TYPE 4 HO-RO JAPANESE ASSAULT GUN

I managed to pick this up at MOAB at the bring and buy for a good price. It's use, by the Japanese was limited mainly to the Philippine campaign with a few making an appearance at Okinawa, in all only 12 of these vehicles were ever produced.

This is a plastic 28mm Italica model sold by Warlord games, one good thing abut this kit is that the sprues include the Chi-Ha and Kai Shinhuto turrets, so you may convert this vehicle into a tank.

Instead of gluing the top portion of the vehicle onto the hull, I instead glued two tiny magnets to the rear underside and used the exiting relocating nobs to secure the top portion of the vehicle.

I also glued a thin sheet of metal onto the hull so that the magnets can adhere to. I put together the tank turrets together (with some help with Greenstuff putty and some very small scratch built additions) with the same set up, so now you have a choice to either field two version of the Chi-Ha tank or Assault gun. 

CHEERS JOHN 

Anti-Tank Ditch, Road Block, Type 94 Tankette, Stoessis Heroes- Hiroo Onoda, Water Buffalo, Game Markers and Mule/Donkey

Another post with items for the Far East.

JAPANESE JITTERPARTY/SCOUT 

I decided to make 2 x 3 man teams to use as Support options for the Japanese. These can be used as a Jitter party and or scout team. I purposely make them look different to my Japanese main force by using caps instead of helmets and replacing the colour of their trousers to look like captured British trousers. I also added a strap for the rifle with Green stuff putty.

The figures are made of metal and are excellent sculpted figures available from Eureka.

Jitter party advancing to a British JOP.

HIROO ONODA 

This is a metal figure from Stoessis Heroes, nice sculpted figure again sporting captured British trousers and a Hexagon base to indicate he is a Senior Leader.

ROAD BLOCK 

Collected some twigs from the garden, cut them into short pieces,  roughly the same length and glued them together. I also added some branches with leaves to signified that they where hasty cut.   

JAPANESE TYPE 94 TANKETTE 

This is a very nice resin model of the tankette given to me by a friend. Its a tiny model as can be seen in comparison to the 28mm Japanese figure and the other Japanese main battle tanks.

ANTI TANK DITCH

The Anti tank ditches are made from thick outdoor canvas I found in my scrap bit in the garage. I cut into strips measuring 12" x 4", sprayed them black and added flock.

WATER BUFFOLO

These are from the plastic Pegasus 1/48 Farm Animal set. They are actually cows, with a bit of Milliput and Green Stuff putty to convert them into water buffalo. I also cut down two of the cows to simulate one as kneeling and the other as if in water.

SHOCK MARKERS  MARKERS 

We found that we were forgetting to roll for deployment of troops on the gaming table that were attacked with a Pre game Barrage/Air attack. To rectify this we used these markers next to a players JOPs when a Pre Game Barrage or Air Attack has been declared by their opponent. This  helped remind them to roll for deployment of  their troops under a Pre game/Air attack.

MULES/DONKEYS  

I used some old 25mm figures purchased at a bring and buy. I removed the figures and the saddle. I manipulated the metal horses to convert them, bending the horses heads legs with pliers and added  baggage with Milliput and Green Putty. 

I think they will come in handy with troops travelling through Jungle terrain. 

CHEERS JOHN 

CANCON 2023- LARD DOWN UNDER - The Battle for Wau - Jungle Table

The second gaming table ready for Cancon 2023, for Len Tracey to host the Australians battling it out with the Japanese in the Battle for Wau. Once again all the terrain was scratched built by me, way back in 2018 for "Chain of Command a Pacific Odyssey" at Cancon 2019.  The only new item I have included is the burnt out Wirraway plane on the runway.

There is a mix of different terrain features on the table from, Primary and secondary jungle, Kunai grass, palm plantation  and home gardens.

I was going to purchase a 1:35 scale Wirraway plastic kit but the price put me off. As this was going to be a wreaked plane I opted  to make one from foam core cardboard and stuck the pieces together with a glue gun. 

Painted with Vallejo paints.

The Wirraway  on the runway, added a bit of white fluff to simulate it still smoldering.

Hope to post images of the battle once underway at Cancon 2023.

Cheers John