Battle of Britain Squadron Packs - Hurricane, Spitfire, Bf109E and Ju87 Stuka

[Carl_Brisgamer]

I took delivery of my Battle of Britain Starter and Squadron Packs today, thanks to Xen's initiative to get Wings of Glory product back on Australian shelves, and my FLGS at Ace Comics and Emperor's Legions at Annerley up here is Brisbane.

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With Xen already posting a great unboxing video for the Starter Set I thought I would move straight on to a quick examination of the Squadron Packs, beginning with the two Allied types:

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I



In the Hurricane Squadron Pack you get the miniature, flight stand, four altitude pegs, manoeuvre deck, aircraft card, decal 'how to' guide, decal sheet (enough for five aircraft of No.303 Squadron RAF), two special ability cards (Spluttering Engine and Reverse Diver) and an ace skill card - Itchy Trigger Finger. The special abilities refer to the Merlin engines floating carburettor.



Turning the Hurricane over and you can see the underwing roundels have already been applied. Also the aircraft has been fitted with underwing bomb racks each carrying what appears to be a pair of 50 pounders. For the historically minded I doubt this will find favour as Hurricane Mk.Is were not fitted with bomb racks (Hurricane Mk.II was the first 'Hurribomber'), but I suspect it won't be an issue for most players.



The Hurricanes look good, with the only obvious flaw in quality being the intrusion of the 'sky' colour used for the undersides along the edges of the wings and tail surfaces.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I



Like the Hurricane the Spitfire Squadron Pack contains the miniature, flight stand, four altitude pegs, manoeuvre deck, aircraft card, decal 'how to' guide, decal sheet (enough for five aircraft of No.610 Squadron RAF), two special ability cards (Spluttering Engine and Reverse Diver) and an ace skill card - Perfect Aim. Again the miniature is well sculpted, but although somewhat less obvious the underside 'sky' colour on the wings and tail surface edges still attracts the eye.



Unlike the Hurricane the Spitfire has no pre-applied underside or fuselage roundels. These players will have to apply from the decal sheet along with the squadron codes, fin flashes and serial numbers.



Standby for more information about the Luftwaffe Squadron Packs - the Messerschmitt Bf109E-3 'Emil' and the Junkers Ju87B Stuka.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

The Messerschmitt Bf109E-3 Squadron Pack contains one miniature, flight stand, four altitude pegs, manoeuvre deck, aircraft card, decal 'how to' guide, decal sheet (enough for three aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen), a 'Sniper' ace skill card and two special ability cards - Limited ammo (for the wing mounted MGFF 2cm cannons) and Drop tanks. This last one was a puzzle as the E-3 version of the 'Emil' was never fitted with a drop tank, which was first used on the E-7 model from August 1940. But more on the drop tank card in a minute.



Turning the Bf109E-3 over and there was no drop tank, but instead a 250kg bomb attached to the centreline mount. Whilst the Luftwaffe did deploy Jabo (Jagdbomber) units during the Battle of Britain, historically the E-3 version of the Bf 109 was never equipped to carry such ordnance. The earlier Bf109E-1/B could carry the 250kg bomb, as could the later E-4/B. I will likely remove the bombs and mount them on my two North Africa scheme Messerschmitt Bf110C-7s.



IMHO the overall finish for the 'Emil' is actually better than the Spitfire or Hurricane with the edges of the wings and tail far less noticeable.

[Guntruck]

Thanks for this Carl. There is some interesting bits and pieces in the boxes, which I can't wait to get my hands on. Although I think I will have to fight the urge to repaint those Hurris.....

[Carl_Brisgamer]

The last of the Battle of Britain Squadron Packs is the Junkers Ju87B-2 Stuka.



In each of the Squadron Packs you get one Stuka miniature, flight stand, four altitude pegs, manoeuvre deck, aircraft card, decal 'how to' guide, decal sheet (enough for five aircraft of Stukageschwader 77), two special ability cards (Dive Bombing and Vertical Dives and Bombing) and an ace skill card - Precision Dive Bombing.



