I have been a bit of a slacker on this one, as I have had this set since it was release last summer, but forgot to do the review! Well, going through my stack of reviewable releases, it is time I get this one out of the way. I like playing and collecting minor formations in WWII gaming and this applies to the Hungarians. Probably even more so, as we had a family friend when I was a young boy that served in the Honved during the war (and later fought in the failed 1956 revolt). So, this is definitely one of my favorite armies. So, I was waiting with baited breath for this release.
This, like all the mid war supplemental releases, is more of a sub release for the game. Like those earlier mixed supplements, this one includes a soft back book that includes background and listings for all the units in the army, along with the primary formations for the army. It also includes a small deck of unit cards for each type of troop available to the army. Finally, it includes a truncated set of command cards. The advantage is that you get everything in one set (book and cards). Like the other supplemental releases, the down size is you have to get everything, you have a thin soft back book and the card offerings are much more limited in scope. With that, this is a necessary release if ou want to play mid war Hungarians.
The book is nicely done. It is full of the normal Battlefront eye candy. It starts with a section on the Hungarian army fighting in Russia. It then goes into the different vehicles that the Hungarians used at this time in the war. Finally, it is broken down into the select companies being offered and the relative platoons for each company and the support platoons available to each.
The book is gives us three tank companies, two infantry companies, a cavalry company and the various support units. The tanks include medium companies with Pz38t, heavy PzIII/IV and Nimrods. The Nimrod was used as both an AT and AA unit by the Hungarians, so this is a rather neat little formation from a historical perspective, so one that I think is kind of neat that they added. The one tank company that I think is missing is the Toldi company. You can get platoons hear and there, but no company… Still, you get the common formations that cover what you will need for most fights.
Next you have the two infantry companies and the cavalry company. The infantry gives you both a motorized and a foot option. The cavalry is, well, the cavalry. This would not have been a Hungarian release without it! I really like that they included this as a primary company option. You then get the various support options. This includes Csabas and various artillery, AA and AT guns. The new offering is the Marder II, which I am very happy they finally added (our family friend command on of these). Needless to say, I will be painting some of these up when I work on this army! The unit cards are a repeat of all the units you find in the book. You get the various company and unit options.
Finally, we have the command cards. Personally, I think this is the weak point in the set. You get plenty of unit upgrade cards. These are always nice to have. We do not tend to use them much in our games, as it is something else to remember. You get two transport options, but they did not include bicycles for some reason. You get no character options! This seems odd to me, as I find this much more flavorful than the generic unit upgrades. Finally, you get some optional companies. Here is the lost Toldi Company! You also get an armored car and two engineer options. These are all nice, I just thin the Tildes should have been in the core book. Finally, you get no unique division upgrades. This is one of my favorite things in the larger army books, so a little disappointing here.
Overall, this is a nice listing. You get all the formations you need and a wide range of equipment options. If you play Hungarians, you of coarse need this selection. With that said, you will not be disappointed when you get it!
- Maneuffel