Marketing Flyer info/picture on Contested Skies

[VA Gamer]

I got an email today with the marketing flyer from Wizards about the next set, "Contested Skies".

Here is the text from the marketing folks - this is all that they had.

Call in Air Support!
Reinforce your Axis & AlliesTM Miniatures troops with help from above. Contested Skies features fighter planes, antiaircraft guns, tank destroyers, motorcycles, and more.
KEY SELLING POINTS
· Aircraft!
· M36 – the best American tank destroyer
· Forward Observers, aka Spotters
· New miniatures can be played with previous sets.

Also included was a nice little picture of a plane figure - I'm guessing a Stuka. Look at the size of those cannons!

- Ray

[killermuppet]

Ohhh Daddy likes......

yep looks like a Stuka with twin 20mm cannons under the wings. Definately a ground attack model. (built one from a model kit when I was a kid).

Now to WoTC: GIVE ME MORE PICTURES, now please. hehehehe.

[Geobaldi]

Holy #@$%&!

That -IS- a Stuka G! That would be the 37mm Pak 38 guns under the wings!

[Stojakovic]

DANG! I wet my self again. That is just sweet. I must have one of those :eek:

[SSG lathrop]

Yes its looking good. Its got twin 37mm anti-tank guns under the wings. It will be going in my army :D . Great pic. Thanks again Pete

[Geobaldi]

I just noticed...

No Swastika on the tailfin. How very politic.

On the other hand, STUKA G model! Woooohoooooooo! :)

[Stojakovic]

I just noticed...

No Swastika on the tailfin. How very politic.

On the other hand, STUKA G model! Woooohoooooooo! :)

Well... :rolleyes:

I wonder if the propeller moves :confused:

[WotC Bob]

The propeller does not spin but, the upright has a ball joint at the bottom, so your plane can dive, climb and bank for dramatic effect.

[Zhukov]

The propeller does not spin but, the upright has a ball joint at the bottom, so your plane can dive, climb and bank for dramatic effect.
sweet! And now for the picture. sweet! Thats cool. I hope I pull one of those in a pack of set II, and hopfully i will also accidently get the pilot for it!

[A&Aaddict]

that is amesome :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


sorry really exited

[DocD]

As much as I hate to admit it .... I love it!!

Forget the correct scale, I want one of those babies on my shelf! :)

[lozmoid]

Oh my God, I love that Stuka! Bring it on!

[simonr1978]

Not the best model, the cockpit looks much too far back and like it's been compressed and the undercarriage looks from the shot like it could be from a Ju87A with the "Trousered" legs, although that could be just the angle of the shot.

[Patton 68]

The M 36 is NOT the Pershing I wanted,but firepower is firepower,and I'll take it.That Stuka don't look too bad either...

[Stojakovic]

Well does this mean that planes will be on board since there will be a model with a stand. If it is just a run through what would be the use of having a model? If it is just for collectors reasons what would be the point of puting it on a stand where it can pivot?

[Autarch]

I just noticed...

No Swastika on the tailfin. How very politic.

On the other hand, STUKA G model! Woooohoooooooo! :)

It's because they want to be able to sell them in Germany/Europe.

[Autarch]

Well does this mean that planes will be on board since there will be a model with a stand. If it is just a run through what would be the use of having a model? If it is just for collectors reasons what would be the point of puting it on a stand where it can pivot?


I'd say yes. Without anything else in the pic for reference, it's hard to tell what the scale is. Is the base the same size as that for an infantryman or the PAK 40?

My only complaint (and of course you know I had to have one :) ) is that the base is circular and not C shaped so you can crowd it into a hex with other units.

['panzer' Mayer]

words can't explain it feelings can't desribe it it's beautiful!!! :eek: (there are tears in my eyes)

[spadsept@mac.com]

Wow, cool stuff! ... if only it had a canadian flag!!! A nice canadian Stuka... Ok, ok , we are happy with the scenario... ;)

[Outpost Orange]

Up with the US! M36 Tank Destroyer with 90mm of Tiger bashing lead!!!! :D
Who needs the Sherman rush anymore?

