This was the first De Agostini aircraft I bought, from a Russian Federation seller. The advertised scale is 1/130. The Petlyakov Pe-2 was a 1941 attempt at a light ground-attack aircraft.
It was often used as a dive bomber, and on night missions, with women as pilots. Life span of the aircraft was expected to be about 20 sorties, but that rose to more than 50 when adequate rear gunnery was added. Interestingly, some Pe-2s were acquired by the Finns, who flew them against the Soviets in the Continuation War, mostly on escorted photo recon missions. So this aircraft, repainted, could be a Finnish target for Soviet fighters as well as a Soviet target for Finnish and German fighters. We love versatility.
I ordered some Soviet aircraft from a couple of online sellers in the Ukraine and the Russian Federation. I'll be putting up a series of photos of the Soviet aircraft I got, with regular AAAF planes (and repaints) in the photos, to give you an idea of the look on the table. The manufacturer is De Agostini; you can find some of their products on sites like the Flying Mule. This is the Tupolev TU-2, a light bomber with a four-member crew. It had three rearward firing 7.62 mm guns, so a bigger stinger than the Stuka. The model purports to be 1/120 scale, and I grant that it looks smaller than it should be on the map, especially with a chunky aircraft like the Brewster tailing it.
According to the Wiki, the TU-2 was well-liked by pilots and was considered manoeuvrable for a twin-engine light bomber. Since it was not available until 1941, it is not a Winter War participant, but would have fought the Finns in the Continuation War and, of course, the Germans. It looked OK with a Gustav on its tail. I paid $7 USD for this one.
Those who don't remember their history are bound to do something or other...
With the planes from the Bandits High starter, I got my first game in! It was a lot of fun (solo for now to learn and because I moved last week and haven't met new gamers). I played the entry scenario, with the P-38 dropping the enemy Zero in just a couple short rounds. The aces led, with their lesser comrades falling in behind. Quickly the moves seemed to turn into swirl of aces hunting the tails of the softest targets. In the first round, the Japanese ace damaged the US Wildcat, while the US ace damaged the zero. The game came down to who could line up the first killing blow! In the next round, shots were ineffective due to the two damaged planes flying away to avoid being shot again, but on the 3rd and final round, the Zero gambled as bait to lure the P-38 into the crossfire of both Japanese planes. It's gamble failed and it didn't survive the round. Overall, this game is really fun! I plan on playing more and will be trying to form a group in my new location. This is all made possible by BoomerBill! Thanks!
Great to hear that you're hooked. Best wishes on building a group.
Those who don't remember their history are bound to do something or other...
Each 3 hit plane should be having 2 (or even 3?) damaged exchange models: one for each level of damage. #1 is lightly damaged, #2 crippled - and the optional #3 is destroyed.
Oh, for that, I'm going to have to have a lot more aircraft!
Those who don't remember their history are bound to do something or other...
Unfortunately, it is a bit too far for the jam-packed sked we've got for this trip. My partner is coming with me, and there are only so many battlefields I can drag her through.
Those who don't remember their history are bound to do something or other...