Revolution in the Sky

[Oberst Hajj]

Here are three previews for the upcoming Revolution in the Sky release.

The first Polikarpov I-16 is a type 29 flown by the Romanian ace Popescu.

The Second is an I-16 SPB from Russia. This version was used as a bomber and dropped in flight from a Tupolev bomber (see photo in next post).

Finally, the last I-16 is a type 6 flown by US pilot Frank Tinker flying for the Republic during the Spanish Civil War.

[Oberst Hajj]

Here is how the SPB bomber version was carried in to battle:

http://aerostories.free.fr/appareils/compopara/I16SPB.jpg

[Bob Little]

HI all
Lovely stuff if we are going to explore the period between the wars I recommend looking at the Chaco war looks of cool planes with great paint jobs.

Cheers
Myron

[Double Deuce]

Good stuff, really looking forward to these. Any ideas what else we might see in Revolution in the Sky?

[Gravitypool]

Cool previews. Now at least we will be able to put that Spanish National Junkers from FftS against a good oponent.

[bsmith13]

Those look great! I don't know why I never think much of doing scenarios from the Spanish Civil War...there were certainly enough planes.

[Angiolillo]

I got as a gift a great book on South American wars in the last century: "Latin American Air Wars and Aircraft 1912-1922" by Dan Hagedorn (Hikoki publications). Just waiting for the occasion to put something from these in the game. The first one could be a Mexican Britol Fighter, maybe involved i some local revolution.

[nachinus]

For some reason I've always loved the I-16. It took me a lot of time to get used to its incredibly fast roll and sensitive controls in IL2:FB, but it was the beggining of a long friendship :)

[Charlie3]

Hey don't forget China used these planes against Japan in the early part of the war.

They are a good match up for the Japanese Mitsubishi Type 96 or A5M4 Kotobuki (Congratulaton) American code name "Claude" and the Nakajima KI.27 American code name (Nate) Both were front line fighters in China, Burma, the Philippines and Malaya in 1939. The Claude was primarily a Naval aircraft, and the Nate was the Army aircraft, however both were land based. The leading surviving Japanese ace Saburo Sakai got his first kill in a Claude, and later attacked a group of 15 Russian bombers by himself in one (no kills) The other 63 confirmed kills were in a Zero.

[Angiolillo]

If all goes as planned there will be three Chinese I-16 i the pack, one for each maneuvre deck provided. They will be Liu Chi Sheng of 21st Chungtui, IVth Tatui, Chiese Air Force (Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün); Cdr. Yang Meng-ch’ing of 24th Chungtui, IVth Tatui, Chinese Air Force; an anoymous pilot of the Russian Volunteers Unit of the Sinkiang air force.

If you have any suggestion for the name/rank of the pilot, that's warmly welcome - with a photo even more. A photo of Yang Meng-ch’ing (or Yang Meng-Ging) would also be great.

Alas they have no cockades on the upper wings (models featuring them are wrong), so they are pretty dull for a preview. ;)

Yang Meng-ch’ing was shot dow the 13th of September, 1940, in the first combat of the Zero/Reisen. I-15s ad I-16s met 13 Mitsubishi A6M from the 12th Kokutai led by Lieutenant Saburo Shindo. Details here, under 09/13/1940:
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/sino-japanese-1940.htm

[Gravitypool]

Mr Angiolino, you sure know how to keep us payers hooked on the game. In the end when is the release date for the boosters?

[Angiolillo]

Alas, that's something I really don't know for real. I would guess early 2010, but I don't know how much early. Please don't take this even as a good guess: I am totally out of the production process, once drawigs and writings for the cards are done/decided. Besides, Chinese production goes on all the year but durig the Chinese New Year's Eve, that lasts one month...

[Angiolillo]

By the way, Last Biplanes too has a Chinese plane:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/535612

http://images.boardgamegeek.com/images/pic535612_md.jpg

[Oberst Hajj]

More I16s previews can be seen over on Merlin's site (http://merlindex.free.fr/spip/spip.php?breve35).

