Buying Red Blok. First other than the Rackham sale you can buy from
Miniature Market though with shipping and customs charges you can lose what you save. I do recommend buying now.
AT-43 has a future but the current prices only have a present, besides Red Blok are rather cool. I cant speak for you but they are my favourite faction, though they do suffer under the current rules.
Get 1x or 2x
Army Boxes:
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/army-box-red-blok
I recommend getting two. You want your order to be clearly above 100 Euro in order to get free postage anyway and as you are an
EU costomer, no customs.
The Army box needs duplication because the infantry are better off duplicated. For a Red Horde having more infantry is a definate plus. The small units of elite infantry can stay as units of six. The larger units of Krasny Soldaty, your basic horde troopers are better boosted. If you buy two boxsets do a bits order from Miniture Market for the following:
3x RPG Soldaty rocket infantryman
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/424213
1x Krasny Soldaty grendade launcher infantryman
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/593450
Later if available buy four ordnary Krasny Soldaty riflemen.
ignore the fact that the
RPG Soldaty are actually from another unit, you can use rocket launchers in Krasny Soldaty. Buying the above bitz with two Army Boxes will yield three full size units of 12 Krasny Soldaty with the option to outfit one unit with rocket launchers. Buying the extra four infantrymen later will yield four full size squads three with grenade launcher and one with rockets.
If you want a cheap intro to the game ignore all that and just get one Aermy Box, but do you want a Sovietsque army with only 20 basic infantry?
Now let us look at the vehicles.
Assuming you buy only one Army box then you are ok with what you have got, all you need to add are some light striders and they are currently available at a good discount. With two boxes things get better. Ther only waste you will find is that there is no room for two Urods in most lists. Though Red Blok are heavily into cloning so you
can deploy and field multiple special characters with one of the factions army lists. In any event two Hetman (the smaller of the two vehicles above and two Dotch Yaga formk a formidable core for any Red Blok army you choose. You could add to that with a medium strider or not, but frankly you dont really need to. The Kossak has nothing to offer except a bit of variety, though you might rtry a Hussar.
1x
Hussar
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/hussar
The Hussar has a slightly different paintjob being releaseed at the same time as the Frostbite module. However some brown inking with stain the grey easily enough. The Hussar provides a guided missile, which while only hitting on a 4+ (most guided missiles in game hit on a 3+) nevertheless offers something the Red Blok army is short of, ranged firepower. As compensation is has two shots and is reloadable though its only one single missile. At 12 Euro its a steal, I am getting one myself. Ignore this purchase if you are gojng cheap and want one Army Box.
3x
Sierp
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/nakovalny-sierp
Trust me on this. Whether you buy one Army Box or two buy three Sierp. Sierp arer light striders and arev thus squadroned in units of one to three. I will leave it to you to find out why buying three is such a good idea. If you buy less than three you will be kicking yourself ansd saying, why didnt I buy more.
1x
Molot
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/nakovalny-molot
One Molot is enough. Like the Sierp this vehicle has a neat special rule but you only need one to get the effect. Molots are good so you are doing nothing 'wrong' if you decide to buy two or three anyway. However one will do.
1x or 2x
RPG Kolossus
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/rpg-kolossus
Kolossus battlesuits are the last element of your army you need to buy. The only suit type available are the Dragomirov and
RPG Kolossus. Dragomirov Kolossus are good , but you need to get Lt Dragomira to make the most of them. More on that later. For now two units of
RPG Kolossus will help round out your army, some lists like to include *** infantry options, and the Army Box provides none. This is the easiest way to buy some, if you take my advice and place an order with Miniture Market as well as to Rackham then you can get away with reducing your purchase to one boxset, because other otpions will be come available.
1x
Dragomirov Kolossus
http://store.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/red-blok/dragomirov-kolossus
These are similar to
RPG Kolossus but replace one of the rocket launcher arms with a machine guin arm, a neat versatile unit. I recommend you buy one boxset, no more no less.
1x
Lt Dragomira
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/238996
Rackham is out of stock of this gem. For $6 you get a second hero choice to add to your army (after the twin heroes in the Army Box). Lt Dragomira is an excellwent support hero for your army, and works best when she is not the army commander. She is also difficult to kill and provides a nice accuracy boost to her unit. Recommended.
