Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Rat Patrol






Title: The Rat Patrol
Network: ABC
On-Air: 1966-68
Genre: Military Drama/Adventure
Length: 30 Minutes
Service: Army
Summary:

During WWII, the North African Desert was the home
of The Rat Patrol, an Allied Forces mobile division
(111th Armor Recon) assigned to terrorize and destroy
the Nazi desert forces (Afrika Korps) led by German
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
. US Army Sergeant
Sam Troy commanded this elite group which included
US Army Private Mark Hitchcock
["The Kid"], a
young recruit with a lot to learn about fighting; US
Army Private Tully Pettigrew, a charming con
artist with a Southern accent, and Sgt. Jack
Moffitt,
the British demolitions expert and archaeologist

("Don't call me Sarge!").


Outfitted with two machine gun mounted Jeeps,The
Rat Patrol did their best to thwart the advances
of the German Army in Africa. Their main nemesis
was Hauptman (Captain) Hans Dietrich.



TRIVIA NOTE: THE RAT PATROL was based on the
real-life exploits of the WWII British armored car outfit
called "The Long Range Desert Group." The series was
filmed on the deserts of Spain.


Cast Credits




Christopher George as Sgt. Sam Troy
Gary Raymond as Sgt. Jack Moffitt
Lawrence P. Casey as Pvt. Mark Hitchcock
Justin Tarr as Pvt. Tully Pettigrew
Eric Braeden (as Hans Gudegast) as Hauptman (Captain) Hans Dietrich
Manfred Lating as Orderly / Lt. Strum
Norbert Meisel as Truck Driver / German Guard
Stanley Adams as El Gamil
Claudine Longet as Marianne
Michael Vandever as Lt. Dorf / Lt. Reiner


Saturday, June 28, 2008

Star Frontiers



StarFrontiers.org is your host and resource gateway for
Star Frontiers Fan add-ons and revisions. You can find
new all-original fan-developed content here including
Rules, Graphic Novels, Computer Gaming Aids, and
naturally the Gamer Forum. Join a Play-by-Post game,
enjoy Frontier add-on solar systems and ships for Orbiter
Space Simulator, or Browse the Downloads section for
fantastic campaign data.

http://www.starfrontiers.org/

UFO Series Home Page



Welcome to the UFO Series Home Page, devoted
to the 1970 British science fiction television series
UFO
, created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and
starring Ed Bishop as Commander Straker

Spacebattles.com



Movies, Movie Directory, Gallery, Fanfiction,
Forums, Links, Jokes, and F.A.Q.

http://www.spacebattles.com/

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Ztum-Setum



This web site is dedicated to the Ztum - Setum wargames campaign being run by members of the South East Scotland Wargames Club using the AK47 Republic rules from the Rules for the Common Man (RFCM) team at Peter Pig. The name Ztum-Setum comes from the names given to the campaign area by two groups of tribes. The highland tribes call it Ztumsia while the lowland tribes insist on Setumsia.
**************************
Great place for inspiration!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Tom's Spaceship Miniature-Game Lists



Although it was last updated - December 16, 2004 it is still
a great resource and starting point in looking into space
based games.

http://spaceship.brainiac.com/index.html

Trans-Balkania



Also found in the Soldiers Companion and literature, a
very likely candidate for a new nation.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Wooden Warriors



Charlie's Wooden Warriors Website is another excellent
outdoor 1/35th scale wargames site in the same vein with
Wooden Tanks and real mud!

Peter Shulman's War


Peter's War is the story of an outdoor war game that artist Peter Shulman has been playing for more than forty years. It has some very unusual aspects to it that make it totally unique. It is in fact a huge installation type work of art. At the present time the war contains over 60,000 hand sculpted soldiers and more than 4,400 scale models, vehicles in 1/35 and 1/32 scale aircraft in 1/48 scale that cover over 20 acres.

NQM Summer Holiday Toy Soldier Campaign



From Chris Kemp's Not Quite Mechanised
(not unlike some of our fights)
The Inspiration for this campaign came from two sources:

In my youth, I met Martyn Simson, (Simmo to his friends),
who ran a campaign in the Summer Holidays. The idea was
simple - if you bought and painted a model (it had to be
painted), you could use it in your Army. Sales of Airfix Tiger
Tanks and JSIIIs soared in Scunthorpe in the 1970s!

More recently, I came across "The Army Men" homepage
(see the links page). Again the idea is simple. If you own it,
think up a rule and use it! There are only two armies, a green
friendly one, and a tan enemy one (or blue or gray or
whatever).