Roll the Ju87B-2 over and you see she is in fact a Ju87R-2 equipped with 300 liter drop tanks under each wing. The R-2 had the same basic airframe as the B-2 with the outer wing bomb racks removed to make way for the drop tanks. Due to the 360km extended range for the R-2 it was often used for anti-shipping strikes. I believe this may solve the mystery of the drop tank cards. My theory is they were supposed to go into the Stuka Packs but ended up in the 109 Squadron Packs by mistake. In any event, I have re-allocated the drop tank cards to my Stukas where they belong. Another obvious issue is the 250kg bomb on the centreline rack is unpainted - yet the bomb on the 109 was painted?



Overall the Stuka a very attractive miniature with little visible unpainted edges.



All my Squadron pack aircraft lined up ready to receive decals tomorrow. They are the first but certainly will not be the last - I hope Ares produced a pile of these miniatures!

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Another issue I forgot to mention was of the three Stuka Squadron Packs I received only one had the decal guide. I don't know how widespread this might be but it could cause issues for players who only buy one pack and miss out.

[skyking20]

Uh oh. Seeing this makes me want to jump into WW2 after years of doing strictly WW1. Ok I am counting my change...

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Uh oh. Seeing this makes me want to jump into WW2 after years of doing strictly WW1. Ok I am counting my change...

Feel the power of the Darkside........

[surfimp]

Lovely review, sir! Thank you!

Bit of a shame about the bombs and edges, but overall... from a standard tabletop distance I see Spitfires and Messerschmitts and Hurricanes and Stukas, oh my!

I've got my own copy of the starter and some squadron packs on pre-order through the 'Drome here, can't wait to get them in a couple weeks.

[Flying Helmut]

Thanks for the pictures, Carl!

I'm definitely going to have to repaint the wing and tail edges to get rid of that underside colour wraparound.
Although, it DOES make the Hurris and Spits visible against the dark Ares mats!

I'll have to get rid of the bombs on the Hurris, too.........................

[Teaticket]

Thanks for the pictures, Carl!

I'm definitely going to have to repaint the wing and tail edges to get rid of that underside colour wraparound.
Although, it DOES make the Hurris and Spits visible against the dark Ares mats!

I'll have to get rid of the bombs on the Hurris, too.........................

I wholly agree with the dislike of the edges being the underside color. I've touched up a number of my WWI planes where I couldn't stand this so now this new WW2 group will have to get the same treatment.

[Sagrilarus]

Green on the underside?

[Teaticket]

Green on the underside?

Green? I don't see any green on the underwing but I see yellow/buff on the wing edges of the Hurricanes and Spits.

[Sagrilarus]

Maybe my screen color is off. The bottom of that Cane sure looks green to me.

Early BoB they were black and white split, right? Then sky blue later? I see a sky that color I'm heading to the storm basement.

Oh -- and the decals specify DW. I think I'll go Dom's so I can make my own squadron letters. That's nothin' though. A couple of bucks for an entire set.

[Jager]

Great review, Carl. Some glitches, but less than feared (Re: WGS series 6). I wonder how hard the bomb removal will be.
Thanks for the recon report

Uh oh. Seeing this makes me want to jump into WW2 after years of doing strictly WW1. Ok I am counting my change...

Karl

[Canestri10]

Cannot wait for these but like previous people have stated:

Those unfinished edges....

[BobP]

Thanks for the post and good to see they are out. That means I should be getting mine soon. I have to agree with the others as to the overpaint on the wings.
John I see what you are saying that there is a very slight green tint but more of cream color to me.

[Sagrilarus]

I'll check my WoW models when I get home. I know they're not B&W.

It may be my screen. It's a cheap laptop. They almost look pistachio to me.

[Canestri10]

Would be interesting to see a side by side comparison of Bader's Hurricane and one of these.

