Bolt Action Ruined House & Craters

Up till now I have shown quite a lot of my American and German infantry forces for Bolt Action, as well as a smattering of vehicles. What I haven't shown so far is some of my scenery items - and I do have quite a bit to show. Anyone who knows me well, will know that I place a great deal of emphasis on my terrain and scenery items. I like nothing better than a fantastic looking gaming board that makes you want to play on it. So, ever since I began my Bolt Action project I have slowly been amassing various scenery and terrain items.
In this post I'll be looking at three separate sets I bought - a ruined a house, a set of bomb craters and some road sections.

I'll start with the ruined house. This is a plastic construction kit produced by Warlord Games specifically for Bolt Action. It comes with its own scenic base to which I have added a few tufts of static grass.

It is a simple rectangular building with a staircase leading to a small landing. The walls are very thick and a selection of sandbags are provided for extra cover on the doors and windows. It is big enough to hold a squad of about ten men.

To the right of my photos is the Warlord Games crater set, which contains six small resin cast craters. I don't think you could play a game set in World War 2 without craters!

Finally, are my modular road sections, which are produced by War World Gaming, a firm I discovered on Amazon UK. The road sections are roughly 8" in length and about 3" wide. They come in straight sections, curved sections and an assortment of junctions. They are textured and ideal for country lanes. The road sections are available in grey (as shown) or dirt brown. I found them very useful and with a few sets I can easily fill my gaming board.

Bolt Action - German Panzer IV Ausf H

The Panzer IV Ausf. G evolved into the Ausf. H with the addition of a slightly improved L/46 75mm high velocity anti-tank gun. The Ausf. H would become the standard German battle tank until the final Ausf. J was developed, but this only had minor changes, such as the improvement of the gearbox and the turret's roof armour. If any tank can claim to be the standard battle tank of the German Army then it is the Panzer IV.

It was not well liked by its crews, who were often veterans and very aware of the tank's drawbacks. They nicknamed it the Sardinebuchse, "Sardine Tin" due to its relative lack of armour.

In Bolt Action, it is classed as a Medium Tank with 1 turret-mounted heavy anti-tank gun with co-axial MMG and 1 forward facing hull mounted MMG.

This Panzer IV has Schurzen Armoured Skirts fitted. These stand-off, thin armoured plates protecting a tank's turret and sides were developed  to act as additional armour against Russian anti-tank rifles. Later they became more widely used and also helped protect a tank against shaped charges by detonating the warhead  before it hit the main armour. If a German tank has Schurzen , then anti-tank rifles and shaped charges such as bazookas, PIATs, etc. never get the +1 penetration bonus for hitting the vehicle in the side.

The Ausf. G, H and J tanks all cause Tiger Fear. Such was the lethal reputation of Tiger tanks, that often Allied troops were spooked by the appearance of any German heavy armour, mistakenly thinking that any Panzer IV was a Tiger waiting in ambush. All enemy units that have line of sight to one or more German vehicles with the Tiger Fear special rule suffer from Tiger Fear. Units suffering from Tiger Fear count as having one extra pin marker on them when taking any order test, except if ordered to Fire against a vehicle causing Tiger Fear.

I decided to give my Panzer IV a mottled green and red-brown camouflage scheme over a sand base coat. It looks quite effective and I'm happy with the results.

This plastic kit is produced by Warlord Games and you have the options of making the Ausf. F, G or H variants. It went together very well and I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to add the Schurzen, which are also optional. Interestingly enough, the points costs for the inexperienced, regular and veteran crews of the Panzer IV Ausf. H are identical to the points costs for the inexperienced, regular and veteran crews of the American M41A1 Sherman 75mm tank, which is what Oddball's tank is that I showed earlier, albeit stripped of its Hollywood extras, i.e. 188 points, 235 points and 282 points respectively. This makes my only two tanks (so far) a good match in theory. I'm keen to try them out in a battle to see who is the better.

Bolt Action - German Medium Mortar Team

The standard German medium mortar of WW2 was the 80mm Granatwerfer 34. It was a very effective and accurate weapon that could provide longer range, on-call support. It had a maximum range of 2,400 metres and could maintain a rate of fire of 15-20 rounds per minute.

 It was carried by its crew in three pieces: base plate, tube and bipod.

