Let’s start this Wargaming Week, covering the 19th of August through to the 1st of September.
NEWS
New releases from Spectre! This selection of four High Value Targets lets you add a really great character to augment a scenario. Each takes a different role, ranging from the Salesman gesticulating to a possible buyer, the Adviser perfect to lead your militia fighters while still remaining hands off, the General huddling the cold in his classic Russian coat and the Dictator in military regalia and with his cane.
What’s quite interesting is where each of these figures are actually from. The General is one I haven’t seen before but the other three have been glimpsed. The Dictator was in one of the packs in the original Spectre Kickstarter (alongside the African Militia Warlord, African Rebel Warlord and a Sapeur themed leader) while the Salesman was one of the Kickstarter stretch goals. It took me a while to realise that the adviser had appeared first all the way back in 2015, appearing in the display stand as part of the WIP greens (you can see the photo in my Unreleased models post way back in 2017). Overall, I think it’s great to see these figures being released and become much more easily purchasable.
Empress also released some new figures for their WW2 range. The Late War Brits I’ve started collecting now have two more packs. The Support pack includes a rather fantastic sniper model, the vital 2inch mortar and a few command figures. The Radio Pack has two Radio teams. Overall, I like them a great deal. That said, my project has slowed slightly, both due to a lack of time but also the fact we’re missing some vital figures from the range. As someone who likes picking up the Vickers machine gun in my Chain of Command games, I’m eagerly waiting to see Empress’s version of them.
PURCHASES
First up, I picked up a set of Gringo 40’s NVA after seeing them on Facebook. They are missing many of the key Vietnam farmer/fighter look, due to focusing on Hue, so they could actually fit very well with an ultramodern setting. With a super fast delivery, I already took a look at making them fit the Middle East a little more.
Of course, with a new Spectre release I just had to pick them up. I already have the Salesman waiting to paint, so the other three were added to the collection.
HOBBY
First up, I got a pile of Canadians! And more importantly, an LAV-III has arrived after a long journey through the delights of the customs series. A slight downer at accidentally receiving two of the same pack was elevated by just how cool they look. I can’t wait to get them all assembled (especially the LAV-III after the dry run I did with the parts) and ready for operations in Bazistan.
As mentioned above, here are the NVA figures from Gringo40s. I’ve done my rookie green stuff job on them. Shoes for everyone, a bandana on the female runner, a scarf for one of the fighters and (with it being the Middle East) a bushy mustache on the leader to assert his authority with. The next step will be getting them based and painted, making sure to vary their colours to give the militia look. These guys look perfect for slightly more well equipped fighters, seeing as all of them are wearing chest rigs and carrying lots of grenades. More details when I finish them.
That’s it for this update, expect more updates next week!