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I'm new with flames of war and am wondering what should go into an infantry based soviet list. I already bought a small company (officer, commissar, and 8 mg/rifle teams) and built and painted them, and I was wondering what would be the next best thing I should buy? Also, how do the 15mm plastic soldier company infantry compare to the battlefront minis? I've heard that their tanks are excellent, but I haven't really heard much about using their infantry for flames of war. Also, how essential are tanks in an infantry list? Thanks.

The downside to russian army lists is that they are generally so big!

That said, PSC-infantry (and tanks) have quite good quality, They are very light-weight, as are their tanks, so I generally use ballast to down-weight the tanks. Remember that PSC-tanks are designed to be standing on based, to reach the same (intended?) height as battlefronts tanks.

I guess your next choice depends on what infantry-list you choose to play. But support-platoons like HMG's and mortars should always be a part of infantry armies. T34's are also usually cheap in points. Aartillery and heavy tanks. In this order, I guess.

PSC infantry is pretty decent but I haven't seen it in person. Battlefronts infantry can certainly be quite variable and oddly proportioned though.

What I would suggest you do is get a full infantry company (3 platoons) and a full T34 company (10 tanks, the PSC ones have the advantage of having seperate turrets to make both T-34/75s and T-34/85s so they will be useful in both mid and early war) and take it from there. Both will see heavy use in most Soviet lists.

You don't need to tanks in infantry lists but if you are just starting out they will make your life a lot easier.

I have seen PSC infantry in person - both Germans (which is on my purchase list) and Soviet. They're very nice, but you may have to be careful not to drop them, since some of them are multi-part.

That's great! PSC has great deals so I was hoping that they would work out. What do you guys think about t 26s? Zvezda makes a 15mm version and a horde of crappy tanks seems interesting.

Albeezie wrote:That's great! PSC has great deals so I was hoping that they would work out. What do you guys think about t 26s? Zvezda makes a 15mm version and a horde of crappy tanks seems interesting.

Do not mess with a light tank company,buy the T-34s from Zvezda.My soviet players has a platoon of them and also 10 t-84 series from Psc.
Also if you are going the Zvezda route make sure you buy some KAt launcher rockets for arty.
With the 26s you will get mauled by any other Tanks company especially now with the new American Tanks,

Woah, woah, woah.

What briefing book will you be using? We gotta know that first.

T-26s are great but you have to have to use them in the sure knowledge that they will die (even rifle fire can kill them eventually). My Finns even use 3 of them in late war, where virtually every single gun in the game automatically penetrates them.

A T-26 horde can work, you can fit in 30-40 tanks in a 1500 point game. Individually they are hopeless but quantity has a quality all its own. They are currently only available mid war for Soviets though.

I'm not sure whether to get eastern front or red bear. My friend has a copy of both so I've looked through both the books.

Albeezie wrote:I'm not sure whether to get eastern front or red bear. My friend has a copy of both so I've looked through both the books.

Well I'd go with whats more common gaming wise. How is your community? Is it Mid War or Late War focused?

Ok. thanks! I'll just do late war then. Do I need anti tank guns if I use t-34's?

I love PSC, but I have to be honest if you are expecting to play once a week, I would buy metal. The PSC Infantry just don't survive well, the tanks are great but again the barrels snap.

You get what you pay for, I like PSC tanks so put up with it. I will however be buying my Infantry else where probably "Forged in Battle".

Albeezie wrote:Ok. thanks! I'll just do late war then. Do I need anti tank guns if I use t-34's?

T34/85's work well against everything except the heavy tanks, so you'll need something for that

But most AT Guns Soviets have are roughly the same/worse as the 85. Except the really heavy 100mm or the artillery guns

I agree with Mwnciboo. Plastic Soldier's tanks are excellent, I own three boxes of their T-34s, but their infantry is too fragile. I own FIB's Soviet SMGs and they are excellent sculpts.

You should also check out Zvesda's plastic kits if you can.

ok. I'll definitely check out zvedsda's plastic katyusha. Are there any other companies that sell FIB minis so I wouldn't have to pay as much for shipping to the US?

kenshin620 wrote:

Albeezie wrote:Ok. thanks! I'll just do late war then. Do I need anti tank guns if I use t-34's?

T34/85's work well against everything except the heavy tanks, so you'll need something for that

But most AT Guns Soviets have are roughly the same/worse as the 85. Except the really heavy 100mm or the artillery guns

There are 2 types fo AT gun in FoW, offensive and defensive. Offensive guns are large caliber weapons with a good AT rating who are used to snipe enemy armour and deny lines of approach while defensive guns are used mainly in defensive fire when covering a fixed position.
Soviet armies have little need for offensive AT guns but the smaller defensive ones are always useful if you field infantry, even AT rifles are handy to have.