[Teaticket]

Maybe my screen color is off! Either way I don't like the wing edges that ARES gives us. Their decals are sometimes too small, as on the Hurricane. The Stuka and ME109 don't look as bad. The Spit isn't as bad but still too noticeable for me and will get painted like the Hurricanes.

That said, I still appreciate the new release and will have a ball flying these new minis.

Maybe my screen color is off. The bottom of that Cane sure looks green to me.

Early BoB they were black and white split, right? Then sky blue later? I see a sky that color I'm heading to the storm basement.

Oh -- and the decals specify DW. I think I'll go Dom's so I can make my own squadron letters. That's nothin' though. A couple of bucks for an entire set.

[Sagrilarus]

Well shut my mouth. Bader's Cane is green too.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

I'll check my WoW models when I get home. I know they're not B&W.

It may be my screen. It's a cheap laptop. They almost look pistachio to me.

The underside colour was called 'sky' in RAF terminology. It was a light greenish colour. See this webpage for technical details - http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorch...rcharts_uk.htm

The original black and white undersides were instituted to ensure aircraft were not shot down by their own anti-aircraft artillery. However during the Battle of France the Hurricane squadrons assigned to the RAF AASF noted how the Luftwaffe aircraft were hard to spot with their 'Hellblau' scheme so recommended the practice be discontinued. By the time the Battle of Britain came around sky undersides had been applied to most Hurricanes.

Below you can see the Bader and new BoB Sqn Pack Hurricanes side by side. It really does demonstrate the better finish on the earlier version, but nothing a lick of paint won't fix.

[Sagrilarus]

Quite a photo.

[Marechallannes]

Nice unboxing pictures, Carl.

Thank you.

[Canestri10]

Well for those of us who don't and can't paint their minis this is such a huge disappointment. Man what a difference, hopefully Ares see this pic for future quality referral.

I would happily pay $5-10 more dollars for a bit of paint if it meant we went back to seeing the details and finish of the old range.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

This morning I started applying decals to my 12 Squadron Pack aircraft. It took me an average of 15 minutes to finish each aircraft, allowing for a little drying time.

A few points for your information and consideration -

These decals are good quality and they stick well - which means you need to be fairly quick getting them in the right position. I applied a little microsol on each one to get them to conform to the surface texture, particularly the Spitfire underwing roundels.

The red circle in the centre of some of the RAF roundels is slightly off centre. It is barely noticeable to my mature eyes at arms length, but it is an issue nonetheless.

Some of the RAF tricolour tail flashes are joined together as one decal designed to fold over the vertical stabiliser - my advice is to cut them in half before you apply and it will save a lot of fiddling about (as well as having to put fewer coins in the swear jar!)

Once the decals are applied they are quite 'shiny', particularly the large squadron codes. I gave the miniature a once over with TS80 flat clear spray and it really made a difference not just to the decals but the entire mini in general. If you are going to use spray don't forget to mask the canopy or else the plastic may fog.

I have included some photos of my first Spitfire below. I only used the factory supplied decals and made no attempt to 'fix' the unpainted edges, touch up the red panels over the gun ports, add yellow tips to the propeller blades, etc.







It is a little hard to see in the comparison photo below but the coat of flat clear really takes the shine of the surface.



Is the finished product perfect? No, but as a gaming piece than can be quickly modified to be any one of hundreds of aircraft I think it does the job better than most.

I will be buying many, many more of these Squadron Packs. I hope Ares hits the jackpot financially with this idea and rolls it out for future releases - both WGS and WGF.

[Stumptonian]

Definite difference between the Bader and the new ones - bu I will take what I can get.

Bader was the one I never did manage to get ...

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Definite difference between the Bader and the new ones - bu I will take what I can get.

Bader was the one I never did manage to get ...

The Bader miniature is excellent but as you say Pete good luck finding one. To co-opt an old saying 'Three Poles in hand is worth a Bader in the bush'.

I am close to finishing my decalling session, I'll post some pictures when I am done.

[milcoll73]

Lovely review, sir! Thank you!