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Ruritania


Looking through my copy of Space 1889 Soldiers Companion
I ran across this nation, took a while to realize that it was
from the novel "Prisoner Of Zenda"
***************
Once upon a time - long, long ago - there existed a kingdom, a
nation which has now disappeared off the map without a trace.
By many it was regarded as a beautiful, romantic land, with
castles, palaces, a place of fairy-tales. Words like honor and
romance were held in deep regard. In a word, Ruritania
was an idyllic land.
***************
However, by others it was believed to be a place of dread, of
small-minded pettiness, a country ruled by despotic, nationalistic
leaders who often use the word 'honor' but have no real concept of
it. In this country, racial strife and ethnic tension are a daily
occurrence. In a word, this Ruritania was an oppressive state.
***************
Although the concept of Ruritania was invented by the writer
Anthony Hope and sold to the world most famously in The
Prisoner of Zenda, there is a great possibility that this concept
- the idea of such a region - existed in the minds of Europeans
for a long period of time. The idea probably still exists.
Commentators often talk of Europe 1 and Europe 2 - those who
joined before and those who joined after.
***************
What the above two descriptions of Ruritania tell us is that this
place was/is a fantasy, or rather a place of extremes, intense
emotions and vivid occurrences. Ruritania is often posited
somewhere in Eastern or Central Europe. Ruritania
encompasses a great part of what the Poles fondly refer to as
the Kresy, 'Borderlands', as well as parts of Eastern Poland,
Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.
***************
I think this makes for an interesting nation to build.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS




Cast: Hugh Marlowe (Dr. Russell A. Marvin); Joan Taylor (Carol Marvin); Donald Curtis (Major Huglin); Morris Ankrum (General Hanley); John Zaremba (Professor Kanter); Thomas Browne Henry (Admiral Enright); Grandon Rhodes (General Edmunds); Larry Blake (Motorcycle cop); Harry Lauter (Cutting); Charles Evans (Dr Alberts); Clark Howat (Sgt Nash); Frank Wilcox (Secy. of State Alfred Cassidy); Alan Reynolds (Maj Kimberly); Paul Frees (Saucermen Voice/Narrator)

Producer: Charles H. Schneer; Executive Producer: Sam Katzman Director: Fred F. Sears; Screenplay: George Worthington Yates, Raymond T, Marcus; (Story by Curt Siodmak); Suggested by "FLYING SAUCERS FROM OUTER SPACE" by Major Donald E. Keyhoe. Technical Effects: Ray Harryhausen; Art Director: Paul Palmentola; Director Of Photography: Fred Jackman, Jr; Film Editor: Danny D. Landres; Sound: Josh Westmoreland; Musical Score: Mischa Bakaleinikoff; Production Co-Ordinator: Jack Erickson; Special Effects: Russ Kelley; Set Decorator: Gene Anderson Jr.; Unit Manager: Leon Chooluck.


http://lavender.fortunecity.com/judidench/584/new-evfs.html

Atomic Rocket Page




This site was mainly intended for science fiction authors who wanted a little scientific accuracy (Matthew Lineberger is the first SF author who wrote a novel inspired by this website). But anybody who is interested can play with the toys contained within, designing their own Planet Rangers Rocketships. It is assumed that the reader has enough knowledge to know the difference between a star and a planet, high school mathematics, and enough skill to use a pocket calculator. Computer spreadsheet and computer programming skills are a plus, spreadsheets in particular will make your life much easier.

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/index.html

Sunday, June 8, 2008

The Common Republic Fleet



The Common Republic operates a fairly open naval organization,
though it still maintains a system of ship assignments. For the
most part ships are assigned to a specific Division from the time
the keel is laid out, and it is very rare that a division is broken
up even when it has suffered severe losses in combat. Some
ships, most often Fenris CLs, are not assigned to Divisions at
all and are assigned on as needed basis. The Fenris CLs have
a relatively powerful sensor system that allows for patrol and
recon, and the command and control system is capable of
commanding a whole Frigate Squadron.

Samurai-Commando



WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE IF A WAR BEGINNING
IN THE YEAR 1549 BETWEEN SAMURAI, WAS THEN
INTERRUPTED BY THE ARRIVAL OF SOLDERS
FROM YEAR 2005?

SOLDIER



"Kurt Russell is a One-Man Intergalactic Army!"

This sci-fi action thriller about a soldier
programmed from birth to kill without
feeling.

They said he wasn't supposed to feel.
They say he wasn't supposed to care.
They were wrong.


Movie Firefox



A Cold War classic film "Firefox"

Synopsis: FIREFOX is an entertaining cold war
fantasy piloted by actor-director Clint Eastwood.
When the Russians develop a Mach 5 jet with
thought-controlled weaponry, the free world needs
someone to go and steal it from them in order to
maintain the balance of power.

4518 Lift Infantry



From one of the latest postings on TMP there
are a series of great photos of some nice GZG
Grav Tanks and Troop Carriers, as well as
some superbly sculpted Lift Infantry in 15mm.
The infantry are recasts from the old Citadel
Traveller line now available again from RAFM!
(see link on side bar)

http://www.clambo.com/MiniGallery/4518LiftInfantry/index.html

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Comparisons!


"borrowed" from a post on the Modern Crossfire Group.....

AK-47: It works though you have never cleaned it. Ever.
AR-15: You have $9 per ounce special non-detergent synthetic
Teflon infused oil for cleaning.
Mosin-Nagant: It was last cleaned in Berlin in 1945.

AK-47: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from inside.
AR-15: You are able to hit the broad side of a barn from 600 meters.
Mosin-Nagant: You can hit the barn from two miles away.