If you spend at least £20 at Maelstrom games then international shipping is free and the stock both PSC and FiB.

These guys have PSC, FiB and Command Decision and are located in the states:
http://www.nobleknight.com/ViewManuf.asp_Q_CategoryID_E_17#F

These guys have really cheap Command Decision and are also located in the states:
www.warweb.com

How important are aircraft? Should I definitely buy some zvezda il-2s or some anti aircraft units?

Albeezie wrote:How important are aircraft? Should I definitely buy some zvezda il-2s or some anti aircraft units?

Aircraft can be decent in a pinch, but once the enemy closes within 16" of your troops, you'll have no targets to bomb or strafe.

Typically, you would use aircraft to attack units in the open when they are on approach far from your lines or disrupt their artillery behind their lines. They're good against tanks if you can catch them in the open and they're not too close to your troops.

With all this being said, you still have to roll to see if they appear and if the enemy is covering his vulnerable units with dedicated AA, it will be hard to affect anything sometimes. If the enemy have aircraft of their own, they can always roll to intercept your successful call for air-support.

So, I think it depends on the battlefield conditions (open fields, less terrain, mission type, etc) that you're going into whether air-support is a good choice or not.

My CR.42 Falcos have served my Italian Bersaglieri well in North Africa due to the terrain I was fighting on and then I've had times they really didn't do anything all game, whether being shot-down, failure to arrive or just missing their targets, so it kind of depends if you want to spend the points on it when you don't have anything else to spend on I suppose...

Albeezie wrote:How important are aircraft? Should I definitely buy some zvezda il-2s or some anti aircraft units?

For a defensive army they can be useful but for something like a tank army then they aren't usually worth the points. They are a lot better in V3 though so by all means try them out. Anti air is a low priority for me, I only really take it if I use a lot of wheeled artillery as it can't realistically hide. AA can be used as light anti tank guns or MGs but I find that this tend to be as a last resort in most cases as AA is very vulnerable to return fire.

the only list that I use with aircraft is my EW panzer list simply because it has virtually no other way of dealing with heavy armour.

Anti air will depend on your local meta. Some AA is worth taking to use against infantry or lightly armoured vehicles.

ok. I might get a couple of il-2s just for the looks. What would work the best for mounting a zvezda il-2? Just drill a hole in the plane and a base and connect them with a wire?

They come with a flight stand.

Albeezie wrote:ok. I might get a couple of il-2s just for the looks. What would work the best for mounting a zvezda il-2? Just drill a hole in the plane and a base and connect them with a wire?

Games Workshop small flying stand with old-type stem (the peaked one not the with a ball) should work fine.

The flight stands that are included with the Zvezda planes are rather nice.In my opion better than GW or Battlefront.
As for AA for the Soviets buy some SU160,Awesome AA Quad .50 cals. and are mounted in a Half track.So at least you get some armor Protection.The Dhsk AA are kinda CRap tactular.It is just a 50 cal mounted on the back of a Pick up truck.
I have been pretty much the main builder of my brothers Soviet TAnk Company and he is on a real tight Budget and wow we have put together a wonderful list for a very minimual price.
Since it sounds like you are on a tight budget,i would Seriously consider the PSC Infantry kit.They are Fragile but if you are a Wargamer you should be used to that.Also i would buy the Soviet Weapons kit from PSC you will need the Mortars.Another option you may want to go have alook at is the Point of Contact models from the Warstore,5 vehicles pre paint 20 bucks not bad.They do not make any orginal Soviet goodies but have American So you can Always Lend lease them.They have Shermans and HAlf tracks.( We are getting ready to expand in that direction.)Also the KV 1 from Zvezda make great cannon fodder.When we play my brother always puts them up front to absorb the shots away from his t series tanks.So all that i say for you is to get you some goodies and take the plunge.

I didn't know zvezda included a base so that's good news to me. What's the typical HQ load out for the strelkovy batalion? They have a lot of choices available, and which ones are the best or most typically seen in lists. I'm looking at red bear for lists right now.

Sappers are always useful, often with a supply wagon. The AT guns are another popular and useful choice.

Can never go wrong with Sappers. AT guns are neat too. Anti Tank Rifles are quite outdated, but if you think you really want some then go ahead

Sounds good. Should I run the full three platoons with my companies, or is that just too unwieldy?

4 platoons are the usual number, some people run them in 2 companies of 2 while others prefer 1 company of 3 and 1 of 1. 2 x 2 is the most flexible.