Cheap Reinforcements

I was milling around town with the kids the other day and ran across an Axis & Allies starter set on sale.  I decided to check it out and see what the possibilities of using the minis for other games might be.  I was actually pleasantly surprised.  I lined them up against some FoW minis I own and the footprint is about the same.  The weakest offering here is the Sherman, which is not as tall as the FoW counterpart, and the sculpt is not as nice as the others.  However, the rest of the vehicles are quite nice and a quick wash will make them ready to roll.  The American infantry is pretty good and I would use them as is, but I think the Germans need a small touch up.
But then, the plot thickens...  I'm the sort of guy who will try anything, at least once.  They were sitting there so I read the rules one evening before bed and then tried a solo game the next evening.  Some of you are going to laugh, but I must say the game is not horrible.  In fact I actually thought it was quite interesting and very simple.  I especially like the way that infantry are handled and the games are very smooth.  My friend Jil came over the other night and we gave it a whirl and had a lot of fun.  In fact, it was good enough that he was cursing the fact that he traded away a complete set he had that he had never played.
I am a big fan of games that are fun and easy to play, so long as there is enough flavor to feel right, and I think this crazy game does do that.  Anyway, food for thought!