When I was a wee lad, I was a HUGE fan of The Rat Patrol TV series. So when I saw there were miniatures made of them by Company B miniatures, I obviously had to pick them up...
It looks like they made jeeps specific for them, but somehow that is not what I ended up with (perhaps they made them sometime after they made the miniatures?) Instead I got a pair of SAS jeeps.
It had been a toss up between regular jeeps (which I recall the jeeps in the TV series looking like) or something a LITTLE more like actually deep desert raiders and went with the SAS jeeps.
Then I was kind of torn about how to PAINT them. SAS jeeps were tan or sand (or pink?) in colour. The jeeps in the Rat Patrol were just regular army green... I'd originally painted them a tan colour. But when I dug them out last week to paint up and was looking for photo references for the uniforms, I realized the jeeps were green, so I went with that.
the uniforms worn in the TV series do not entirely match with these and it's hard to tell what colour they actually were as they look like wildly different shades of tan or khaki, depending on the photo... I just went with a mix of different tans and khakis trying to hit a medium between actual uniforms work by troops in North Africa and something like the TV series...?
I guess the TV series wasn't SUPER concerned with depicting actual uniforms and equipment worn, so I shouldn't get to wound up about it either...
I'm not entirely sure when or how I'm going to make use of these... around the time I bought these (which was more than a few years ago, now!) I also picked up the complete Rat Patrol series on DVD, thinking I could mine the episodes for ideas for scenarios!?
I also have a BUNCH of other SAS and LRDG vehicles in varying states of completeness, from have-not-touched-them to 99%-done-why-the-fuck-didn't-I-just-finish-them-off!? Not thrilled with the Desert yellow I used on two of them. Perhaps that's what stalled them...
Kind of want to finish THOSE up now... but also, not so sure what I'd use them for...? Or what rules to use...? (I haven't really read through the vehicle rules in Five Men at Kursk, yet...)
I feel like the times they were used in action was driving up air strips shooting up parked aircraft... and I just do not have that many aircraft to set out on a table - that that would be FUN, I think it would be prohibitively expensive to do... (there HAD been a series of aircraft toys at a local discount store that were close to 1/48 scale and I will forever kick myself for not having just bought them all!? Of course, at that time the only World War Two stuff that I had was in 15mm and 20mm... so...)
I have a few stacks of barrels and crates, I guess... could try driving up and shooting those up before sentries rouse the other guards and shoot the fleeing jeeps... not quite the same...
Any ideas?
What could the rat patrol or my SAS/LRDG trucks be used for on the table top!?
I do have a smattering of German Afrika Korps and Italians! Most of those still need painting as well, though.
Posts
Wow! This brings back some fond memories. I had the Aurora model set of the Rat Patrol but sold off all the vehicles and kept the sand dunes. Raiding supply dumps, ambushing convoys and, rescuing captives seem to be scenarios for this size force. Victory conditions need to be set so that the Rat Patrol doesn't die but the Jerries can win the game. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan!
DeleteAmbushing Convoys - Yes! Immediately after posting this I remembered that I have a trio of Opel Blitzs (and maybe a kubelwagon?) in a box somewhere waiting to be assembled! I might have an armoured car that could escort them... but that might make it a little TOO deadly for the raiders...?
They can skirmish with Italian and German light recce elements.
ReplyDeleteOr they have to get to spot A and observe the coastal highway for 3 turns without enemy driving them off.
Or they have to penetrate enemy depot and blow it up.extra VPs for getting away undetected
Thanks James!
DeleteYour comment about the costal highway reminded me I had three Tamiya 1:48 opel blitz and a kubelwagon squirrelled away somewhere. So I might start with assembling and painting those up - to shoot up a convoy!
They were in B&W when I saw them in action.........but these guys will pass. Scenarios, hmm, raid on enemy hq to capture an important person (general, politician, spy, etc.. Airfields as SAS, and convoys or fuel depots, defeating German raiders in trucks or 1/2 tracks looking like American ones....
ReplyDeleteBtw YouTube has whole episodes.
I'm NOT going to watch them......not going.....not...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXgf4TMTbZ0&list=PLfpUaiEWUPT6VOWUVXEFJsrlY2qhw4Lxk
Ha-ha! Yes, a few US M3 half-tracks with German crosses painted on the sides would totally be apropos...
Deletethanks Ross!
Yes, Rat Patrol! I was a big fan of the show, too, and have the dvd set. Can the 5 Men rules be adapted to North Africa (or some other small skirmish rules, with options/scenarios for both vehicular stuff and stuff on foot)? As for historical accuracy, I wouldn't be too concerned about that. Make it more Hollywood, I say (but I lean more that way in any case; if I leaned any further I'd fall down - ha ha).
ReplyDeleteRat Patrol-like scenarios and campaigns are another area where I personally would probably use some of my sci-fi minis. Sort of Space Rat Patrol on some desert planet. :D
In any case, your minis and jeeps and all look great!
There are rules for sentries and sneaking up on them in Five Men in Normandy, and an expanded section for stealth operations in Five Men at Kursk - meant for commando operations (or anyone trying to stealthfully approach an enemy - or even bypass them!)... not sure if it would work as well for jeep-mounted troops... But definitely for the dismounted raiders! I need a THIRD set here - parked jeeps without crew for the dismounted raiders to retreat to after... doing whatever it is the scenario called for them to do on foot - and when mounted up - and then replace them with the crewed jeeps to escape on!
DeleteJust like in old-school pike and shot games where you had to have your mounted dragoos, your dismounted dragoos, and a smattering of horse-holders and horses - to show where you'd left your horses upon dismounting (so the dragoons could, in theory, run back to them and mount back up and gallop off after fighting on foot for a bit!?)
It seems SILLY... but it also seems like the exact sort of thing my brain would LOVE to do...