A4 E Skyhawk in 1/144

[Sunray]

Sounds very cool and would love to see a pic of the carrier, just to whet my appetite as it's the sort of thing I love seeing in a wargame . Takes me back to being a kid I suppose when we used all sorts of kit for our games.

Leon has a jpg - I will ask him nicely to post it.

[Steve J]

Looking forward to it .

[Sunray]

Looking forward to it .

Should be in your "in" tray

[Steve J]

Received James and it is so cool .

[Leon]

All sorted and attached to Sunray's earlier message, and again here!

[Sunray]

Leon, that you very much indeed. 

If you could also convey my apologies to old Monkeynut, over our communications screw up, I would very much appreciate it.

[Ithoriel]

Ha! Very cute!

An updated version of the "jeep" carrier like those in Taffy 3, maybe.

[Leon]

If you could also convey my apologies to old Monkeynut, over our communications screw up, I would very much appreciate it.

I've dropped him an email, no worries.

[mmcv]

Very good!

[Sunray]

Ha! Very cute!

An updated version of the "jeep" carrier like those in Taffy 3, maybe.

Yes, fits the bill for an escort carrier - apart from angled flight deck - which was a post war Royal Navy innovation. Originally I had planned the game with a piece of ply board painted to represent the deck.  Then I spotted the toy carrier in Argos , and did a scratch build conversion.  It was a lot of fun for the game - a scenario set loosely in the Balkans circa 1990s.  After the game, it was mothballed to the stables loft until I spotted the Skyhawks deal.   I have an original  Pendraken corvette ( a  Wendy version of Flower class ?) upgunned as an escort.

The US Carrier loitering off shore with complete air superiority brings a "sword of Damocles" factor to the game.  The red Aggressor is always conscious that factors like a Soviet  arms shipment of say T54s  or MiG 17s , which would tilt the  balance of power and run the (dice thrown) risk of US intervention.   Militia type battle groups with low levels of discipline always carry the risk of running amuck and committing war crimes against civilian population.  They have  a low points value and are boots on the ground, but a disciplinary throw with a -1 after being fired on by sniper, can   
result in an atrocity that sends in the Marines.

I have a 1/300 scale carrier that performs a similar function.  She has actually made it on  to the wargames table !

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

There is a so-called 1/300th sacle carrier which comes up on Amazon from time to time - its actually 1/600th but a nice model.

[Sunray]

There is a so-called 1/300th sacle carrier which comes up on Amazon from time to time - its actually 1/600th but a nice model.

It is a nice model in a 1/600 setting.  My 1/300 is again a bit of a wendy.  The hull is a toy around 1/400 and the island is scratch built with 90% bits from an old  Foch kit,  I use H&R aircraft.

[Sunray]

I've dropped him an email, no worries.

Many thanks Leon, it's not as if you have nothing better to do at Pendraken with two of the  machines  on industrial action.  They demand daily supply of WD40.

[Leon]

...it's not as if you have nothing better to do at Pendraken with two of the  machines  on industrial action.  They demand daily supply of WD40.

Annoyingly I'm having to drive two of the melting pots down to Keighley tomorrow to get them fixed.  And we've just paid £1000 to get the two laser machines serviced and repaired as well.  Equipment seems to have it in for me at the moment, as soon as we fix one bit of kit, something else breaks down!

[paulr]

Only 16,000 40x20mm bases to recoup that bill; ignoring the cost of the MDF, power, staff...

[Sunray]

Annoyingly I'm having to drive two of the melting pots down to Keighley tomorrow to get them fixed.  And we've just paid £1000 to get the two laser machines serviced and repaired as well.  Equipment seems to have it in for me at the moment, as soon as we fix one bit of kit, something else breaks down!

It is a pain.  The fact is the more complex and AI these machines become, the higher the service/repair costs.

The only consolation is that such costs are tax deductible.

[Steve J]

The bill for servicing our CNC machines, RP machines and Laser Cutter was horrendous, running at around 10K per annum and that was without parts costs!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Ouch!

[Techno]

Stroll on !! 

Cheers - Phil

[Steve J]

Yep, they lure you in with 'cheap' purchase costs, then try and tie you in with maintenance contracts, which are 'cheap' to start with then soon rise within a few years. If you don't take the contract out, it can be weeks before they see you (you are presumably last in the queue) and then it costs a lot for even one visit!