Hoth's Corner

[pmskaar]

Great looking stuff, Hoth! Will you be doing any potential adversaries such as China? I am looking forward to seeing more.

[Hoth_902]

Thanks Pete, appreciate the feedback. As for enemy forces, I think some Chinese combatants are in my future. Need a few more Japanese kit first, but yes on Chinese.

[redleg]

Fantastic work Hoth! I love them! We don't see much Japanese equipment. Keep the pics coming!

[chrisswim]

Hoth, very nice work painting those. Your detail … on the inside of the tracks from the top is awesome.
I like the look of the MCV Type 16.
I put some black on my Japanese, I knew I was violating Japanese Military code.
Well done.

[Hoth_902]

Thanks Chris and Redleg, appreciate the feedback.

Chris,
I am really diggin the Type 10 MCV. I think wheeled guns have a place, but are not definitely universal when it comes to different types of terrain and weather conditions. I have been thinking for a while to actual buy units for the RPNW, to game with at some point. I might start with a company of Type 16s. In my alternate universe, the US kit would be short lived and would need to more reliable nation of origin to buy equipment from. Korea and Japan would be the logical choice... But that is a story for a different thread. Thanks for noticing the detail between the road wheels on the treads.. I try.

Redleg,
I do plan more Japanese kit and some other rarely seen pieces on the forum. I have a bunch of stuff still waiting to be worked on and showcased... Finally starting to make some progress. The initial 5 type 10s and the 10 type 89s had sat in a storage box for several years before I even considered painting them. Now i need to get the detail work done and get them sealed before the acrylic rubs off..

[panzergator]

When I look outside the US for equipment... My MBT70 brigade (2 battalions MBT70, 1battalion YPR765, 1 battalion Marder); always liked Marder.

Currently, Merkava IV tank, Eitan for wheeled APC (again, not air-transportable, but better armor).

Concerns for Japanese equipment would mainly be ergonomics. At 6ft, I don't fit very well in some of the cars and it seems they have stones for seats (I have a Lexus RX350, sooo... I prefer my old Buick Lucerne in terms of comfort, responsive power, maneuvering, gas mileage for a trip). Limited numbers may affect parts availability. The tanks look good, but are thin-skinned. Like the wheeled tank destroyer - bigger wheels help, prefer 120mm. K2 is great, but will your tankers fit in them? One of the K2's advantages is the design for the generally smaller stature of its crewmen.

Swedish CV90 versions, CV9030, CV9040, and CV90120.

British Challenger III is much more favorable now that it fires NATO 120mm.

I'm sure others will disagree.

[Hoth_902]

Panzer,

Very valid points. I do not have fault with any of them.

If I think about spares and the like, I think that could be easily addressed by manufacturing under license. That would solve low production numbers and spares. I am aware of the lighter armor and that is a problem. I was watching a documentary about armor and the folly of comparing one tank to another. They stressed that consideration must go toward combat doctrine that each weapons system will be used. If my goal was to go toe to toe with a US tank.. well, I would say that a Japanese tank or even Korean might not be the tank I am looking for. So in the alternate universe that the RPNW is in, the US is over stretched with issues home and abroad... there is political unrest and a pandemic... The perfect storm.. So in that world, The RPNW would use the US kit it has to hold off what US forces could be brought to bear... This would include borrowed M1s, and a lot of AT kill teams running around and maybe a lot of drones on the battle field. The RPNW separatist forces would use the mountains to there advantage and use more open spaces to the south for the armor it has at the time. After the lines are stable, then maybe they bring on tanks with the goal of being able to fight but maybe not to go toe to toe. But hey maybe Korean stuff is a better choice.

I have also thought about Korean kit. We are starting to see the K2 and other weapons systems being exported. The Polish seem to be ok with the size of those tanks. I am sure they have some tall tankers that are in the service? Or maybe not... Food for thought for sure.

I thought about British stuff, but early on, maybe the British want to stay out of things until the dust settles.

In the end, I have not given it too much throught...just enough to be dangerous.

[panzergator]

Japanese tanks are light on armor because of the terrain they operate on. Operational terrain has much to do with tank design. US tanks have to operate in a very diverse environment. And you must determine what your requirements are. My tank selections would be M1, Challenger, Merkava, and the latest Leo II. Each would require consideration of where and how they were to be used. And I like Leo 1A5 for a cavalry tank.

We cannot ignore the performance of the sometimes-maligned bed M2 Bradley in Ukraine when we look for an infantry fighting vehicle. The stabilized 25mm chain gun has certainly over-performed. Keep in mind the Warrior 30mm, while very effective, is loaded in clips and is not stabilized (with the exception of a few deployed to Southwest Asia). If only the M2 could carry 2more dismounts... Maybe an M2 with Dragoon turret.

