11th Armoured Black Bulls for Bolt Action

It's been far to long since our last post so here's a quick one! We were in need of some recon for the Black Bulls so a new Humber scout car and a couple jeeps were the order.

And then some heavy support  from the Engineering Division.

A ton has been happening but life can be relentless! Play table top war games or blog about them? hmmmm....

M3A1 Half Track & M5 Stuart From The Black Bull Division for Bolt Action

Here's a couple additions to our 11th Armoured Division, The Black Bull!!

This M5 Stuart represents a supporting Armoured Recce Regiment to our 23rd Hussars Regiment.

He's part of the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry. The British referred to the M5 as the MVI

The model is from Rubicon and is a swell little kit.

With options for this British MVI Kangaroo recce version with the turret removed and a single 50 cal machine gun added.

This M3A1 Half Track is another support unit from the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars. These guys have been slogging through the mud, the Black Bull is barely visible on the front fender.

They were dispatched to France to serve with the divisional reconnaissance regiment of the 11th Armoured Division after DDay.

Hope to have additional models to post soon!

Have A Great Battle,
The Old Crow

How To: Modular Game Tiles Part 2 (Bolt Action, Warhammer or Hail Ceasar)

AOK, Here we go back onto our Modular Game Tiles. This time we'll get some color and final touches on. Here's what it'll look like when done.

First off was to get things painted. Additional browns and grays were used on the hills and mountains. A light gray was used on the small rocks around the bases of the cliffs.

We added multiple browns to the river edges and decide on the river color. With battles raging, we felt a green and muddy look was better than blue this time. Mix brown with your water color on the edges and any shallows.

Next was to paint all the larger rocks with multiple light browns and grays. We also dry brushed a good deal of the texture in the base paint. Wanting to keep a duller look of war torn ground, we chose not to use normal green flocking. We started with a base green blend of woodland scenic blended turf. Then added a pale green of some finer material, crushed basil leaves and Italian seasoning. This was mixed in the container you see here.

The mixture was applied with watered down PVA glue in patches around the boards. A coarser mix was used in the rocky crevices. It started with less of the blended turf and added coarse turf, parsley flakes and additional Italian seasoning.

The hills configurations allows multiple ways to place them in the tiles. Here they are in a wide view.

Flip them around and here we see a more vertical look. The path still works for vehicles or siege engines.

And, flip them outward and there leaves a narrow escape lane easily defended from the two hills.

Add two river tiles and two blanks, and you are ready to play.

Swap out a blank for a river bend, change your mountains and ready again!

and again....

 again...

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to configure these tiles.

Then you can put them into action!

Give your men a place to get a great view or launch a counter attack.

There you have it, we'd be happy to answer any questions you might have!

Have a Great Battle,
The Old Crow

Cromwell & Firefly From The Black Bull Division for Bolt Action

We have progressed a bit on the Bolt Action tank front. We completed one of out British Cromwells and the Sherman Firefly. Here is the Cromwell, ready for action and given markings for the British 11th Armoured Division, The Black Bull.

Both the Firefly and Cromwell are from the 23rd Hussars, A squadron. You can see the Firefly build here.

These guys have seen action already, now they will look the part. The Firefly has distinguished itself in the current ongoing Tank War.  More battle reports to come.

Have A Great Battle,
The Old Crow

Warlord Games British Sherman Firefly Medium Tank for Bolt Action

The British Sherman Firefly is a variant of the American Sherman equipped with a powerful 17 pounder anti-tank gun. It soon became highly valued as the only British tank capable of defeating the Panther and Tiger tanks it faced in Normandy at standard combat ranges.

In recognition of the threat, German tank and anti-tank gun crews were instructed to attack Fireflies first. Between 2100 and 2200 were manufactured before production wound down in 1945. For World of Tanks fans, the Firefly is a nice tier 6 medium tank.

Like the M18 Hellcat we reviewed a couple months ago, this model from Warlord Games has resin and metal parts, no plastic kit here. The main components, body, tracks and turret, are all resin. The gun barrel, hatches, lights and tow hooks are all metal.

There were plenty of seams and extra flashing on the resin parts which needed a good deal of cutting and sanding. The metal parts were cast better and only required minimal filing. Once all the prep work was completed, assembly was pretty simple.

Here it is primed and ready for painting. The kit comes with an optional commander. Although, you'd need to cut the metal hatch in two and mount it open for him to fit.

Compared with the M4 Sherman plastic kit, the gun size quickly becomes apparent.

Also, the size difference in the models is apparent. The resin Firefly is longer by a good quarter inch or 7mm. Width is slightly different and this becomes less apparent on the tabletop.

Parting shot of the Firefly and its nemesis, the Tiger.

Have A Great Battle,
The Old Crow