[Oberst Hajj]

Polikarpov I-16 typ 6 Comandante de Aviácion Frank Glasgow Tinker 1 Escuadrilla de Moscas Fuerza Aérea de la República Española
Polikarpov I-16 typ 10 Capitán José Maria Bravo Fernandez 3 Escuadrilla Fuerza Aérea de la República Española
Polikarpov I-16 typ 10 Teniente Antonio Arias 4 Escuadrilla Fuerza Aérea de la República Española
Polikarpov I-16 typ 10 Comandante de Aviácion Joaquin Garcia Morato Ala 11 Fuerza Aérea Nacionales
Polikarpov I-16 typ 5 Zhong Wei Liu Chi-Sheng 21st Chungtui, IVth Tatui Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün
Polikarpov I-16 typ 10 Zhong Xiao Yang Meng-ch’ing 24th Chungtui, IVth Tatui Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün
Polikarpov I-16 typ 18 - Russian Volunteers Unit Chung-Hua Min-Kuo K'ung-Chün
Polikarpov I-16 typ 5 Mayór aviátsii Fiodor Zakharowitch Kalugin 21 IAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
Polikarpov I-16 typ 10 Leytenánt aviátsii Gennadii DmitriyevichTosokolayev 4 GvIAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily - Karsnoznamenniy Baltijski Flot
Polikarpov I-16 typ 17 Stárshiy leytenánt aviátsii Mikhail YakovlevichVasiliev 4 GvIAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily - Karsnoznamenniy Baltijski Flot
Polikarpov I-16 typ 24 Leytenánt aviátsii G. G. Guriakov 4 GvIAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily - Karsnoznamenniy Baltijski Flot
Polikarpov I-16 typ 29 Starshiná Perevera Moskow PVO Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
Polikarpov I-16 typ 24 Kapitán aviátsii.Boris Feoktistovich Safonov 72 IAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
Polikarpov I-16 typ 24 Leytenánt aviátsii Krichevskyi 245 IAP Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
Polikarpov I-16 SPB Kapitán aviátsii Arseniy Shubikov 2 eskadrilia, 32 IAP, 62 IAB, Tchornomorskiy Flot Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily
Polikarpov I-16 typ 6 - Lentolaivue 30 Suomen Ilmavoimat
Polikarpov I-16 typ 29 Locotenent aviator Gheorghe Popescu-Ciocănel Escadrila 19 Observaţie Aeronautica Regală Română

[Gravitypool]

Wow, we got a good share of republican fighters on this one. I guess it's time for some Spanish civil war scenarios. ^^

[Baron]

Polikarpov I-16 typ 29 Locotenent aviator Gheorghe Popescu-Ciocănel Escadrila 19 Observaţie Aeronautica Regală Română

First Romanian Unit in this game I believe!!! First of many hopefully :D

[Oberst Hajj]

I knew you would be happy Tudor!

[bsmith13]

Nice to see the Rata get some love.

[nachinus]

That's a HUGE lot of I-16s!!

[The Blue Baron]

But only one kind of plane...:confused:

[Baron]

Well one type plane, but many variants of it in there, so they should be distinct in some sort of way. The Polikarpov I-16 was the first plane to have retractable gear and also incorporated lots of new innovations for his time. It was used widely before WW2 and at the early years of WW2. Some say it was a good match for the Me109 in the Spanish Civil War.

[Baron]

I knew you would be happy Tudor!Yes I am a little. I hope in the future a romanian background will emerge :D

[Oberst Hajj]

Well see what comes with these I-16s ;)

[aper373]

This is good news, I was working on my own home made I-16 card. Now, it would be great if they would do some early China theater planes such as the Ki-10, Ki-27 or A5M2. Maybe I'll start on some home made ones.

