Smitty's Nam Wargaming site

A good 'Nam wargaming website from one of the regulars at the "Fields of Fire" forums: Smitty
http://smitty14swargamingpage.weebly.com/

'Nam nose Art

on Helicopters - Slicks and Hogs
http://www.vhpamuseum.org/art/art.shtml

Thanks to Smitty at the "Fields of Fire" forums for the link

Charlie is out there...

The NVA just didnt look right without bases and on white paper, so I thought I wuld make them feel more at home... (posed on my new and fantastic Miniature World Maker jungle and paddy terrain)

Test NVA Squad completed

Here are the results of the first NVA rifle squad, completed as a colour test. Undercoated black (spray), drybrush khaki, Vallegio olive green webbing, brown boots, bronzed flesh with GW flesh wash. Rifles done with Ral Partha adobe brown woodwork and gunmetal highlights.

And who could neglect the little red star on the helmets? - it may not be good camo but it sure is good Commie indoctrination!

These are grouped as per Flashpoint Vietnam basing- an RPG group of 4 men, an RPD Group of 4 men and a Squad HQ group of 2 men.

Overall they arent as detailed or as crisp as the USMC figs but overall they are quite OK and relatively easy to paint being on the chunkier side of 15mm. I think some cam foliage on the hats would go along way too
Now to find the time to paint the other 7 Rifle Squads waiting for attention...

Modelling techniques

Some handy modelling articles covering some of the more advanced weathering techniques. I havent used pigments or powders before but they give a great effect

Secrets of Pigments
http://www.missing-lynx.com/rare_world/rw05.htm

Chipped Paint Fever
http://www.missing-lynx.com/rare_world/rw03.htm

Ben Tre

This village was source of one of the most famous quotes of the War on Feb 7 1968 when a US Officer was quoted as saying "'it became necessary to destroy the town to save it"

This and other famous Vietnam quotes are detailed here:
http://www.strike-the-root.com/3/herman/herman10.html

One of my favourite fictional quotes would have to be:

"Charlie didn't get much USO. He was dug in too deep or moving too fast. His idea of great R&R was cold rice and a little rat meat. He had only two ways home: death, or victory."
- Captain Benjamin L. Willard (played by Martin Sheen) in "Apocalypse Now".

Vietnam Air War Links

I dont want to tun this into a Blog filled of Links, but I found these quite useful in doing some research for the fast (and not so fast) movers for my gaming table:

Air Power in Vietnam:
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/vietnam/AP40.htm

Lists of Aircraft Used During the Vietnam War
http://www.farfromglory.com/aircraft.htm

Air War Vietnam

http://www.airwarvietnam.com/

.

Flying Leathernecks - USMC Air Units (Fixed and Rotary Wing)

http://www.flyingleathernecks.org/index.html

.

Air War over French Indochina

http://www.hedgehoghollow.com/awoic/

Brown Water Enterprises

"Dedicated to bringing you the finest online resources for collecting militaria, riverine warfare, military modeling, and full scale military vehicle restorations. Inside you will find detailed information useful to the collector, historian, and military modeler covering subjects from World War II to the Vietnam War."

http://brownwater.net/Index.asp

Excellent Armour tutorial

"Mo" has posted a really good armour tutorial at the FoW forums, with a step-by-step of how he did his Panzer Platoon recently and got fantastic results like this:




See the tutorial here:
http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=126&forumid=10&postid=184284&view=topic

Indochina Links of Interest

French paras:

http://www.parasfrancais.org.uk/indochina/metro/1BPChoc.htm

French COIN Aircraft

http://worldatwar.net/chandelle/v3/v3n1/frcoin.html

French Armour:

http://unabcc.free.fr/

.

Yahoo group on this topic:
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/guerredindochine/
.

French Ground Force Organizational Development for Counterrevolutionary Warfare between 1945 and 1962
http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=A436931&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

HK Indochine gaming

This useful site by the Hong Kong Wargamers Club shows their French Indo-China period gaming.

It includes a version of Crossifre for the period, as well as some interesting articles and BATREPs.

In particular, the pics of their games and terrain setup are great!

http://www.hksw.org/vietnam.htm

Radio Vietnam

More hits of the 'Nam era!

'This station is a dedicated to those who served during and fought in the Vietnam War.

A mix of pop, rock & R&B filled the airwaves in harmony along with a new heavier rock & roll just starting to take off and all sorts of poets protesting. It was the sounds that defined a nation during the Vietnam War. Sound clips from Good Morning Vietnam, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Adrian Cronauer, Presidents Nixon & Johnson speeches as well as AFVN announcements are part of the broadcast.'

http://www.live365.com/stations/wanderlust2k3

Flight of the Intruder

by Stephen Coonts

I just spent the weekend at the coast fishing and reading this book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Obviously feauring A6s, the obligatory F4 Phantoms and my favourite the A-1 Skyraider also make appearances. While there is the necessary romatic interlude which intrudes upon the whole war story (though the descriptions of Olongopo City and its are highly accurate) it is a cracking story.

There is also a movie based on the novel which I've heard is OK, but the decriptions of the raids and the raid planning in the book are fantastic and hard to beat.

...and its added further impetus to my quest to find a 1:100 scale A-6 model for my 'Nam games!

More Terrain

So Happy was I with my recently delivered terrain from Miniature World Maker, that Ive ordered more! 2 more large rice paddy sets (one with a road through it), a smaller paddy piece, and another pair of jungle terrain sections.

If you havent gone there yet, check out MWM: http://www.miniatureworldmaker.com.au/

Speak Vietnamese

Official US Army phrases and terms including pronounciations

http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/vn/vietnam-language-guide.html

I feel so misled my all those Nam movies...no mention of Buku or Di-di-mao here!

Two Ontos join the Platoon

Presenting the two M50 Ontos I have just finished. They are 15mm scale and manufactured by QRF. The models themselves are crisply cast and have nice detail, including different versions of baggage already sculpted on. The model itself comes in 6 pieces - 2 treads, a hull, a turret with 4 barrels and 2 separate (lower) barrels - all of which quickly and easily fit together.

I was quite happy with these vehicle models, though note that these are wargaming vehicles, not diorama modelling vehicles - so the hatches etc don't open and are not posable. My only complaint is the very flexible barrels, but the use of vehicle bases should reduce their handling and bending.

The models were prepared using the same techniques and colours as my recent M48s, though being less rugged than the Main Battle Tanks, I did less weathering to reflect less heavy off-road time. Upon reflection, it would have been easier to fit the turrets after everything had been detailed though. Once again the vehicle bases are by Battlefield Accessories.

As you can see, the Ontos is a very small vehicle (it was designed for airmobile ops and was air-transportable by Chinook) as these comparisons shots with an M-48 show.

Finally here are some shots of a Light Section of M-50 Ontos patrolling through some paddy fields, somewhere in I Corps Area of Operations (Paddy fields and Jungle sections by Miniature World Maker)