Yes yes yes! STuuuuka! with 37mm cannons for busting the Soviets on the Steppes. Perfect for the tactical game. :)

The question is? Will spotters call in aircraft, artillery or both?

[komichido]

hehe.....the excitement level on these boards are quite hi huh! Bring on the pics Bob, bring on the pics!

Komi

[Patton 68]

Anything the staff could share without giving away the farm would be appreciated...

[Lotus]

One word...WOO HOO!

Oh...that was two words.

Stukas for the Polish cavalry to panic and run from! :D

[Stojakovic]

hehe.....the excitement level on these boards are quite hi huh! Bring on the pics Bob, bring on the pics!

Komi

We don't want people's hearts stoping now ;)

[Field Marshall Rommel]

I see...many dead Soviet tanks stewn about the battle field. Bwah ha ha! :D

[marineair]

That thing is awesome! Note to self: start putting money away for a couple cases of Set III...

More pics please?

[Stojakovic]

That thing is awesome! Note to self: start putting money away for a couple cases of Set III...

More pics please?

Second that. But I want another case of set 2. 16 boosters and not onw American tank :mad:

OH!...

And Merry Christmas... 6 min. left :cool:

[Lagduf]

I'm impressed. Can't wait for set 3!

[Joisey]

Note to self: Have House Rule Committee adopt optional "Hans Ulrich Rudel" SA for the Ju87G.

For those who don't know who Rudel was, he was one of the most amazing legendary aces of the war. He destroyed over a hundred Soviet tanks and no matter how many times he was shot down (which was alot) he always survived and managed to get back to German lines.

Anti armor stats for the twin Pak 38 will be quite high. This thing should be able to kill anything not in cover.

A crecent stand won't be necessary given the unit's airspeed will cover something like 50 hexes a turn. Will be interested to see what the air sortie rules are.

[Stuart]

For a biography of Hans Ulrich Udel, see http://www.achtungpanzer.com/gen9.htm
The Ju87G-1 was armed with two 37mm flak guns. These were automatic rather than single shot like the PAK 38. All the better to hit the vulnerable rear and upper armour.
Let's hope there are some Yaks, Sturmoviks, Typhoons and Thunderbolts to balance the Stuka out

[Kaufschtick]

Note to self: Have House Rule Committee adopt optional "Hans Ulrich Rudel" SA for the Ju87G.

For those who don't know who Rudel was, he was one of the most amazing legendary aces of the war. He destroyed over a hundred Soviet tanks and no matter how many times he was shot down (which was alot) he always survived and managed to get back to German lines.


Sounds like this would be a good time to break out my old 1961 copy of "Stuka Pilot" by Hans Ulrich Rudel and give it a re-reading! Great book for anyone who can find a copy. Forward by Douglas Bader and an introdution from his mother who claims to have had to hold Rudels hand every time there was a thunderstorm until he was twelve! Amazing how he turned out to be not only the thunder , but the lightning as well in his Stuka on the Russian front. If you like the Mini, you'll enjoy the book!

The back cover of the book states that he was shot down "more than a dozen times" and had a " record of over 500 Russian tanks and one Soviet battleship destroyed"! I'm telling you, it's an amazing story/book!

[Canadian_Pride33]

Hummm... I dont want to sound picky, but i dont like the colour................ awwwww who am i kidding I LOVE THE STUKA, and i just cant say no.

[davidius]

Cool plane. Love it. But how many points is it? And it still won't (I hope!!) be able to hold the objective hex!

[Wyldman]

Over 100 tanks! read the follow:

During 2,530 combat missions
flying dive-bombing planes, mainly
on the Russian front, Mr.Rudel was
credited with destroying 519 tanks,
150 gun emplacements and 800 com-
bat vehicles of various types, as well as a battleship, two cruisers and a destroyer.

Rudel flew Stukas and Fw190 planes and is also credited with developement of the A10 warthog for the USAF.

During this period he was shot down nearly thirty (32 or 33 according to some some sources) times by anti-aircraft fire.

[Stojakovic]

Hummm... I dont want to sound picky, but i dont like the colour................ awwwww who am i kidding I LOVE THE STUKA, and i just cant say no.

