Wings of War WWI Miniatures - Balloon Busters

The long awaited expansion with the balloon models are coming, a real bonus for all the players!

(02-12-2009)

Balloon Busters is the first expansion set for the WWI series of Wings of War Miniatures that adds to the game, in addition to new models, also new rules. Balloon Busters introduces in the game new elements, first of all the balloons, which were used as observation balloons or as barrages, and Le Prieur rockets, that were introduced in April 1916 and often used against the balloons.

In WWI, balloons were tricky things to destroy, so ‘balloon busters’ are a great part of its epic. “Drachens” were huge targets, but they had to be attacked very close from the same height or from above. The electric switch took some instant to start the rockets, and the pilot had to keep on pointing to the balloon. If rockets pierced the canvas and ignited the gas once it mixed with the air, the balloon could explode: but the plane could be so close to be in danger.

Once, the Italian ace Giannino Ancillotto was so concentrated on the target that he came across the exploding balloon: he went back to his airfield with stripes of enemy canvas hanging from his wings and was awarded a gold medal!

Balloon Busters will be sold in two different versions: one of them includes a light brown balloon, the other a dark brown one; each of them is paired with a rocket-equipped Nieuport 16 model, also available in two different versions. The decals included with each balloon allow you to personalize it with national markings of a specific country; you can also use the balloon without decals, since not every balloon featured such markings and some nations, as Italy, never applied them. So, you can prepare both an Allied Caquot M and a German/Austrian Achthundert English Ae 800 (this was the name of the German balloons, which they produced after capturing and copying an English 820 cubic meter Caquot M).

Besides the two models, you will find in the box a 20 pages booklet that introduces the rules to use all the new components introduced in the expansion: the balloons, the Le Prieur rockets, and of course new scenarios were they are present.

To use this expansion, you must own the Wings of War Miniatures Deluxe Set, or any other Wings of War boxed set which includes the basic game rules, such as Famous Aces or Watch Your Back. You can enhance the enjoyment of playing with this set by adding one or more of the Airplane Packs from any other Wings of War Miniatures series – some of the scenarios can be played only if you add other airplanes.

So, you may now fly to the sky searching for your targets, strike the balloons and become part of history!

The expansion Balloon Busters adds to the game the balloon models and Le Prieur rockets

The balloons (here in the light brown version) can be personalized with decals to become an Allied Caquot M or a German/Austrian Achthundert English Ae 800

The dark brown balloon