Hey so remember how last week was an absolutely massive bumper edition? Well, it seems like it may have affected the tides of content because this week is much quieter! With the fewest items I’ve had for a while, I had to include the same company twice in the header image!
Anyway, on with the news!
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Spectre Miniatures Previews Upcoming Vehicle Releases and More STLs
Spectre Miniatures has been keeping my typing hands busy with a pile of new information out this week, as well as something exciting over the last weekend. First up, we have the return of an old friend from the Patreon – the JDB armoured technical body was included early on (back in August 2022) but back then it came with an armoured DSHK position. On this vehicle we have a new weapon system in the form of the armoured ZSU-23 turret – this particular design has been previewed before but now looking rather nice all painted up. The armoured bathtub not yet been released, unlike the base gun which dates back to the original technical kickstarter.
Speaking of vehicle add-ons, it seems Spectre is going all out to release some new additions. This glimpse of the workbench reveals a few interesting pieces – some old and some new. While we see the return of items such as the ZPU-4 and the classic M2 in a protected turret, there are also some newer items.
Starting from the front left, we have an old friend in the form of the UB-32 rocket pod on an improvised mount except this new version has seen a massive glow up from the original, now with a more detailed frame and a box of spare ammo. In the centre, we have a new mounting solution for the monstrous RWS Land Warfare system – previously it’s been on the top of the LTV but now a pylon system will let you mount it on a technical (or Non-Standard Tactical Vehicle). You’ll be pleased to know the system includes recoil dampers to stop it being flipped over by the blast of a 30mm cannon.
Speaking of the LTV, at the front we have a particularly well-equipped variant with a pile of add-ons. Alongside multiple electronic countermeasures and comms gear, we have an interesting-looking pod mounted on an arm. I believe this is the Vampire system from L3 Harris, a launching system for precision-guided munitions such as the APKWS, an upgraded rocket with a laser seeker giving you a low-cost alternative compared to ATGMs. This is a great add-on to up the firepower without going up to full ATGM systems or tanks, ideal for lightweight forces – the Vampire can even be mounted on a pylon that looks very similar to the one the Land Warfare system is on, ideal for well-prepared forces operating from NTVs.
Overall, these previews give us a good peek at what’s coming soon. From the technicals to the Humvee and LTV sets, Spectre has done a great job of producing vehicles and their weapon systems. Now though, it seems they are moving to expand this range, as well as adding additional elements that may have previously been impractical to include in kits or sell separately when relying on external casters. However, by moving to print-on-demand for these add-on parts, it seems a much more efficient way to let modellers add more details. I’d hope these parts will also be released as STLs (as seems to be the process at the moment) but we’ll see soon.
Speaking of STLs though, last weekend saw a return of some old friends. The limited edition figures from the last few years re-appeared on the store for a limited time only, now available as print-on-demand figures. However, they were also made available as STLs, alongside a more general 10% on all STLs. This is great – I personally really like the Nomad figure that came with the V3 rulebook but I rescale my figures up 5% to bring them close to BPRE and ESS, meaning the original figure was on the small side; having the STL means I can easily 3D print him at the larger scale, as well as printing him multiple times for conversions or painting tests.
Sadly, the downside of writing these update posts for Monday means that they go up to late to warn you of updates for weekend deals, so sadly you’ll need to wait if you want to pick up these figures yourself. The best place to stay updated if you don’t want to use Facebook or Instagram is the Spectre newsletter, which is occasionally the first place to hear about changes and update.
Finally for Spectre, something nothing to do with STL releases. The latest resin casts for Spectre has arrived, showing off the level of detail you can get from the same files we’re 3D printing but using cast resin instead. These SSO troopers look wonderfully crisp, ideal for those without a 3D printer but still wanting the latest releases.
Empress Reveals Brand New Range At Salute
Last weekend was Salute and sadly I was unable to attend due to a combination of factors (including a wrecked ankle that would have made 8 hours of driving and stomping round the Excel a laugh). However, thanks to Roving Reporter on the ground there, I have been handed some photos of the new range being previewed by Empress Miniatures (with a full release planned for Partisan in May).
And good news, I guessed correctly! The next range is indeed Ultramodern Ukrainians, ideal opponents for the Russians already available and with a large range of support vehicles already in the Empress garage. With ZSU1 already released as drone operators, we have 7 new releases. Packs 2 through 6 are a mixture of fighters, mostly armed with various AK platforms but with a few additional pieces (I can see an M4 in there). Pack 7 adds a mortar complete with crew while Pack 8 (as seen below) comes with two Anti-material rifle teams, armed with what appears to be the colossal Snipex Alligator.
This is a good release from Empress, with plenty of figures for getting a force together in Empress’s trademark style. I really like the style of uniform they have gone for with them – the mixture of military and civilian equipment and clothing makes them look much more irregular, giving them far greater potential for other Eastern European-style combatants. There are also a good few “characterful” figures (such as the man clutching the Molotov) mixed with more regular fighters. These are, as mentioned on the Empress site, the Civilians pressed into action – hopefully we’ll see an expansion to the range with more Western gear and regular troops.
Turnbase Miniatures Shows Off Frontiers Project
Finally, Turnbase Miniatures has been hard at work on an upcoming Frontiers project for My Mini Factory, bringing forth a literal pile of technical parts for the tabletop. As you can see above, the vehicle on the left is inspired by some vehicles coming out of Yemen equipped with the M61 Vulcan rotary cannon, a rather impressive piece of firepower. Next to it, we have another classic technical loadout with the Chinese Type 63 rocket launcher, ready to drop some long range indirect support over an entire map grid.
Another preview from the Ultramodern Discord (home of all things Ultramodern including several Patreon creators and their chat channels) shows off a few more vehicles. As well the M61 we covered above, there is also the classic “BMP1 turret on a frame” and a much more involved conversion giving you a slightly more “professionally” armoured look based off some images from Africa. This sounds like it could be a pretty exciting project to be released, with plenty of opportunities. No further details available at this time, so we’ll need to see when Turnbase drops some more info.
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