F-4D Skyray

Remember the Partizan plane purchase?  Thought you'd seen it all?  Alas, there is plenty still to come!
Introduced in 1956, this unusual looking beast served the USN and USMC until only 1964.

I think this is the old Airfix kit.  It's clean design means that there was very little to break - even the undercart is still intact!

USS Intrepid & USS Growler

While in NYC in December we visited the USS Intrepid - a carrier - and it's smaller chum the submarine USS Growler.  You may also want to look again at Martin Rapier's post from November 2019 here.  I have more photos somewhere - I'll post 'em when they show up.

Luckily the Intrepid is decommissioned - as the bloke in charge looks like a bungling oaf!

On the hangar deck there is a nice model of the Intrepid - on closer inspection it turned out to be Lego!

Unusually (for a US carrier) the flight deck hosts a pair of MIGs  A 15 (above) and 21.

You can't go wrong with a Skyhawk.

Neatly folded Corsair

H-25 Army Mule helicopter

F-4J Fury, the navalised version of the F-86 Sabre

After a canter round the Intrepid it was off next door to the entertainingly named Growler.  Launched in 1958, this was the US Navy's first missile sub.  Think of it as basically a WW2 boat with a deck hangar holding four missiles.

Ah, the missiles.  Think V-1 with an ego.  I pity the poor buggers who had to fool around on deck preparing the things to launch.

Berezina 1812 part 3 - Finishing the French

As the casualties mount up the remnants of the Grand Armee trudge wearily westward.

These Bavarians were thinking wistfully of home.

Some of the French huddle behind a wrecked wagon as the Russians closed in. Cossacks from the rear....

...and infantry from the front.  More of this in a bit.

The overall look by now was one of carnage.

The French rearguard were eventually overcome by the Russians.

Remember the French infantry cowering behind the wagons?  As the Russian infantry charged the French were helpfully struck by artillery.  French artillery, that is....

The end - and probably the enduring image of the game - Cossacks plundering another wagon. Only one wagon escaped!

Berezina 1812 part 2 - Fighting the French

Back in the frozen wastes of Holy Russia, the French infantry battalion skulking in this ruined monastery is losing men to desertion. The chaps who run off into the snow and don’t freeze fall victim to either wolves or Cossacks. In as far as there’s a difference...

Speaking of Cossacks, here come more of ‘em!

An unhappy juxtaposition of 1/32 figures and 1/1 feet!

The Cossacks had plenty of opportunity to plunder undefended wagons.

Helpfully, they also overran a French battery in the village.

The sight of frozen French deserters in the snow was particularly poignant.

Ian’s bit of the Russian steamroller grinds forward.

For artillery fire we used polystyrene ‘cannon balls’ fired from Britains cannon. Entertainingly, an enterprising Russian musketeer skewered one on his bayonet. Tough lot, these Russians!  Mike  - he of Black Hat figures - fired the shot in question and poses here proudly with the result of his marksmanship.

Coming soon - part the last.