Israeli Ch'ir Anti-Tank Platoon

My final installment, for now anyway, of my 1967 Israeli army is the Ch'ir Anti-Tank Platoon.  This platoon consists of two Jeeps with 106mm recoilless rifles mounted on the back.  I was super excited about getting these on the table.  They are basically the same gun as he M51 Isherman with a 3+ save like recce units.  I had plans of these zipping around the table and causing havoc with my enemies.  Unfortunately, I missed the awkward layout.  This really limits the usefulness as you are move or shoot.  The models are very cool and I am sure after some thought I will find the right roll for these.  In fact, I am pretty sure I need a couple more.

Israeli Sayur Platoon

This is my Sayur platoon for my 1967 Israeli army.  These are some really great little models and as they are Jeeps they are near and dear to me.  These are Combat Patrols and I am not sure if they follow the standard recce rules, but after my first couple of games, and a re-read, I don't think they do.  I still have lots to learn on the proper application of this unit.

Israeli M3 TCM-20 Anti-Aircraft Platoon

Time for more Israeli models.  Next we have the anti-aircraft platoon equipped with M3 TCM-20.  Not too much to say about these.  I am not sure how much AA work they will get to do but they should be hell on infantry and light vehicles.

Israeli Sho't Platoon

Continuing on with my Israeli Tank Company, we have the Sho't platoon.  I was really excited to add these tanks to the army as they are by far the best tanks of the 6 Day War.  Their AT18 can and will kill any tank in the game.  The armor is no better than any of the other top of the line tanks of the period but the gun is great.

As excited as I am about these tanks, in game terms, I must say that the models truly suck.  The first attempt to build this unit involved hulls and track assemblies that were so warped they were unusable.  Battlefront did, eventually, make this right but it took 10 weeks to get replacement tracks and hulls.  Another huge flaw in these models is that the tracks are resin and extremely fragile.  This is the reason that they are based and ultimately the reason the entire army is based.  I would love to have more of these tanks in the army but the models are so bad I will never buy more.

Israeli M50 'French' Sherman Platoon

This installment of my Israeli P'Lugah Tan'kim for Fate of a Nation is the M50 'French' Sherman platoon.  These are called French Shermans due to the use of the French 75mm gun from the AMX tank.  This gun is based on the German Panther gun from WWII.  In fact, it is a direct copy of the German gun.  Unfortunately, by 1967 the gun was really show its age.  I am not sure this unit will stay in the army after the first game.  At only AT14 compared to the AT16 of the M51 for only a 20 point difference per tank I am not sure these are worth taking in the long run.

All in all I am not a big fan of the model.  It seems that they modeled the tank as an M4A1 on the front but the rear half is a welded hull more like an M4A3.  This is not how the real tanks looked.  It is a fairly inaccurate model.

I must say I don't really like the aesthetics of the original tank much either. The M50 is an ugly tank with a very impractical layout.  The long mantle of the 75mm gun overhangs the driver and radioman hatches when the gun is facing forward.  Not a good place to be if the tank takes a hit.

Israeli M51 Tan'kim Platoon

Next up for the Israeli 6 Day War project is the first Tan'kim platoon.  This platoon consists of two M51 Isherman tanks.

Pretty much everything I said in the HQ post is true here as they are the same tanks.  I love these models and I am sure I will add more to the collection.  I might convert this entire army to M51 at some point.

Israeli P'lugah Tan'kim HQ

After a very long production drought I am finally back to painting.  My current project is my long neglected Israeli P'lugah Tan'kim army.  For this army I am doing mostly Sherman variants to represent a tank brigade on the West Bank.  First up for this project is the company HQ of two M51 Isherman tanks.

I love the M51 models.  These are some of the best models Battlefront has put out in years.  These tanks are from the second battalion, as represented by the two stripes on the gun barrel.  They are also from the first company as denoted by the chevron on the side.  I could not find any details about company HQ specific markings so I just went with plain tanks other than the company and battalion markings.

This is a close-up of the company commander tank.  I really love the search lights.

The HQ racing across the desert.

This is just the first installment of many for the project.  I am actually very close to having this project done and on the table.