[Oberst Hajj]

I just updated the first post with the front and back of one of the cards. Andrea sent me the artwork this morning, it looks really good!

[Naharaht]

Will there be a rule to allow the Polikarpov pilots to use their tactic of 'chewing' off the opposition's tailplane with their metal bladed propellors?

[Oberst Hajj]

I doubt it.

[IRM]

You can always deliberately try to overlap an enemy plane and cross your fingers when drawing damage cards;)

[Carl_Brisgamer]

This is good news, I was working on my own home made I-16 card. Now, it would be great if they would do some early China theater planes such as the Ki-10, Ki-27 or A5M2. Maybe I'll start on some home made ones.

These aircraft are remarkably close in armament and performance.

Polikarpov I-16 Type 6 (1937-41)
Speed: 440kmh
Ceiling: 9100m
Climb rate: 13.2m/s
Armament: 2 x 7.62mm cowl mounted MG

Mitshubishi A5M2 (1937-45)
Speed: 440kmh
Ceiling: 9800m
Climb rate: 14m/s
Armament: 2 x 7.7mm cowl mounted MG

Nakajima Ki-27 (1937-45)
Speed: 444kmh
Ceiling: 10040m
Climb rate: 15.3m/s
Armament: 2 x 7.7mm cowl mounted MG

None of these aircraft had self sealing fuel tanks or pilot armour. It was not until 1939 that the upgunned I-16 Type 10 was equipped with an armoured backrest and self-sealing tanks (hence the improved '15' rated I-16 type 10 card in the first post), but by that time the cannon armed A6M2 Zero was operational.

As close as I can decipher WoW stats would be practically the same, with the Japanese aircraft having the edge in operational ceiling:

Polikarpov I-16 Type 6
Manouvre deck: J
Structural points: 14
Damage short: A
Damage long: A
Altitude: 10
Climb rate: 3

Mitsubishi A5M2 and Nakajima Ki-27
Manouvre deck: J
Structural points: 14
Damage short: A
Damage long: A
Altitude: 11
Climb rate: 3

The winner would be decided by the skill and tenacity (and luck) of the individual pilots involved.

Cheers,

Carl.

[Dan-Sam]

Any information about miniatures of Last Biplanes and Revolution in the Sky? Or will Nexus go the way of the mainstream planes? What would you prefer chaps?

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Any information about miniatures of Last Biplanes and Revolution in the Sky? Or will Nexus go the way of the mainstream planes? What would you prefer chaps?

I for one am looking forward to 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War and Russo-Japanese aerial combats.

Bring them on!

Cheers,

Carl.

[afilter]

FYI, FFG has put up an official announcement on their site as of Jan 19, 2010

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=1055

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Now I just have to source 1:200 'faux' I-16's until the official versions hit the shelves!

[The Blue Baron]

FYI, FFG has put up an official announcement on their site as of Jan 19, 2010

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=1055

And here is the corresponding pic:http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/wings-of-war/News/last_biplanes_and_revolution/squadron_packs.png

[leadpusher]

Do we have a release date, other than spring? Looking forward to both early WW2 planes.
Any idea why these are released as WoW and not DoW which seems more logical?

Jim

[Javikurt]

Here are three previews for the upcoming Revolution in the Sky release.

The first Polikarpov I-16 is a type 29 flown by the Romanian ace Popescu.

The Second is an I-16 SPB from Russia. This version was used as a bomber and dropped in flight from a Tupolev bomber (see photo in next post).

Finally, the last I-16 is a type 6 flown by US pilot Frank Tinker flying for the Republic during the Spanish Civil War.

Very good post. I´m spanish, and my grandfather fought in Spanish Civil War, with Republicans against Nationals of pig dictator Franco. Nationals were too much helped in war by german nazis of Hitler. And Republicans were helped by volunteers of democratic countries like USA, France, United Kingdom, Mexico and Russia. I loved to have that I-16 plane!!!