1x
Stielitz Kolossus
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/178235
So far we have seen the anti armour Kolossus battlesuirts, others are anti infantry. The Spetsnaz battlesuits have two flamethrowers, nice but the Stielitz is better having a flame thrower and grenade launcher. The Gerendae launcher is inferior but hasd a longer range and the downgrade results in a heavy unit discount. Kolossus battlesuits are expensive, Steilitz battlesuits less so. also if three flamers will not do the job properly six wont either. You could buy a unit of Spetsnaz Kolossus if you like, they are avalable cheap on the same site
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/138803 but you need not.
Finally while at Miniature Market stop to pick up a third hero for your army.
1x
Cpt Vrachov
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/138800
you masy or may not also want his ride:
1x
Kossak
http://www.miniaturemarket.com/inc/sdetail/125441
Captain Vrachov is recommended giving you another commander option for your army and you can add him to units of Krasny Soldaty or to a Kossak strider. The Kossak is a nice model and would help complete your collection, but while discounted is not at the same level of discount as the other items shown and is inferior to a Hetman, and you will already have one or preferably two Hetman and a Hussar, which is cheaper, by the time you come around to considering a Kossak.
I wouldcsay go for it, but then I am not paying.
You could hunt around on the Miniture Market site for other items to buy. you could get some Spetsnaz Kommando, but they are poor compared to Dragonov Kommando and they come with the army box. I have everythijng fior the Red Blok army except Spetsnaz Kommoando, and I do not miss them.
Other thasn that the only item to look out for is Sgt Timofiyeva. You do want her, nice miniature and will complete your collection of Red Blok heroes. She can join a Krasny Soldaty unit or a Nakovalny light strider (see below). The Nakovalny is inferior to the two sister desifgns of Molot and Sierp and is not to be missed, though do piuck one up for a collection as the miniature and paintjob is very good. in fact very similar to the picture seen. Sgt Timofiyeva does get her special abilities in her vehicle, but doesnt need them to use them and is more vulnerable there.
That in fact covers everything except
RPG Soldaty, which you can bypass by getting rocket launchers in your Krasny Soldaty.
So to cover all
Small purchase from Rackham only.
1x Army Box
3x Sierp
2x
RPG Kolossus
Total of 104.50 Euro, just enough for free shipping. This will cover all the bases, you have something for each unit type of */**/*** infantry and vehicles. You can fit all the above into one army with a second platoon and careful use of the force organisation charts.
RPG Kolossus are chosen twice because Sierps are anti infantry and units with as now paintjobs are absent so no the army will look uniform without having to repaint.
Larger Purchase from Rackham only
2x Army Box
3x Sierp
1x Hussar
1x Molot
1x
RPG Kolossus
1x Dragomirov Kollosus
Much bigger and nastier force, but lacking in veriety of heroes for 185 Euro.
Recommended Purchase from Rackham and Miniture Market
as above plus
1x Lt Dragomira
1x Cpt Vrachov
1x Steilitz Kolossus
3x bitz
RPG rocket launchers
4x bitz Krasny Soldaty riflemen (out of stock)
This costs $29.50 plus postage and customs and the eventual additon of the four riflemen and extra grenade launcher. This will allow you to maass your infantry as three full units rather tghasn two full and two minimum units, while allowing you to swap out the heavy weapons in one full unit with rockets for a bit of versatility. The two heroes greatly add to the versatility of your army and this plus the Steilitz Kolossus changes the roles of your battesuits.
If you want an idea of how big this army is think of it as:
Two Defilers
Three Dreadnoughts
Four Armoured Sentinels
Ten Meganobz
Forty Guardsmen
Twelve Kasrkin
It is a bit light on infantry when you thik of it that way, but you will find you have enough for a nasty
Frontline or
GenCol army list and enough for two platoons of any Red Blok faction.
Dont bother buying any books, version 2 will make them all obsolete (I hope) and they are available for free download here:
http://games.rackham-e.com/en/at-43/game-aids/rules?. Note that rules in Italian are also avialable.
Enjoy your army however you plan it, and welcome to the Socialist struggle comrade.