Team Yankee Starter Kit: The New Soviets

Just a few weeks ago I told you all about the new from . Some of the new models contained in that kit was the Soviet T-80 tank and the BMP-3 Armored Personnel Carrier. As the humidity lowered here at the NDNG headquarters I was able to finally head outside and spray a base coat on these new models and attempt as the worst painter on staff to paint these vehicles and give you my thoughts on how these new vehicles may play in Team Yankee.

My Warsaw Pact (WP) collection is massive. Aside from the East German tanks, most of the WP vehicles are a standard green color that offers little challenge to paint quickly. I wanted these new vehicles to stand out on the table. So, I decided to paint these in a camo color instead of the boring old green. While I know that the forces assigned to the GSFG probably did not have their tanks camouflage painted I still did some research and stuck with my desire to go with the camo.

When it comes to camo painted Soviet tanks, an internet search yield almost too many results. The constant I did find was a green/tan camo mix with some black lines thrown in to break up the pattern; more on this later.

Assembly

Who recalls building 20+ T-72 tanks when the game came out? I hated those smoke dischargers and the gas cans on the back of the tank. It seems like the folks at Battlefront also built a lot of these tanks and learned what we knew. The new plastic model is a snap to assemble. While smoke dischargers are easier to glue to the turret, the cans on the back are already on the model.

The one part I read that some modelers had trouble with was the front mud flap, however, I found that it snapped right into the proper place on the front of the tank. Note: This was not the correct place for the mudflap. The directions from BF were wrong, please check the website before doing this at home.

The BMP-3 was also very easy to assemble and is also a great model. With the previous BMPs I did a  magnet job I did in order to switch out the tops to change my models from BMP-1 to the BMP-2, however, with the BMP-3 this is not required.

Painting

I decided to paint my vehicles in the standard Krylon Camo Dark Green as a base. The rest of the paints used are all Vallejo. Next, I used Russian Uniform with some strong dry brushing. After this, I used a mix of Dark Sand and Tan-Earth to paint a few splotches of tan color on the vehicles. I painted the tracks in Brown, as I have with my hundreds of other tanks.

For the dark colors in the camo scheme, I used Black Grey on the BMPs which I did not like so I used a standard black on the T-80 models which I liked better.

I used a Citadel camo shade wash on the entire model and then gave it a light dry brushing of Green-Gray.

I painted some details such as the crew, HMG, and a Dark Sea Green on the optics.

After this, I did a spray of varnish, added some decals, and I was all done.

Overall these models were easy to put together and paint and I am really happy with the camo, I think these guys will stand out on the table.

How Will These Play?

This can be anyone’s guess. However, as a steady Soviet player and someone who is planning to make the Warsaw Pact my main army, I feel that the addition of the T-80 will give me some options I have not had before.

In my collection, I have 23 T-72, 15 T64, and 25 T-55 tanks. As you can see I went big because WP tanks cannot go 1v1 with some of the NATO top-line tanks. The T-64 tanks in my collection haven’t seen the table too often because of the points cost and the fact they still cannot match NATO tanks in a fight.

This is why we often see (historically correct) hordes of WP vehicles on the table. The T-80 can match the NATO tanks, mostly due to the FA 20 and the ERA. They now can actually bounce NATO shots which will be coming their way. Another thing the T-80 has is the Sniper missile which can shoot on the move and can put NATO armor at risk at 48″.

Sadly they have a RoF of 1 and are hit on a 3+ (expect some at a 4+ in the future). They offer an experience for a WP player they never had before. Because of the points cost of the T-80, you will not see a horde of them on the table. So players who pick the T-80 as their main tank will have to play more cautiously and use their stout defense and attack range before mixing it up at close quarters with the enemy.

The real hero of the new vehicles is the BMP-3 and Soviet players should use these vehicles with their infantry. The BMP-3 is a mini Death Star with a ton of gun options for enemy units at close range.

At distance, the Stabber missile not only hits hard at range but it also can be fired on the move. This is a big change for BMP players, in the past, I had a choice each turn, I either move my BMPs or fire their missiles. Now I can do both and the fact they have better armor makes these a must buy, so my 15 BMP-1/2 APCs will be joined by 15 BMP-3s.

Having seen the upcoming Soviet book (to be released later this year), I am very excited to increase my collection of WP forces. While I will not spoil what is in the I can attest that WP players will love the new toys such as the Tunguska and TOS-1 which will be on my shopping list. What non-Soviet players will like is that you may not see too many red hordes on the table, however, some of these new vehicles will still give you fits.