As with the medium machine gun team, I have based the figures separately to make it easier for removing casualties. This set is produced by Warlord Games as part of their Bolt Action range and the troops are all Panzer Grenadiers.

Bolt Action - German Medium Machine Gun Team

The Germans were equipped with two excellent machine guns  in the MG34 and the MG42 - known to Allied troops as "Hitler's Buzz Saw" because of its distinctive noise. Unlike other armies, the Germans used the same machine gun both as a squad weapon and as a tripod-mounted support weapon. The tripod mount provided a much more stable firing platform and made it easier to keep up a sustained fire using a belt feed. Therefore, the tripod-mounted machine gun is treated as a medium machine gun, while thee squad weapon is treated as a light machine gun.

The Warlord Games Panzer Grenadier Medium Machine Gun team for use in Bolt Action consists of a gunner, loader and spotter all in prone poses. The  machine gun is mounted on a tripod.

German Medium Machine Gun teams are either regular or veteran troops. The MMG has a range of 36" and because of the "Hitler's Buzz Saw" special rule gets 6 shots per turn instead of 5 shots. It is classed as a Team and Fixed weapon. This is a very powerful support weapon.

Bolt Action - Geman Sniper Teams

During the battle of  Stalingrad, Russian snipers took such a heavy toll upon the beleaguered  Wehrmacht that the Germans began to train and equip their own marksmen to undertake a specialist role as snipers. A variety of rifles were used for sniping including the standard KAR-98K and the semi-automatic Gewehr 43, all fitted with the high quality ZF39 telescopic sight, and equipped with precision-manufactured ammunition.

These four 28mm scale figures are produced by Artizan Designs and are classed as German Late War Snipers. I was a bit surprised that Warlord Games do not make any Panzer Grenadier sniper teams. They do make a Waffen SS sniper team, which could be used but I'll be using those in my SS army. These Artizan Designs figures are perfect for a couple of Panzer Grenadier sniper teams.

In Bolt Action sniper teams usually consist of a sniper and a spotter and these figures represent two snipers and two spotters. I do like them a lot and snipers can be very deadly if used well. These will certainly see action in my Western Europe games of 1944-45.

Bolt Action - German High Command

This set of three 28mm scale German High Command figures is available from Warlord Games as part of their Bolt Action range.

 They are poring over a map spread out on a small table, which is also included in the set.

Although they are shown all grouped together on a single 60mm diameter base on the Warlord Games website I have based them all individually.

These are not named characters but I probably will name them some time soon. As well as using them as possible high ranking leaders (Captain level or higher) for your German forces, they would make for a fine objective, much like the downed RAF pilot I showed recently. An Allied mission could be to capture one or all of them, or perhaps an assassination mission in the style of the Dirty Dozen.

Bolt Action - US Deuce and a Half Trucks

At the same time I made my Oddball's Sherman Tank I made and painted a pair of American 2.5 trucks made by Warlord Games.

Like Oddball's Sherman these are a combination of resin and metal parts. The cab, main body and tarpaulin cover are made of resin and the rest of metal.

Sometimes referred to as the "deuce and a half" the 2.5 ton truck was the standard US general purpose army cargo truck used for haulage as well as troop transportation and as a prime mover for howitzers and anti-tank guns. Nicknamed "Jimmy" at General Motors, over 800,000 were built and these vehicles contributed enormously to the Allied victory.

 The model comes with an option for having a pintle mounted HMG with 360 degree arc of fire for +25 points. I have fitted one to the truck to the right.

 Note that the cab and front engine part must be glued to the main body.

 You could leave the tarpaulin covers off or just clipped on. I have glued mine in place.

These are very fine models and useful in games of Bolt Action for transporting your American forces. It can transport 18 men, which is a lot. They went together very well and were fun to paint.

Bolt Action - Oddball's Sherman Tank

I have spent a lot of my time these past couple of months making and painting infantry figures to use in my Bolt Action games. The time felt right to start work on some vehicles. So, my first choice of vehicle to make and paint was Oddball's Sherman Tank from the excellent movie, Kelly's Heroes.

The tank is produced by Warlord Games as part of the official Bolt Action range and comes with a booklet giving its stats for use in the game. Stats are provided for a realistic version as well as the Hollywood version, which is so over the top.