Paint it. SSG Lathrop and I were telling each other... "Yup that needs a paint job!"

[Tenechs]

I sure hope that there is at least one plane per booster.

[spadsept@mac.com]

Cool plane. Love it. But how many points is it? And it still won't (I hope!!) be able to hold the objective hex!


Maybe we could land on the objective... unless it's forest or city! :rolleyes:

[shanethecrane]

Alot of the top German aces racked up huge score numbers and it appears like they were exceptionally better than anyone else. The fact is that the Germans had a fly till you die policy and their aces were flying a rather large number of sorties compared to other nations. My vote for top ace goes to Screwball Beurling. Only 30 plus kills but they occur within a very short time frame. Check out the story on him as well for an interesting read.
I also like Josef "Pips" Priller. He was such a colorful character. Him and his wingman were the only guys to fly a German sortie
against the allies during D-Day. I belive he has like 91 kills.

[Richter von Manthofen]

Nice Picture!

I bet the base is the same size as the Pak 40. That would put the planes into the same scale as the tanks.

I wnat to know how they affect the stacking limit. I assume that you can add one plane to the limit as it is now.

Before I order a case I want to know the mechanics. I hope : Must move in both phases, Attack to a hexe you are directly above. Decreased chance of sucess (5-6 on a d6 maybe?), waiting for February (or do they start sneak peeks now ? ;))

[FlyingDutchman]

The model looks really nice (a bit warhammerish with the oversized guns but okay...)

Still, I am still awaiting the rules for the new set before I decide to go for set III as well. I am not awaiting air-air combat but rather air-ground support, and I wonder how exisiting units can fire at aircrafts, how many passes an aircraft can make, etc.

Being a player and collector of Starwars CCG before (man, what a rip-off that was ;) I am affraid of diverging objectives of the players. With Starwars, one could force drain or battle, and if the 2 players made a different choice the game got really boring. I am affraid that this CAN happen with aircraft- i.e. one players only uses ground units and the other one invests his points in aircraft. Better if games for example use 100 points in ground units and e.g. 30 points in support (be it air, artillery or rockets fired from LST)

[NumberCruncher]

Hmmm, math, math, math.
The Stuka moves around 390 kph.
A M4 Sherman around 42-47 kph.
A M4 move 5 hexes a turn, thus,
a Stuka will move upto 41.5 hexes a turn.

We're gonna need a bigger map...

{Never get out of the map.}

P51, Focke Wulf & Me262, Supermarine Spitfire, Zero.
All the rest can warm the runways for all I care.
{Russian Fighter Plane. Now THERE'S an oxymoron for you.}

I wouldn't cry if they made a Me262 HGIII, He P.1078B, or Ta 283 though.

When do I get my V1 and V2s? Eat flaming rocket death!

{Sorry, got carried away for a moment there. The persons responsible have been sacked.}

[simonr1978]

Russian Fighter Plane. Now THERE'S an oxymoron for you.

Not really. :confused: The Yak-7 was held in such high regard by the Luftwaffe that an order was issued around the time of Kursk forbidding Luftwaffe aircraft to engage them below around 15,000ft. Similarly the La-5 and La-7 were extremely capable aircraft. The Yak-9 was also a very capable fighter.

The I-16 was a very good fighter, just obsolescent by the time of Barbarossa. The same is true of the I-153.

The Yak-1, LaGG-1, LaGG-3 and MiG-3 were all unremarkable planes in most respects, neither exceptionally good nor exceptionally poor.

The Soviets made many first rate combat aircraft. The Pe2FT, Yak-7, La-5, Yak-9, Tu-2 all compare favourably to contemporary Luftwaffe and Allied machines, with the added bonus in many if not most cases that they were far more robust and able to operate in far harsher conditions.

I wouldn't cry if they made a Me262 HGIII, He P.1078B, or Ta 283 though.

I would. There are more than enough aircraft that actually flew without going down the fantasy land of the projected aircraft for 1945-1950 the huge majority of which never even left the drawing board and many never got further than concept sketches.

