Many of you BARbarians might remember the first time Jud had me on the BAR and I went off on the neck beard train, raving about the Japanese invasion of my homeland, Alaska. Since then I have been secretly researching the Japanese invasion of Alaska and applying Men’s Rogaine with Vitamin H (for history) to the area between my chin line and collar bone. Part of this research has led me to acquiring quite the collection of support weapons for my Japanese; mortars, MMGs, infantry guns, and an AA gun.
I picked up two MMGs from Warlord. These are nice little models, nothing too exciting or fascinating; they just work. I know most people don’t field MMGs in competitive Bolt Action games, but if you are going to go all historical on the game you really don’t have a choice. They are a must. Not just one, but many MMGs. Most of my reading-up on the invasion indicates that the US ran into a ton of Japanese MG nests and positions on Attu.
Warlord makes a 75mm Infantry gun, so I snagged one. Game wise this thing is about as useful as a bathing suit on the Iditarod Trail, what with its D3 HE. However, certain scenario games would require me to field one. That, and even though it is a waste of points in Bolt Action, it still is a cool looking team.
This is my baby. I love this little guy. I picked this Type 98 20mm AA gun at Historcion from Company B. I just think it looks totally sweet, and I can’t wait to put it on a table. It came with its own crew of three, was easy to assemble, and looks great. Company B has a other Japanese figures and it is definitely worth it to go check them out.
The mortar is also from Warlord Games, but I decided to spruce it up by taking clump foliage and making a smoke effect around the business end of the tube. The model came with some lose mortar rounds so I glued that to the top of the smoke to make it look like it was firing. I did this with a heavy soviet mortar a while back and really like how it looks.
Remember, if you are wanting to put on a good historical game, you will want to explore weapons and units that are not used as much in the tournament scene. While not as competive, they give good flavor to historically driven games and campaigns. This can often make for a different, interesting, and fun game.
