WW3 1/300th Harriers

 Back in the 1980s, one of the main types of wargames that was popular with our gaming group in Halifax was modern micro armor.  These were tactical battles, with 1/285 or 1/300 scale vehicles played using the WRG Armored Warfare 1950-1985 rule set. Other sets such as Tac Ops, or OMG were also tried, but we kept going back to the WRG. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, our interest faltered in the period. It was briefly revised in the early 2000s with the arrival of Cold War Commander.

I still maintain my 1980s arsenal and have been thinking about dusting off some troops. recently dug out this unit of British Harrier Jets. The aircraft were purchased from Heroics & Ros over 40 years ago.  They have been mounted on clear plastic stands, glued to LITKO Game Accessories 50mm bases.  The 50mm base was what I finally decided was a perfect size for balance of the models on a tabletop as well as providing protection of the aircraft. I need to figure out what to do with the final appearance of the bases. Any suggestions would be welcomed. The glue that was applied under the stands has maintained it's white appearance. A friend suggested that that effect could represent clouds. 

Recent photo of Harriers being scrambled on the work table.

A Harrier up close onboard HMS Invincible in Halifax Harbour sometime in the 1980s

Some photos of a Cold War Commander game being played in Halifax during the 2008 Christmas holiday season.

Rebasing Micro-Armour Infantry and Heavy Weapon Groups

For years I lead a very active wargaming life playing microarmour. I remember purchasing my first vehicles from Heroics and Ros in the late 1970s for what worked out to about $0.25 CDN per vehicle.

Over time, I played many rule sets but I kept returning to the set that offered the perfect combination of complexity and playability, both for  World War 2 and the Modern Period. I refer to the WRG  Armour and Infantry 1925-1950 (June 1973) and Wargame Rules for Armoured Warfare 1950-1985 (June 1979). This 2^nd rule set replaced the earlier version of the rules which covered to 1975.

My introduction to the revised Modern rules was at a gaming convention held at St Mary's University in Halifax against a team from the Armoured Warfare School based at CFB Gagetown. They taught us civilians a lot that day.

WARGAMES RESEARCH GROUP - Rules Ancient and Modern and other periods in between, a website by Sue Laflin-Barker, provide pdf downloads to these and other out of print WRG rule sets.

My only complaint about these rules was the level they presented the infantry and heavy weapons units. I imagine they are what would be labeled as fire teams. My own interests tend towards a squad level unit, using markers for multiple hits.  In recent years I have tended towards Blitzkrieg Commander for WW2 and Cold War Commander for the modern period. For these rules I looked at rebasing the majority of my 600 infantry as squads on a 40mm x 20mm base and I am very happy with the results. 

WW2 Soviet Hvy MGs

WW2 Soviet AA Gunss

WW2 Soviet Mortars

WW2 Soviet Combat Engineers

WW2 Soviet Anti-Tank Rifle Teams