[Hoth_902]

Panzer,

Again, all good points. I am right there with you. That is my point of doctrine, maybe that is the wrong terminology, wrapping up all the design concerns into one weapon systems that meets the needs of the battle you want to fight.. I am just like you, I would pick M1s, Challengers, and Leo's.. In my case, I am trying to build a real world for my imaginary nation. Mostly for my amusement.. The purpose will be to actually get this imaginary nation on a table and give it a go. Maybe even make a game somewhere between Tactical and Grand Strategy..or maybe a mix. Maybe Play a grand strategy and when a good battle makes its self available, play at the tactical level. I have seen several games like that on Little War's TV..

[panzergator]

My advantage, should we call it that, is I just collect. I don't wargame.

[Hoth_902]

Panzer,

My version of this hobby takes on many forms.. Currently i am a collector and a painter. I strive to collect GHQ Stuff that I like and try to paint them as close to how they look in real life. This time around, I started collecting and painting around 2010.. I have over 1500 pieces.. About a third of them are WWII German, another third is US Modern Kit and the rest is a Hodge Podge of other modern nations. Once in a while I get a chance to play with my WWII stuff and that is about it.. My goal is to reach out to another group of people, outside my normal hobby group, to find someone who likes to play modern. Growing up, I have always loved creating stories and that is why making an Imagination appealed to me. To that end, I though about actually buying some pieces and painting to look like what my imaginary nation would be painted.. For now that is a side hobby that has not really seen the light of day accept a mention here and there on the FORUM.

So yea, I am a collector as well.

[foxbat]

That's a lot of beautiful AFVs, thanks for sharing. That's something I like on these forums, between you, redleg and Chris, the WW2 wargaming enthusiast I am keeps being briefed on the current stuff. Glad to see too that the JSDF kept the old nomination procedures, and that there area again Types 89

[panzergator]

That's a good-looking collection in your Japanese motor pool. I like the 6-wheel recon vehicle. Not so enthusiastic about the 8-wheel TD. The tanks look good, but for use anywhere but Japan, should have more armor, so I pass on adding them to my fleet. I'm afraid I'm inclined to the NATO environment. But your pics may have encouraged me to add a separate recon troop to my corps troops. Thinking.

I like the South Korean K21. Advanced design PLUS inflatable pontoons for crossing water obstacles. The latter is a real advantage that we lost with M2/M3. I have to find more info on K2, but it SHOULD be more advanced than the M1A2.

[Hoth_902]

Foxbat,
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoy my work. I really love painting up unique kit for my collection. It gives me a break away from my main efforts on my work bench. Plus, I hope it inspires people to post more of there work, start conversations and branch out in to other nations equipment. Fingers crossed, maybe breath some new life into the site and get higher participation from everyone.

Panzer,
As always, love the back and forth. Also appreciate the feedback from you on how I am doing. I suffer from hobby disforia, in that I sometimes have trouble self evaluation my work in a way that give myself any credit... My girlfriend sometimes thinks I am humble bragging, but I am always harder on myself... Also, I do not disagree with your evaluation of Japanese kit. I have not fully settled on the actual equipment that the RPNW would have and the doctrine behind its use. As for the Type 87, I have to agree they are neat little vehicles. At first I passed them by, but gave them a second look once I started adding more units to my Japanese forces. They are neat little vehicles and decided I had to have some. I will probably get enough for another company, here soon.

The only frustrating part of collecting Japanese Kit, is the lack of TO&E data. The only limited stuff I could find was on Battle Order for the Type 16 MCV. And that information is really just based on pictures. Link to video below.. I really love this youtube contributor. he has a lot of good stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGKHiqjaa6Y&t=712s

[panzergator]

Yep. Battle Order was good until they replaced the original presenter. I haven't watched in a while because I had seen what I was interested in and I didn't care for the new presenter. When I use foreign kit, if I can't find TOE appropriate, I make my own. I COULD use the current Japanese MBT as a cavalry tank in a TOE similar to H or J series. It is fast and heavily armed, if not well-armored. Its light armor is to help facilitate maneuver in Japan's hilly terrain. They need a better power-to- weight ratio to get up steep grades. It still carries a 120mm gun, though. I agree on reliability. I see know reason to question Japanese or Korean reliability. Of course, the K2 really looks good if the ergonomics are ok. That said, I have a considerable investment in NATO-centric forces, with a 3 US divisions, A Brit brigade, A German brigade, and a French ad hoc unit. There are a lot of holes to fill for engineers and ADA, among other things. And believe it or not, I have a Russian division, as well, although I have ignored it for YEARS. It languishes in boxes, equipped with 70s- era stuff. A dollar can only be spread so thinly... I started collecting in 1978 while at the Armor Advanced Course at the REAL Armor School at Fort Knox. Not as long as some here, but quite a while. And the minis aren't the only thing I'm interested in. Chrisswim is the guy who has a COLLECTION!