Able Archer/ RFR rules (?) - Russian Invasion of Ukraine 2022 in 20mm (part 1) - Context, possibilities and conversions

 

After the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 I started to build contemporary forces. Several armies grew on my basement: a very large Russian force was built together with Georgian, Portuguese, Italian and German forces. The quickly available die-cast were a big help both for air and land and, together with the US  units for Iraq 2003, all this stuff was gathered for an eventual enlargement of the 2008 conflict something that fortunately never happened. The Russian occupation of Crimea and the Donbass (with big battles like Debaltseve) made me start an Ukranian force. All these models are now in the hundreds and, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on the 24th February 2022, many of them just needed the addition of a few details like the "Z" Russian symbol or some digital camouflage in the case of the Ukranians, so I will not bother you showing them again as you can see them in the Blog Label "Georgia 2008". This war also has an incredible coverage by the media and even individuals and plenty of material surfaced in magazines like Raids, TNT, DSI and such. TV and the Web are also great sources of information on the conflict and soon a Russian BTG or a Ukranian Mech became very well known expressions that the armchair generals use like if they always did (my case also).

With this war having a strong support from NATO countries in behalf of Ukraine, much of the US, German, Italian, Georgian, Portuguese model miniatures (and so on, fortunately, many of the miniature armies I collected) can be used by the Ukranian side. Also built in the last few years were many of the more recent Russian models used after 2008 (even if built before)  that were not used by the 58th CAA (T-90, BMP-3, etc)  

Regarding rules... well, that is more complicated. Surely I want a ratio of 1:5 in tanks and 1:15 in infantry which is something that works very well in Able Charlie rules (the modern version of Rapid Fire! designed for Cold war and up to the 80ies). With the more recent RFR rules I intend to mix Able Charlie and RFR with my own ideas about drones, AAWS (Javelin type), stealth aircraft and all the stuff that came in the last decades. Not sure if I will ever make it but, in the mean time I´ll enjoy building and collecting models for this current war. I know this sounds cold hearted but I´m sure that this war will be a major issue in the wargaming communities in the future due to the amount, variety and size of the engagements.  Hopefully this war will finish soon and we can have true historical information about it not corrupted by propaganda from both sides. 

Even if very old material from the 80ies and 90ies is used in this conflict, you need some newer stuff. So lets see what can be done from my point of view. 

The BTR-82A is one of the most seen vehicles from the Russian side in this conflict. At least one infantry company and the support company of each BTG (Battalion Tactical Group) should be equipped with it (or the older BTR-80A or even the basic BTR-80). With a total of around 100 BTGs that means some 1800 vehicles of the kind in this Russian invasion. My idea regarding the Russian army is to build six BTGs (a mixed group of around two battalions worth of tanks, infantry and artillery) with some surplus vehicles (different tank and AFV models) and one full Ukranian Mechanized Brigade, much larger than the Russian BTG (around six battalions). 

A cheap way to do the BTR-82A  is the 4D model ordered from Aliexpress. I ended up with 12 of them and half were converted to the BTR-82A. One went to the reconnaissance infantry company and the plain BTR-80 went to the support company of each BTG. By having six of each you can use also all BTR-82A in the Russian forces (3 BTG) or all BTR-80 in the Luhansk (LPR) or Donetsk (DPR) as I think these last two have older equipment. 

The turret needs a lot of carving and sanding to bring it to shape. Then you can see the kind of material necessary for the gun mount: plastic card and tubes, metal tubes and GreenStuff. In the end you get  a number of cheap and effective BTR-82A. 

Each Russian BTG needs at least a command vehicle. The best idea should be the several variants based on the BTR-80 (the R-149 variants) but I already spent 12 of them as you can see in the previous paragraphs. So I used an older model, still present on the Russian side (maybe only LDR and NLR?) as can be seen from the Oryx site, the R-145 BM1 based on the obsolete BTR-60.  This choice was quite handy as I was thinking to use them for the Angolan Bush Wars but, in the mean time, MiniGeneral also released the BTR-60 making it quite accessible. 

