Air Wargames - Somewhere over the English Channel

For a Christmas present to myself I picked up the Airfix Blood Red Skies starter set, which includes two Spitfires and two Messerschmitt Bf 109s Airfix kits in 1/72 scale. It was very much an off-the-cuff purchase as I thought it would provide some quick Air wargames. The Airfix version of the game appears to differ from the Warlord Games release, in that it uses the same rules but provides four aircraft in 1/72 scale rather than 12 aircraft in 1/200 scale that come with the Warlord Games version.

Another wargaming project begins.

A Christmas present to myself (which seems a long while ago).

The game system is based around the concept of aircraft being in a state of Advantage, Neutral, or Disadvantaged, representing relative altitude of the aircraft. These states are used to drive the game’s activation order and aircraft activation options. In the standard rules this is shown by tilting the aircraft nose up, level, or nose down on their stands. While I imagine this works well with the smaller 1/200 models, it looks rather awkward with the larger Airfix aircraft and can create practical issues when models are close together.

Aircraft nose up indicates advantage.

Aircraft nose down indicates disadvantage.

Aircraft level indicates neutral.

I remembered in my old battered copy of Donald Featherstone’s “Air War Games” there was a chapter where altitude was shown by mounting aircraft on telescopic car aerials that could be raised or lowered. This seemed like a much better solution. 

A battered copy which was once a library book which I bought secondhand a few years back.

Not wanting to purchase car aerials (do they still make them?) I did a bit of searching for a cheap alternatives. I eventually found and purchased a pack of six telescopic back-scratchers for $24. Removing the handles and ends left me with the telescopic shafts. These slot neatly into 18mm MDF square bases drilled with a 10mm hole in the centre. The aircraft slot into the top via a toothpick fixed into the fuselage. I used a little masking tape wrapped around the toothpick to increase the diameter to prevent them from inadvertently spinning around during play.

Telescopic backscratchers. On the right one with the plastic handle cut off and end removed.

A square base mad from 19mm thick MDF (leftover from making shelves). A 10mm hole is drilled for the telescopic bit to slot into.

A toothpick is attached to the model and slots into the telescopic stand. To stop the aircraft spinning, masking tape is wrapped around the toothpick to increase the diameter.

These new stands are easily adjusted up or down to give three clear height levels for Advantage, Neutral, and Disadvantaged. I can also make minor height adjustments so aircraft can be positioned close together, as often occurs during dogfights. A secondary advantage is that clouds do not have to be cut-out pictures, they can instead be made from soft-toy stuffing (easily obtained from craft stores). I have yet to make models of barrage balloons to replace those cardboard cut-outs.

The three heights indicating Advantage, Neutral, and Disadvantage.

Minor height adjustments allow aircraft to be close together in dogfights.

Cut-out clouds used in scenarios.

The telescopic bases allow for toy-stuffing clouds.

With the aircraft painted and mounted I have played a few introductory games to learn the rules. However, it was not long before I began looking at how to modify the rules to be suitable for a hex-grid, which was something I always had in mind when I made the bases so they fit neatly into a hex on my blue cloth. This rule modification reduces some of the finer differences in aircraft movement distances. On the other hand it does speed up play, which I hope suits the fast and chaotic nature of aerial combat.

One of the advantages of using 1/72 scale models is the ready availability of kits in model shops here in New Zealand. This means I avoid the expensive international postage costs. There are a couple of shops within a reasonable drive, so I collect models in person, though my browsing while at the shop often leads to a few extra purchases.

Next models to add to the game.

I am now adding two Hawker Hurricanes, a Dornier Do 17, and a Heinkel He 111. After that I may include a couple more Messerschmitt Bf 109s and perhaps a Bf 110, which should see this project wrapped up as I am not looking to play large games, but ones with a handful of aircraft. That said, air wargaming shares some of the same temptations as skirmish gaming, in that there is always another model that would add variety to future scenarios or add interest to a campaign.

One last comment. I have found the Facebook group “Blood Red Skies Ready Room” along with the Warlord Games website useful sources of aircraft statistics, scenarios, solo suggestions, and FAQs.