The main body, turret and tracks are made of resin and all of the other parts are made of metal. As you can see, it comes with four figures - Sergeant Oddball sitting in the turret, Turk sitting on the turret, Private Moriarty the loader in the hull and the unnamed driver sitting next to him.

I have glued all the figures in place. Note the loudspeaker at the right side of the turret. At the end of each turn, Oddball's Sherman and any other Sherman within 12" loses D3 pin markers, such is the soothing power of Hank Williams.

There is a 90mm drainage pipe sitting next to the turret. If placed over the main gun barrel any enemy vehicle which can trace line of sight to the drainage tube must pass an order test to  activate, even if it does not have any pin markers. The Sherman's crew are immune to Tiger Fear because 90mm is greater than 88mm.

The Sherman is festooned with all sorts of gear, such as backpacks, jerry cans, crates and sacks. Who knows what loot they may contain?

The engine has been replaced by Moriarty's Detroit Motors engine, which allows the tank to move at wheeled speed instead of tracked speed. It also has the option of firing paint ammunition, which may be fired intentionally or by accident.
Oddball's Sherman is a great model, full of character and humour. As my only Sherman tank so far I'll be using it as a veteran Sherman tank using the standard rules. I'll use the Hollywood version rules in a special Kelly's Heroes scenario.

Bolt Action - US G.I. Squad 01

When I was putting together my Easy Company figures I purchased a few sets of American G.I.s from Artizan Designs. With the figures I had left over (they come in packs of four figures) I had enough to make up a single squad of infantrymen to use in Bolt Action. Here they are -

The section is led by a corporal at the far left. He is  armed with a Carbine. These are all regular Late War infantrymen.

Three of the squad are armed with .45 Thompson SMGs. Whilst not strictly legal rules-wise I am including them anyway. At the far right is the squad's Browning Automatic Rifle user.

 The remaining five men are all armed with M1 Garand Rifles.

I like this range a lot because the figures are very well sculpted in a variety of realistic poses. They certainly complement the Warlord Games plastic American Infantrymen very well. I have a box of 30 of them to make and they're high on my to do list.I am now expanding my American army to include airborne troops and regular G.I.s.

Bolt Action US GI Easy Company

Easy Company of the American World War 2 General Infantry was the unit that Sergeant Franklin John Rock served in and in this post I'm going to highlight him and his squads of men. Sergeant Rock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Sgt. Rock first appeared in Our Army at War #83 (June 1959), and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. The character is a World War 2 veteran who served as an infantry non-commissioned officer. During World War 2, Sgt. Rock fought in the infantry branch of the U.S. Army in the Italian and European Theatres and eventually rose to authority within his unit, Easy Company. The unit was a collection of disparate individuals who managed to participate in every major action in the European war. Rock's dog-tag number was 409966, which had been, it was claimed, Robert Kanigher's own military serial number.

At the far left is the Warlord Games figure of Sgt. Rock. Being ambidextrous, he is shown holding a .45 Thompson Sub-Machine Gun in both hands. Naturally his uniform is torn because he is always in the thick of any action. There were a number of figures I could have used for Sgt. Rock but this is the one I liked best of all.
Next to him is Corporal Horace "Bulldozer" Nicholls, Rock's second-in-command. Big as an ox with a heart to match, he's had the closest relationship with the Sarge and calls the shots whenever Rock is out of action. His figure is a Heroclix version of Sgt. Rock but because of his size and physique he is a perfect version of "Bulldozer".

Ex-heavyweight champion Jackie Johnson is a private in Easy Company's roster. He was a Heroclix unnamed G.I. who I thought was a good match for Private Johnson.
Last in line is the fourth figure to be armed with a Thompson SMG, Worry Wart, who is convinced that every enemy bullet has his name on it. He is an unconverted Artizan Designs American infantryman with SMG.

Moving on, at the far left is Harold Shapiro, a mild-mannered history teacher who becomes "Wildman" when pushed too far. He was a Heroclix G.I. Medic whom I converted by adding his distinctive red beard and moustache and losing his medic markings.
"Four Eyes" is so nicknamed because he wears glasses. His figure was another Heroclix version of Sgt. Rock, which, in my opinion, was too static for an a iconic action hero but perfect for "Four Eyes". I added his glasses, backpack and assorted pouches.