[Richter von Manthofen]

AFAIK the Versailles treaty forbode the german planes, so Hitler reached an agreement with stalin that Germans pilots were trained in Russia in secret. Russia had a modern airforce in the 30ies

[simonr1978]

Not strictly true.

Versailles forbad the Germans from forming an airforce. The got around this by using the largely government owned airline Lufthansa, many of the Luftwaffe's bombers started off ostensibly as civilian airliners and that's no coincidence. As I understand it the designers were instructed to build the aircraft with dual purposes in mind.

The government also encouraged private gliding and flying schools so that when the time came to publicly break Versailles there would be a fair number of reasonably experienced pilots in Germany already.

There was some training in Russia that couldn't be accomplished in Germany such as specific fighter training and tactics, or bombing practice.

I say the Government because much of this was going on before the Nazis came to power too.

[manufan]

Hmmm, math, math, math.
The Stuka moves around 390 kph.
A M4 Sherman around 42-47 kph.
A M4 move 5 hexes a turn, thus,
a Stuka will move upto 41.5 hexes a turn.

We're gonna need a bigger map...




Maybe planes will run strafing runs.

They start off map (pretend they are 30 odd hexes off the map), come on the map and strafe in a turn, go off map (other side, pretend they have gone 30 hexes off), come back on the map the next turn etc.

Just a thought.

Cheers.

[madwill]

i think that if the planes are used on the regular map they are just placed to show where they are attacking for that turn giving AA guns a chance to fire in the assault phase since all damge is applied in the casualty phase. perhaps they are a one or two use unit during the game. one bomb/ two straffing runs etc. they should be reasonably powerful but limited on how many times you can use them.

[jiminy_fatal]

undoubtedly anti aircraft will work as it does in the AXIS AND ALLIES BOARD GAMES? What do you guys think? kill the plane before it can do any damage?

[GijoeNumberOne]

To fit a hex, the base of that Stuka is probably 2 inches in diameter. If so, then the wingspan looks to be 3 inches, give or take. The King Tiger was about 33 Ft long (with gun) and the Stuka was about 36 feet long with a wingspan of just over 45 ft.

Figured that way, then the plane is about the same scale as the ground minis (or at least those that are to scale ;) )

Does that sound about right?

[GijoeNumberOne]

I re-did the math. At 1:120 scale, the wing span of the Stuka would have to be 4.5 inches and the length of the plane: 3.6 inches. (Using 1:144 scale, the wing would be 3.7 in. and length 3 inches.) The P-51 would have to be almost the same size. A B-17 would have specs of 10.4 in. by 7.5 in (or 8.6 in. by 6.2 in.).

I also did the math for the King Tiger. At 1:120 scale, it should be 2.5" x 1.2" without the gun, or 3.4" x 1.2" which is what we have.

So much for comparative scaling.

[CdtWeasel]

[QUOTE=Geobaldi]I just noticed...

No Swastika on the tailfin. How very politic.
[QUOTE]

a necessary evil for international sales to be possible.

[Dr_Strangelove]

The Stuka does have a way of boosting the Axis morale doesn't it. It will be interesting to see what they roll out for the Allies to counter this with. I hope it isn't just fighters but some AA artillery.

Right now my Russian armor is already feeling a bit vulnerable...

[dracos42]

I'm assuming that the new aircraft rules will resemble the rules found in the Panzer Blitz/Leader system. Planes are free to move to any hex on the board in their movement phase. Then all AA guns in range of the planes may fire at the planes, causing destruction, damage, or no effect. Surviving planes then attack. Damaged planes then have to leave, while other planes have the choice of leaving or staying. There is no air-to-air combat, as one side or the other is assumed to have local air superiority.

There would have to be some changes of course. The PB/PL series has 6 minute turns and 500 ft hexes. Planes might have a movement factor, but so high as to not be important except on large boards. Both sides could have planes, unless AH has some rules to determine who gets air superiority for a battle.

Michael

[Lotus]

The Stuka does have a way of boosting the Axis morale doesn't it. It will be interesting to see what they roll out for the Allies to counter this with. I hope it isn't just fighters but some AA artillery.

