The Other Partizan - 5 September 2010

I attended Partizan on Sunday in my Wargame Developments capacity.  This is always a pleasant day out, not least because it is only a half hour drive from home.

This was the final scheduled outing of 'The End' - our players included Phil Steele and I refer you to his blog entry at http://pbeyecandy.wordpress.com/     With his Fuhrer complex in full chat, Phil made short work of the Allies and preserved several acres of the sacred soil of the Reich.

When I arrived at the show, a couple of friends mentioned my appearance in a recent magazine.  Never having met William Hague I was at a loss to think what they meant until Duncan Macfarlane showed me his copy of the current (No 23) issue of Battlegames.  This includes a report by Paddy Griffith of his Operation Weserubung - The invasion of Norway game which took place at IWM Duxford back in May.  A photo on page 13 shows me (I was the Political Umpire) in the company of the Norwegian player team waving a Norwegian flag.

Purchases at the show included two books.  The operation Starlite book was a no-brainer as I ran a game based on this scenario a few years ago.  I'm not sure if I took any photos at the time but I'll have a look. 

The second book is clearly related and may generate more scenarios for games.  Not bad for £5 each!

The Op Starlite game required the use of some models I didn't at the time own, so I had LVTP-7 models standing in for LVTP-5s and helicopters rather garishly painted instead of in plain drab.  Most challenging though was the need for two Ontos models.  I know that GHQ makes the model now (I have some as yet unassembled) but no 'off the shelf' option was then available.  Mine were made from a cut-down M-114 (I think) hull with the RCL barrels made from lengths of 25mm scale spears.  Here (in a hastily posed photo) we see an Ontos platoon safely ashore in company with a Marine tank platoon and a battalion HQ.  M48A3 and figures are Heroics & Ros, Jeeps are GHQ)

The full horror in close up.  I know it's vastly overscale but it looked the part.

I had looked earlier in the day at the new 20mm WW2 Russians from Plastic Soldier.  While they were very nice I managed to resist - I already own an undisclosed quantity of Soviet Rifle Corps (organised and based for Megablitz).  Indeed, I have just finished painting the infantry for another one. 
Metal figures from various manufacturers.

In the afternoon, however, I succumbed to the temptation.  The blame must lie with Chris Ager and Phil Steele for failing to talk me out of it!  A quick calculation revealed that the 57 figures in the box were about right for another two Rifle Corps. 

Further careful application of wargamer's logic (spend a further £20 to justify the original £10...) led me back to another trade stand I'd looked at earlier.  I had spotted a number of new (to me at least) 20mm plastic kits but resisted on my earlier visit because they were - you guessed it - more bloody Russians!  Still, having bought the figures the floodgates were now open.  Next in the shopping bag was a box of Italeri guns.  I had bought and built (but not yet painted) the Italeri model of the Italian 90mm AA gun last year and been mighty impressed with the gun and even more so with the crew figures.  This new kit was all the more appealing for the gun (there are two in the box) being the widely used 76mm ZIS-3 - liable to appear (in the land of Megablitz) as part of Corps artillery, AT Brigades or Artillery Divisions.   I note that the crews are described on the box as 'servants' - very pre-revolutionary!

To tow the guns I clearly needed some lorries (you can never have too many) and as I have relatively little lend-lease transport in my Soviet 'army' (actually I think It's probably at least one Front) I treated myself to these little beauties.

Finally, I am completely unable to justify the purchase of more Soviet armoured cars.  Maybe it was the outlandish box art which clinched the deal?

I suppose I'd better get painting.