Crazyfrenchteacher | 05 May 2014 6:20 p.m. PST |
A year ago I purchased the Osprey rules "A World Aflame", with the intention of painting up a "small" Chinese Warlord skirmish force of Fengtien vs Chihli. I wanted a small cheap project to just have some fun with, so I bought two boxes of 1/72 plastic Airfix WW1 British infantry -thinking nice size, quickly painted for a beer and pretzel quick game
. but I had to get the box of Caesar WWII Chinese army because they had the perfect "Big Sword/ Dare to Die" figs, and the Stretlets Cossacks as White Russian Mercs. Followed by the HAT box of FT-17s
and the BUM Austin Putilov armoured cars (just to round things out
..and who can do China 1920's without an Armoured train
and an early Japenese force. Now I have so many infantry painted up, it looks like a WW1 garage sale (which is I guess what happened in reality). But I think I have met my Waterloo, I purchased an FT17 command tank from RPM models and it's killing me! A scale 1/72 FT17 that has to be built from the ground up
.I even had to assemble the road wheels! The plastic is so fragile it snaps when I look at it the wrong way! I've kept at it -but I swear it sitting down at my workbench isn't as fun as it used to be! Well my rant is over, thanks for reading -I just had to tell someone. My wife is a little less sympathetic to my modeling woes. |
McWong73 | 05 May 2014 6:23 p.m. PST |
While there can some sticker shock with resin models compared to plastic kits, you can never fault the ease of assembly! |
Chortle | 05 May 2014 6:31 p.m. PST |
I read an excellent book years ago which I recommend on the period. It is an autobiography. The title is "Two guns cohen". It is the story of an east end (of London) lad who causes his family so much trouble they pack him off to Canada where he spends his early youth. He biffs a robber of a Chinese store over the head and ends up getting in with the Chinese community. From there he goes to China where he ends up being a General for Nationalist forces. A great read. |
Crazyfrenchteacher | 05 May 2014 7:22 p.m. PST |
@McWong73, I hear you. I think my brain was in park that day -the HAT FT 17 models were easy and looked good. I forgot that many hobby modelers have a streak of sadomasochism in their souls @Chortle, I'll have to look that up thank you! |
dBerczerk | 06 May 2014 3:59 a.m. PST |
I feel your pain! About 5 years ago, I started work on RPM's version of the FT-17 "Ko-Gata" tank in 1/35th scale, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in Shanghai, circa 1932. It sounds like it may be the same kit, scaled to 1/35. I finished the incredibly-complicated running gear, but that's as far as I ever got. Assembly of the hull proved beyond my powers of scale modelling. The kit has languished, unloved, down the basement ever since. I did find a use for the excellent decal sheet included with the kit -- used some of them on the Classic Toy Soldiers' "toy" models of the Type 97 Chi-Ha tank. I agree, it is a fascinating period and I offer my heartiest encouragement that you not abandon your construction project -- who else would be able to field a FT-17 Japanese command tank in 1/72? We played a 1937 Sino-Japanese War game a few years back in 54mm – 1/32 scale. Some pictures of that game are on Flickr at the link below: link |
Crazyfrenchteacher | 06 May 2014 4:44 a.m. PST |
Thats a beautiful table dBerczerk! I just finished the running gear last night -hoping that the primer and paint job (with a little green stuff) can hide some of the damaged plastic parts and maybe look like wear and tear. I do agree that the decals are excellent. |
Frederick | 06 May 2014 5:42 a.m. PST |
I have to agree that the FT-17 is not the easiest tank to build – my solution was to buy a metal 28mm one! |
Red3584 | 06 May 2014 11:24 a.m. PST |
I read an excellent book years ago which I recommend on the period. It is an autobiography. The title is "Two guns cohen". It is the story of an east end (of London) lad who causes his family so much trouble they pack him off to Canada where he spends his early youth. He biffs a robber of a Chinese store over the head and ends up getting in with the Chinese community. From there he goes to China where he ends up being a General for Nationalist forces. A great read. There's also One Armed Sutton, a contemporary of Cohens. I picked up hi biography last year
it's the kind of story you couldn't make up. There's a brief review here on my blog
link |
Bobgnar | 06 May 2014 9:07 p.m. PST |
Sutton was a very interesting character. Lost arm in Great War was involved in Stokes Mortar development. While advisor to a Chinese Warlord, he went to US looking for armored vehicles. He latched on to a Holt tractor and converted it into an armored mortar carrier -- The Sutton Skunk. Company B makes a beautiful model of this, useful for Back of Beyond. I have one in service in VBCW with Stanley's Chinese Tin Hat contingent. Copplestone makes figures for both Cohen and Sutton
bottom right link
Cohen front center, Sutton right
|
Crazyfrenchteacher | 10 May 2014 11:09 a.m. PST |
I really like the rule set, they are a good set of "beer & pretzel" rules and I have enjoyed playing them with my group. I have been starting small with only small infantry encounters, with the intention of slowly building up to the use of an afv or ac on each side. The mechanics are easy and fast, they are an ideal set of convention rules; people pick how to play really fast. I really enjoyed it use of the "incident cards" and the ease in which you can manufacture your own to suit the scenerio. There is a bit of pencil and paper record keeping involved around ammo use, I mention it only because some people are turned off by any paper and pencil record keeping in their games (that said, a friend of mine who hates anything to do with "record keeping" has played the last two games and did not seems to mind it). As the GM if found the record sheets a little time consuming to fill in, but helpful and fun once everyone starts playing. The rules are geared towards SCW, with slight nods to other interwar conflicts. I would really love to see further vehicle and artillery stats regarding earlier artillery, AFV or AC types -the lists they have in the book is rather limited. IMHO I would recommend these rules to anyone. |