Bit of a shame about the bombs and edges, but overall... from a standard tabletop distance I see Spitfires and Messerschmitts and Hurricanes and Stukas, oh my!

I've got my own copy of the starter and some squadron packs on pre-order through the 'Drome here, can't wait to get them in a couple weeks.

one wonders why they dont use a base plastic closer to the final color so the edges werent so obvious. i still like them and am getting some however.

[milcoll73]

The underside colour was called 'sky' in RAF terminology. It was a light greenish colour. See this webpage for technical details - http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorch...rcharts_uk.htm

The original black and white undersides were instituted to ensure aircraft were not shot down by their own anti-aircraft artillery. However during the Battle of France the Hurricane squadrons assigned to the RAF AASF noted how the Luftwaffe aircraft were hard to spot with their 'Hellblau' scheme so recommended the practice be discontinued. By the time the Battle of Britain came around sky undersides had been applied to most Hurricanes.

Below you can see the Bader and new BoB Sqn Pack Hurricanes side by side. It really does demonstrate the better finish on the earlier version, but nothing a lick of paint won't fix.

now lets see a side by side with nexus vs ares spitfires!!!!

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Ok!!

The Nexus models are in the centre, a Spitfire Mk.I from the WW2 Deluxe Set (middle) and a Mk.II from the Series 1 release (front with sky spinner).



I took the shot from 'player' angle, I think they compare favourably.

[Flying Helmut]

one wonders why they dont use a base plastic closer to the final color so the edges werent so obvious. i still like them and am getting some however.

They do, though!

The underside is a single colour, so it is easy to mould the plane in that colour.

The upper surface is two colours, in an irregular pattern - impossible to mould the model in a two-colour plastic combo.

The problem is, the decal they use for the two colour camo is too small for the model, so the "underside" colour is visible on upper surfaces.


Remember the Nexus Fokker DVII "Schafer"? All wing edges bright red! Same problem.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

The Messerschmitt Bf109E-3s are in my opinion the best miniatures of this bunch. They don't have any of the glaring unpainted edge issues, and besides the bomb (and no tail struts, but not even Nexus versions had them) I cannot find fault.

The photo below shows four Nexus miniatures in the front (Balthasar, Moelders, Galland and Pankratz) followed up with three Squadron Pack Emils and finally the two from the Battle of Britain Starter Set. By the time I have bought 'enough' of these beauties I will likely be able to field an entire "Gruppe"!

[Carl_Brisgamer]

A flight of completed Polish Hurricanes. Yes they have their issues but I have more Hurricanes!



The Stukas also have paint quality issues, but actually the colours this time out are more accurate representations of the black-green/dark-green camouflage (Nexus version up front followed by three Squadron Pack versions).



I will be taking all these beauties to Ace Comics Annerley tomorrow to put them through their paces.

[Baron Joe]

New BoB stuff looks great. Can't wait to get my pre-order. It will be like Christmas in March.

[Xen]

Great summary Carl!!
I'm looking forward to getting stuck into mine this weekend, had a game with them tonight, but without decals.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Great summary Carl!!
I'm looking forward to getting stuck into mine this weekend, had a game with them tonight, but without decals.

I will be ordering more Messerschmitts through Paul tomorrow, but I don't think I'll get 12 planes at once again. Took me hours to finish them off today.

[skyking20]

I should not look at these WGS posts! Now its on my want list.

[Naharaht]

Are the Hurricane and Spitfire Squadron letters the same size, thus providing us with more labelling options by interchanging decals?

[Flying Helmut]

Are the Hurricane and Spitfire Squadron letters the same size, thus providing us with more labelling options by interchanging decals?

Good question!

I'll not be using any 303 Squadron decals, because I already have a half dozen Hurris from that unit; I aim to turn my new Ares Hurris into some other Squadron.

[Sagrilarus]

Yeah, I was a little confused about why one model comes with five sets of identical letters. I'd have preferred they had one matched pair, and then offered other letters to mix and match in with the matched pair. You could create your own lettering that way.

