DMV IJA GS

This is the Department of Motor Vehicles! Tonight we dine in hell! 

An approaching birthday. An expiring license. The fate of an empire. For that was the attitude I had adopted and built up when dreading my trip to the Chicago DMV. I had been putting it off for weeks, furthering the legions of doom that I knew would await me in that state office. My fate could not be put off any longer. 

I awoke knowing how the day would end. I prepared myself to fight my way through the crowds of document-less novices, hard of hearing elderly, and government employees on the edge of going postal. This was a fight for my life; the only outcome sealed. I would conquer the lines and become an official Illinois resident or I would come back on the hood of my car, peppered with red taped arrows... 

I was in for a surprise. A shock I never saw coming. There were no lines. One foot inside the door they had greeters ready to answer questions and direct you to the correct lines. The supposedly grotesque and deformed government workers were kind and helpful.

I quickly moved about the different departments in neat and useful passage ways directed by more signs than a highway work zone. Around every corner I readied myself. Ready to fight and die against any number of masked immortals armed with those heavy duty government stampers. But none were to be found. 

I left feeling empty and disappointed. Apart from joining in the people watching spectacle of the century; seriously it is like the worst 20 year high school reunion ever imaginable, where no one remembers peoples names but just looks completely out of place. I wanted a fight, I wanted to brave hours of gruesome lines where you need to bring a weeks worth of rations to just to make it to the next step. But they robbed me. They robbed me of my battle. A cheap whore they just kicked to the curb. I guess this state has gotten soft. 

With all the free time I know had from NOT being at war in the DMV. I got to painting some more IJA sqauds. Today was the combined arms of an Imperial Grenadier squad. These Type B squads were bigger with 16 men and, per the Bolt Action rules, 3 can be armed with the "knee" mortar. 3 peers become the loader man. 

 These models are pivotal in my game strategy. Any mortar or howitzer artillery class can fire smoke barrages. Each turn they have the chance to disperse, drift, or stay put. I plan on getting 2 turns (six, 3 inch templates total) down on a flank to cover the advance of my assaulting veteran squad and flame thrower team.

 These fellows will hopefully do what they look so capable of doing, getting those smokes on target. Bring the rain!

 Hey that guy looks the same! Yeah yeah, I sculpted up two of them, these red shirt 2.0 had the unfortunate luck of getting shot twice. Hopefully that grenade isn't armed.

Up next, a veteran jungle fighter squad, sniper, flame thrower, and an anti tank gun team. 

I found this awesome gem as well. Enjoy!

Banzai!

Over the top! Banzai! For the Emperor! There is no Spoon! I know kung fu! While blog updates may have been at an all time low, getting deep into hobby resolutions. Halfway through building this early war Japanese force and things are shaping up nicely.

We are going straight back to the 2nd great war. All aboard the magic school bus and first stop 1942 Japan/China.

This is a Warlord games set of figures for they're Bolt Action game system. It is a 1000 point army list built from the Fall of Singapore theater selection. I went with this force because it fit my strategic plans behind using the force.

From Allies battles and wartime information, they classified the Japanese squad into 3 groups, A,B,C. "A" formations were the army in China and Manchuria. "B" types were used in the far east and pacific. "C" were garrison forces in China. Japanese infantry squads were larger than the average organization on the era.

Bolt Action is a squad based game, not individual. Here are a couple of the Japanese squads and special weapons units that have been completed except for basing.

These infantry samples reflect the common look of the army and super hip khaki pants.

Now, it is most likely bad protocol to field a casualty model, but it is a reminder of both sides of what we represent on the table top. Maybe I should paint then like a star trek red shirt...

This little fella is a tankette and was an armored recon tank with a medium machine gun. Don't mistake the little cute size for effectiveness, or so I hope.

Rounding out the vehicles for this force is a 6 wheeled truck with a mounted AA gun.

 This is a Company B miniature. 1:56th scale so it matches up with the Warlord vehicles.

Still on the work board is a veterans squad and a light mortar squad. They are armed with "knee" mortars. As well as a command squad, flame thrower, and sniper teams.

Second stop is North Africa. In preparation for Chicagolands big convention, Adepticon, in April; Wyrd has taken on building a 6x4 German airfield. Supplies are beginning to filter in for the war effort.

Interestingly, the well reviewed Fantasy flight huts are the same size as quaker oat tubes. These pieces are perfect little terrain pieces. Not much to clean and 3 easy pieces to glue.

Bolt Action is a very terrain dependent game, so a lot of small cover areas are needed to bring out the skirmish aspect of the game.

The main concept I am working off of is the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene around the airplane. A critical mission to secure secret documents before the plane takes off, or taking a key landing spot for the airforce!