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Ok, so I won a lucky door prize at my local store and got the Machine Gun Platoon; Airborne with 2 sections (Parachute and Airlanding). According to battlefront it includes 4 HMGs and a command team. All good so far. Then I realised I have an extra base, and a cart and a guy on the radio? I know pioneers get a cart, did I just get lucky and get free models? Or is there a cart option for the british paras and their machine gun platoons, because I can't see it anywhere in my book (Market Garden)...

So Far: List Building Query Resolved; British Airborne Query Resolved; PSC Query Resolved

You can take as many grey boxes as you have points to purchase, but once you've used that box that's it for that company. For example, my PanzerGrenadier list from the Forces v3 book allows one self-propelled AA platoon. That's all the more of that type I can take; I couldn't take two SPAA platoons unless another SPAA box exists. Other boxes with multiple options can only pick one option from the list so taking a Panzer platoon in my case precludes me from being able to take a Heavy Tank Platoon.

Outside of those two rules, you can fill in as many boxes as you want. However, the likelihood of you being able to use every grey box without running over your points limit is astonishingly small though.

Cheers mate

British Airborne Query

Which book to make a british parachute infantry army out of? Similarly, which book surrounding operation market garden has the most interesting german infantry/mech infantry forces? Thanks guys

Not sure which books are rated "best" for given lists; still something of a rookie and on top of that haven't looked into the British much.

If you've not poked around http://www.easyarmy.com/ yet I do highly recommend that site. You can try a few lists out for free, and access to the "locked" books in on the order of $2-3. The filters also make it easy to drill down to your possible books to look for as well.

By best I more meant 'most choice', not tournamenty stuff. I'll go look at that site now

Ok, so most definitely Market Garden for me, and probably Bridge by Bridge for the Germans. Or is that a dated book?

Market Garden and Bridge By Bridge are the current books.

In my opinion best British 'para' list is the airlanding company from market garden.

You get a proper airborne force, without needing any 'normal' infantry or tank support.

My go to 1750 list
Hq + 2 Piats + bagpiper
2 full airlanding platoons
2 HMG's
4 mortars
4 6pdrs
3 6pdrs
Engineers - 3 sections
Recce jeeps - 2 sections
2 by 4 guns of airlanding light battery + medium support

The list is tournament winning and very fluffy

Ok I've stuffed up somewhere, I've gotten to 1955 with that list, and I couldn't get to 4 mortars. As I understand it you are allowed 1 Airlanding Mortar Platoon, which has a max of 3 mortar sections. It seems like an interesting list though, so could you help me nail it down?

Airlanding Company
Airlanding Company HQ 90
-2 Piats
-Bagpiper

Airlanding Platoon 220
-2 Rifle Squads

Airlanding Platoon 220
-2 Rifle Squads

Airlanding Machine-Gun Platoon 150
-2 Machine-Gun Sections

Airlanding Mortar Platoon 200
-3 Mortar Sections

Airlanding Anti-Tank Platoon 160
-4 QQF 6 pdr (late)

Airlanding Anti-Tank Platoon 120
-3 QQF 6 pdr (late)

Airborne Field Platoon, Royal Engineers 335
-3 Field Squads

Airborne Reconnaissance Platoon 150
-2 Recce Sections

Airlanding Light Battery, Royal Artillery 310
-8 M1A1 75mm pack across 2 Gun Troops
-Medium Support

Engineers are too big - only 8 stands in my list

Ah ok, that takes it down to 1860. Then if I take your 4 mortars/2HMGs as meaning that many actual HMGs/Mortars, not that many sections, it comes to 1730. Makes more sense now, thanks! Looks really fun, and looks like it'll translate into a parachute infantry list really well too when I want to change things up.

Yep! You only want a section of HMG's and 2 sections of mortars.

It does translate to parachute infantry easily.

New Q Can the PSC late war British infantry box be used for 1st airborne, or are they notably different? Just seems like crazy good prices is all...

 motyak wrote:
New Q Can the PSC late war British infantry box be used for 1st airborne, or are they notably different? Just seems like crazy good prices is all...

Totally different uniforms,Some people may let you proxy for airborne,But usually not.

From an equipment standpoint I don't know that there's really a dramatic difference between them. Trying to compare pictures on the Internet is an inexact science but to my Mark I eyeball they seem to be "close enough" at least since there isn't a real hard WYSIWYG rule on regular infantry rifle teams (i.e. - not bazookas and mortars). They would still have the correct helmets, bits of foliage and guns and most everything from that point is just paint schemes. You'd lack some soldiers fighting in berets, but I'm not exactly convinced that many paratroopers would have actually done such a thing. EDIT: Looking closer the BF paratroopers are wearing camo smocks, but again I don't know that such a thing is a "requirement" to be an Airborne unit.

Now, if you're planning on doing BF-sponsored events not having enough BF models might lead to issues, but as long as that's not in the cards for the time being I'd say go for it. PSC's offerings are usually pretty good, and certainly deliver good value. My only concern would be about the bases, but in an absolute worst-case there you can pick up BattleFront bases by themselves. Adds to the cost, sure, but that's only if you find the PSC bases unacceptable for some reason.

Certainly worth checking out their British tanks as well.

Nah, airborne have different helmets from normal leg infantry, plus a Denison smock.

A very different look to be honest.

P answered it for me.

Yeah, if Big P tells you a reason to not buy a PSC kit, you can bank on it being a good reason.

Yeah I figured there could be a huge difference. Didn't hurt to ask though, bf para models it is, thanks

Peter Pig have really nice British Airborne.

Forged in Battle do very nice looking British Airborne figures. I've not got any myself, but I've been tempted a few times.

I hate to says this but just buy the BF set.Everything you need is included,bases, command weapons team.the other companies are good but you will beed to buy weapons team and bases.In the end it usually cost more.
example i had to with my FIB usa PAras, platoon blister,PP zooks pack.PSC bases.when you do the math it is alot more than the normal price of a platoon blister.

I've got some of the BF British Airborne figures and as nice as they are they are also very short and squat compared to other BF miniatures.

Cheers, I'll go with BF and sub in some forged in battle for variety I think. Ok, so I won a lucky door prize at my local store and got the Machine Gun Platoon; Airborne with 2 sections (Parachute and Airlanding). According to battlefront it includes 4 HMGs and a command team. All good so far. Then I realised I have an extra base, and a cart and a guy on the radio? I know pioneers get a cart, did I just get lucky and get free models? Or is there a cart option for the british paras and their machine gun platoons, because I can't see it anywhere in my book (Market Garden)...

All the HMG and mortar blisters come with it - I can only see engineers using it

Hand carts were used by any airborne troops to carry supplies in reality.

Perhaps its just included to look cool.

Cool, I'll try and sort it into an objective of some kind, cheers