Batttlefield in a Box Terrain is Improving

I have been purchasing Battlefield in a Box terrain by Gale Force Nine for several years now. I have things such as rivers, streams, ponds, fences, fields, roads, bridges, and of course buildings.

Most of the items I have purchased I have been pleased with (except maybe the Petrol Station with its all grayish silver paint job).

I have seen an improvement in the buildings available from Gale Force Nine lately. The two examples I will point out are the European Farm and the Estate House. Generally the buildings I purchased have been one color on the outside walls with not much detail.

Another example of them getting better detail is this house. There are bricks on the walls and it is nicely painted.

The European House also has bricks. But what I noticed about it is that the bricks are not the same color. there are several different shades of bricks on the building. Also, some of the bricks protrude more from the wall than other bricks do. This it a great detail that is subtle unless you look very close at it.

The Steelworks Factory is another brick building. However, they are red bricks. But instead of just one color of brick they did try to have several different shades of bricks. Now, it does not have any bricks that protrude further than other bricks like the European Farm. But the different shading, instead of just one color of red bricks, is a very nice detail.

I am starting to see that Gale Force Nine is getting much better at detailing their terrain that comes in their Battlefield in a Box line. I can't wait to see what other terrain they create that will surprise me. If they continue to improve on their production the way they have so far their products will be in even more demand.

What To Do?

I really like Team Yankee and am having a good time playing it and being competitive with my Soviets.

However, that is not the only forces in the game. There are the USA, West Germans, East Germans, and British forces available.

I have about finished tweaking my Soviet list to where I do not need to purchase any new models except for a few.

Now the problem. I like the East Germans because I can use most of my present Soviet stuff and only need to purchase some new models to round out the force.

However, I have not played the East Germans so I am not sure it is a force I want to play. The advantage is that I will not have to buy many models. However, their equipment is not as good (in general) to the Soviets and I am already familiar with most of the Soviet equipment available for the game. A big problem I have is that they will seem too similar to my Soviets. So, if I play my Soviets or East Germans will they feel all that different?

I also like the British.

I originally wanted to play Soviets because I can use the Hind helicopters to transport troops around the gaming table. This has never really happened. The Hind is too valuable for destroying opponent's equipment to have them take several turns to transport the troops and not take out part of the opponent's force. I have stuck with the Soviets because right now they do have a lot of variety of equipment to choose from and it doesn't cost much points-wise. The British do offer a great way to transport troops around the gaming table. The transport helicopter they use in the game has no weapons so it will only be used for transporting troops. Much better than the Hind, I feel, for what I want to accomplish with the idea of transporting troops quickly around the gaming table.

Another problem is that the Soviets are also supposed to get a new book this year. The tentative title is Red Thunder. This has me interested. From what I gather it will have equipment that the East Germans are using but also new and better tanks than the T-72 the Soviets are presently using in the game. This has me excited to see how the Soviets will change in the Team Yankee universe.

Now, I only have so much disposable income. Do I go ahead and start the East Germans knowing that the new Soviet book will probably use the same equipment? Do I go ahead and start purchasing the British models and start to also play British? Do I wait for the Red Thunder book? Right now I am not sure which direction to go.