Weird World War II T-34 Railgun Tank Destroyer

Next up, the T-34 Tank Destroyer with Railgun. It fires a frisbee shaped very hard steel disk, which generates lift at a very high velociy, so has a far longer range than a shell. The downside is that the disk can catch a gust of wind and drift off course.

The huge capacitors generate a massive charge on firing, so the crew are always a bit nervous that it may earth on the tank, and several crews have been smoked this way. It takes time to recharge the capacitors from the engine, but the extra range on the open steppes is felt to be worth it.

Weird World War II T-34 with Vibrocannon

More Weird World War 2 from the Workbench

T-34 Hovertank with Ultrasonic Vibroccannon Anti-Aircraft gun, shoots a concentrated burst of low frequency sound waves in a variable directed beam, which shakes the aircraft apart and can ignite bombs carried.

Also useful on infantry as it turns their innards to mush.Unfortunately if beam is absorbed or deflected or range is too far, it merely turns them into Zombies.

War is finally coming to Trans-Syldavia

Following the border skirmishing in winter and spring, the much feared news is coming in that the Hungarian Honved is finally on the move, and the Trans Syldavian Army (such as it is) and the new hastily recruited militias (along with their new hastily sewn standards - see above - featuring the traditional Trans-Syldavian 2 headed Flamingo and some Austrian style bordering, in the hope of attarcting some Austrian style support.) are moving to the border as I write.

For those not familiar with Trans-Syldavia, it shares much of its history with Syldavia (but preferring fierce slivovitz to cool mineral water), but was reconquered by the Ottomans from Borduria, where it has stayed - though after the Napoleonic Wars it was able to operate fairly independently (being both far away and not very important) and reverted to its traditional industries of farming, fishing, fur-trapping and mountain banditry.

But in this year of 1848, nationalism rises fiercely in the blood, and only True Independence (and hopefully some Hungarian territory) will do.

25mm Sci Fi Technicals

I seem, by various means, to have acquired a number of different "Techncal" type vehicles. These are (L-R) Antenociti Warthog, Old Crow Gecko, Void Junkers buggy and Old Crow Goanna.

The Antenociti vehicle is quite large and relatively comfortable and is earmarked to be the HQ of my Sci Fi forces (GW Tallarn Raider figures for size comparison).

We've been trying out a number of rulesets, and I'm still working out what "New Byzantium" would look like in general - latest thoughts are:

1. The regioinal (Thematic) forces comprise mainly of light vehicles like these, representing the light cavalry of a Byzantine army, and infantry in light APCs. The heaviest regional forces are light tanks and light air support (drones)

2. The "Rapid Reaction Force" are the elite light regiments (Trapezitae, Turkopoloi, Vardariots, Gianitzaroi etc) - a similar makeup to regional forces, but much better trained and with better aerial support. They can make planetfall relatively easily.

3. The "Tagmata" or central army has rarer, more powerful forces at hand:

- The Klibanophoroi - the heaviest armoured vehicles
- The Kataphraktarii - main battle tank troops
- The Varangian Guard - infantry in heavy power armour
- The Latinikon - a sort of armoured "Foreign Legion", weaponry not so heavy as the Kibanophoroi but more likely to be used as backups for the "Rapid Reactiion Force"

The 15mm game is probably the only one where heavy Tagmatic forces will be involved, though - for the moment I'm building a regional skirmish force in 25mm.

The above troops belong to their deadly enemies, the forces of Wadiya

(See earlier thoughts here)

Weird War 2

In 1945 the Russians overran the part of Germany where Flying Saucer research was being done, one result of that was the development of huge Klimov Turbofan engine that they have retrofitted into the T-34 tank, creating the T-34/85 Hovertank - ideal for open country and amphibious warfare. As you can see, they had to put the heavy engine in the centre for balance reasons, re-siting the turret at the rear. They also had to put a massive air intake fan where the hull machine gun went.

(I converted a bunch of Plastic Soldier WW2 T-34s tanks for my "Standard" Sci-Fi IFV/APC chassis, using other turrets -see pic over here - but, of course the other big application is for Weird World War 2. The tracks are turned around for the skirt, I reversed the engine air intake and turret, and mounted a cut off idler wheel where the hull machine gun is as an auxilliary forced draught fan)

Of What is to come....

As mentioned in my last post, both my SYW Tricorne and 1848 Balkan era opponents are currently indisposed, which has brought those 2 campaigns to a halt, and in the interim the Caribbean has beckoned.

But that is not all - as I have mentioned before, I am building a Sci Fi force too, and here are its latest recruits - 6 x 15mm Antenociti Workshops' Skorpion light tank with catamaran hulls - I had to have it for that hull!

On the left for size comparison are (front, L-R) a Brigade Models Lynx APC with Old Crow turret, and a converted 15mm Plastic Soldier T-34 with Brigade Models Twin Gatling turret, and behind (L-R) are a GZG hover-bot and GZG Wittman Medium AFV. The Skorpion is a bit bigger than all of them, is quite a lot taller, and looks very mean with a noticeably large gun :)


These new additions will serve as medium armoured but fast tank destroyers, carrying a big punch, and are the heaviest AFVs available to any Armoured Cavalry force, as they can still be easily transported and dropped quickly into hot spots. The bulk of the regional fighting is done by the older but trusty HoverT-34 IFV with its various weapons pack loadouts (autocannon, gatlings, missiles, tank destroyer gun etc). Only the central army has heavier armour.

So far we've tried Gruntz, Tomorrow's War and Hammers Slammers rules, they all have plusses and minusses.

(I've just tried washing on camouflage on 2 tanks, as you can see it needs quite a bit of toning down - next step to drybrush over it - though it looks far less contrasty in "real life"  - though mnust say I've actually grown to like the simple desert sand scheme, so maybe I'll just leave them all plain).

More Derring Do...

In Europe, the French Corps du Vin, along with the Saxe-Märchen contingent, are still trying to contact the Reluctant Prussians (my 7YW opponent has broken his leg, I'm still painting Perfidious Albion, so still no Tricorne action as yet - and my Trans-Syldavia 1848 co-conspirator has had work interfering with his gaming life, its a Freebooting life for me at the moment...).

Anyway, on the Spanish main, there have been more daring deeds aplenty. As you may know, the  Governeur was captured by the British. Ransomed off, he has now been restored and it is the job of the Compagnie Franche de la Marine de St Jacques to get him from the harbour to the Governors residence without incident - as word has it that various pirate groups have calculated that Governor-Kidnap is a more lucrative trade than actual Piracy.

The French party hurry the Governeur from Harbour to Fort through the dangerous streets of St Jacques. Fat Governeur in purple - surrounded by militia

Unknown to the French, there were 3 parties of Pirates lurking in St Jacques, plus a party of Royal Marines (the Governeur having made some unwise promises during his incarceration) AND a Spanish party (its all written up over here)

The French made the decision to move Le Governeur along sharpish like (Frog-marched in fact), so despite his gout and corpulence he was moved through Le Rue Grande as fast as he could move - just as well, as the pirates were in hot pursuit...

Pirates burst into the Tavern garden, disturbing the Mayor (seated) and the Governeur's daughter (seated on his lap) who were busy discussing the mayor's arising issue of the day

At any rate, the mission was a success. Except for the intervention of some British marines that Lieutenat Quesne, Sarjante B. Geste and two troopere were left to hold them off while the Capitaine hurried the Governeur to the Fort, it was just another day in St Jacques town.... 

(Legends of the High Seas rules, 6 player game)