Right now my Russian armor is already feeling a bit vulnerable...

Stukas...What worries I had for aircraft adversely imbalancing this game is already being replaced by out-and-out delusions of destructive grandeur. ;)

I agree Dr. Strangelove. And I will be playing Stukas even if I have to sell my solitary means of real life transport to afford them.

[GijoeNumberOne]

Call in Air Support!
Reinforce your Axis & AlliesTM Miniatures troops with help from above. Contested Skies features fighter planes, antiaircraft guns, tank destroyers, motorcycles, and more.
KEY SELLING POINTS
· Aircraft!
· M36 – the best American tank destroyer
· Forward Observers, aka Spotters
· New miniatures can be played with previous sets.

- Ray

I was reading VA Gamer's flyer again, and notice the last line: "New miniatures can be played with previous sets." That and WoTC Bob's "...the upright has a ball joint at the bottom, so your plane can dive, climb and bank for dramatic effect." seems to indicate that Hasbro/AH definately have some sort of air combat rules to allow for air only actions, otherwise, why mention "can be played with previous sets"?

Yes, I know there will be ground units also, just food for thought. :)

[4242david4242]

The propeller does not spin but, the upright has a ball joint at the bottom, so your plane can dive, climb and bank for dramatic effect.

WotC Bob, can you tell us the diameter of the base on this little beauty?

[Joisey]

Does it come in black? That stuka would definitely look better in black.

[Stojakovic]

Does it come in black? That stuka would definitely look better in black.

Got Paint?

[357FTG]

This thing is going to look great in the cross hairs of my P-51.

[Stojakovic]

This thing is going to look great in the cross hairs of my P-51.

I wonder if the Zero will have some type of kamikaze ability?

[NightMoor]

Back to how planes might move: they might just simply it totally, very much like in the PC game Panzer General. In that game, tanks could move about 3-5 hexes depending on terrain, while planes generally flew 11-14 hexes. Might not be the most historically accurate solution, but it sure as heck would make them easy to use and incorporate into the rules...

[Lotus]

Back to how planes might move: they might just simply it totally, very much like in the PC game Panzer General. In that game, tanks could move about 3-5 hexes depending on terrain, while planes generally flew 11-14 hexes. Might not be the most historically accurate solution, but it sure as heck would make them easy to use and incorporate into the rules...

Easier, sure. And you could be right that WoTC might do that. I hope not tho. I can see planes just circling around on the map, attacking, circling, attacking, circling...such a small space.

I think I'd feel better if they flew on and off the map somehow, or maybe they'd have a limited time on the map...3-4 turns. There has to be something to reflect limited fighting fuel, limited ammo, and speed.

To whip a tired old horse one more time, compare the speed of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther w/ the Junkers JU 87. (max speed 29 mph to 242 mph) The Panther in this game has a speed of 4, so the Junkers would comparatively have a max speed of more than 33 hexes if my math is correct. The actual fighting speed will still be whopping on the game map.

It's going to be a looooong month and a half. :(

[Stojakovic]

But there is good news...

[Lotus]

But there is good news...

...you have my attention. :confused:

[Stojakovic]

...you have my attention. :confused:

I just saved a ton of money on my car insurence... seriously I did... and its not from Geico. Oh and we are 1 day closer to set 3 :)

[Lotus]

I just saved a ton of money on my car insurence... seriously I did... and its not from Geico. Oh and we are 1 day closer to set 3 :)

You got a car? Nice!

My jeep gets paid off next month (March). 2 things to itch in anticipation over.

[VandyFry]

Maybe all the planes will be commons! :happy:

[Stojakovic]

You got a car? Nice!

My jeep gets paid off next month (March). 2 things to itch in anticipation over.

2003 Ford focus. Not all mine yet. In about 2 year or more. And I hope planes will not be common.

[Chairman7w]

Nightmoor, you read my mind.

I wonder if they'll just simplify things and give them a speed of, say... 7. (shrug)

As long as they're costed appropriately, the rules they give them are almost a non-issue. We have to be careful not to go down the "reality" road. It aint real. Period.