This Fabbri die-cast conversion is pretty straightforward and it can be even simpler if you don't place the communications pole in the upward position, by far the most complicated part of the conversion. As you can see most of the converted parts are made of broom bristles (pink) and plastic or metal rod.  

The rear of the vehicle also needs some mending and two component paste was used for that effect. The communications pole is much longer than this when extended and this solution, even if less accurate, is better for storage. With a Xan Miniatures commander the model is complete. 

Of course better than one are six of the same, one for each BTG, and ready for priming. 

Same idea for the AT company of the BTG. The Russian (and Ukranians) still use this 9K114 Shturm based on the MT-LB. So, six of them came from MiniGeneral and were converted for this version. 

Same materials as before for this conversion, plastic card, two component paste and the toughest Styrofoam you can find. As I told you before the ugly printing lines at the front are gone with two layers of gloss varnish applied in spray. 

All AT companies ready. You can replace these by the 9M123 Khrizantema based on the BMP-3. 

Well, the next ones can´t be scratch built or converted, at least from my level of modelling, and thus the true things had to be bought. This is the Pantsir-S1, one of the latest AA systems of the Russian army. This is an Armory model, made in Ukraine, and nowadays not very easy to find. Its a complex model with some 400 parts made of plastic, resin and PE parts. Even if assembling the thing together took me some three days, after painting, as usual, it becomes a nice model. 

I have another one of this model coming but I hope to find four other different AA models (modernized Shilkas, Tunguskas, Tor, Buk..), preferably die-cast for the rest of the BTG, as this one take lots of time and money!

One of issues with these kind of weapons in the BTG is that some advocates its replacement by HMGs as the Ukranian infantry with ATGW is far more dangerous for the BTG than Ukranian aircraft. 

In these months I also looked for some infantry and found on Ebay several of the Orion modern  Federal Russian infantry, which are obviously becoming harder and harder to find as they are made in Russia. The poses are very good but many of the figures are using berets, caressing dogs and other trivial stuff which are not very "wargaming" poses besides being better for the beginning of the century with the Chechen wars in mind. Of course no sign of the EMR, Barmitsa or Permyachka gear and uniforms which tend to be more relevant in nowadays Russian army, particularly from 2008 on.

The SPG artillery uses the tanker's helmet and these were made in GreenStuff replacing the original beret. 

The 2S19 Msta-S is one of the main SPGs in use. The models are Zvezda, made in Russia, and I hurried in buying them for obvious reasons... 

The model is a beauty, as everything Zvezda does. Together with nowadays Revell, Dragon and ModelCollect, its one of the best model kit brand around. The figures are Orion and Xan miniatures. The Akatsya SPG is still used in big numbers and I hope to find a few of them for the rest of the BTGs, preferably die-cast.

This 2S4 Tyulpan is a repainted fabbri die-cast with another Orion conversion as crew. The one you see is the one caressing a dog but here is somehow helping to place the mortar into position. 

Finally a repainted TOS-1 from Zvezda. My Russian BTGs are now around 100 vehicles with just a hand full of vehicles and all infantry still to be made. Next to start in force are the Ukranians and then a Regiment of Russian VDV. 

Next: maybe a video on the Russians in the current invasion of Ukraine. 

Rapid Fire! in 20mm - a few more vehicles for the (apparently unfinished) Ariete Division

 

On the way to Bir-El-Gobi on the 19th November 19431, and passing Djebel El-Moron-Salvini, the two batteries of Autocannoni su Fiat 634N attached to Ariete are ready to create havoc on the advancing 22nd British Armoured Brigade. To the left you can see the most powerful of the two types, the Autocannone da 102/35 su Fiat 634N and to the right, the 76/30 version.

There are some nice profile and period photos of the 102/35 version which helped to scratch built this one. As you can see from the drawing below from the Online Tank Museum the mudguards were different but very difficult to change on the soft plastic models I used as basis for these two. 

