearing on the blog over the coming week or two.


Cheers
Mark

* Tide was a soap powder brand in the 70's.
** OMO another soap powder brand. Squaddies will remember that if placed in the window of a married quarters it was an invitation (OMO = "Old Man Out").

Land Rover L6 120mm Wombat Conversion Kit

The Hobby Den have recently released this 'Must Have' resin conversion kit of the L6 Wombat and vehicle modifications for the Airfix LWB Land Rover. See below:

I'm absolutely delighted that this is the most detailed model of the Wombat in this scale and the kit meets a very important gap in the Winter of '79 armoury, providing plenty of punch to rebel and government forces alike. The conversion kit is 7.50 Euros but the Land Rover must be purchased separately.

Hopefully either Rolf at RH Models or Matt at Elhiem will produce crew figures.

Cheers

Mark

Cold War armour from Sgts Mess

20mm Cold War British armour fans get a boost from Sgts Mess (www.sgtsmess.co.uk) latest resin models. All the staples  are there, including the full CVR(T) range built on the Scorpion FV101 chassis: 

Chieftain, Abbot, Scimitar, Scorpion, FV432, Spartan, Sultan, Samaritan, Striker, Samson.

Prices are very competitive at £6.25 for the CVR(T) range but get in quick because they are on offer at only £5.63 each. The stalwart 120mm Wombat anti-tank recoilless rifle is also available at £4.75.

Models appear to have crisp, clear lines which are perfect to enable you to add cam nets and stowage to your hearts content.

At these prices thats a Spartan troop on the cards for my Close Recce Squadrons. 

Cheers

Mark

A very personal Sitrep

The death of one of your parents is an inescapable rites of passage. You can hope for the best when the time comes, you can attempt to prepare yourself but the raw truth is that you simply cannot predict how that moment in your life will unfold.

My mum died suddenly. Unsurprisingly, a hammer blow. That's all I can say about it. I've just now for the first time since that call I took in the office, penned many hundreds of words about the experience, but chose to subsequently delete them. It's a very personal experience many of you have shared or are still yet to experience, but it is unique to each of us. It helped me to write those words and see them written down, and I think it was right I was the only audience for them. 

It's time now to move on and return to the frontline on the streets in the Winter of '79.

Cheers

Mark