I can't say what you'd do with the other copies of the first pair, unless you screwed up three times putting them on the model.

[grumpybear]

I hope mine come soon. But to tell the truth I don't remember exactly what I ordered LOL. It will be a real surprise.

[gully_raker]

Thanks for the post and good to see they are out. That means I should be getting mine soon. I have to agree with the others as to the overpaint on the wings.
John I see what you are saying that there is a very slight green tint but more of cream color to me.

I think it is supposed to represent "Duck Egg Blue" which had a greenish tint.

Most of the Black/White underwing colours were repainted by BoB time I believe.

[gully_raker]

Many Thanks Carl for those great reviews!

[Oberst Hajj]

Yeah, I was a little confused about why one model comes with five sets of identical letters. I'd have preferred they had one matched pair, and then offered other letters to mix and match in with the matched pair. You could create your own lettering that way.

I can't say what you'd do with the other copies of the first pair, unless you screwed up three times putting them on the model.

Where do you see five sets of identical letters? The Spits and Canes have 5 different sets of letters on a single decal sheet. For the Canes it is RF U, D, F, J, and E. For the Spits, it is DW H, Z, M, D, T.

[milcoll73]

They do, though!

The underside is a single colour, so it is easy to mould the plane in that colour.

The upper surface is two colours, in an irregular pattern - impossible to mould the model in a two-colour plastic combo.

The problem is, the decal they use for the two colour camo is too small for the model, so the "underside" colour is visible on upper surfaces.


Remember the Nexus Fokker DVII "Schafer"? All wing edges bright red! Same problem.

i was thinking molding the aircraft in colors closer to the upper surfaces so the disparity wouldnt be as noticeable unless your looking at it from the underside instead of the reverse. yeah, i recall a couple nexus mins having that problem (the udet DVII as well) but they were fewer and farther between and a bit less noticeable due to the thinner leading edges. these latter mines it seems to be more the rule than the exception and can be quite glaring at times.

as ive said, i still love these pre painted minis and it wont ever stop me from buying them!!!

[milcoll73]

those do look nice and, save for the leading edges of the wings id be hard pressed to spot which was which!

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Are the Hurricane and Spitfire Squadron letters the same size, thus providing us with more labelling options by interchanging decals?

Hi David,

Not quite, the Spitfire lettering is slightly larger than those in the Hurricane packs. When I get home I will take a side by side photo.

When I was applying decals I had a couple fold back onto themselves, so I was glad for the spares. It is mainly a problem with the lettering and serial number decals on the port side of the Spits and Hurris. Next time I apply one I will cut the single decal into two and place the serial number separately.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

First AAR with the new Battle of Britain Squadron Packs is posted here - http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sho...070#post437070

These boys look great on the table.

[Naharaht]

Hi David,

Not quite, the Spitfire lettering is slightly larger than those in the Hurricane packs. When I get home I will take a side by side photo.

When I was applying decals I had a couple fold back onto themselves, so I was glad for the spares. It is mainly a problem with the lettering and serial number decals on the port side of the Spits and Hurris. Next time I apply one I will cut the single decal into two and place the serial number separately.

That is a pity.

[OldGuy59]

Sorry for being a wet blanket, but the Hurricane paint jobs are sad. It appears that some serious compromises were made with the factory decals, probably to make production easier (read: cheaper). The Spitfires are marginally better, but not by much.

There have been a few design decisions on these planes that appear to have been made to appeal to a very uneducated, or unsophisticated, player. Extra bombs that don't belong, poor quality of finish, and perhaps more things if I were to open a box or two.

I was starting to get very frustrated with Evan posting about this release, and not even a nebulous release date announced on Ares' site for North America to be had. Now, I'm kind of glad. I think I will be skipping this release entirely. I'll stay with the Nexus minis I have, and keep to the Battle of Britain theatre for WGS.

Shame. I was so looking forward to putting together a few squadrons for some massed battles.