The original Fiat 634N was a bit more than 60cm longer than the Lancias 3RO 100/17 (the IBG models I built last month) so these cheap Chinese Aliexpress models used as a base are bigger and about right (maybe some 4-5mm longer models than they should). 

The Online Tank Museum also provided the basis for this nice camouflage.

The other model is the Autocannone da 76/30 su Fiat 634N for which the same cheap truck was used. There isn´t much information of the real thing, on the contrary of the previous model, but even so the general appearance can be made from the available lousy quality photos available.

Regarding the gun itself, the web gives a much better result with this diagram helping the final layout. 

The crew used on these ones should have been the big Italeri 24mm artillery figures due to the models being a bit longer than they should. Unfortunately I had none of them anymore and had to use Esci conversions (Alpini skiers turned into Black Shirts), Waterloo and StreletsR figures. 

The internal arrangement of the two models was apparently different and mine came out like this. 

The base models are from a very cheap pack from Aliexpress (10 one-piece trucks for a total of some 4 euros!). They are generical WW2 US trucks I presume. You can see to the right the original model and to the left the cut-out model used for these two models. The main changes are to cut out the cabin and the cargo sides and make a new front part of the engine. 

Here you see the different materials used on the 76/30 version: card, EverGreen plastic card, wood and bits of plastic to make the gun. 

The 102/35 version was more complicated as the gun is harder to make, seats are arranged in a different position, side platforms and ground supports due to a heavier gun.

The wheel drive was a monstrous one and drive sprocket of a Tiger tank was used for it after some cuts.  

Finally a family photo of the couple already crewed and ready to be primed. 

Next: frankly I´m around plenty of stuff for the nowadays conflict in Ukraine but I think its of very bad taste to show it now with the events still going on. Lets hope it finishes soon so it can be part of history and we can play with it. 

Rapid Fire! NW Europe 1944-45 in 20mm - German late heavy reconnaissance

In late 1944 a group of wheeled and tracked German vehicles leaves the protection of Reich-Gazprom forest and probes in the open... in danger of finishing its fuel...

I had this group half built/painted for years and finally they are done. 

These two were the first 234/4 I had. They are Matchbox Puma converted into the 234/4 by opening/carving out the turret support area and inserting a 75mm Pak gun from Airfix. The sides shoud have had a small castle around which I didn´t build and instead some two component paste was used in the form of foliage to disguise the missing parts. The gun was placed a bit too forward but more on that later.

I was thinking these would be enough has I had the idea that Germans never managed to gather many of them in the same division. In fact recently I found a list on the web with the reference of all known units to have had 234/4 (Feldgrau page The Sd.Kfz 234 thread, p.11) in which the maximum allotted to any of the units was 6 of them. But the list only mentions 42 of the 89 Sd.Kfz 234/4 built (no track of the other 47 yet)  so there is always the chance of other units being lucky to have had a larger number. 

So one day another 234/4 came to my hands and this time was the old Airfix model with the wrong mud guards. This time I did the opposite of the previous models and placed Matchbox mud guards in the Airfix body. The result was much better than the previous models as the gun is in the correct position and not too forward. Besides, crewed with Skytrex models it became a very reasonable model.

I was thinking that these three would be more than enough...

 

... until Altaya released a few years ago its magnificent die-cast model. So, with 4 models of the 234/4 I just wish one day to find a damn unit with had at least 20 of the real things!

Last month Super Mário Laranja sent me these two marvelous resin printed PzII Ausf, L "Luchs". This is one of the very few WWII German models I still didn´t have and are pretty useful as they can be used in the Eastern Front (4.PD) and Normandy (9.PD). 116.PD is another possibility as I read somewhere. But the two last PDs belonged to the LXVII Pz Korps in Normandy so there may be a confusion here and 116.PD had no Luchs. Well, this is the pleasure about reading about German Panzers in WW2 - you are never certain :) 

Next: maybe another video on another big unit. 

