It’s Salute week, which means a whole of of people giving out four-digit combinations of letters and numbers to tell you where to spend your hard-earned cash on Saturday. However, as well as the teases, we also have a full release of INX 2.0, new items from Urban Scatter Gaming and Combat Octopus, as well a a sneak preview of something big Modern Miniatures is releasing next month. Read on for more!
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First up, Salute! The UK’s biggest wargames show is this Saturday, as you might be able to guess based on the pile of news stories below that directly refer to it. If you haven’t been to Salute before, it is an exhibition hall filled with a collection of games, retail therapy, talks and more. The full list of what is going to be there is up on the Salute site, so it might be worth perusing to see what you fancy.
Good news, I’m actually going this year! I took last year off, but while planning to get my ticket this year, I was very lucky to receive an invite from a favourite of the blog, Bobmack3d, to come along. After making sure this wasn’t a ploy to trap me in their Cold War Corner as an embedded reporter or a bribe for positive coverage, I accepted their invite and got my hotel room booked. This means I will be down there on Saturday running around, staring at everything vaguely Ultramodern and happily chatting to anyone who actually manages to recognise me (it’s harder than you might think).
This week, we are going to split the news into half: Those talking about Salute and everyone else.
Spectre Miniatures Prepare For Salute
Spectre Miniatures is returning to Salute this year with both a trade stand and gaming setup. Of course, what I can actually hear is everyone frantically excited about what this year’s limited edition model is going to be (a Salute tradition) and based on the outline I think we might be getting the hump (metaphorically). It’s interesting to see 10+ releases listed – I’m assuming we’ll be seeing the dog teams released for Adepticon, joined by a whole host of other items.If you want to take a look, they will be at stands TD13 and TG13
For those not attending the show, the announcement post also includes mention that the limited edition model will also be available online, so nothing to worry about if you can’t make it to the Excel on Saturday.
BobMack3d and Flank March Prepare For Salute
Stands TF13 and GF12 are going to be a real Cold War corner as BobMack3d, Flank March Miniatures, Full Metal Miniatures and Battleground HD are getting together to run a Cold War Gone Hot game. It seems that the Russians are crossing the Wall and going up against the Brits in West Berlin. There are a few preview shots over on the Flank March page, and I can’t wait to see it when the action kicks off. For those who are planning their trip through the show, the free figure (given after playing a game of Battleground HD) is definitely a tempting bet, giving a hero character that would be perfect for anything 1980s British (be it fighting the Russians or Daleks).
For those specifically interested in BobMack3d’s vehicles, they are also running a promotion where all of the the previous Kickstarters are going to be available to purchase. This is great if you’ve missed one (as the BobMack Kickstarters are incredible savings against buying the vehicles individually). Even I’m tempted to pick up the USMC Kickstarter I missed to get my hands on a few more vehicles.
Empress Miniatures Prepare For Salute
Empress Miniatures will also be attending Salute (frankly, I’d be very concerned if they weren’t there). As well as warning about getting your pre-orders in before the show (although you may be cutting it a bit fine at this point), they have also shown off a new item that will be there. There are now variants of the T-64 in the collection, with both the original type (including its unusual Gill armour plates), the A model with both Gill and side skirt options and the B model with side skirts. All three are resin and metal, scaled to 1/50 (the correct 28mm vehicle scale) and ideal to match up with the Russian vehicle crew that are also on the site.
If you’re interested in picking up anything from Empress at Salute, they will be in the giant stand TM-14 with all their wares for sale.
Right, let’s get back to the rest of the news.
Echo Dark Studios Releases InCountry 2.0
After a successful initial launch at Adepticon, Echo Dark Studios is proud to announce that InCountry 2.0 is now available for everyone to jump into. And I mean literally everyone – if you want a peek at the rules, the digital version of the 2.0 rule set is a free product on the store. There are also the two-player starter boxes available for a physical release, as well as individual rulebooks, tokens and the two new factions (Direwolf and Lion). In addition, the old STLs have returned and are now available, perfect if you want to expand your
Urban Scatter Gaming Releases MENA Building 2
You thought the MENA range from Urban Scatter Gaming was comprehensive? Oh buddy, you were wrong. USG has been hard at work and has released another large structure, perfect for adding in some focus points among the rows of apartments, and he is not holding back. This set comes with two different layouts (one or two storeys) and each floor has detailed interiors, ideal for fighting through. As always, the set comes with complete buildings and the doorless variants, ideal for adding details to.
However, that is not all – this set also includes a war-torn variant, the walls pockmarked with bullet holes, shrapnel scars and even more serious damage to the walls that change how the structure plays out. All the pieces included have been affected, adding plenty of options for theming your table. Having had a sneak peek at this set (I even a single storey version printed and I’m eyeing up the extra floors), this is a great addition to the table, perfect for giving you a larger focus structure that your operation will focus on.
If you want to grab it yourself, it’s up on the Urban Scatter Gaming Gumroad right now.
Combat Octopus Rewards Loyalty With The Anti-Material Snipers
Hot off the latest SSO release, Combat Octopus has released a new item for all of those who have been backing his Patreon for 9 months or more. The theme was announced a while back, but I think the two figures that we have received are perfect additions to the range. On the left, we have a poncho-wearing operator, his gear protected from the weather and rolling a Barrett M107, ideal for putting big holes in things. On the right, and perfectly suited for the Eastern European deniables we had over the last few months, with a marksman on overwatch, his eyes fixed to the scope of his VSSK Vykhlop, a 12.7x55mm rifle designed for quiet operation and smashing through armour and cover. Both figures are not as modular as the usual releases, but with a separate M107 on one and swappable heads/hands on the other, there are definitely some possibilities for kitbashing.
I’m looking forward to getting both of these printed off, especially the second who I feel may become the new version of a classic character from this blog’s battle reports.
Modern Miniatures Previews A Modular Submarine
Finally, Modern Miniatures has been showing off a preview of next month’s release. Taking advantage of the arctic theme, the centrepiece is a waterline submarine, split into pieces for easy printing and perfect for a whole host of games. You can see above that this thing is a beast, and the method of construction makes it perfect to scale as required. The missile bay also includes several options, with both an easy print closed hatch version and one that is more interactive with opening bays and missile warheads to sit in place and remind the players what happens if they fail their job.
This set will be released next month, along with a few other pieces ideal for a frosty warzone.
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