Start of a new month so we have a pile of new updates from across the board. Miska’s Kickstarter continues, Black Hills and Urban Scatter Gaming announce new plans, and Combat Octopus shows off two more armoured lads. Oh, and Spectre Miniatures has a massive release for your vehicle garage.
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Spectre Miniatures Drops The Motherlode Of Vehicle Parts
Strap yourself in, this is going to be a doozy. Spectre has been teasing it was releasing a pile of new vehicle parts for the last month and a bit but I don’t think anyone had quite realised just how many items were going to be put up for sale. So when there news came out of the release, I had to pause for a second.
For the insurgents, the big release is the Makeshift Armoured Technical (complete with an ZSU-23 in an armoured housing) but there was also an Insurgent Rider figure to add to your technicals as well as updated versions of the ZPU-2, ZPU-4 and ZSU-23 (all with new crew figures) as well as an updated TOW Launcher (with additional missile tube, battery and guidance system) and updated Rocket Pod (now on a proper mount to allow for aiming and combined with a new ammo box).
For the Task Force Operator in us all, the LTV has received a new Protected Weapon Station (which includes an Autocannon, medium machine gun and 2 ATGMs along with all the sensors and countermeasures you might need), an updated Land Warfare Remote Weapon System with mounting systems for the rear of a Technical and the Vampire smart rocket pod (complete with mounting for both the rear of a technical or on a swing arm to fit onto a turret. Finally, although the weapon systems released this time don’t need gunners, there is an updated Task Force Operator gunner figure, ideal to match the latest set of figure releases.
As well as all of these items, we’ve had an new release of some updated stowage items to fill all your vehicles with. In the past, some of these have been released in metal and later cast resin but there have been some additions – the launchers set has been updated with a SMAW-D tube, to add to the Javelin, NLAW, AT-4 and M72. The Containers and Ammo set sees the return of the sandboards that were missing from the last cast resin release while the Backpack set has been replaced with the smaller subset of the Bergens pack (so potentially we’ll see more later). Finally, from these sets, the Comms and Countermeasures set (one of the more popular ones) has been expanded with some new items (such as the gunshot detector and various electronic warfare items) as well as including the large vertical aerial previously seen in the Humvee Charlie upgrade (and something I said should have been included back in 2018 with the cast resin sets). Additionally, as a whole separate item, there is the TEWS, a Christmas tree looking item that can sense and jam enemy communications around it, ideal for mounting to your LTV or Humvee if you really want to style on the locals.
And to top it all off, all the items above (and I mean ALL of them) are available as STLs. In addition, for those looking to get started, Technical Alpha and Bravo have been added to the STL catalogue. For those looking for physical releases, all of these items are 8K 3d prints, meaning Spectre can be much more reactive to demand, without needing to wait for resin restocks from a caster.
Overall, I think this is an excellent sign of where Spectre is going. The updated weapon systems show that they are taking full advantage of new tech to add all the extra details that those leaning towards the modeller/painter may want. For the tabletop, the new systems such as the Vampire and the Cockrell RWS add new capabilities to existing forces, expanding the style of games you can run. And finally, as someone who is 3D printing their own stuff, everything being available as STL is actually making me put some baskets together, and it’s only partially as I might be able to print spare wing mirrors off! I’m hoping we’ll see this update pattern continue – this release nailed the heavier technical weapons, but the MGs and Grenade Launchers are just asking for an update, and with both the technicals and LTVs on the online store as STLs, we’re only missing one more family of vehicles that Spectre has released…
As well as this week’s releases, there is also a little bit of looking ahead. Pulled from the Spectre Miniatures Instagram story (a good place to keep an eye on if you’re still in the Meta bubble), we can see one of the upcoming ranges to get refreshed is the Task Force Nomad guys. This was definitely a set I only really loved once I got them in my hand and painted but we’ve already seen a preview of potentially what we’re going to get with the Nomad limited edition figure. The reference images above seem to show that the visuals from that figure are going to be expanded, especially with the inclusion of the MCX-LT setup for (presumably) AK mags. On another note, some talk about Central Africa and boards from Spectre’s past heavily implies we’re about to see some updated African fighters – they were Spectre’s first range, so it makes sense that they will be a key part of going forward.
BPRE Presenting At Connections 2024
Big news for the team behind Black Powder Red Earth 28mm – the Echelon Design Team has been selected to present at the Connections Wargaming Conference, an event hosted by the US Army War College. In a presentation titled “The Fundamentals of Close Combat Abstraction”, the designers Jon Chang and Michael Durao will “cover the process and considerations that drove the design of the game.” This will then be followed by a Q&A and a chance to see the game played and chat with the designers.
The presentation will take place on June 27th at the Army Heritage and Education Center. The conference is still open to registration if you want to go along and will take place from the 25th of June through to the 27th. Further details can be found on the Connections Wargaming Website.
Bobmack3D Announces Mini-Kickstarter for T-72
Bobmack3d, our favourite merchant of Tank-and-tank-related STLs, has just announced a new mini-kickstarter coming later this month. “Soviet T72B STL Files” is coming on the 17th of May, expanding on the already released T-72B obr 1989 from the Soviet First Echelon with the more modern T-72BM obr 2011 and T-72B3 obr 2016, giving you all the variants current in service with the modern Russian Armed Forces. Up-armoured versions are already confirmed, and it’s safe to guess we’ll probably get versions with stowage to match. This Mini-Kickstarter launches on the 17th of May and the preview page is already open if you want to know as soon as it launches. I expect we’ll see more previews before the launch.