AK-47: Cheap mags are fun to buy.
AR-15: Cheap mags melt.
Mosin-Nagant: What's a mag?

AK-47: Your safety can be heard from 300 meters away.
AR-15 You can silently flip off the safety with your finger
on the trigger.
Mosin-Nagant: What's a safety?

AK-47: Your rifle comes with a cheap nylon sling.
AR-15: Your rifle has a 9-point stealth tactical suspension system.
Mosin-Nagant: Your rifle has a dog collar.

AK: Your bayonet makes a good wire cutter.
AR-15: Your bayonet is actually a pretty good steak knife.
Mosin-Nagant: Your bayonet is longer than your leg.

AK-47: You can put a .30" hole through 12" of oak.
AR-15: You can put one hole in a paper target at 100
meters with 10 rounds.
Mosin-Nagant: You knock down everyone else's target with
the shock wave of your bullet going downrange.

AK-47: When out of ammo, your rifle will nominally pass as a club.
AR-15: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a great wiffle bat.
Mosin-Nagant: When out of ammo, your rifle makes a supreme
war club, pike, boat oar, tent pole, or firewood.

AK-47: Recoil is manageable, even fun.
AR-15: What's a recoil?
Mosin-Nagant: Recoil is often used to fix shoulders
dislocated by the previous shot.

AK-47: Your sight adjustment goes to 10, and you've
never bothered moving it.
AR-15: Your sight adjustment is incremented in fractions
of minute of angle.
Mosin-Nagant: Your sight adjustment goes to 2000 meters,
and you've actually tried it.

AK-47: Your rifle can be used by any two-bit nation's most
illiterate conscripts to fight elite forces worldwide.
AR-15: Your rifle is used by elite forces worldwide to fight
two-bit nations' most illiterate conscripts.
Mosin-Nagant: Your rifle has fought against itself - and
won every time.

AK-47: Your rifle won some revolutions.
AR-15: Your rifle drove Saddam out of Kuwait.
Mosin-Nagant: Your rifle won a pole vault event.

AK-47: You paid $330.
AR-15: You paid $900.
Mosin-Nagant: You paid $59.95.

AK-47: You buy cheap ammo by the case.
AR-15: You lovingly reload precision crafted rounds one by one.
Mosin-Nagant: You dig your ammo out of a farmer's field in
Ukraine and it works just fine.

AK-47: You can intimidate your foe with the bayonet mounted.
AR-15: Your foes laugh when you mount your bayonet.
Mosin-Nagant: You can bayonet your foe on the other side of
the stream without leaving the comfort of your hole.

AK-47: Any fool can be taught to field strip it.
AR-15: Anyone with an IQ over 160 can be taught to field strip it.
Mosin-Nagant: What's field stripping?

AK-47: Service life, 50 years.
AR-15: Service life, 40 years.
Mosin-Nagant: Service life, 101 years, and counting.

AK-47: It's easier to buy a new rifle when you want to
change cartridge sizes.
AR-15: You can change cartridge sizes with the push of
a couple of pins and a new upper.
Mosin-Nagant: You believe no real man would dare risk
the ridicule of his friends by suggesting there is anything
but 7.62x54 R.

AK-47: You can repair your rifle with a big hammer and a swift kick.
AR-15: You can repair your rifle by taking it to a certified
gunsmith, if it's under warranty!
Mosin-Nagant: If your rifle breaks, you pick up another one.

AK-47: You consider it a badge of honor when you get your
handguards to burst into flames.
AR-15: You consider it a badge of honor when you shoot a
sub-MOA 5 shot group.
Mosin-Nagant: You consider it a badge of honor when you
cycle 5 rounds without the aid of a 2x4.

AK-47: You can accessorize you rifle with a new muzzle brake
or a nice stock set.
AR-15: Your rifle's accessories are eight times more valuable
than your rifle.
Mosin-Nagant: Your rifle's accessory is a small tin can with a
funny lid, but it's buried under an apartment building somewhere
in Budapest.

AK-47: Your rifle's finish is varnish and paint.
AR-15: Your rifle's finish is Teflon and high-tech polymers.
Mosin-Nagant: Your rifle's finish is low-grade shellac, cosmoline,
and Olga's toe nails.

AK-47: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for a stiff
shot of vodka.
AR-15: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for hot
dogs and apple pie.
Mosin-Nagant: After cleaning your rifle you have a strong urge for
shishkabob.

AK-47: After a long day the range, you relax by watching Red Dawn.
AR-15: After a long day at the range, you relax by watching Black
Hawk Down.
Mosin-Nagant: After a long day at the range, you relax by visiting
the chiropractor.

AK-47: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to hold
yourrifle over your head and shout "Wolverines!"
AR-15: Late at night you sometimes have to fight the urge to clear
your house, slicing the pie from room to room.
Mosin-Nagant: Late at night, you sometimes have to fight the urge
to dig a fighting trench in the yard to sleep in.

AK-47: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of
Mikhail Kalashnikov.
AR-15: Your wife tolerates your autographed framed picture of
Eugene Stoner.
Mosin-Nagant: Are there even photographs of Sergi Ivanovich
Mosin and Leon Nagant?