GHQ Models Forums

Hi Everone

Well, i must have gotten MA fever as i still havnt got my first order and im planning order number 2

So far on order i have:

5 T-34/42
5 T34/43
5 Panzer IIIJ
5 Panzer IV F2
and of course MA the Game WW2

So as you can see i dont have much direction in which way im going, thats where the forum members come in.

Looking at Barbarosa maybe in other words the invasion of Russia following to Stalingrad and onto Kursk

Starting with German Grey on the Panzers then onto the camo (Got to get used to painting MA first)

Any advise is most welcome especially building companys/battalions ect

Thanks in advance

Squadie carriers (Sd-251s and ZIS heavy trucks) and ATGs (50mm PaKs and 45mms) to sort out your company of lads... then back to tanks and assault guns. But you know that.

Tigers I and Panthers A&D, plus PzJag Elephant

So far you have some tanks coming...

Do you want to stick with tanks-only for a while, and expand your collecting of heavy metal? Or do you want to start working your way into combined-arms actions right away?

Tanks are often the most fun or favored part of micro-armor wargaming. Many gamers come to view artillery and infantry as "drudgery" versus the armor-on-armor action.

If you stick with tanks for a while, I would recommend one pack of Tiger 1s to give you a feel for the German "cats". Stay off of the Panthers until you move past Kursk into late-war. Stay off of the Elephants until you have 50 or 60other German tanks at least (they were exceedingly rare). Then add more mediums, IIIs of various marks, and IVs (both earlier and later than the F2s). Also consider some recon vehicles, maybe some Armored Cars or Pz IIs.

For the Russians, more T-34s, some KV-1s, and some light tanks, perhaps a mix of T-60s and T-70s. During the early/mid phases of the Eastern Front (from winter of 41 through Kursk), light tanks formed 30% or more of the Soviet tank force.

But ... those of us who are more historically-inclined see the infantry and artillery as critical components of the gaming experience, and work hard to ensure they are a part, often a big part, of any action.

If you are interested in exploring the combined-arms side of wargaming early on, I might suggest you try the GHQ sample packs for WW2 Russians and Germans. You never know exactly what you'll get in a sample pack, but you can bet it will have a tank, another vehicle or two (maybe truck, maybe halftrack, maybe recon vehicle), a gun or two (maybe artillery, maybe anti-tank), and some infantry.

If you are gaming at 1-to-5 unit scale (as per the GHQ Micro-Armor, The Game rules) this will give you enough material to get some combined arms action going.

And they are a pretty good deal.

Oh, and order soon. The summer discount ends in a day or two.

Hey Rusty

Right now my painted vehicles are mostly 1942 Russian Front. I also have some later war stuff that's painted as well.
If you are doing 1942 or before there are some things to keep in mind. Mainly check to see what vehicles were available for the period you are representing. There is a tendency by some to get the "cool" vehicles only while ignoring the more common types that were available during the period represented.
Since I do Russia 1942 for the Germans I have Pz II's, Pz IIIG's and J's, Pz IVF1's and 2's for my armored forces. For the Russians I have KV1's, T-34 42/43's, T-60's and T-70's. I also have some German 221 and 222 armored cars and some Russian Ba 10 armored cars as well.
During 1942 the German armoredforces were in major transition mode going from exclusively the short barreled Pz III's such as the G, H, and J with the short 50 to the long barreled 50 that started showing up in Spring of '42 in the later Pz IIIJ's as shown by the GHQ model. The Pz IVF2 started showing up around May or so. These later models were integrated at the company level with the earlier ones so a Pz III company would have a mix of short and long barreled versions, same for the Pz IV's.
Tiger I's made their somewhat inauspicious debut in August 1942 on the Leningrad Front and were pretty rare during this period. I hope this helps.

Pete - Binpicker, Out!

pmskaar wrote:...Tiger I's made their somewhat inauspicious debut in August 1942 on the Leningrad Front and were pretty rare during this period...Pete - Binpicker, Out!

...agreed. The first place that I would use Tigers in force would be in the battles for the Kharkov area Feb-Mar '43. I'm not sure of the first date they were used in Tunisia...