If the prospect of a frontal assault by 250 veteran SS Troops wasn’t troubling enough the defenders of Schloss Itter witnessed the ominous sight of various artillery pieces arriving and being readied for attack. One of those pieces was the ubiquitous Pak 40. This 75mm calibre Anti-Tank gun was capable of punching a hole through most allied armour and would certainly have wrought considerable damage on the castle.
This particular piece is made in hard plastic by 'Rubicon Models' and proved to be a delightfully simple kit to put together. Not too many parts but a host of additional extras including ammunition boxes, spent shells and a crew, although these look a little static and lacking some of the dynamic quality of modern wargames miniatures. I have really taken a fancy to the Rubicon model kits, they are carefully considered and often have a variety of options when it comes to construction.
Given the vulnerability of bricks and mortar to high explosive shells, the arrival of such a formidable weapon would surely hasten the eventual fall of the castle. To try and give a feeling of how this might be realised in the game, we plan to have several artillery pieces situated in the terrain referred to a ‘Special Items’. They can be crewed and fired, but are fixed in location. To crew a special item you must have a unit of at least 3 miniatures in base contact with it; shaken units cannot crew special items. Once crewed the unit uses actions to fire and reload as normal. Similarly to disembark from a special item, the unit uses another action.
Because we are essentially retelling the story of the battle we felt that it was important that the relevant artillery pieces were there as described by first hand accounts, but also mindful that they could prove too much of an advantage to the attackers if not considered carefully. By fixing their location we are inviting players to run the gauntlet of the defenders’ fire in order to crew a game changing weapon.
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Lovely stuff, Michael, absolutely wonderful big gun :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Simon.
DeleteFantastic looking mini diorama Michael, all the extra details on the base really add to the story and brilliantly painted as well
ReplyDeleteThank you Dave, I did get a bit carried away, but pretty pleased with how it turned out.
DeleteLooks fantastic on the base, with all the scenery. Top marks ol' chap!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ray, really a lovely kit to work with.
DeleteThat looks lovely Micheal! Really like all the extra base work.
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Thank you so much Christopher, given that it is a static piece, I was happy to add a few more bits and pieces.
DeleteLovely model and great idea for how to use them in your game :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Tamsin, hoping the lure of the artillery pieces will draw the attackers out more quickly.
DeleteGreat looking gun, Michael. Lovely camo work - I need to try out Rubicon models - they look well-sculpted/crisp.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dean. They strike me as good value. Some of the pieces look a little delicate, but they are certainly well considered.
DeleteA neat little piece.
ReplyDeleteThank you A.J.
DeleteSuperb looking piece of kit. Looks like I should have a closer look at those guns myself too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nick, I really like them but I don't have a huge knowledge of this area.
DeleteThat's really great work!
ReplyDeleteWhile the gun is a very nice model indeed, I really appreciate you sharing your inner game workings of the piece, thanks heaps!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sander, hoping to get some play testing in before too long so hope it works. :)
DeleteA fab bit of work.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Frank.
DeleteMore excellent work Mr Awdry! Perhaps having a certain die roll have the guns "out of Ammo" will prevent undue carnage on the Schloss! Causing the attackers to continue their assault.
ReplyDeleteThank you Terry and I really like that idea! I might incorporate it for use with the 88.
DeleteNice looking piece Michael but I like how you are thinking about incorporating it into the game scenario.
ReplyDeleteThank you, it is all a bit of an unknown quantity, but hopefully we can iron out any creases during play testing.
DeleteSmall, but beautifully formed and the 'extras'arewell worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThank you Joe, I am a sucker for a few extras, anything to litter the battlefield. ;)
DeleteHoly smokes, does that ever look sharp. I love the shells on the base!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Greg, the extra bits and pieces really help to lift the kit in my humble opinion.
DeleteThat’s a sweet looking piece! I’m a fan of the gameplay consideration making them static too, should make for a good game!
ReplyDeleteThank you, the little extras really lifted this kit.
DeleteAn awesome looking base you build for the artillery piece. Beautifully done mate, I love it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, I loved tinkering around with this kit.
DeleteVery nice and it looks like a good kit. I must agree that the Rubicon figures are not great but their vehicles and artillery pieces seem to be about as good as it gets in 1/56 scale.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kym. The figures are a little strange, possible because Rubicon are trying to straddle the wargames and model kit markets? It's a small gripe and given how we were planning on using them, not a problem.
DeleteA creative and magnificient work my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Phil, that is very kind.
DeleteDetails like the open ammo boxes and shells strewn about really make the whole piece look great!
ReplyDelete