60mm “ODIN”
Dragon Models, LTD
O.K. so this one is not specifically a review item but I thought it was pretty cool. I found this Dragon 60cm super heavy self propelled mortar “Odin” after getting a haircut in the PX and it was too neat to pass up (the roll of paper towel is to help position the loading mechanism while the glue dries). While 1:144 scale is too small to actually be used in the 15mm scale games used to play WWII, it will be a very cool looking objective marker for some Flames of War games. When I get to that stage of this project, I will post those photos, as well.

GEN. ALEKSEEV’S REGT.
RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR
Old Glory MiniaturesHere is a small teaser of a project that I have been working on for some time for the Russian Civil War. This is a unit of General Alekseev’s Partisan Regiment with an overall command figure (sky blue was the traditional color for cadets and students in Imperial Russia and symbolized the youth of their soldiers). For other units and conversion projects please look in future issues of the Historical Miniature Gamer magazine. Note the White, Blue and Red chevrons on the figures’ left arms are prototypes from Company B. More to come…

VILLERS-BOCAGE
THE BATTLE FOR VILLERS-BOCAGE
Battlefront/Flames of War
The campaign for Villers-Bocage 12-16 June 1944 is presented in the Flames of War supplement of the same name. This supplement, like all the others in the Flames of War library, is beautifully illustrated in full color, another of the very professionally produced supplements for their popular rules system. 70 pages.
The forces that can be constructed from Villers-Bocage are among the “coolest” of all the supplements: SS units, Panzer Lehr and the famed Desert Rats! For the Germans you can choose from among armored, heavy SS tank (schwere), panzer grenadier and pioneer companies with neat divisional support weapons like radio controlled “Borgward” carriers, Nebelwerfer rocket batteries and the mammoth Kingtiger! The special hero Hauptmann Michael Wittman and his Tiger I crewmates are very dangerous combination!
All the British selections come from the 7th Armored Division, tough veterans from the North African campaign. Choices include armored, motor and rifle companies. There are special rules for the Royal Irish Hussars, the Tyne and Tees division and their own special hero, Sargeant Tom Stanley. Both sides, as with all the Flames of War rules, have almost endless options available to allow the construction of a wide variety of forces.
The heart of this supplement is the rules that allow the replay the Villers-Bocage campaign. Starting with Wittman’s Wild Ride that can be used to set up Pointe 213 that can be used to influence the set up of the final scenario, Villers-Bocage, 13 June 1944. Neat little rules like “The Commander is Away”, “Tea Time” and “Other Places, Other Times”, painting guides for Panzer Lehr, the Desert Rats and stunning photos to help set up the terrain for each of the scenarios make this another supplement that fans of Flames of War will want to have!http://www.flamesofwar.com

BLOCKADE RUNNER (BANSHEE I) Thoroughbred Figures Ironclad
The newest model available from Thoroughbred miniatures is a Blockade Runner based on the Banshee I. As a part of Thoroughbred’s flagship Ironclads line, the Banshee I is a 1/600 scale ship that continues the tradition of extremely well molded ships. This miniature consists of 13 pieces that all fit perfectly together or with only some very minor filing. The precision of Thoroughbred ship construction is only surpassed by the sculpting of the ship designs.
The hull and paddlewheels of the Banshee is molded from a single piece of white metal. This is a major advantage over previous designs as cleaning the separate paddlewheels and then gluing them to the model could be a very tricky proposition. The paddlewheel houses have the letters “S” and “P” molded into the underside to aid in construction. The railing that goes on the walkway between the two paddlewheel houses actually glues in place quite easily. The masts are supposed to be tilted back and the support holes appear designed to guide this angle. The small winches, that are used to haul the contraband smuggles in its holds, are best placed with a pair of tweezers. The wheel slips very smoothly into the hole at the stern – a perfect fit. There are no guns on this ship, but, hey, it is a blockade runner!
Like all of the other ships in the Ironclad line, you need only purchase and paint one of these beauties in order to play a game. This ship was painted in shades of black/charcoal for anything that would be seen from a level view and browns/tans for the deck items. Thoroughbred ships are very fun and easy to prepare and paint – this model was completed, from start to finish, in one evening!
http://www.thoroughbredmodels.com