RFR/Able Archer - The Iraqi Airforce in 1/72nd scale

This one started to be built during the Gulf War itself as aircraft were some of the miniatures available to portray Iraqis. The vast majority are plastic model kits with a few more recent Die-cast.

Guadalcanal 1942 in 20mm for Rapid Fire! rules - (Part 1) The aircraft for Henderson Field

 

One of the main hotspots of the Guadalcanal campaign was Henderson Field. In fact the entire campaign (August 42- February 43) is tied to this spot as it started with the construction of a Japanese airfield (Lunga point/Runga point or just "RXI"), so close to Australia and the allied lines of communication, that the US decided to take it over and rename it Henderson Field, honoring a fallen pilot at Midway. 

I´m still very short of Pacific models but the stuff I have (excluding the Tarawa island, SNLF and US LVT´s) fit reasonably to these scenarios as at the shelves there is a Japanese Betty bomber (to bomb the airfield), some Japanese landing craft and the Hoisho aircraft carrier with a number of different Japanese bombers and fighters like Vals and Zeroes used in the attacks. 

Most of the Japanese offensives at the island were destined to take back  Henderson field ( Tenaru, Edson´s Ridge,Matanikau and the October Henderson Field battles) and the airfield with some of its aircraft parked makes a visually nice corner in any of the above mentioned tabletop battles. In fact, small groups of japanese infantry managed to enter the airfield during the battle of Edson´s Ridge. 

The "airfield" was initially a simple strip but in the middle of the battles the americans managed to add a paralel smaller strip for fighter´s usage, before enlarging it at the end of the campaign and later on.

For the Cactus airforce up no now I could find the presence of SBD Dauntless, Avengers and Wildcats at the airfield but others like the P-39 and P-40 were also there at a certain time. 

I already have a Dauntless and an Avenger in parked mode but want a few more so the models at this post had to be made. 

The two Dauntless are (flight mode) Hasegawa and (parked) Testors. In fact they depict in the decals the same exact plane of John Leppla and John Liska, famous for its action at the battle of Coral Sea. Even if these two exact planes were not at Guadalcanal they are famous machines and very close in time, and so are ready for the larger strip of Henderson Field. 

This Devastator was also not at Guadalcanal, as it was put to bomber/torpedo training after the losses at Midway. Even so, one more aircraft on board of the Bogue aircraft carrier. 

Next: The Union army at Gettysburg on video. 

Rapid Fire!/Able Archer rules - The battle of Cuito Cuanavale 1987-88 in 20mm - Part 1: What I´ve amassed up to now

 

The battle of Cuito Cuanavale is part of my youth through TV and magazines together with Iran-Iraq war and Lebanon 82 and it sparks plenty of vivid memories from those dangerous and deadly conflicts of the Cold War. I also had relatives in South Africa and even one that fought at this precise campaign a fact which fueled even more my interest to the Angolan conflict with FAPLA and Cubans facing UNITA and the SADF. For some reason I still could not find the 14 years long Portuguese colonial war (Angola, Moçambique and Guiné Bissau) interesting enough for me to model it. Maybe because it still brings lots of pain to many that are still around, from both sides, and close to me. 

Most of the planes, exceptuating the Mig-23 were made years ago together with most of the infantry. The vehicles, on the contrary are brand new and came mostly from 4D models (yes, I know their Sdkfz 251 is around 1/56 and the first batch of small boxes with tanks were toys but after these the brand made very nice and cheap models and continues to do so at a very fast rate). 

For now I have an almost finished Angolan Brigade with the reconnaissance vehicles and most of the artillery still missing. 

The simple green painting of the vehicles without any crew will allow for its use in other armies of the Cold War period and even after. 

I built 4x T-55 from 4D, enough for the full complement of an Angolan brigade tank battalion (16 tanks instead of the Soviet 30 tanks). The model is a very easy build labeled T-59, the Chinese version of the T-54/55 but, as its an early copy it becomes virtually the T-55. Later the T-59 got many extras which could be seen abundantly in the Iraqi army, for instance. 

 One of the three battalions of infantry in each Angolan brigade was equipped with BMP-1. These three are Eaglemoss die-cast simply repainted and with added rear unditching log and antenna. 

I finished all my BTR-60 - the ones that should be here - and had to use these BTR-80 instead. In fact Angola has 11 of these BTR-80 but they arrived much time later  Cuito Cuanavale. Even so the logic of a simple paint scheme continues for its usage elsewhere. 

The Ural 260 is another non-existent machine in the Angolan army but its not much different from other Soviet models, simply larger and very useful for other scenarios. 

There is a battery of six  BM-21 in each Angolan Brigade. This 4D model is very recent and one of their best. 

The three FAPLA battalions are made from bodies of Esci´s Spetnaz and Vietcongs with all types of field caps I could find (USAAF and even some DAK Esci with the cap´s peak cut). 

Some of the command stands got the brown beret. The 120mm mortar is Valiant Miniatures. 

The typical FAPLA battalion organized for Able Archer with three companies of six figures each and support. 

The Angolan Airforce (FAPA on those days, now FANA) has a number of French and Soviet helicopters like this MIL-MI 24 (Esci?). 

The MIL-MI 8 (SMER) is the most numerous Angolan helicopters. 

The Gazelle (Heller) got anti-tank missiles made of EverGreen plastics. 

I painted blue all canopies of the Angolan fighters and fighter-bombers. This MIG-21 is Fujimi. 

This one couldn´t fit the first family picture and its shown now, a MIG-21 from Matchbox, a much older and not as good model as the Fujimi one. 

This elegant SU-7 is a SMER model. 

The SU-22 (Plastyk)  was the most potent Angolan bomber at Cuito Cuanavale. 

Many MIG-23 (Academy) were piloted by Cubans and they scored several victories over the SAAF Mirages without losses something that  was only recognized years later by South Africa. 

Next: one more stand of Ottoman Sipahis for Mohacs 1526.