Battle of Britain project continues at a pace

My Battle of Britain project using 1/72 scale aircraft, mainly Airfix kits, continues to take up all of my available hobby time. I am just having so much fun building and painting these models, so other wargaming activities have been set aside.

The bombers have arrived.

Two Hawker Hurricane models and a Heinkel He 111 model have been completed over the last couple of days. These model kits will often include some very small and delicate parts. I tend to remove these fragile pieces to prevent breakages later on while wargaming and handling the models. Where necessary, I will replace them with sturdier alternatives, for example, the Heinkel had some beautifully moulded and tiny machine guns which I swapped for lengths of plastic rod that would be better suited to regular handling and the occasional aircraft toppling over.

Hurricanes give chase.

To improve the stability of the Heinkel model when it is mounted on the telescopic stand. I increased the MDF base from the 3″ by 3″ size used for fighters to 3″ by 4″ and added a little extra weight with some washers. It turns out washers are neatly covered by the pilot skill token used in the game, but I will eventually paint them to match the base. Using washers allowed me to add weight without enlarging the base further than 3" by 4", that way they would fit neatly into a hex.

A comparison between a fighter and bomber base.

Next on the painting table is a Dornier Do 17. I also have two more Messerschmitt 109s and a Messerschmitt 110 on order, which will hopefully arrive this week. They should complete purchases for now, as my aim is to field up to four fighters per side and a single bomber at any one time. This number should be enough for an interesting game without overcrowding my 4′ by 4′ table. Later on I may add a couple of Boulton Paul Defiants and perhaps some Junkers Ju 87s. Both aircraft types saw action early in the Battle of Britain but proved to be too vulnerable to enemy fighters and were relegated to more limited roles later in the campaign.

A Hurricane and Heinkel 111.

In my next post I hope to have a game report where I am playing an air wargame using Blood red Skies rules on a hex grid.