Anti-Aircraft Artillery revealed!

[CWO Marc]

@WARRIOR888:

Think a dedicated AA Flak for Germany, US, UKm USSR and Japan!Â

It’s nice that all five countries are getting nation-specific anti-aircraft sculpts (in Germany’s case a brand-new 88mm FLAK) and that in this game Germany will also apparently get a proper field artillery piece.  This will fix the long-standing problem of Germany having been given in earlier games a small 88mm FLAK gun sculpt as its field artillery piece, which was an incorrect usage. It’s the same kind of correction that took place for the other mistake that used to affect Germany: the use in the early games of a small Stuka dive-bomber as its fighter unit.  Germany was finally given a proper fighter sculpt (the Fw-190) a few years ago (in Anniversary, I think), and then in Europe 1940 Germany was given a new larger Stuka sculpt for use in its proper role as a tactical bomber.

[Variable]

I can assure you all that Germany has been given a proper field artillery unit for this game. It will no doubt become a sought after piece just like these new AAA guns.

[sgtwiltan]

Germany’s 88 was also a late war Flak in the early games. Brits should get their 25 pounder and the german fighter was the Me-109 till the 1941 game which has the FW 190. I really hated that the German inventory for land since it was mostly all late war sculpts. Luckily I’d been modifying or scratchbuilding period appropriate tanks before the new sculpts after the GameMaster version.
I built Pz IIIs for Germany, Shermans for US, Crusaders for UK, T34s for Russia and type 97 Shinhoto Chi Has for Japan. I am currently accurizing most of the OOB pieces to resemble as close as possible, the pieces they are to represent.
I still don’t like the Japanese sculpt for the Ha Go since the upper part is a type 97 Shinhoto while the running gear is for the Ha Go. I am going to modify them into Chi Ha by changing the running gear.
Look at the comparison
ShinHoto Chi Ha track-link.net/gallery/5962
Ha Go track-link.net/gallery/1886

After all this, I’ll have a fully fleshed out and accurate A&A collection of games.
1941 for quickies with pieces from the old version 1942, Global with pieces from all A&A versions and HBG modified Pz IIIs and the new 1942 version.

Ship the damn things already!!!
All this waiting is slowing time down or driving my heart rate up!!!

[CWO Marc]

@Variable:

I can assure you all that Germany has been given a proper field artillery unit for this game. It will no doubt become a sought after piece just like these new AAA guns.

That’s great to hear!

Hmm…it’s just occured to me that, with the arrival of the US 90mm M1 sculpt, we now have an Axis and Allies American anti-aircraft artillery piece, or AAAAAAA unit (or A^7 for short).

[CWO Marc]

@sgtwiltan:

the german fighter was the Me-109 till the 1941 game which has the FW 190.

Oops – yes, you’re right.  I forgot that Germany now has two proper fighters, which is a nice step up from having started out with a sculpt that wasn’t a fighter at all.  (I vaguely recall that Germany was given a Stuka in the early games because it was an “iconic” German WWII aircraft, an explanation I never found satisfactory.)

[sgtwiltan]

At least it made sense when Tac Bombers became part of the game.

I was using 1/700 planes for the 1984 version and I think they are great for the Guadalcanal game since you get more sculpts and the smaller planes look better on the carriers.

All I need to complete my A&A collection is the D-Day game. I’m not paying the premium for the Anniversary edition when Global is so much more fulfilling. FMGs M13-40s are way better than the A&A sculpts for that game.
I am scratch building victory cities or modifying Risk pieces as well as using them as minor ICs.

Hopefully I’ll actually get to play a game instead of just putting my grubby mitts on the plethora of pieces.

[CWO Marc]

@sgtwiltan:

I am scratch building victory cities or modifying Risk pieces as well as using them as minor ICs.

The city pieces in the new edition of Fortress America might be useful to you:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/1334266/fortress-america?size=large

[spc71]

Are the US colors dark green or olive drab? I was going to get some supplement pieces from Historical board gaming and wanted to know the right color for the US units. Really looking foward to this and the other reprints later this year.

[sgtwiltan]

@CWO:

@sgtwiltan:

I am scratch building victory cities or modifying Risk pieces as well as using them as minor ICs.

The city pieces in the new edition of Fortress America might be useful to you:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/1334266/fortress-america?size=large

$60 just for those pieces is too much. I can build more for far cheaper and can even customize for each city.
Scratch building those are quite easy.

[reloader-1]

@spc71:

Are the US colors dark green or olive drab? I was going to get some supplement pieces from Historical board gaming and wanted to know the right color for the US units. Really looking foward to this and the other reprints later this year.

OOB A&A US units are always Olive Drab.

[Variable]

@reloader-1:

@spc71:

Are the US colors dark green or olive drab? I was going to get some supplement pieces from Historical board gaming and wanted to know the right color for the US units. Really looking foward to this and the other reprints later this year.

OOB A&A US units are always Olive Drab.

Correct. Olive Drab for USA. The Dark Green at HBG matches the old Marines color from the 2001 Pacific game.

[Most Holy]

You said they were 5 IPC and can only move in non com and can fire at up to 3 planes just like Alpha 3 AA. If this is right why are they called an artilary piece. If they can only move in NCM aren’t they just nation specific AA?

[Variable]

@Most:

You said they were 5 IPC and can only move in non com and can fire at up to 3 planes just like Alpha 3 AA. If this is right why are they called an artilary piece. If they can only move in NCM aren’t they just nation specific AA?

I can’t be sure as to why they are called what they’re called. That’s a question for Larry and WOTC. But, my guess is to differentiate it from the AA guns in first edition which fired at each air unit (by type) and were also subject to capture. Now they are eliminated like defenseless transports making it more like a unit.

[Yavid]

I can’t wait to find out what the 5 new scupts are.

[gliven]

They are called AA artillery, because those guns are classified as artillery. Hence the name. I think they changed the name from the simple AA gun to AA artillery because it sounds new and better.

[Most Holy]

They will forever be known as AK-AK’s in our group.

[WARRIOR888]

Gents,

I just call them what they really were, FLAK GUNS, works for me.

WARRIOR888

[Yavid]

so far I’m still calling them AA guns.