Rapid Fire! Operation Barbarossa and beyond in 20mm - The 1942 Panzers for the first half of the year

Latest batch of German vehicles for the "Panzer Grey" period. The PzIII L are for the first half of the 1942 battles in the eastern front while the PzIIs and PzIVs can be used in 1941 not only in the eastern front but also at the Balkans and Greece.  

Once again, sorry for the paper printed swastikas, but they are only here because they were real in period German tanks.  

This time I asked (politely) to Super Mário Laranja to change its PzIII to the L version. Like this, by mixing these Ls with the G versions, a full 1942 Panzer regiment  can be gathered, at least in terms of the PanzerWaffe's workhorse of the period, the PzIII. So all these PzIIIs are resin printed to high standards. The only thing a bit crude is my own piece of styrene EverGreen glued to the right side in order to have a place to insert the antenna. 

The stowage is a mix of GreenStuff pieces with PSC German Tank stowage. The result is satisfying and I believe that commercially made parts are always better on top of some GreenStuff or similar material, as this last one serves as a bed for the resin, metal or plastic parts, avoiding an awkward placement. 

Also two Armorfast PzIVDs were added. The models are simple and they could have a bit more of details, particularly the abundant tools in the fenders which wouldn't harm the brand for sure. Due to its absence a number of them were scratch built in styrene or GreenStuff. 

Lastly, two PzII Es were added. Old and simple Matchbox models now sold by Revell. Still in need for a few more. I used the markings from Plowman's book 'Axis armor in the Balkans campaign'. 

Next: Maybe a new video but really don´t really know, just want this stupid war to end and be part of history. 

Rapid Fire! Western Desert 1940-43 in 20mm - Ariete Division complete

A strong Italian force leaves Ras-al-MarioDraghi oasis after filling their jerry cans. One more nostalgic post with the Ariete division having its last missing vehicles added. 

All models in this picture are MiniGeneral 3d prints in PLA. I continued to use my now trusty method of two coats of varnish spray before priming in order to disguise most of the printing lines.  

These ones here are not Ariete but from the 12º Autoraggruppamento. The two models to the left are the Lancia 3RO with 100/17 guns and to the right you see a captured Morris with a 65/17 gun. Both models could be used in the AT role, particularly the 100/17 guns which could fire EP and EPS rounds.  Maybe in the future I´ll add another Morris and also one Ford with 20mm Breda AA (when I find one) that also fought with this unit. 

The crew is StreletsR with the usual drivers from converted Esci. 

                    

The 3RO 100/17 models are IBG and are fantastic kits. Unfortunately, from the wargamer point of view, they are another nightmare to build with hundreds of small pieces and PE parts as they are scaled down 1/35th kits. In the end the result is very good but, come on, taking a week to build two models? I should have been suspicious when the kits arrived in boxes where you could place a WW2 bomber!

The last model for the Bersaglieri AA battalion was made using the MiniGeneral model coupled with Waterloo and StreletsR figures. 

Some jerrycans and a Breda 6,5mm were added and later on the crew and some stowage. I´m doing like this because of the two coats of varnish applied on the PLA prints before priming as the varnish may erase details on figures, etc. 

The Saharianna 42 to the right is the last model for my Arditi truck company; the middle model is a L6  ammunition carrier and the one to the right is the Carro Commando M40 for the Semovente batteries. All are MiniGeneral.

This Saharianna got a scratch built Solothurn 20mm AT gun. 

The original model has all hatches closed which is a pity. New hatches were made, Retrokit (?) figures and Breda 6,5mm added as well as a scratch built goniometer. 

Minigeneral Fiat 626 to be used ... everywhere. 

A few more AS37 from MiniGeneral for the Bersaglieri regiment. 

 

This last StreletsR Schneider/Ansaldo 105mm guns completes the Ariete artillery. 

Next: maybe Germans for Barbarossa and beyond.