Miska Miniatures Latest Kickstarter Powers On
The latest Kickstarter from Miska Miniatures, Zanganie Part 2 “Vox Populi” is continuing on having blown through its original target and pushing up its stretch goals. Something I mentioned that was very exciting was the multi-part kits mentioned for Civilians, Riot Police and Armed Civilians and we have already unlocked the first. As you can see in the preview above, there is a good mix of arms available for everything from “rioting crowd” to “street furniture for your game”. It’s going to be very interesting to see what the other kits look like once they are unlocked, as well as how well these kits will work with other multi-part offerings. The Kickstarter is still ongoing, with roughly 20 days to go, so plenty of time to still unlock additional goals.
Black Hills Games Announces Return
Black Hills Games took last month off to rest and recover following a pretty full-on release schedule. However, the good news is that he’s returning from his break with plenty of ideas – we’re going back to South America. Following on from the Rebels and Cartel releases, the new sets are going to be the other side, giving you Police forces from beat cop up to special response teams. You can see above some of the ideas he has to include (such as both tactical and well-fed cops) so it’s definitely going to be worth keeping an eye on what Black Hills is up to.
Combat Octopus Shows Off Two More Heavily Armoured Octopods
We’re getting close to the release time for the first Combat Octopods Europe/North America release and Combat Octopus has shown off the last two poses for the release. The figure on the left (armed with his MCX Rattler) has added hip protection to his gear, covering him from (almost) head to toe in armoured plates. The one on the right is more relaxed, ideal for sentry duty (although snapping his neck from behind while dressed in a sneaking suit might be a little hard).
The aim is for this set to be released on the 8th of May, giving you the non-combat poses for these heavily armoured boys. Next month will see more combat-focused figures, taking these initial designs to the next level.
Modern Miniatures Releases This Month’s Packs
New month means new release time for Modern Miniatures and this month is no exception. As well as the NOVA Gas Station previewed last week with the beauty shots of it in action, the Miniatures Tier and All in also got the second half of the Bank Robber releases. These are the heavy support guys, wearing body armour and packing drum-magged ARs and shotguns (as well as a MAC-10 for the boss). As with the first set, all four figures come with two heads (this month being a one-hole balaclava and a ballistic mask) as well as a separate duffle bag for use as an objective or token.
If you want to grab these guys, signing up at the All-in and “miniature release” tiers now will get them straight to your inbox.
Turnbase Miniatures Shows Off March Release
Turnbase Miniatures has just updated their Patreon to show off the March release, only delayed by a couple of months. The Tier 2 figures for the Mosul SWAT team are ready to release, giving you five figures ‘inspired’ by the team from the 2020 film Mosul. It’s interesting to note that two of them are based on the same character (one with AK only and the other clutching an RPG) while the rest are a few recognisable folks including the Major (although it’s odd that the main character of the film is not included). Tier 3 is not yet ready for release but will include a Humvee, as well as several of the turrets used by the SWAT humvees in the film. I’ve got some feedback about the model he’s using (seeing as all the vehicles in the film are fully armoured rather than the older doors with the pattern on it) but it will be interesting to see the final product.
In addition to these two updates, we also have the plans for April and May. April will be African Rebels, while Tier 3 will include a technical to carry them around. The May release will then return to the MENA with a new set of Rebels. I am a little concerned about how Turnbase is doing – they are currently 2 months behind schedule and I’ve heard previous months are still missing pre-supported files. It definitely feels like they need to do something to get back on schedule and meet the quality they used to have.
Urban Scatter Gaming Taking A Pause
As always, Urban Scatter Gaming drops major news just after my last weekly update. This time however, Wedge has announced that he is stepping away from Patreon, pausing monthly billing and leaving the page up for the free tier. The reasons he has given makes a lot of sense – the day job getting busier and busier, as well as a desire to do more projects without the monthly release requirements. I expect we’ll be seeing more from him soon!
(Editor’s Note: this also means I’ll need to move USG out of the Patreon section on this update and up into the other releases section. Perhaps this is the true reason for the move?)
Windham Graves Releases Marder 1 IFV
Someone I don’t cover as much as I should is Windham Graves, a creator on Patreon making easy print 20th-century items ideal for WW2 onwards. His method is to pay for his time rather than for specific models, meaning more patrons = more items each month. For the rest of us, all his items are released for free on Thingiverse after two months, so if you don’t mind waiting, you can still see his work.
This week, Patrons got access to a Marder 1 IFV, ideal for adding to your German forces or deploying into Ukraine. The released model lets you pick between the remote machine gun turret or the more modern option of removing it in favour of a hatch.
Empress Miniatures Deploys The Second Wave Into Arnhem
No Ultramoderns news from Empress this week but big news from the WW2 front – the second drop into Arnhem is here! A new Kickstarter of Paul Hick’s WW2 sculpts covers the other half of British operations in the Arnhem sector, with British Paras fully geared pre-Oosterbek pocket, Polish paratroopers and British Recce represented in the three main deals. There are also additional add-on units coming, such as a pretty comprehensive set of medical figures (including an ambulance jeep) and a 17pdr. You can even get your hands on the releases from the last Kickstarter if you missed it.
The Kickstarter runs until the 17th of May, so jump in quickly if you want your own set of Paras.
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