Third in line is Private Terry O'Riley who hated the heat but became the perfect "Ice Cream Soldier" when the weather was freezing. A native of the hard-scrabble New York City streets, he's the company's wise guy. He is an unconverted Artizan Designs American Infantryman with Rifle.
Kneeling down is "Farmer Boy" who refused to let the war stop him from doing what he was born to do - grow crops. He is a Warlord Games plastic US Infantryman depicted growing a flower in his helmet, which he has adapted to be a flower pot.

These next four figures are all produced by Artizan Designs from their WW2 American Infantry range. At the far left is "Sunny" so called because of his ever cheerful disposition. He is the spotter for the team's sniper, "Little Sure Shot".
"Little Sure Shot" is a full-blooded Apache Indian tracker and is regularly Easy Company's point man. He is an expert marksman and what he lacks in size he makes up for with stealth, speed, accuracy and cold blooded efficiency. I added his trademark feathers to his helmet out of Milliput.

The bazooka team is made up of Short Round the loader and Long Round the bazooka firer. They replaced Zack, the one-armed bazooka operator who was killed in action.
Sadly, there are no rules for using Easy Company in Bolt Action. However, I would definitely class them all as veterans and I would give them the Stubborn and Tough Fighters special rules.

Vampifans Views 124 - Monthly Musings 94

I have had yet another incredibly prolific month painting and model making. But first, I present another portrait of Vampirella as painted by Jim Silke. It certainly shows her in a playful and naughty mood. It does not offend me as I really like this picture. It does show just how skimpy Vampirella's costume is.

I mentioned above that I have been doing a lot of model making this past month. For Bolt Action I have made my first vehicles - two "Deuce and a Half" trucks for my American forces and Oddball's M4A3 Sherman tank. I have just about finished painting them so expect reviews of them very soon. Once they are finished I plan on making three German Hanomag Sdkfz 251 half tracks. These are plastic models. The two "Deuce and a Half" trucks and Oddball's Sherman were part resin and part metal, so were very quick to assemble. I thoroughly enjoyed making them as I very rarely make vehicles.

I was especially pleased to finish painting the last of my Core Space Trader crews. Expect a Core Space batrep very soon. I am still painting lots of figures for my Bolt Action project. I finished painting two American G.I. squads, one of which was led by Sergeant Rock and features about a dozen named characters, which I'll be showing very soon. I am currently painting some German specialist teams - a medium machine gun team, a medium mortar team, two sniper teams and a high command squad. They should get finished in the next couple of days. I am trying to get as many Bolt Action figures painted during November because of the following.

Warlord Games will be releasing the new Judge Dredd skirmish game in late-November, just in time for my birthday. Because I want everything to do with this game I have pre-ordered the Mega One Launch offer package, which features everything available from the first wave. At £230.00 it is definitely expensive but it is cheaper buying everything in one go than in buying the components individually. My favourite figure out of this launch is Judge Dredd on the Mk.III Lawmaster bike - a quite exceptional sculpt. The timing of this launch is perfect for me as I am very close to starting my Judge Dredd Role Playing Game campaign on my WOIN blog. I am more interested in collecting the figures than in playing the game, which is based on the Strontium Dogs rules. That's not to say I won't play the game but how often will be determined after I read the rulebook.

With me spending so much pre-ordering the Judge Dredd Mega One pledge I was hoping not to spend any more money on gaming items but lo and behold I spot this item to the left here on Blaxkleric's blog and knew I had to have it. This is Zombicide 2nd Edition, which has upgraded the rules for easier play and what I found most exciting, offers the Zombicide Role-Playing Book. That is something I am very keen to play. The new figures are a vast improvement over the ones in the original Zombicide boxed set. I was pleased to see that the original six survivors are still present with stunning new sculpts. In addition, I have also ordered the Washington ZC expansion supplement in which the survivors get the chance to meet the president of the USA. This is a Kickstarter game so won't be released until November 2020 barring any delays. I'm patient, so I don't mind waiting. Once again, I want everything that is available for this game so I have gone for the All Out pledge for £141.00. Given the huge amount of free stretch goals you get this is really good value for money. On the down side I am going to have loads of zombies to paint as well as a large amount of survivors. Ah, well, it'll keep me busy! Also, the figures and tiles from the previous contemporary Zombicide sets can be used with 2nd edition.

