The month begins and that means it’s time for a pile of new updates. New releases from Spectre, previews from Echo Dark, a new project from Modern Minis and much, much more!
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Spectre Miniatures Unleashes The SAS And More!
First up, and in a big way, Spectre Miniatures is back and has dropped the figures they have been teasing us with for the last few weeks. The first wave of SAS figures are replacing the older CQB and Low Profile sets, with other pieces to follow. Both sets have been developed with the assistance of current and former UKSF operators, which leads to some touches that you otherwise only really see if you have found some of the small collection of publicly available imagery.
And oh boy are these new figures nice. The CQB set is exactly what you would expect – KS1s covered in all sorts of accessories (including plenty of GBRS), helmet with hearing protection and a selection of rails and strobe setups (NVGs are separate) and the operators themselves, with high speed plate carriers and equipment designed for short and brutal engagements rather than sustainment. There is also a good mix of poses, with both those at the front ready to engage and the rest moving in behind them.
My favourite set, though, is the SAS Low Profile Team. A lot of the gear is the same, but the figures are dressed down, helmets and tactical clothing ditched in favour of civilian clothing and baseball caps. There is a good mix of looks for each operator, with both clothing and head tweaks to make them feel more individual, just what you want for a small team. Personally I’d like to see a few more supporting weapons to assist the carbines so fingers crossed for the releases ahead.
In addition to what had been teased, we also got some stranger additions. All ready to protect your HVT (perhaps The Architect and his vape pen), this pair of corporate security figures with Vectors is just what you need for protection without cramping your style. The Vectors are also pretty handy for close quarters fighting. To go with them, there is the Tes… I mean the Edison. This high tech, super “cool”, next generation electric vehicle is…. Okay look, we all know what it is. We also all know how much people are wanting them (the Corporate Regular Opponent keeps whispering “CyberTruck Technical” in my ear) and I think it might be a fun addition to the tabletop.
As a heads up, the Spectre site has moved to having a single webpage for each item, rather than splitting them for physical and STL. Instead, on each page you’ll be able to pick the STL option if it’s available – you’ll know if its worked by the fact you’ll be charged nothing at checkout. This helps to make the site a lot cleaner and easier to use, and it is much appreciated.
Echo Dark Studios Preview Adepticon Releases
Echo Dark Studios has continued its preparation for Adepticon where InCountry (under the new ownership) is going to be re-released to the general public. The set is launching with two groups, the SAS-inspired guys we’ve seen in the past and something a little more… irregular. The guys above will be part of the opposing force, bringing out a mix of eastern firearms and a different visual look from the more regular guys we’ve seen before. We’ll see more details before Adepticon at the end of the month.
Fire! Modern Combat Kickstarter Rolls On
Fire! Modern Combat is still running its Kickstarter. There are still 16 days to go in the campaign and plenty of time to keep unlocking stretch goals. Some of the more interesting sets we’ve seen in the last few goals have been the additional lists, letting you assemble even more forces using the basic rules. So far we’ve got 10 extra lists, covering more European NATO forces (Germany and Italy) and Asia-Pacific forces (China and Australia). Coming soon (as well as a spy miniature for scenarios) we have lists for Russia and Ukraine before later adding Northern NATO squads. There are a whole selection of other things coming so it’s worth taking a look if you’re interested in the game, with all the details available on Kickstarter.
Anvil Digital Forge Releases Special Forces Heavies
Anvil Digital Forge has kicked in the door of The News Stand once more to tell me that they are releasing something I particularly like, heavily armoured operators. This month on their Patreon, backers will receive these guys, complete with a a pile of additional bits useful for kitbashing with them. In addition, the latest preview showed off Anvil’s multi-shelling, letting you dial back pieces such as rails, pouches, mask pieces and more. I think that Anvil’s use of this tech is great, unique among Patreons while opening up more options for the technically inclined. This set, combined with the first Special Forces release over on the store, gives plenty of pieces for making your own operators.
Black Hills Games Releases 1990’s Delta Ready For The Mog
Black Hills Games has released its figures for February, bringing out a seven-man set of 1st SFOD-D operators all ready for operations in the 1990s. Which translated means this set is ideal for your Operation Gothic Serpent games, with a team heavily inspired by the operators from the Black Hawk Down movie. There is a good mix of weapons and poses with marksmen and a machine gunner to go with your carbine equipped fighters. These figures are already available on the Black Hills Games Gumroad, and next month’s release will be Eastern European criminals.
Combat Octopus Readies The SSO For Release
Combat Octopus has done a fantastic job of clawing back his releases to be closer to the start of the month and I am already very excited for this month’s Russian SSO in Syria set. As you can see from the preview of the single pose figures above, these guys are looking awesome, covering in pouches and wielding heavily customised weapons (including a PKP for fire support) that are going to be perfect for the tabletop. This preview came in the latest update, with only the new heads left to do. This set (along with next month’s release) is going to be a perfect entry point for building up a force of Russian styled operators, be they operating in Syria or clearing out Factory in Tarkov. Stand by for final release information.
Modern Miniatures Launches A Tribe And Releases This Month’s Patreon Sets
Big news in the world of Modern Miniatures this week. The biggest one being that Modern Miniatures has opened up a Tribe over on MyMiniFactory, expanding out the ways you can give them money each month. This is an entirely separate campaign to the existing Patreon, delivering items chosen by Modern Miniatures (rather than voting) and providing new items for a reduced price compared to the store. I will be interested to see how this goes but Modern Miniatures has shown he’s able to keep up a consistent release schedule. I do however feel like this news and the difference between the campaigns is yet to be properly explained so we’ll see.
And what a vehicle to start off this new endeavour with – the JLTV is a handy vehicle for your tabletop and now you have a version available for 3D printing. It is designed fully compatible with all the previous current releases for things such as the M-ATV, letting you bring the pain in a slightly more usable package.
Back over on Patreon we have two new sets. For the figure packers we have a group of Money Transport Security figures, armed with pistols and AR15s, ideal for defending some high risk transportation against a gang of thieves. There is even a figure ready to surrender, the perfect setup for a more scenario-focused game. The set also includes a set of heads, with a mixture of glasses, bears and baseball caps that could be very useful for mercenaries or similar figures.
For all the scenery fans, this month you are getting a massive pack of kitbashing elements. Ideal for either digital or physical kitbashing, with a wide variety of weapons, packs, pouches, tools and more! I can think of plenty of uses for this set, so it will be a very useful pack for someone wanting to add an extra touch.
Turnbase Miniatures Releases Casual Civilians
Finally, Turnbase Miniatures has released a pack of Civilians for Tier 2 backers during February. This set includes a variety of figures, very usable for a wide variety of games outside of Ultramodern Wargaming. Patrons are still waiting on the Tier 3 release (a set of Covert/Overt figures) which should hopefully be done this week.
Famous By Our Swords Prepares For Printing
Outside of Ultramodern Gaming, Famous By Our Swords is going great guns over on Kickstarter. There are 14 days left to go on the project to get the book printed and Eoin (the author and all round great bloke) has been showing off all the good stuff on the inside to backers and those on Instagram. As it stands, the updated text has now been finished and it is almost time to get it sent off to the printers. For the backers, there is a great preview of some of the painted minis in the book, and it’s looking like it’s going to a massive increase in quality over the original book. If you want your own copy, you can join up on the Kickstarter and help get it over the finishing line.
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