Although the French armed forces were not a part of the integrated military command structure of NATO during the period of Team Yankee, they were envisioned as a strategic reserve in the event of war. As a result, they appear in the game as a playable NATO faction, and have now received a proper starter army box (although the heavy Leclerc tank which the formation is based around didn’t actually enter service until 1992, seven years after the original setting of Team Yankee).
I grabbed this bundle from Wayland Games as a companion set to a pair of AMX-30 boxes (see the article I wrote on them for more details on these models). I absolutely love the look of the AMXs and wanted to build a French force around them, rather than the more modern (and ultra-expensive in terms of points) Leclercs.
Contents
While the box doesn’t contain as many miniatures as the other faction starters, there’s still a respectable number of vehicles included and, due to the aforementioned high cost of the Leclercs (which I think may be the most expensive tank in the game now) the value from a purely points-focused perspective is still pretty competitive.
It should also be noted that, due to the design of the sprues, you could choose to build all of the AMXs as either the tank or artillery versions (or just swap the turrets back and forward if you want), although you can only have 5 AuFs per divisional support anyway.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 3 x Leclerc Tanks
- 3 x AMX-30 Tanks
- 3 x AMX-AUF1 Self Propelled Howitzers
- 1 x AMX-10P Observer
- 2 x Gazelle Helicopters (20mm cannon or HOT missile options)
- 2 x Flight Stand
- 4 x Rare Earth Magnets
- 1 x Rulebook
- 1 x Start Here Booklet
- 1 x French Decal Sheet
- 7 x Unit Cards
So, built as presented, you’ll end up with 77-89 points of Frenchmen depending on how you choose to build your choppers. It’s a decent number, but do bear in mind that well over half of that (55 points!) is wrapped up in three very expensive tanks. That and the fact that you’ll also need some infantry to round out a balanced force makes the inclusion of the Leclercs a somewhat questionable choice at best.
Summary
While perhaps not the most balanced of starter sets, the models are all great, and more plastics are always appreciated. However, unlike many other starter sets, a good number of further purchases will need to be made to make a viable force out of what you get in this box.