Yesterday I received the Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter boardgame by Osprey Games. This is based on  the Helter Skelter story from 2000 AD comics #1250-1261 written by Garth Ennis. Martin Wallace is at the helm once again here, bringing his Wildlands format to the tabletop but with a Judge Dredd spin. This miniatures board game has you playing as unique and iconic characters from the worlds of 2000 AD like Judge Dredd, Slaine, Nikolai Dante and Strontium Dogs as you rush around Mega-City One trying to find aspects of their shattered universe and of course crushing, blowing up, and shooting anyone who gets in their way. The game comes with 20 superbly sculpted 28mm scale plastic figures - five unique characters from each of the four factions. All of them are ink-washed in order to bring out the detail in the figures which means that you don't need to go that extra step to pretty them up if you don't want to! I have played the game once and absolutely loved it. The Strontium Dogs defeated the Judges in a very closely fought fight. I bought it primarily for the figures but the gameplay has really won me over and I want to play it again and again. The production values of this game is excellent and I have no criticisms to make. A review of the figures will appear in my next post. It has a RRP of £60.00. Amazon UK has it for sale at only £39.00, which is an absolute bargain.

Bolt Action Sgt. Steiner's Recce Squad

I vividly remember the first time I watched Sam Peckinpah's iconic WW2 film, Cross of Iron at the cinema in the 1970's and was just blown away by it. It certainly left a deep and lasting impression on me as it was unlike any other war film I'd seen with it's gritty, very bloody battle scenes and most unusually, it featured the Germans as the "good guys" fighting the Russians. I have since acquired it on Blu-ray and it still packs a hell off a punch.
There are a small number of companies who make Sergeant Steiner (played by James Coburn) 28mm scale figures but the set I liked the most is this one below by First Corps Miniatures. Not only does it feature Steiner but also six of his squad, all of whom are recognisable as the characters they play in the film. For Bolt Action purposes I have split the figures into a five-man veteran Panzer Grenadier squad, all armed with sub-machine guns and a veteran two-man Sniper team.

So, from left to right we have Sergeant Steiner, Private Anselm, Private Maas, Private Schnurbbert and Private Kern.

Note that Steiner has replaced his MP40 SMG with a Russian PPSH SMG. Private Anselm is the radio operator, Maas is the squad's cook, Schnurbbert is nicknamed "Moustache" for obvious reasons and Kern is a bookworm and intellectual.

The Sniper team is made up of Corporal Kruger, the spotter armed with a KAR 98 Bolt Action Rifle and Private Dietz the sniper, whose KAR 98 is fitted with telescopic sights. Both men have stick grenades tucked into their right boots and Kruger has a Walther P38 Pistol tucked into the back of his belt.

As a bonus, you got an MP40 SMG resting against a tree stump. I added a KAR98 Rifle and a Panzerfaust to it to make a small ammo dump objective.
These figures have a lot chunkier feel to them than those by other companies like Artisan or Warlord Games but I have no problem in wanting to add them to my Bolt Action German army.

Bolt Action Panzer Grenadiers Infantry 02

My first German Panzer Grenadier squad that I showed last month were all metal figures. This second squad that I'm showing here were made from the plastic sprues by Warlord Games.

This ten-man squad is led by an NCO at the far left, holding a pair of binoculars and a map in his hands. His STG44 Assault Rifle is slung across his back. 

With him are five men armed with STG44 Assault Rifles. Four are shown in the two photos above and the remaining one, throwing a stick grenade, is in the two photos below at the far left.

To maximise the squad's firepower I have included two LMG teams. Veteran Panzer Grenadier squads are one of the very few squads that are allowed to take two LMG teams. With the Hitler's Buzzsaw army rule, the two LMGs have 10 fire dice and the six Assault Rifles gives the squad a further 12 fire dice for a total of 22 dice to hit using ranged attacks. That's a scary amount of firepower from just ten men!

Note that the dark green tubes carried on the backs of the two machine gunners and their loaders contain spare barrels for the MG42s, which were prone to overheating.
These figures went together very well and they come with a very good selection of weapons and equipment. I can highly recommend them. I am not a big fan of prone figures so I was pleased to see no prone figures in this set.