Brown Water Navy unboxing and assembly

At the Sheffield Triples show at the weekend I was able to pick up both the Kelley's Heroes and Patrol Boats set from Battlefront, for their recently released Brown Water Navy expansion for Flames of War Vietnam.

The standard small box packaging from Battlefront for the PBRs. The boats in Kelley's Heroes came in lots of bubble wrap instead

The contents of the PBR box set

And 5 minutes of assembly later I have two PBRs. I have not glued down the deck turret or the crewman at the rear for easier painting

Recesses have been made in the hull and turret for magnets, but no magnets are in the box, luckily I have lots of appropriate magnets, but its a shame they weren't included

Onto the bigger boats, this is the ASPB (VUSBX15 according to the bubblewrap)

Again, this was very easy to assemble

And there is a recess for a magnet for both turrets

The parts of the ATC(H), which includes an extra turret for the optional grenade launcher

This decal sheet is included with each of the boats and in the PBR box. Obviously set up for the 9rh River Assault Squadron, but it could be cut up and redone for other units.

The assembled ATC(H)

The monitor in the box includes parts to make all three variants (Monitor, CCB Monitor and Zippo Monitor), but the parts to make the ATC(H) as a standard ATC are not in the army box

A size comparison of Brown Water Navy boats, smallest to largest

I really like these boat models, and my only criticism is that they aren't cheap. I don't doubt their value in terms of the amount of resin I am getting for my money, but I wonder how much table time I will dedicate to messing about on the river in boats.

It is also a little frustrating that the boats will not be available outside of the Kelley's Heroes box until sometime in June, as will the river mat set, I suppose it gives me some time to get them painted.

The painting guide in Brown Water Navy suggest the new Heer Green paint from the (also unavailable currently) Colours of War range, to which Vallejo's German Camo Dark Green is apparently the closest match, so hopefully a follow up post with some painted boats will be forthcoming.

Vietnam: Contact! Contact!

Got another chance to face Mick and his PAVN forces after our game at Christmas. This time it was a Thursday night at BF HQ, and the scenario was Contact! Contact!

I also changed my list to remove the M113s, and add in off table artillery:

Fearless    Veteran	Rifle Company (Aus)	ANZAC Vietnam
Infantry Company

Platoon	Qty	Unit	Points
Headquarters
Rifle Company HQ (Aus)  p.65	2 1	Cmd M16 Rifle team Medic team	65
Combat Platoons
Rifle Platoon (Aus)  p.65	1 6	Cmd SLR team SLR team	260
Rifle Platoon (Aus)  p.65	1 6	Cmd SLR team SLR team	260
Weapons Platoons
Anti-tank Platoon (Aus)  p.66	1 6	Cmd M16 Rifle team M67 90mm recoilless gun	285
Support Platoon
Assault Helicopter Platoon  Confident  Trained Allied Platoon  p.51	3	UH-1D Slick	80
Aeroweapons Platoon (25th)  Fearless  Trained Allied Platoon  p.19	2	UH-1B Hog	160
Field Artillery Battery  Confident  Trained Allied Platoon  p.49	1 1 3	Cmd M16 Rifle team Staff team M114A1 155mm howitzer	140
Company Points:			1250

www.EasyArmy.com

Source document: Tour of Duty Book

At some point I would like to find a way to do the list with 2 patrols of M113s instead of the Helicopters.

Mick working out how many shots he would get from his Ambuscade

This was also an opportunity to use the new Paddy Fields and Vietnamese Huts I received for Christmas.

Multiplayer Vietnam game at Sanctuary Gaming Centre

Whilst the four of us were at Sanctuary Gaming Centre after Christmas, Owen, Mick, Phil and I got in a multiplayer Flames of War Vietnam game in. The scenario was simple enough, ANZAC forces billeted in a local village come under attack from the PAVN, and a Cavalry Troop is dispatched to relieve them. As long as they can get up the treacherous road of course....

(We played the Elephant Grass as knee high, so the infantry would be concealed)

An ANZAC force resting in a sleepy little village in the middle of nowhere...

... and the Cavalry sent to save them

A PAVN company appears out of the tree line to surround the village.

Add the M113s have driven straight into a minefield

A second PAVN company appears, and is harassed by a pair of Huey Hogs

The command tries to get his reinforcements to land inside the perimeter of the village, not an easy task

The M113s get themselves some Helicopter support to try and escort them down the road

The Hogs take a heavy toll on the PAVN south of the village

Whilst a full company of PAVN attempt a frontal assault on the ANZAC perimeter

AA guns reveal themselves, hidden in the paddy fields, to give the helicopter pilots a bad day

The M113s get going again

But one of them was destroyed by the minefields

The Hogs guarding the Cavalry patrol are called up to the village for much needed fire support

The Hogs are seen off by the AA

Meanwhile the other platoon of Hogs takes its toll on the infantry assaulting the village

Then relocate to try and fend off another attack on the village from the other direction

A Medivac slick is called in to deal with the mounting casualties inside the perimeter, and more troops are called in by helicopter

With no Helicopters left to harass them, a third attack is opened up on the village

Whilst the M113s drive into both another minefield and an ambush, they are massively outnumbered

With Recoiless Rifles hidden at the end of the road taking their toll

These RcLs were then taken out in swift retribution by a pair of Hogs

With the relief force destroyed, the ANZACs in the village were holding out, destroying the bulk of the forces facing them in the village, but they would not be able to hold out forever.

We ended the game here, as we were out of time, but multiplayer games, and large tables seem to suit Vietnam quite well, given the mobile nature of the forces involved. Definitely something we will be coming back to.

Reluctant Conscripts will be running 'Storm Over Saigon', a Flames of War Vietnam campaign weekend Tommy has been planning out this summer, and I am hoping to get some Americans assembled for a 7th Cavalry force in time for that.

Vietnam: Search and Destroy

After Christmas, Mick, Phil, Owen and I all went up to Sanctuary Gaming Centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield, for some Flames of War Vietnam games. Owen played Phil, and I played Mick. We both played the same scenario, 'Search and Destroy', and the elephant grass roll was a 6, so limited visibility all round.

The tables, with my ANZACs deployed in the foreground.

Premium Building Re-paints

In my previous post I showed off my new shiny Premium Subscription Buildings from Battlefront. Unfortunately the painting wasn't up to their usual standard.

Good news, Battlefront contacted it's customers, if we returned the buildings, they would repaint them personally, and we would all get a blister pack for the inconvenience.

Now for a sense of deja vu, lets open this box:

Conflict Central - Day Two - Vietnam Multiplayer Scenario

Day Two was a bit different, a multiplayer scenario game. Owen, Dan and Will were joined by Matt Sulley who had to work on Day One, whilst Mike Hummel, Bob Davies and myself led the Free World Forces. Nobby officiated.

The ANZACs held a forward Firebase, with the Americans holding a rear Firebase, where the helicopters were located. Additionally, an ANZAC patrol were housed in a village about half way between the two, and with monsoon rains coming down, no helicopters were flying. And it is night time...

The rear Firebase with all those grounded choppers

Conflict Central - FOW Vietnam Tournament

This past weekend, Nobby put on Conflict Central, a Mid War and Vietnam tournament. Only 6 players turned out for Vietnam, which gave us a three round tournament on Saturday and a multiplayer scenario game on Sunday.

Owen and I went down to represent Reluctant Conscripts, with his PAVN and my ANZACs.

The ICON Centre, Daventry