Alex learns how to... Cromwells

Wrong Cromwell...

So this is the start of what will hopefully be an irregular series. I've moved away from the south coast
up to the Midlands, this is halfway across the country, or if you are American, the distance to the shops. Anyway, I'm no longer near Ben and Adam and Winner, but I am now near Steve Charlton, the UK number 1. So the plan is that Steve will show me what I'm doing wrong with the various armies I can't get to work for me and show me how to do better with it. I then write it up so that it's not just me who benefits from Steve's expertise.
Cracking idea right?

Anyway, one autumn evening I made the drive to a secret location in the middle of nowhere to Steve's top secret lair with my Desert Rat Cromwell list. If you are a long time fan then you will know of my love/hate relationship with the Cromwell cruiser tank and my ability to screw up with them in pretty much any situation.

Just Deserts - Allies end of July

Dr Alex here with fresh news from the front.

Those of you who are keen will recall that my plan for the 'collect and paint up an EW army in 3 months challenge' was to do a Crusader Squadron.

Those of you who are really keen will recall that I had supply problems and my 1st months' contribution to this army was a Dystopian Wars Chinese fleet, which is of limited use in Flames of War, in a desert.

Fortunately my supply chain problems resolved themselves (I even now have the Panzer II's I had ordered for Ben which was holding everything up, I haven't given them to him yet though, Mwuhahahaha.)

Where To Go With My Guards Armoured Recce Box Set?

Good morning boys and girls, Doctor Cox here and I have a question for you all!

Recently I came into possession of one of the Guards Armoured Recce Box Sets (BRAB07) and I'm in a quandary where to go. I thought I'd throw it open to the floor for some inspiration.

AAR - Overlord - Desert Rats vs Panzer Lehr - No Retreat

Welcome once again to another AAR, Having lost to Dr Alex a few weeks ago it was time for a rematch, and this time it would decided to join the defense of Europe/liberation of Europe on WWPD's Overlord. Alex took his 7th armoured (which had crushed my Volksgrenadiers) but I hoped my Lehr in Normandy (from Atlantik Wall) may do better.  So with the lists ready the dice decided we would be playing No retreat.

7th Armoured Lorried Infantry HQ Full Lorried Rifle Platoon with Transport Lorried Rifle Platoon Lorried Rifle Platoon Carrier Platoon 6 6pdr's 4 Heavy Mortars 3 Cromwells & 1 Firefly 8 Sextons AOP

Panzer Lehr HQ - 2 Panzer IVs 4 Panzer IVs 4 Panzer IVs 3 Panthers Half tracked Panzerspah Platoon 2 Flakpanzer 38t 3 Nebs

Generated by WWPD's BatRepper Software.

Just Deserts Month One - Allies

Dr Alex here with reports of my success in putting together my 8th Army Crusader EW list for the EW Colours 2013 tournament.

Now those of you who bothered reading my first post will know that the plan was to paint 1 squadron of crusaders and 2 of the HQ crusaders by the end of June.

Unfortunately I've had some problems with this plan...

Firstly Central Command were very slow at getting new troops to me, this turned out to be because some Panzer II's I'd ordered for Ben as part of the same order were slowing the whole thing down. A filthy Nazi trick to delay my reserves. Fail once.


Then when I finally got some crusaders, I discovered I didn't have anything resembling the correct paint and neither did my FLGS. Fail twice.

Finally, as Ben has mentioned, Colours 2013 is now a late war tournament. Fail thrice.

Well this plan has not gone well as I had hoped so I have had to make some slight alterations and improvise with what I have been able to put together this month. This has been a Dystopian Wars Chinese fleet.

And so I present my Early War Desert Army so far:

The Yue Class Destroyers, though unable to move as ships and stuck in a desert,
 make some very poorly deployed mortars pay with their Dragon breath flamerthrowers

The enormous skimming Zhanmadao Class dreadnought is at least mobile on land

The Zhanmadao and Dun Class Floating Bastions use their Jui Long
Bi Generators to protect those behind them from incoming DAK fire.

The Jian Class Battleship is a monster with rockets, flame throwers, sonic broadsides and bristling with crew
However again it is immobile in a desert and not deployable except in an oasis

The 8th Army moves off, hunting the Hun

I now have 10 Crusaders and the correct paints, so hopefully by the end of July I will have caught up, otherwise I can show you some more of my dystopian wars stuff...

AAR - Desert Rats Lorried Rifle Company Vs Volksgrenadiers - Hold The Line

Hi all,  Dr Alex here. This is the first outing my British Lorried Rifle company have had. I started getting this army together late last year when Dr Cox gave me a rifle company box for my birthday. I've been building them up and painting them as I go and for some reason (mainly due to Dr Cox bailing on me two weeks ago) I have ended up with an army I have completely painted (sans decals) before using. As such I fully expected this entire army to suffer from Shiny Model Syndrome and die horribly. Anyway, Dr Cox finally turned up at my door in the rain, clutching a scrap of paper and a box of toy soldiers, begging forgiveness for standing me up and because I'm a sucker for a cute face, I let him in...

The Desert Rats - Lorried Rifle Company (Reluctant Vets) HQ - 2 command teams with a jeep as they are cool Full Lorried Rifle Platoon with transport Lorried Rifle Platoon Lorried Rifle Platoon Lorried Carrier Platoon (1 squadron) Lorried Anti-tank Platoon (6 6pdr's) Lorried Heavy Mortar Platoon Armoured Platoon (3 Cromwells, 1 Firefly) Self Propelled Field Battery (8 Sextons) Air Observation Post

Dr Cox's Volksgrenadiers (Confident Vets) Hq with 2 extra panzerschreks Volksgrenadier Sturm Platoon Volksgrenadier Sturm Platoon Volksgrenadier Schutzen Short Scout Platoon Mortar Platoon (2 sections) Infantry Gun Platoon (IG37 4 guns) 3 Pak 40's 2 Sturm Tigers

Generated by WWPD's BatRepper Software.